Thurday 16 August 1666

Up, having slept well, and after entering my journal, to the office, where all the morning, but of late Sir W. Coventry hath not come to us, he being discouraged from the little we have to do but to answer the clamours of people for money. At noon home, and there dined with me my Lady Pen only and W. Hewer at a haunch of venison boiled, where pretty merry, only my wife vexed me a little about demanding money to go with my Lady Pen to the Exchange to lay out. I to the office, where all the afternoon and very busy and doing much business; but here I had a most eminent experience of the evil of being behindhand in business. I was the most backward to begin any thing, and would fain have framed to myself an occasion of going abroad, and should, I doubt, have done it, but some business coming in, one after another, kept me there, and I fell to the ridding away of a great deale of business, and when my hand was in it was so pleasing a sight to [see] my papers disposed of, and letters answered, which troubled my book and table, that I could have continued there with delight all night long, and did till called away by my Lady Pen and Pegg and my wife to their house to eat with them; and there I went, and exceeding merry, there being Nan Wright, now Mrs. Markham, and sits at table with my Lady. So mighty merry, home and to bed.

This day Sir W. Batten did show us at the table a letter from Sir T. Allen, which says that we have taken ten or twelve ships (since the late great expedition of burning their ships and towne), laden with hempe, flax, tarr, deales, &c. This was good newes; but by and by comes in Sir G. Carteret, and he asked us with full mouth what we would give for good newes. Says Sir W. Batten, “I have better than you, for a wager.” They laid sixpence, and we that were by were to give sixpence to him that told the best newes. So Sir W. Batten told his of the ten or twelve ships Sir G. Carteret did then tell us that upon the newes of the burning of the ships and towne the common people a Amsterdam did besiege De Witt’s house, and he was force to flee to the Prince of Orange, who is gone to Cleve to the marriage of his sister. This we concluded all the best newest and my Lord Bruncker and myself did give Sir G. Carteret our sixpence a-piece, which he did give Mr. Smith to give the poor. Thus we made ourselves mighty merry.


21 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the clamours of people for money"
"my wife...demanding money"

There's a theme there and Pepys knows times are hard.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I was the most backward to begin any thing, and would fain have framed to myself an occasion of going abroad, and should, I doubt, have done it, but some business coming in, one after another, kept me there."

doubt = suspect

Australian Susan  •  Link

Clever of Bess to ask for the readies to indulge in some retail therapy in front of a witness - making our hero out to be a right skinflint (and gossip would fly) if he refused. No wonder he was narked.

cape henry  •  Link

"...and when my hand was in it was so pleasing..." This in know as being in the zone. As Pepys reports here, it can be both wonderful and amazing to have several hours pass in seemingly a matter of minutes. One is often not tired by such an episode, but rather, energized.

Ben  •  Link

Just a slight remark.
It is not Jan de Witt, but Johan de Witt.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Thursday 16 August 1966"
The tone of the Diary has completely changed after the kill;no talk of music,theater,even sex! only food and the loot.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The tone of the Diary has completely changed after the kill;no talk of music,theater,even sex! only food and the loot."

The theaters have been shuttered and the mood changed by the plague, which is still ongoing -- recently killing the wife, "a man-servant, and mayde-servant" of Daniel Rawlinson, Pepys's friend. http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"and he asked us with full mouth"

Meaning that he was bursting with news...?

Bradford  •  Link

Isn't it more fun to think Sam is tacitly criticizing his table manners?

FJA  •  Link

I think maybe it means that Sir G. Carteret burst in at full "voice", meaning quite loudly and excitedly, perhaps something he was not given to doing. Sir W. Batten, in order both to maintain his position as THE harbinger of good news and to have a little sport with Sir Carteret since the rest of the assembled company already knew the content of Sir Batten's news, proposed the wager and encouraged the others to join in, which as it turned out they good naturedly lost.

cgs  •  Link

"...This was good newes; but by and by comes in Sir G. Carteret, and he asked us with full mouth what we would give for good newes..."
possible meaning , i.e. 'full of it', as we would say of the local gossip.
some
oed

2; full-mouth, (a) one whose mouth is full (of words), a chatterer; also attrib. = FULL-MOUTHED; full, a., n.3, and adv.

A. adj.

1. a. Having within its limits all it will hold; having no space empty; replete. Const. of (in OE. with gen.) Often with intensive phrases, as full as an egg, full to the brim (see BRIM n.2 4b), full to overflowing, full up (colloq.), etc. For advbl. phrase full mouth: see MOUTH.
c. fig. (see 2c); esp. of the heart: Overcharged with emotion, ready to overflow.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the clamours of people for money"

"'This was good newes; but by and by comes in Sir G. Carteret, and he asked us with full mouth what we would give for good newes. Says Sir W. Batten, “I have better than you, for a wager.' They laid sixpence, and we that were by were to give sixpence to him that told the best newes.... my Lord Bruncker and myself did give Sir G. Carteret our sixpence a-piece, which he did give Mr. Smith to give the poor."

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the common people [of] Amsterdam did besiege De Witt’s house, and he was force to flee to the Prince of Orange, who is gone to Cleve to the marriage of his sister."

This is confused and confusing as posted: L&M say there is no truth in the rumor about de Witt. William of Orange (his political enemy) had gone to the wedding of Mary, Princess of Orange-Nassau (corrected by Wikipedia) (William's aunt, not his sister) to Ludwig Heinrich, Count Palatinate of Simmern-Kaisernlauten (d. 1674). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Pepys was mistaken: William III of Orange was an only child and had no sister.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"it was so pleasing a sight to [see] my papers disposed of, and letters answered, which troubled my book"

L&M: Possibly a memorandum book. or the office day-book.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... my Lord Bruncker and myself did give Sir G. Carteret our sixpence a-piece, which he did give Mr. Smith to give the poor. "

Stroking Brouncker now ... no sign of the angry letter yet? Remember to invite him and the loathsome Madam Williams to lunch soon.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... a letter from Sir T. Allen, which says that we have taken ten or twelve ships (since the late great expedition of burning their ships and towne), laden with hempe, flax, tarr, deales, &c."

So Capt. Allin was on the Holmes' Bonfire run. This sounds as if they were on their way home and came across this group of merchantmen bringing supplies to the Dutch fleet.

Depriving the Dutch while using the supplies for the English fleet -- free! -- is a very good thing both ways. (Must admit I imagined Holmes' group's desire to take the East Indiamen as prizes instead of firing them. But that wasn't possible, obviously.)

Sorry, Mr. Cocke, free hemp -- no need to buy yours this week.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... called away by my Lady Pen and Pegg and my wife to their house to eat with them; and there I went, and exceeding merry, there being Nan Wright, now Mrs. Markham, and sits at table with my Lady. So mighty merry, home and to bed."

As someone who is poised between social classes, Pepys' antenna can detect someone "faking it until they make it". Former servant Anne "Nan" Wright Markham has married into the Penn family. That she was a servant doesn't mean she didn't come from a good family which fell on hard times, because of the wars or because of their religion. Or if she was Admiral Penn's former mistress -- for which there is no evidence that I can find beyond Pepys being snide -- the Penns must have liked her enough to allow her to marry their nephew.

Lady Penn seems to be spending time with her in easy social settings, maybe schooling her in the proper way of behaving, running the household, etc. (ad the wearing of periwigs).

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Stroking Brouncker now ... no sign of the angry letter yet? "

WRONG -- It was the Earl of Peterborough's letter of complaint Pepys is expecting. Brouncker is peeved at Pepys' behavior at his house, and the lack of hospitality he has received considering the amount he has given Pepys.

Michaela  •  Link

I can’t find any previous insinuation by Sam that Nan was admiral Penn’s mistress. He warned that Creed wouldn’t be interested in marrying her because she doesn’t have money, and he says that she’s pretty, but those seem to be his only comments. Have I missed it?

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