Saturday 27 April 1667

Up with much pain, and to the office, where all the morning. At noon home to dinner, W. Hewer with us. This noon I got in some coals at 23s. per chaldron, a good hearing, I thank God, having not been put to buy a coal all this dear time, that during this war poor people have been forced to give 45s. and 50s., and 3l.. In the afternoon (my wife and people busy these late days, and will be for some time, making of shirts and smocks) to the office, where late, and then home, after letters, and so to supper and to bed, with much pleasure of mind, after having dispatched business. This afternoon I spent some time walking with Mr. Moore, in the garden, among other things discoursing of my Lord Sandwich’s family, which he tells me is in a very bad condition, for want of money and management, my Lord’s charging them with bills, and nobody, nor any thing provided to answer them. He did discourse of his hopes of being supplied with 1900l. against a present bill from me, but I took no notice of it, nor will do it. It seems Mr. Sheply doubts his accounts are ill kept, and every thing else in the family out of order, which I am grieved to hear of.


27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

27th April, 1667. I had a great deal of discourse with his Majesty at dinner. In the afternoon, I went again with my wife to the Duchess of Newcastle
[ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ], who received her in a kind of transport, suitable to her extravagant humor and dress, which was very singular.

http://bit.ly/9cjrV7

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: [Whitehall]
Date: 27 April 1667

The notification from Portugal of a league, offensive and defensive, with France, for a term of ten years - reserving power for England to join therein - "is a sufficient declaration of war with Spain from France". ... The drawing all their troops to the borders of Flanders and naming the chief officers for the field ... make it more notorious. ...

An indisposition of the Lord General [Duke of Albemarle] makes the Duchess more desirous that the bargain should be made upon this alarm. ... "I suppose", adds the writer, "my Lord looks your Grace should make him some offer again, before he changes his first price." ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Australian Susan  •  Link

"....(my wife and people busy these late days, and will be for some time, making of shirts and smocks..."

The Pepys household could probably now afford to outsource the household task of shirt-making, but it is considered part of a good wife's duty to make shirts for her husband (and son(s)). So we can imagine Bess feeling a little bit smug and virtuous that Sam has noticed the wifely needlework - presumably he commented on it to her which is why he bothers to record the domestic detail. Readers of fiction will recall the half-made shirt which Becky Sharpe keeps in her workbox in the drawing room (now far to small for her son) so she can take it out and play the role of good mother sewing her little one's shirts when it suits her. There is also the scene in Mansfield Park when Fanny sets to with her needle when just arrived in the shambles of her parents' home in Portsmouth to ensure her brother goes off to sea with sufficient shirts - the lack of which seems to worry his mother more than the boy's probability of sailing into battle.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"In the afternoon (my wife and people busy these late days, and will be for some time, making of shirts and smocks)..."

Or there's always the possibility our boy saw an opportunity...As a tailor's son.

"Bess! Where are my 3000 smocks for the Mexican miner slaves?! The order is due to ship on the Greyhound tomorrow!"

"Sam'l...I'm dropping...Can't we get more help?" Bess gasps. Jame dropping to the floor in faint...

"More help?!! Mrs. Pepys!! Do you know what a dent that would make in our profits?!! I can't believe this, Bess. Didn't I take you and Mercer on a pleasure tour to incidentally obtain cheap linen for our work just the other afternoon?! Haven't I walked my feet to the bone arranging this deal via Mrs. Martin?!! And all for you, darling...For our old age... And after all that, you sit there and complain that it's too much work?!"

"I'm sorry, Sam'l..."

"I don't see Jane complaining...Eh, Jane? Uh, Jane? Hewer!"

Will staggers in with next load of material, eyes Jane on floor.

"See what you can do, Hewer. Dispose of the body in the Thames if you cna't revive her. I must go...Urgent business in Deptford. Carry on, team! Remember we must be finished by midnight! Only 1000 more smocks and 500 shirts to go! Luce!! No more booze till you hit your quota!!! Flying fingers, people!!"

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"I thank God-having not been put to buy a coal all this dear time, that during this war poor people have been forced to give 45s. and 50s., and 3l.."

Hmmn...That Pepysian hypermetabolism may have kept him warm, but...

"C-c-c-coal?! Jame, look...Coal, at last..."

"Oh, dear God..." Jane eyes coal. "We were down to your last French novel, mum." she sighs to Bess.

"Yes." Sam regards tiny heap of coal with gimlet eye. "I was a mite chilled last night. Lets be sparing with it, people. Bess?!"

"I just wanted to hold it, Sam'l. It's so black and warm..."

"I'm not made of money, girl. If you've a touch of cold, try running up and down the stairs...With a broom, lets not be wasting time, Mrs. Pepys."

"But Sam'l...I think I've got chilled feet."

"Nonsense. Nothing a brisk run about the room dusting won't cure. Try sleeping less at night until I return and need your body heat. Activity, girl...Good for the soul. I make use of it constantly. Jane, touch that coal scuttle and you'll be in a position to confirm that statement of yours that it's colder in here than on the street at night."

"SIr?"

"I have my eyes and ears about, Jane... There's no reason for you to be feeling cold, after all. You're in my kitchen all the time at my stove."

"It's saved our lives many a time this winter..." Bess nods.

"And where, pray tell ,is the gratitude?" Sam frowns. "Who, after all, paid for the wood to heat said stove? Not to mention the meat to be cooked, requiring its use...And procured the guests in droves, to be fed and entertained, the cause of all this wonderous bounty of heat? Well? And were you not allowed to sniff the meat before it was served? Cab any wife in England claim a more generous mate?"

The horrifying thing is...Bess thinks.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Back again after two months of falling behind. What did Sam say the other day? "This night I do come to full resolution of diligence for a good while, and I hope God will give me the grace and wisdom to perform it."
And so do I.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

L&M put in the text "23s per chaldron, a good bargain"

and in a footnote say MS 'hearing'

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Sheply doubts his accounts are ill kept"

"doubts" = suspects

Mary  •  Link

new shirts, new smocks, the boy has a new coat....

Can the approach of May Day have anything to do with this splurge on new clothing? The Glitterati will show themselves off in Hyde Park; perhaps the servants will be allowed a small refurbishment of their wardrobes, too.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Reading yesterday's diary entry regarding John Evelyn's confidences about the thoughts of Frances Stewart ("that she could not longer continue at Court without prostituting herself to the King, whom she had so long kept off, though he had liberty more than any other had, or he ought to have, as to dalliance"), I am reminded of the Martial Epigram (IV,71) alluded to by Sam on Sept. 4, 1664, "nulla puella negat," which ends:

Quid ergo/
casta facit? Non dat, non tamen illa negat.

(What then
Does the chaste woman do? She does not consent, but at the same time, she does not say no.)

A commentary, I believe, on the status of women in First Century Rome and 17th Century Restoration Britain when it could be dangerous to say no.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...discoursing of my Lord Sandwich’s family, which he tells me is in a very bad condition, for want of money and management, my Lord’s charging them with bills, and nobody, nor any thing provided to answer them. He did discourse of his hopes of being supplied with 1900l. against a present bill from me, but I took no notice of it, nor will do it."

O, Fortuna.

arby  •  Link

Welcome Nancy. Be careful, you may well get hooked on ol' Sam and his world, I certainly did. I probably wouldn't have read it if I had to read the whole book, but this is now one of my first stops in the morning once I have my coffee in hand. I think you'll find that the regulars here are a knowledgeable and patient bunch, they have been very good at answering questions from a n00b like me. Enjoy. rb

language hat  •  Link

I regret to report that Nancy is a spammer, so her comment, as well as yours and mine, will doubtless soon disappear. Comments like that ("Hello, this is an interesting site! I will be back!") are *always* by spammers. (Hover your cursor over her "name" to see the shameful truth.)

arby  •  Link

Ack!

Australian Susan  •  Link

Welcome back, Andrew! We've missed you! [genuine Antipodean bacon here]

Dan J  •  Link

I guess that this comment will be removed as well, but...
I am confused. Led by language hat's comment, I rolled my cursor over the Nancy, language hat and Robert Getz links, I see the same http site instead of a "mailto" address as is in place for everyone else. Anyone know why that is? Is there a secret club?

Michael Robinson  •  Link

@ Dan J

'Nancy' is selling Nikon camera lenses. Press the active link attached to 'her' name -- the final numbers for the Robert Gertz and Language Hat links are different.

JWB  •  Link

On this day,27 Apr '67, Milton signed w/ Samuel Symons, printer next door to the Golden Lion in Aldersgate St. to print "Paradise Lost". "For £5 then paid down to Milton he handed over the licensed manuscript to Simmons, with the stipulation that he was to receive another £5 when the first “impression,” or edition, of the printed book should be sold off, a third £5 when the second “impression” should be sold off, and a fourth £5 when the third “impression” should be sold off—each “impression,” or edition, to be counted as 1,300 copies, “retailed off to particular reading customers,” though (to leave a margin for presentation copies) Simmons might print 1,500"

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Par…

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Sheply doubts his accounts are ill kept"

Edward Shepley was Moore's opposite number at Hinchingbrooke. L&M note two years later Shepley was relieved of his post, 'age and fellowship' having made him incompetent: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Moore, in the garden, among other things discoursing of my Lord Sandwich’s family, which he tells me is in a very bad condition, for want of money and management, my Lord’s charging them with bills, and nobody, nor any thing provided to answer them. He did discourse of his hopes of being supplied with 1900l. against a present bill from me, but I took no notice of it, nor will do it."

L&M: Henry Moore, as Sandwich's London Steward, made many similar complaints in this and the following years, e.g. 17 October 1768:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… Pepys clearly believed that Sandwich was mainly to blame. Sandwich's secretary t Madridthough that Moore, though honest, was too slow in money affairs: W. Godolphin to Sandwich, 8 June 1668 (Sandwich MSS Letters from Mins., iiii, f. 127.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"It seems Mr. Sheply doubts his accounts are ill kept"

L&M: Edward Shipley was Moore's opposite number at Hincingbrooke. Two years later Shipley was relieved of his post, ''age and good-fellowship' having made him incompetent: https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Timo  •  Link

Terry, Pepys seems to only ever use doubt to mean suspect. If that was common usage at the time, do you remember if any of the linguists on here ever alluded to when a shift in meaning occurred?

Batch  •  Link

JWB, thanks for the note about the publication of "Paradise Lost." It's strange to picture these two men, Pepys and Milton, living in the same London and simultaneously toiling away at very different projects that would make them both famous even 350 years later.

Third Reading

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

I thank God, having not been put to buy a coal all this dear time, that during this war poor people have been forced to give 45s. and 50s., and 3l..

356 years later and energy costs are prohibitive thanks to the latest European war, plus ça change.

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