Tuesday 25 December 1666

(Christmas day). Lay pretty long in bed, and then rose, leaving my wife desirous to sleep, having sat up till four this morning seeing her mayds make mince-pies. I to church, where our parson Mills made a good sermon. Then home, and dined well on some good ribbs of beef roasted and mince pies; only my wife, brother, and Barker, and plenty of good wine of my owne, and my heart full of true joy; and thanks to God Almighty for the goodness of my condition at this day. After dinner, I begun to teach my wife and Barker my song, “It is decreed,” which pleases me mightily as now I have Mr. Hinxton’s base. Then out and walked alone on foot to the Temple, it being a fine frost, thinking to have seen a play all alone; but there, missing of any bills, concluded there was none, and so back home; and there with my brother reducing the names of all my books to an alphabet, which kept us till 7 or 8 at night, and then to supper, W. Hewer with us, and pretty merry, and then to my chamber to enter this day’s journal only, and then to bed. My head a little thoughtfull how to behave myself in the business of the victualling, which I think will be prudence to offer my service in doing something in passing the pursers’ accounts, thereby to serve the King, get honour to myself, and confirm me in my place in the victualling, which at present yields not work enough to deserve my wages.


11 Annotations

First Reading

cape henry  •  Link

Ah. The humble Pepys. No pawing. No cawing.

Margaret  •  Link

I really hope that the maids were able to sleep in on Christmas morning, after working until 4:00 am!

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"which at present yields not work enough to deserve my wages"
One has to admire the Man.
Hodie Christus natus est.
Merry Xmas

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"It is Decreed"

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. " (Luke 2:1, KJV)

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Trying to sneak off to seek pretty women at a play on Christman Day minus John and Bess, are we?

"Brother Samuel?"

"John?"

"Sam'l?"

"Bess...? What are you two doing here?"

"What are you doing here alone?"

"Checking to see if today's play is fit for you and our would-be clergyman to see, of course. Now as to you two..."

"It's Act Three, Sam'l...Nice try, though."

"Sammmmueeelll, I'm back....Er, Mr. Pepys? Oh, hello..."

"You know Mrs. Knipp?"

"Too well..." grimly.

"I believe we were discussing why you and John were here? Together? Without informing me?"

"You vanished for two hours on Christmas Day, and you're asking questions like..."

"Must go and rejoin Christopher. Nice to see you again Mr. P...Mrs. Pepys."

"You'll want your hat."

"Ah...Thank you, Mrs. Pepys. Must've dropped it when I stopped by before."

"Are you wearing false hair again, Bess? You know what I've said about false hair..."

"Pepys! That's the man!! I wanna talk to you, Pepys...About my wife and that new baby..."

"Mr. Martin? What the devil do you mean, sir, coming into our box in this condition...?"

"What...Baby?"

"Now, Bess... John, where the devil did you get the money to take my wife to a play?"

"I've got a right to speak with you, Pepys...About that child...Hic. You gotta obligatin..."

"Get your finger out of my face, sir!"

"I paid for him. I've a right to some pleasure on Christmas Day, Sam'l. And what...Baby?"

"Really must be going...Mr. Knipp is waiting on me. A merry Christmas, all..."

"Perhaps I could escort you back, Mrs. Knipp?"

"Oh, that would be so kind, Mr. Pepys."

"John?!" Bess and Sam at once...

"See what bad habits your brother is learning from you!"

"Ummm...." forlorn look from Mrs. Knipp...

"I'm sayin...You gotta obligation, Mr. P...epys..."

"Unhand me, sir!"

Crash...

"Mr. Pepys!" "Sam'l!" "Brother?!"

***

"Well, that is certainly the best play I've seen here in quite a while..." Charles, watching from box to Castlemaine.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Uncle?"

"Nephew...Hic...Hello, niece..."

"Uncle..."

"Aunt Wight..." bow... "How did you..."

"It was impossible not to be aware of your presence, given the commotion, nephew. A merry...Hic...Christmas, niece. Hem-hem...Hmmn..."

"Some one fetch a doctor for the man who fell onto the stage!!" cry from below.

"Who was that man?"

"Man, Aunt?"

"The man who fell or was pushed out of this box, Samuel."

"Oh...Than man. A Mr. Martin, works for the office. Bit out of sorts I believe."

"Stop that, uncle. Now."

"OW!!...Mrs. Wight?!"

"Old fool, behave yourself! Started on his Christmas, early, your uncle has."

"I am dreadfully abused, nephew...Hic...Dreadfully...Even on Christmas Day. Yes."

"We're a bit at odds here, uncle. Forgive us"

"He works for you? What was that about the baby?"

"Baby?" Uncle and Aunt Wight...

"Deuce! Where the devil did John go? John?!"

"Wherever you were planning to go with Mrs. Knipp..." grimly.

"An actress is like any other woman, my dear young Mr. Pepys...Same hope, same dreams...Only an actress is more...Lonely."

"Indeed, Mrs. Knipp..."

"John?!!"

"I think perhaps we'd best find a quieter place to talk...I'm to join the clergy, Mrs. Knipp."

"So your dear brother informs me...I should be pleased to venture to request the consolation of a few words, Mr. Pepys. You being of the clergy-in-training..."

"Where did he go?! John?!!"

"Is there a Mr. Pepys in the house?! The injured man down here keeps calling for a Mr. Pepys?!!!"

"Over there!" Charles helpfully points from his box...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Martin being tended to by the convenient presence of James Pierce with the King's party.

"No baby?"

"Bess, I swear...She's just a friend...And it looks like him." Sam mashes nose with finger to match Martin's physiognomy.

"Well....Still would like to know what the hell you meant by going off here alone...On Christmas Day."

"Still would like to know what you mean by taking my brother with you here..."

"Oh, please... (Spoiler)

....John's harmless."

What?

"Mostly harmless..." pats shoulder. "It's a good thing, Johnny."

"Perhaps we all should try remembering it's Christmas." Charles notes. "Cathy? Lets go home, have a good dinner alone, and see if we can't produce a heir."

"But..." Castlemaine blinks.

"Room for one more in our coach..." Sam and Uncle Wight immediately.

"The hell there isn't!" Bess notes.

"Right..." sigh.

"We'll take her. The old fool is all talk anyway." Aunt Wight notes.

"Heh-hem...What a Christmas." beams Uncle Wight (think Sidney Greenstreet, "Christmas in Connecticut").

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to the Temple, it being a fine frost, thinking to have seen a play all alone; but there, missing of any bills"

L&M:: Playbills advertising performances. They were exhibited on posts, etc., in the streets.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"My head a little thoughtfull how to behave myself in the business of the victualling, which I think will be prudence to offer my service in doing something in passing the pursers’ accounts, thereby to serve the King, get honour to myself, and confirm me in my place in the victualling, which at present yields not work enough to deserve my wages."

L&M: Pepys had been Surveyor-General of Victualing since November 1665. The work on pursers' accounts was ordered by the Duke of York on 23 November and 17 December 1666: Tanner 45, f. 123r; Duke of York, Mem. (naval), p. 56.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

One of Holborn bellman's professional brethren, Thomas Law, issued an unadorned broadside in 1666, which has had the good fortune to be preserved for our enlightenment. In it he greets his masters of "St. Giles, Cripplegate, within the Freedom," in no less than 23 dull stanzas, of which the last may be given here:

"No sooner hath St. Andrew crowned November,
But Boreas from the north brings cold December;
And I have often heard a many say
He brings the winter month Newcastle way:
For comfort here of poor distressed souls
Would he had with him brought a fleet of coals."

At a fixed season of the year — most often, no doubt, Christmas — it seems to have been customary for the bellman to distribute copies of his broadside through the district of which he had the charge, expecting his masters to favour him in return with some small gratuity. The execrable character which usually belonged to these rhymed productions is shown by the contempt with which the wits used to speak of "bellman's verses."

Lightly edited from
https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

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