Sunday 19 May 1667

(Lord’s day). Up, and to my chamber to set some papers in order, and then, to church, where my old acquaintance, that dull fellow, Meriton, made a good sermon, and hath a strange knack of a grave, serious delivery, which is very agreeable. After church to White Hall, and there find Sir G. Carteret just set down to dinner, and I dined with them, as I intended, and good company, the best people and family in the world I think. Here was great talk of the good end that my Lord Treasurer made; closing his owne eyes and setting his mouth, and bidding adieu with the greatest content and freedom in the world; and is said to die with the cleanest hands that ever any Lord Treasurer did. After dinner Sir G. Carteret and I alone, and there, among other discourse, he did declare that he would be content to part with his place of Treasurer of the Navy upon good terms. I did propose my Lord Belasses as a man likely to buy it, which he listened to, and I did fully concur and promote his design of parting with it, for though I would have my father live, I would not have him die Treasurer of the Navy, because of the accounts which must be uncleared at his death, besides many other circumstances making it advisable for him to let it go. He tells me that he fears all will come to naught in the nation soon if the King do not mind his business, which he do not seem likely to do. He says that the Treasury will be managed for a while by a Commission, whereof he thinks my Lord Chancellor for the honour of it, and my Lord Ashly, and the two Secretaries will be, and some others he knows not.

I took leave of him, and directly by water home, and there to read the life of Mr. Hooker, which pleases me as much as any thing I have read a great while, and by and by comes Mr. Howe to see us, and after him a little Mr. Sheply, and so we all to talk, and, Mercer being there, we some of us to sing, and so to supper, a great deal of silly talk. Among other things, W. Howe told us how the Barristers and Students of Gray’s Inne rose in rebellion against the Benchers the other day, who outlawed them, and a great deal of do; but now they are at peace again.

They being gone, I to my book again, and made an end of Mr. Hooker’s Life, and so to bed.


14 Annotations

First Reading

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...the best people and family in the world I think."

Heaven...

"But Samuel...I thought my family the Crews were the best in the world. Your Diary says so right here..." Jemina points.

Ummn...Quick eye to amused Lord Sandwich...

You're on your own, cousin...Smile...

"My Lady, ummn...I said yours was the best in the world for goodness and sobriety. Ummn."

"No big one, Samuel...As they say on Earth now. Now though, about the way you treat poor Elisabeth here..."

Bigger smile from Montagu...I wasn't fool enough to write it all down.

"Don't leave the room, Edward. This applies to you, too." Jemina frowns. "Cousin Samuel's immortalization of you comes at a price, you know."

"Damn you and your stupid Diary..." Sandwich hisses to Sam.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...hath a strange knack of a grave, serious delivery, which is very agreeable..." No doubt the Ben Stein of 17th century preachers.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...I to my book again, and made an end of Mr. Hooker’s Life..."

Heaven...

"Ah, ha, ha, ha..."

"Well, twasn't that fine a pun, Bess."

"No, perhaps it twasn't...But you didn't philander for days and it was sweet you got nervous about Luce's hint the other day. So I say, it was hilarious, my love."

"If this is Heaven, why am I always crying...?"

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... read the life of Mr. Hooker, which pleases me as much as any thing I have read a great while, ..."

An edited version of Izaak Walton's 'Life of Richard Hooker' was included in the 1666 folio edition of 'Works' ("The Laws of ecclesiastical polity") SP purchased on April 15th.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

The full text appeared first in an octavo of 1665 and later in the 'Lives of John Donne, Henry Wotton, Richard Hooker & George Herbert,' 1670; SP included neither in his library, the only text of Isaac Walton he did include was the 'Life of Dr. Sanderson, late Bishop of Lincoln ...,' 1678, PL 1016.

For the text of the 1675 edition of Walton's 'Life of Hooker ..."
http://anglicanhistory.org/walton…
http://anglicanhistory.org/walton…

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"though I would have my father live, I would not have him die Treasurer of the Navy"

This passage is a little puzzling on its face, since John P. is not a likely candidate to become Treasurer of the Navy, and the relevance of his survival to the point under discussion is unclear.

I interpret it as follows: Sam is agreeing with and supporting Carteret's desire to quit the position, and says in effect, "even if it were my own father, I would be happy to see him be Treasurer of the Navy while alive, but wouldn't want him to die in that position, because it could have seriously bad effects on his estate."

Carl in Boston  •  Link

hath a strange knack of a grave, serious delivery, which is very agreeable
I prefer a medium slow delivery of a talk, with fewer words. It's easier to digest. Many people talk rapidly, and it's hard to catch the point, if there is any point. Grave serious delivery indeed.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...he did declare that he would be content to part with his place of Treasurer of the Navy upon good terms. I did propose my Lord Belasses as a man likely to buy it..."

Sort of the whole problem of the Stuart administration in a nutshell...Couple this to Albemarle's intervention the other day in blocking release of a political prisoner in order to ensure his friends get their handout and it's not hard to see why Sam feels his little "gift-getting" is nothing to be ashamed about.

language hat  •  Link

“even if it were my own father, I would be happy to see him be Treasurer of the Navy while alive, but wouldn’t want him to die in that position, because it could have seriously bad effects on his estate.”

That's how I read it as well.

Australian Susan  •  Link

"...and is said to die with the cleanest hands that ever any Lord Treasurer did....."

Says it all really about the state of the government and the current office holders' perceptions of suitable conduct.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The text of the 1665 octave to which Michael Robinson refers above:

The life of Mr. Rich. Hooker, the author of those learned books of the laws of ecclesiastical polity
Walton, Izaak, 1593-1683., King, Henry, 1592-1669.
London: Printed by J.G. for Rich. Marriott, and are to be sold at his shop ..., 1665. http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"W. Howe told us how the Barristers and Students of Gray’s Inne rose in rebellion against the Benchers the other day, who outlawed them, and a great deal of do; but now they are at peace again. "

L&M note this and similar disturbances in this period are signs of the breakdown of the old disciplines of the inns of court which had been based on the system of readings [lectures].

EB says various causes brought on the decline of this system of education. For one thing, the great activity of the printing press led students to rely more on printed material, and as a result they neglected attendance at readings and moots. The system broke down completely during the English Civil Wars; readings ceased in 1677, and only the fees survived. Having paid them, the student was deemed to have fulfilled his duties. With no readers to recommend students for call to the bar, the four Inns in the 18th century finally agreed to call students who had been in residence a stated number of terms. Later, it was settled that eating three dinners was equivalent to attending for the whole term. Meanwhile, the Inns of Chancery were no longer adequate for so large a group as the attorneys and solicitors, and these latter therefore created their own society. http://www.britannica.com/topic/I…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Here was great talk of the good end that my Lord Treasurer made; closing his owne eyes and setting his mouth, and bidding adieu with the greatest content and freedom in the world; and is said to die with the cleanest hands that ever any Lord Treasurer did."

L&M: He had insisted on taking a fixed salary of £8,000 p.a. instead of fees and had given he King the disposal of all subordinate offices: Burnet, i. 171; cf. S. B. Baxter, Devel. Treasury, 1660-1702, pp. 9-10.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Sir G. Carteret and I alone, and there, among other discourse, he did declare that he would be content to part with his place of Treasurer of the Navy upon good terms."

L&M: See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and nnn.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Given Pepys' notes recently about Dutch ships being off shore, if I were Josselin, I'd be worried about these strangers being in the neighborhood. Since he doesn't say they are foreigners, maybe they represent the mobilization of troops that must have been called?

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