Wednesday 20 December 1665
Up, and was trimmed, but not time enough to save my Lord Bruncker’s coach or Sir J. Minnes’s, and so was fain to walk to Lambeth on foot, but it was a very fine frosty walke, and great pleasure in it, but troublesome getting over the River for ice. I to the Duke of Albemarle, whither my brethren were all come, but I was not too late. There we sat in discourse upon our Navy business an houre, and thence in my Lord Bruncker’s coach alone, he walking before (while I staid awhile talking with Sir G. Downing about the Act, in which he is horrid troublesome) to the Old Exchange. Thence I took Sir Ellis Layton to Captain Cocke’s, where my Lord Bruncker and Lady Williams dine, and we all mighty merry; but Sir Ellis Layton one of the best companions at a meale in the world. After dinner I to the Exchange to see whether my pretty seamstress be come again or no, and I find she is, so I to her, saluted her over her counter in the open Exchange above, and mightily joyed to see her, poor pretty woman! I must confess I think her a great beauty. After laying out a little money there for two pair of thread stockings, cost 8s., I to Lumbard Streete to see some business to-night there at the goldsmith’s, among others paying in 1258l. to Viner for my Lord Sandwich’s use upon Cocke’s account. I was called by my Lord Bruncker in his coach with his mistresse, and Mr. Cottle the lawyer, our acquaintance at Greenwich, and so home to Greenwich, and thence I to Mrs. Penington, and had a supper from the King’s Head for her, and there mighty merry and free as I used to be with her, and at last, late, I did pray her to undress herself into her nightgowne, that I might see how to have her picture drawne carelessly (for she is mighty proud of that conceit), and I would walk without in the streete till she had done. So I did walk forth, and whether I made too many turns or no in the darke cold frosty night between the two walls up to the Parke gate I know not, but she was gone to bed when I come again to the house, upon pretence of leaving some papers there, which I did on purpose by her consent. So I away home, and was there sat up for to be spoken with my young Mrs. Daniel, to pray me to speake for her husband to be a Lieutenant. I had the opportunity here of kissing her again and again, and did answer that I would be very willing to do him any kindnesse, and so parted, and I to bed, exceedingly pleased in all my matters of money this month or two, it having pleased God to bless me with several opportunities of good sums, and that I have them in effect all very well paid, or in my power to have. But two things trouble me; one, the sicknesse is increased above 80 this weeke (though in my owne parish not one has died, though six the last weeke); the other, most of all, which is, that I have so complexed an account for these last two months for variety of layings out upon Tangier, occasions and variety of gettings that I have not made even with myself now these 3 or 4 months, which do trouble me mightily, finding that I shall hardly ever come to understand them thoroughly again, as I used to do my accounts when I was at home.
15 Annotations
First Reading
deepfatfriar • Link
Hmm. I had been wondering what had happened to his monthly accounting and profit statements.......
tg • Link
Two amorous encounters today, not to mention the stalking and saluting of the pretty seamtress earlier in the day. Did Mrs. Penington intentionally thwart Sam tonight by making him take a stroll while she undressed? He makes it seem as if he was the sly one by flattering her "conceit" only to find she had already gone to bed when he returned. And then young Mrs. Daniel showing up ready to be kissed in order to promote her husband. Another Mrs. Bagwell?
Robert Gertz • Link
One must be properly barbered to save a coach?
"Stop, you damned fool! That Thames ice won't support a coach!!"
Splash...
"There goes the other one, sir." Gervais notes.
Sigh... "Batten's as well...Damn."
"A pity, sir. One would have thought he'd've noted the other going in. Powder today, sir?"
"No need...I'm hoofing it today, Gervais."
"Quite, sir."
JWB • Link
"...walk to Lambeth..."
"...undress herself into her nightgowne, that I might see how to have her picture drawne carelessly ..."
Humm, have we entered a Bill Brandt time warp?
language hat • Link
Here "to save" = to catch, be in time for.
A. Hamilton • Link
"I to bed, exceedingly pleased"
With his multiple amorous exploits of the day? No,
"in all my matters of money this month or two."
Robert Gertz • Link
"So I away home, and was there sat up for to be spoken with my young Mrs. Daniel, to pray me to speake for her husband to be a Lieutenant. I had the opportunity here of kissing her again and again, and did answer that I would be very willing to do him any kindnesse, and so parted, and I to bed, exceedingly pleased in all my matters of money this month or two, it having pleased God to bless me with several opportunities of good sums, and that I have them in effect all very well paid, or in my power to have..."
Heaven...Marital therapy session 10000...
"December 20, 1665...?"
"Oh, what a day...I remember it like yesterday. I'd added up all my matters of money in the past month or two and praise God all were well paid and..."
"Sam'l!!!"
"What, darling?"
"Mrs. Daniel? Not to mention Mrs. Pennington undressing for you? Right, here..." Points out entry.
"Oh, that...Right. Those were nice, too. Ummn...No doubt the shame I felt caused me to bury the memories."
"You know I almost feel sorry for Mrs. Daniel. You'd forgotten all about her in midsentence, tallying up your gains."
"Was that her name...Thought it was Pennington?"
"Sam'l!!!"
"Well, it was a really good month, Bess. See, first Gauden drops nearly 500L in my lap, then...Though I do remember being troubled. Tangier all in a muddle, you know, and..."
I don't know whether to be a little pleased or horrified, Bess sighs to St. Peter, busying writing in little black notebook, nodding to her.
***
I know, but my version of "save" here is more fun.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
"it was a very fine frosty walke"
I don't have the time and inclination at this hour to prove it with references, but if memory serves, such "fine and frosty" walks almost always make Sam horny.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"I did pray her to undress herself into her nightgowne, that I might see how to have her picture drawne carelessly (for she is mighty proud of that conceit)"
L&M: The fashion for female portraits to be painted in déshabillé can be traced back to occasional examples in the work of Van Dyck, but became a very marked feature of Restoration portraiture and is particularly associated with Lely; in some of his portraits the vogue was carried to extremes and caused the most common of all criticism leveled against him, voiced by such varied writers as Pope, Horace Walpole and Byron. Walpole (Anecdotes of Painting, ed. Wornum, ii. 77-8) quotes a Puritan tract of 1678 (Cooke's Just and reasonable reprehension of naked breasts and shoulders) against the flagrant display of female charms in contemporary portraiture.
Terry Foreman • Link
A just and seasonable reprehension of naked breasts and shoulders written by a grave and learned papist ; translated by Edward Cooke, Esquire ; with a preface by Mr. Richard Baxter.
Boileau, Jacques, 1635-1716., Cooke, Edward, fl. 1678.
London: Printed for Jonathan Edwin ..., 1678. EEBO [full text'
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo…
Terry Foreman • Link
"the sicknesse is increased above 80 this weeke (though in my owne parish not one has died, though six the last weeke)"
L&M: The increase in the total number of deaths frfom all causes, 12-19 December, was 83: the increase in plague burials 38: GL, A.1.5, no. 96.
Matt Newton • Link
I love how Sam records the 8 shillings cost of threaded stockings as an apparent cost of his dalliance.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... I have so complexed an account for these last two months for variety of layings out upon Tangier, occasions and variety of gettings that I have not made even with myself now these 3 or 4 months, which do trouble me mightily, finding that I shall hardly ever come to understand them thoroughly again, as I used to do my accounts when I was at home."
Maybe Povy's bookkeeping challenges do not look so stupid now? A suggestion: perhaps Carteret can help you figure things out, now he has lost control of his own department thanks to you and Coventry.
What goes around, comes around, Pepys.
Tonyel • Link
I suspect that Sam had at least two sets of account books each for the Navy, Tangier, prize goods and for anything else that might fall into his lap. Relying on memory alone after 3 or 4 months is asking for trouble.
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... but she was gone to bed when I come again to the house, upon pretence of leaving some papers there, which I did on purpose by her consent."
Here ends Pepys friendship with Mrs. Penington, sadly. He must have concluded that she wasn't interested in taking their relationship any further.