Tuesday 17 July 1666

[Continued from yesterday. P.G.] …so as to be able to rise to go to the office and there sat, but now and then in pain, and without making much water, or freely. However, it grew better and better, so as after dinner believing the jogging in a coach would do me good, I did take my wife out to the New Exchange to buy things. She there while I with Balty went and bought a common riding-cloake for myself, to save my best. It cost me but 30s., and will do my turne mighty well.

Thence home and walked in the garden with Sir W. Pen a while, and saying how the riding in the coach do me good (though I do not yet much find it), he ordered his to be got ready while I did some little business at the office, and so abroad he and I after 8 o’clock at night, as far almost as Bow, and so back again, and so home to supper and to bed. This day I did bid Balty to agree with —— the Dutch paynter, which he once led me to, to see landskipps, for a winter piece of snow, which indeed is a good piece, and costs me but 40s., which I would not take the money again for, it being, I think, very good. After a little supper to bed, being in less pain still, and had very good rest.


13 Annotations

First Reading

Mr. Gunning  •  Link

"and without making much water, or freely"

Sounds like Sam may have a bit of a urinary tract infection, he doesn't mention any pain when passing water though.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Yesterday he complained in the same vein: "making little or no water." but confessed "and indeed having little within to make any with" aggravating any UTI.

As others have also observed, it seems that some of Pepys's ailments are self-inflicted. Medic!

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... the Dutch paynter, which he once led me to, to see landskipps, for a winter piece of snow, which indeed is a good piece, and costs me but 40s., ..."

Miller, in the L&M footnote, points out that both Hendrick Danckerts
( http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mn… ) and Jan Loten (1612-1672) were in London at the time. Neither were, or are, at all associated with winter scenes and the price of 40s. suggests a painter of very minor reputation at the time.

cgs  •  Link

"...bought a common riding- cloake for myself, to save my best. It cost me but 30s., and will do my turne mighty well...."
...you did wot, next it be buying an old nag++++

Mary  •  Link

"jogging in a coach would do me good"

Reminds me of the old-fashioned belief that a good day's hunting after a boozy night was an excellent remedy for hob-nailed liver. All that jogging about gets the natural juices flowing again.

Nice of Pen to afford Pepys a late evening joggle in his coach, though.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Penn as a gout sufferer feeling empathy, perhaps? After all, Will Jr.'s benevolence must have some roots. Though of course Penn must be feeling the need for the office to try and present a united front during the current difficulties...And Sam has been displaying a degree of respect recently for his experience and judgment

Todd Bernhard  •  Link

re: UTI

Remember, Sam was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, so it's possible he's still dehydrated from that, hence little need to "make water."

re: "a good day’s hunting after a boozy night"

Mary, research has demonstrated that part of the effects of a hangover are due to low levels of oxygen in the blood, so there is actually scientific basis for recommending a morning-after workout, since it helps to restore oxygen levels...

Mary  •  Link

oxygen levels.

Indeed, we appreciate that effect, but our (great)grandfathers considered that it was the general bouncing about that shook the system back into working order.

A. Hamilton  •  Link

Joggling

Had the privilege two days ago to joggle myself on a Joggling Board on a piazza in Charleston, S.C., where the long flexible cypress boards are suspended between two upright rockers, all painted Charleston Green, an almost black shade. I suppose they were installed in the planters city houses to substitute for the daily horseback ride in the country.

Second Reading

Louise Hudson  •  Link

Sam’s physical problems brings it home how it was to live with almost no effective diagnosis or medicine at all, not even aspirin or Pepto Bismol. You just suffered until it passed—or you got worse and sometimes died. But there were plenty of old wives takes, then as now. We’re supposed to know better now, but it turns out we don’t know much better.

Harvey L  •  Link

Louise... yes, every age thinks they understand the workings of the world, and now more than ever the experts are "often in error but never in doubt."
Since I trained in Health in the 1960s, the striking thing over the next 50 years has been just how many of the known facts of that time have turned out to be wrong.
Of course we would like to believe that we have finally reached true enlightenment, but I suspect that we've just moved from 1% to 1.1% accuracy about what we 'know' compared to Sam's time. One of the things that makes this diary so good is to see all the parallels of then to now.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"But there were plenty of old wives tales, then as now."

You may be surprised to know how the Big Pharma companies are pouring over the herbal recipe books from the 17th century, rediscovering what Johanna St.John, Lucy Apsley and Nicholas Culpeper knew. They got a lot wrong (apart from the placebo effect), but there were the elements of some right things there too.

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