Wednesday 28 August 1667

Up; and staid undressed till my tailor’s boy did mend my vest, in order to my going to the christening anon. Then out and to White Hall, to attend the Council, by their order, with an answer to their demands touching our advice for the paying off of the seamen, when the ships shall come in, which answer is worth seeing, shewing the badness of our condition. There, when I come, I was forced to stay till past twelve o’clock, in a crowd of people in the lobby, expecting the hearing of the great cause of Alderman Barker against my Lord Deputy of Ireland, for his ill usage in his business of land there; but the King and Council sat so long, as they neither heard them nor me. So when they rose, I into the House, and saw the King and Queen at dinner, and heard a little of their viallins’ musick, and so home, and there to dinner, and in the afternoon with my Lady Batten, Pen, and her daughter, and my wife, to Mrs. Poole’s, where I mighty merry among the women, and christened the child, a girl, Elizabeth, which, though a girl, yet my Lady Batten would have me to give the name. After christening comes Sir W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and Mr. Lowther, and mighty merry there, and I forfeited for not kissing the two godmothers presently after the christening, before I kissed the mother, which made good mirth; and so anon away, and my wife and I took coach and went twice round Bartholomew fayre; which I was glad to see again, after two years missing it by the plague, and so home and to my chamber a little, and so to supper and to bed.


10 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the great cause of Alderman Barker against my Lord Deputy of Ireland, for his ill usage in his business of land there"

L&M note this case was promoted by James Butler, Duke of Ormond's enemies, especially Buckingham -- the first attack in a campaign that led to Ormond's dismissal in March 1669 from the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.

William Barker -- Baltic merchant and navy contractor; assistant of the Eastland Company then onetime Master of the Mercers’ Company -- "and others had invested in Irish lands, but on 22 June 1667 the Council of Ireland had adjudged their claims invalid, mainly on the grounds that the money had not been paid. Barker now brought the case on appeal to the King and the Privy Council."

SPOILER -- Barker lost the case in July 1669 and the lands were granted to others.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

28th August, 1667. I dined with my late Lord Chancellor
[ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ], where also dined Mr. Ashburnham, and Mr. W. Legge, of the bedchamber; his Lordship pretty well in heart, though now many of his friends and sycophants abandoned him. In the afternoon, to the Lords Commissioners for money, and thence to the audience of a Russian Envoy in the Queen's presence- chamber, introduced with much state, the soldiers, pensioners, and guards in their order. His letters of credence brought by his secretary in a scarf of sarsenet [ fine silk ], their vests sumptuous, much embroidered with pearls. He delivered his speech in the Russ language, but without the least action, or motion, of his body, which was immediately interpreted aloud by a German that spoke good English: half of it consisted in repetition of the Czar's titles, which were very haughty and oriental: the substance of the rest was, that he was only sent to see the King and Queen, and know how they did, with much compliment and frothy language. Then, they kissed their Majesties' hands, and went as they came; but their real errand was to get money.

http://bit.ly/9x1fLY

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...with an answer to their demands touching our advice for the paying off of the seamen, when the ships shall come in,which answer is worth seeing, shewing the badness of our condition."

"'Resign our positions, dress incognito, and head for France, Spain, or the Americas on the first ship before the seamen get a good look at us'...That is the advice of the Naval Board, Mr. Pepys?"

"Er, I bee Juan Esposito, senior." Sam in straw hat, nods. "Senior Pepys and Admirale Penn hand me this paper to give you as they run for boat to Spain."

And damned Penn better well be holding that damned boat for me...The things I do to warn my fellow administration officials.

"He say to tell you the seamens is very angry and there is no money to pay them, senior. So you gentilemens should all vamoose before they come. I must go...Now."

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"And you concur with this advice, Sir Will?"

"I think Monsieur Batten did, monsieur. I am Jacques Brelacq and Monsieur Batten gave me this..." Sir Will tries to adopt French accent as Sam dashes for door.

"Remember Sir John, you're a Spanish friar..." Sam shoves Minnes in friar's robe out door before him.

"Absolutely, absolutely...I shall be the Spanish Tuck, eh what?"

"On second thought, you're a mute friar...Vows of perpetual silence."

"Ah...Guards, Pepys."

"Coventry, no doubt...To save us to sacrifice for the King's sake. Say nothing, Sir John, I'll speak for you."

"Very good, Sir John..." Sam nods at the arched look in reply. "We just get pass these fellows and everyone's waiting on the boat."

"Hold up there. And you blokes are?..."

"Senior. This is Friar Juan and I am his assistant and guardian, Juan Esposito. He does not speak."

"No speakee?" the guard eyes Sir John who puts on benevolent air of Saint Francis, making cross...

Hmmn...That shaking looks familiar...

"All right, move on... 'Thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool;
And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue: no, Percy, thou art dust
And food for...'"

"'...For worms, brave Percy. Fare thee well, great heart!'" Sir John can't resist...

***

Aboard ship to Spain, safely off...

"In future days. the sad memories will pass and life, I assure you, dear Bess, will move on..." Penn, patting a stricken Bess' hand.

"I can only hope you'll allow me to provide any...Comfort...I possibly can." high-mindedly...Arm round sob-shaken back.

***

"Damn orphans' schools...Damn them to Hell!" Sam grumbles to Minnes, eyeing Tower bars.

"The man said he picked up the Bard on his own, in part reading my commentaries." Minnes, beaming at little at the notion.

nix  •  Link

"Then, they kissed their Majesties’ hands, and went as they came; but their real errand was to get money." --

This is the first time I can recall an Evelyn entry that sounds like Samuel might have written it.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my wife and I took coach and went twice round Bartholomew fayre; which I was glad to see again, after two years missing it by the plague,"

L&M: The fair had been cancelled in 1665 and 1666.

Batch  •  Link

"where I mighty merry among the women" -- this seems to happen a lot.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Good for John Evelyn, Mr. Ashburnham, and Mr. W. Legge, of the bedchamber having lunch with "my late Lord Chancellor" today.

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was having an awful year: He lost his wife and two grandchildren in this last quarter. Now young bucks like Henry Bennet, Lord Arlington, George Villiers and his cousin, Barbara Villiers Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine (whom Clarendon never names but sarcastically refers to as "the POSSIBLY INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE lady"), have cost him his position. The lady had candidly expressed her desire to see the minister's head on a stake (Carte, Ormonde, ii. 276)

Later Clarendon wrote that he "could not comprehend or imagine from what fountain, except the power of the great lady with the conjunction of his known enemies, ... that fierceness of the King's displeasure could arise."
https://archive.org/stream/mylady…

Arlington was the lady's prodigy; other than that, the Villiers and the Hydes were all cousins, related to those six St.John sisters from the days of King James I and descendants of Margaret Beauchamp ... hence their noble blood and pretenses to the crown. But Hyde was content to serve the crown, and left it to his daughter/another cousin, Anne Hyde, to have the children who eventually take the crown.

Could Clarendon have resigned? I don't think he could see a responsible successor. And I'm certain he had a fit when he heard who Charles II is about to hire ...

Liz  •  Link

‘my wife and I took coach and went twice round Bartholomew fayre; which I was glad to see again, after two years missing it by the plague,’
Know how he feels!

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