Friday 6 September 1667

Up, and to Westminster to the Exchequer, and then into the Hall, and there bought “Guillim’s Heraldry” for my wife, and so to the Swan, and thither come Doll Lane, and je did toucher her, and drank, and so away, I took coach and home, where I find my wife gone to Walthamstow by invitation with Sir W. Batten, and so I followed, taking up Mrs. Turner, and she and I much discourse all the way touching the baseness of Sir W. Pen and sluttishness of his family, and how the world do suspect that his son Lowther, who is sick of a sore mouth, has got the pox. So we come to Sir W. Batten’s, where Sir W. Pen and his Lady, and we and Mrs. Shipman, and here we walked and had an indifferent good dinner, the victuals very good and cleanly dressed and good linen, but no fine meat at all. After dinner we went up and down the house, and I do like it very well, being furnished with a great deal of very good goods. And here we staid, I tired with the company, till almost evening, and then took leave, Turner and I together again, and my wife with [Sir] W. Pen. At Aldgate I took my wife into our coach, and so to Bartholomew fair, and there, it being very dirty, and now night, we saw a poor fellow, whose legs were tied behind his back, dance upon his hands with his arse above his head, and also dance upon his crutches, without any legs upon the ground to help him, which he did with that pain that I was sorry to see it, and did pity him and give him money after he had done. Then we to see a piece of clocke-work made by an Englishman — indeed, very good, wherein all the several states of man’s age, to 100 years old, is shewn very pretty and solemne; and several other things more cheerful, and so we ended, and took a link, the women resolving to be dirty, and walked up and down to get a coach; and my wife, being a little before me, had been like to be taken up by one, whom we saw to be Sam Hartlib. My wife had her vizard on: yet we cannot say that he meant any hurt; for it was as she was just by a coach-side, which he had, or had a mind to take up; and he asked her, “Madam, do you go in this coach?” but, soon as he saw a man come to her (I know not whether he knew me) he departed away apace. By and by did get a coach, and so away home, and there to supper, and to bed.

21 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Ormond to Clarendon
Written from: Kilkenny
Date: 6 September 1667

Though the writer comes late to let the Chancellor know how great a part he takes in the afflictions undergone, his Lordship will not doubt that he was, at the least, as early and as sensibly touched with them as any man living, save Clarendon himself. ... For the excellent lady he has lost, the writer had as great esteem as for any he ever knew in life. What has since befallen him, is so uncertain, & the grounds of it so unknown, that he is now more amazed, than ever he can hope to be well informed. ... _____

http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Sir W. Coventry to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 6 September 1667

Has received his Grace's letter of August 20. ... The Lord High Admiral is pleased to permit the writer to leave his service, and receives Mr Wren in his place. ...

By some discourse with Lord Ossory the writer has cause to fear that some speech of his may have suffered some misinterpretation so as to give offence to the Lord Lieutenant, which was very far from his intention. ... He had no other object than the King's service - of which he hopes Lord Ossory will satisfy his Grace.
_____

Temple to Ormond
Written from: Brussels
Date: 6 September 1667

Gives an account of some further incidents of the war in Flanders. ... Mentions, in connexion with them, the unusually "fierce and continual rams", such, he adds, as he never observed the like of "even in Ireland itself".

A Copy of our Spanish treaty arrived here on the preceding night, after the miscarriage of several others [see the letter of the Earl of Sandwich, written from Madrid]. It will be sent over, by the Ambassadors at Breda, for his Majesty's ratification. Joy may be given to his Grace, in particular, upon this peace, "for Ireland's sake".

http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…

cum salis grano  •  Link

"...it being very dirty, and now night,..."
In the 40's it meant drizzle and miserable not a night to be enchanting the Ladies.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"so I followed, taking up Mrs. Turner, and she and I much discourse all the way touching the baseness of Sir W. Pen and sluttishness of his family, and how the world do suspect that his son Lowther, who is sick of a sore mouth, has got the pox."

No doubt Admiral Sir Will and Sir Will Batten take up Mrs. Turner and she and they much discourse all the way touching the baseness of Samuel Pepys (but nothing about our divine Bess, of course) and how the world do suspect his girlfriend Doll Lane who is sick of...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...the women resolving to be dirty, and walked up and down to get a coach; and my wife, being a little before me, had been like to be taken up by one, whom we saw to be Sam Hartlib. My wife had her vizard on: yet we cannot say that he meant any hurt; for it was as she was just by a coach-side, which he had, or had a mind to take up..."

Apparently our Bess was accosted, even..Propositioned...If I read rightly...By the said Mr. Hartlib. I wounder at the vizard...Was it customary for women in public to wear them?

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"the world do suspect that his son Lowther, who is sick of a sore mouth, has got the pox"
Contrary to the rollover and link, "pox" here surely refers to syphilis, not smallpox.

Mary  •  Link

the fashionable vizard.

It had become the fashion amongst ladies of the higher class to wear a vizard when 'out on the town' - at the theatre or, as here, at such mixed gatherings as Bartholomew Fair. Sam had bought Elizabeth a vizard about four years previously, having observed Lady Falconbridge to put one on in the theatre.

The wearing of a vizard was also, at various times, the mark of a prostitute and fell out of fashion at the end of the 17th century. Could this have been why young Hartlib made his approach to Elizabeth?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...had been like to be taken up by one, whom we saw to be Sam Hartlib."

Could so easily on another night have been a certain Sam...Pepys.

"Madam, go you into this coach?"

"Sir. I'm waiting for my gentleman friend."

"Madam, I assure you I could be a lot...Friendier...Coachman!"

Giggle...

Hmmn...I recognize that giggle...Not to mention...As Sam helps to shove the lady in...

Coach rolling off...Driver grumpily closing ears to the gentleman's latest little rendezvous.

"I should not have gotten in with you, sir. But it is a terrible night."

"Not so terrible for me, madam. Pray, might you drop that vizard and let me gaze upon your beauty? You sound strangely familiar to me...Not to mention..." drops eyes.

"What will my husband say, sir?"

Gentleman friend and a husband? Busy lass...Slides closer, hand on arm.

"The foolish dolt shall say nothing...For he shant know of our meeting, shall he?"

"I fear you mean to lead me in ungodly ways, sir."

Girl could probably lead me...Sam thinks, eyeing that gorgeous...

Oh, crap...

I know that bottom.

"Very nice, Bess."

"Thanks, lovey..." shrewd look, vizard lowered. "But I thought I was even better as Doll Lane this morning." Pulls out wig, false chin from bag at side. "Betty Martin is always so sweet, helping me play her."

Sam blinking...

On the one hand...I am dead. Irretrievably, battle of Medway hopelessly, dead.

On the other, this certainly opens up some interesting possibilities...

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"who is sick of a sore mouth,has got the pox"
Malicious gossip!It could be herpes or Stevens Johnson syndrome.

JWB  •  Link

"It could be herpes...

The man died in 1692; therefore, unlikely to have been 'the pox'.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...bought “Guillim’s Heraldry” for my wife..."

Our girl in vain pursuit of that St. Michel family crest? I can just see Bess and Sam eagerly pulling that out to show at the next dinner, along with Sam's stone box.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Paris...

"So let me get this straight..." Away with you, you clumsy lout...Louis brushes off mincing fellow trying to properly curl the royal wig... "We recognize that idiot St. Michel as Sieur and we own the English navy...What the Dutch have left of it?"

"Well, sire. It's the husband of the daughter of St. Michel...A Peeps, sire. Samuel Peeps."

"Not a man I'd like to have hanging round my court, eh my love..." pat to mistress.

"Well, if he were to find himself son-in-law of a substantial French landowner...Though the grace of the most excellent monarch in Europe."

"You flatter me...Go on."

"Well, then sire...One can assume he would be... Suitably grateful."

"Hmmn...One never knows with these English." frown. "Well, perhaps if my deal with Charlie looks to fail..."

Australian Susan  •  Link

Pox

If Mr Lowther has got syphilis, it will not necessarily kill him quickly. It can have an acute phases and then become dormant. Many a Victorian gentleman [sic] had recourse to prostitutes (as it was impossible for them to sleep with their girlfriends until married) and then went to his doctor Very Worried. The doctor treated him (possibly still with mercury pills) and lo and behold this "cured" the disease and he got married thinking himself clear. He wasn't of course and infected his wife, who probably didn't notice she was ill (putting the soreness in her vagina down to sexual activity for the first time) and then had one or more sickly babies before the disease ran its (primary) course and she started to have babies which survived. Many of these Victorian men did not go on to have tertiary syphilis. This happened to Mrs Beeton of Cookery Book fame. See The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton by Kathryn Hughes (ISBN 1841153745) and was also talked about on the episode of the BBC TV series Who Do You Think You Are with the actor Martin Freeman, one of whose great grandmothers had 6 neonatal deaths before having a child who lived.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Temple to Ormond
Written from: Brussels
Date: 6 September 1667
Gives an account of some further incidents of the war in Flanders.

-----
The War of Devolution (1667–68) saw Louis XIV's French armies overrun the Habsburg-controlled Spanish Netherlands and the Franche-Comté.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...bought “Guillim’s Heraldry” for my wife..."

Robert Gertz, L&M note Elizabeth had displayed an interest in English heraldry because of her alleged descent on her mother's side from the Cliffords; http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Guillim's focused on English heraldry: see Micheal Robinson's post about it
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… Pepys retained and willed to the Pepysian Library a copy of the enlarged 5th edition of 1679 in which the arms if "Samuel Pepys, Esquire" are given for the first time: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

SPOILER: In 1668 Pepys will have his coat of arms displayed on the livery of his servants. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

arby  •  Link

I happened to read this week that asparagus was also considered a "cure" for syphilis back then. Almost anything had the potential to be a "cure" due to the dormant phases of the disease, as Susan suggests. You eat the sparrowgrass, the syphilis went away, or so it seemed. I think mercury was somewhat effective, but it carries its own boatload of risks. Lewis and Clark carried a large supply, (and needed it) speaking of boatloads.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... one of whose great grandmothers had 6 neonatal deaths before having a child who lived."

This sounds like Mary of Modena ...?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"My wife had her vizard on ..."

Evidently an attractive one. For some reason Pepys doesn't hold himself responsible for not walking with her.

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