Monday 10 February 1667/68
Up, and by coach to Westminster, and there made a visit to Mr. Godolphin, at his chamber; and I do find him a very pretty and able person, a man of very fine parts, and of infinite zeal to my Lord Sandwich; and one that says he is, he believes, as wise and able a person as any prince in the world hath. He tells me that he meets with unmannerly usage by Sir Robert Southwell, in Portugall, who would sign with him in his negociations there, being a forward young man: but that my Lord mastered him in that point, it being ruled for my Lord here, at a hearing of a Committee of the Council. He says that if my Lord can compass a peace between Spain and Portugall, and hath the doing of it and the honour himself, it will be a thing of more honour than ever any man had, and of as much advantage. Thence to Westminster Hall, where the Hall mighty full: and, among other things, the House begins to sit to-day, and the King come. But, before the King’s coming, the House of Commons met; and upon information given them of a Bill intended to be brought in, as common report said, for Comprehension, they did mightily and generally inveigh against it, and did vote that the King should be desired by the House (and the message delivered by the Privy-counsellers of the House) that the laws against breakers of the Act of Uniformity should be put in execution: and it was moved in the House that, if any people had a mind to bring any new laws into the House, about religion, they might come, as a proposer of new laws did in Athens, with ropes about their necks. By and by the King comes to the Lords’ House, and there tells them of his league with Holland, and the necessity of a fleete, and his debts; and, therefore, want of money; and his desire that they would think of some way to bring in all his Protestant subjects to a right understanding and peace one with another; meaning the Bill of Comprehension. The Commons coming to their House, it was moved that the vote passed this morning might be suspended, because of the King’s speech, till the House was full and called over, two days hence: but it was denied, so furious they are against this Bill: and thereby a great blow either given to the King or Presbyters, or, which is the rather of the two, to the House itself, by denying a thing desired by the King, and so much desired by much the greater part of the nation. Whatever the consequence be, if the King be a man of any stomach and heat, all do believe that he will resent this vote.
Thence with Creed home to my house to dinner, where I met with Mr. Jackson, and find my wife angry with Deb., which vexes me. After dinner by coach away to Westminster; taking up a friend of Mr. Jackson’s, a young lawyer, and parting with Creed at White Hall. They and I to Westminster Hall, and there met Roger Pepys, and with him to his chamber, and there read over and agreed upon the Deed of Settlement to our minds: my sister to have 600l. presently, and she to be joyntured in 60l. per annum; wherein I am very well satisfied. Thence I to the Temple to Charles Porter’s lodgings, where Captain Cocke met me, and after long waiting, on Pemberton, an able lawyer, about the business of our prizes, and left the matter with him to think of against to-morrow, this being a matter that do much trouble my mind, though there be no fault in it that I need fear the owning that I know of. Thence with Cocke home to his house and there left him, and I home, and there got my wife to read a book I bought to-day, and come out to-day licensed by Joseph Williamson for Lord Arlington, shewing the state of England’s affairs relating to France at this time, and the whole body of the book very good and solid, after a very foolish introduction as ever I read, and do give a very good account of the advantage of our league with Holland at this time. So, vexed in my mind with the variety of cares I have upon me, and so to bed.
20 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"the House of Commons met; and upon information given them of a Bill intended to be brought in, as common report said, for Comprehension, they did mightily and generally inveigh against it, and did vote that the King should be desired by the House... that the laws against breakers of the Act of Uniformity should be put in execution: and it was moved in the House that, if any people had a mind to bring any new laws into the House, about religion, they might come, as a proposer of new laws did in Athens, with ropes about their necks."
House of Commons Journal: Address for enforcing Church Government.
Resolved, &c. That his Majesty be humbly desired to issue his Proclamation, to enforce Obedience to the Laws in Force, concerning Religion and Church Government, as it is now established, according to the Act of Uniformity: And such Members of this House, as are of his Majesty's Privy Council, are to attend his Majesty with this Address.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Terry Foreman • Link
"By and by the King comes to the Lords’ House, and there tells them of his league with Holland, and the necessity of a fleete, and his debts; and, therefore, want of money; and his desire that they would think of some way to bring in all his Protestant subjects to a right understanding and peace one with another; meaning the Bill of Comprehension."
His Majesty's Speech.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Robert Gertz • Link
Going once, going twice...Sold to John Jackson for 600Ls and 60L per annum.
Still at least it seems to have met with Pall's approval...And it wasn't Cumberland.
Maurie Beck • Link
Too bad he had Bess read to him from a book with a bad introduction, instead of sharing with her “L’escholle des filles,”, as an example of moral turpitude.
PHE • Link
£60 a year seems a good income. I recall that Sam started on £50/year salary at the begnining of the Diary.
Interesting paradox that Sam seems to often describe a man as "pretty", but a woman as "handsome". Have the meanings of these words changed since his time, or is there some psychology here?
language hat • Link
"Have the meanings of these words changed since his time, or is there some psychology here?"
The former. It should always be borne in mind when reading the diary that English has changed a great deal since then, and even when the words look the same it can be assumed that the usage is different.
language hat • Link
"Bill of Comprehension":
"Comprehension" here has its etymological sense of 'inclusion' (i.e., of Nonconformists within the established church).
nix • Link
Thanks to LH. The use of "comprehension" initially had me stumped.
There is an interesting (if your interests run that way) article on the comprehension question at http://www.jstor.org/stable/31627…
Terry Foreman • Link
"it was moved in the House that, if any people had a mind to bring any new laws into the House, about religion, they might come, as a proposer of new laws did in Athens, with ropes about their necks."
L&M note the analogy should not have been with Athens, but with Locri. Wikipedia conforms the story: "Epizephyrian Locris was one of the cities of Magna Graecia. Its renowned lawgiver Zaleucus decreed that anyone who proposed a change in the laws should do so with a noose about their neck, with which they should be hanged if the amendment did not pass." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locri
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Deed of Settlement"
It should always be borne in mind when reading the diary that English has changed a great deal since then, and even when the words look the same it can be assumed that the usage is different. - language hat
A marriage settlement in England was a historic arrangement whereby most commonly and in its simplest form a trust of land or other assets was established jointly by the parents of a bride and bridegroom, with the trustees as legal owners of the assets, and the bride and bridegroom as beneficial owners of the assets during their lifetimes, and after their deaths with beneficial ownership descending to one or more of the children of the union. The marriage settlement should not be confused with the modern prenuptial agreement, which is concerned mainly with the division of assets after divorce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar…
Terry Foreman • Link
"He tells me that he meets with unmannerly usage by Sir Robert Southwell, in Portugall, who would sign with him in his negociations there, being a forward young man: but that my Lord mastered him in that point, it being ruled for my Lord here, at a hearing of a Committee of the Council."
L&M explain: The dispute concerned the peace negotiations between Spain and Portugal under English mediation. The treaty was signed 3/13 February. Sandwich had traveled from Spain to Lisbon and (with Arlington's agreement) had excluded Southwell, the English envoy there, both from the conferences and from the signing of the treaty on the ground of his own superior status as an ambassador-extraordinary. The chagrined Southwell (who had done valuable work in preparing the way for the treaty) sailed for home on the 9th, leaving Sandwich to deal with the exchange of ratifications. The treaty itself was almost wrecked at the last moment by a dispute over punctilio ["a fine point" of precedence: who signs first?] between the the Potuguese and Spanish signatories, the one a marquess and the other a duke: and Sandwich himself was criticised in England for allowing the Spanish ambassador's signature to precede his own. See Sandwich MSS, Journals, VI. 436-40, 442-3, 444-7; ib. Letters to Ministers, f. 60v; Letters from Ministers, ii. ff. 116+, 140+; Southwell's letters in PRO, SP 89/9, ff. 3, 10-11, 32, 38. Cf Harris, ii. 136-9.
Terry Foreman • Link
"I home, and there got my wife to read a book I bought to- day, and come out to-day licensed by Joseph Williamson for Lord Arlington, shewing the state of England’s affairs relating to France at this time, and the whole body of the book very good and solid, after a very foolish introduction as ever I read, and do give a very good account of the advantage of our league with Holland at this time. "
L&M: The buckler of state and justice against the design manifestly discovered of the universal monarchy, under the vain pretext of the Queen of France her pretensions. Translation of a French pamphlet published in 166, usually attributed to Lisola, the Imperial diplomatist. The imprimatur of the licenser (dated 19 September 1667) is printed opposite the title-page. The preface which Pepys finds foolish is an attack of Louis XIV's claims to Flanders and to a European hegemony which concludes by absolving him from blame and fastening responsibility on 'those mean Incindiarie Writers' who promoted his case.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... and I home, and there got my wife to read a book I bought to- day, and come out to-day licensed by Joseph Williamson for Lord Arlington, shewing the state of England’s affairs relating to France at this time, and the whole body of the book very good and solid, after a very foolish introduction as ever I read, and do give a very good account of the advantage of our league with Holland at this time."
Remember, Lady Arlington is Dutch.
Enter another character Pepys never mentions, but creates havoc for Charles II during the Third Anglo-Dutch War because he was a double agent. Pierre du Moulin is a client of Secretary of State Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington, and collected political intelligence for him from 1664-69.
While working at the English embassy in Paris in 1669, Pierre du Moulin suspected changes in English foreign policy were in the making. To prevent him finding out anything about the secret negotiations with Louis XIV, du Moulin was recalled to London. That was the end of his diplomatic career.
http://www.moyak.com/papers/popis…
HOWEVER, the ability to "recall" Pierre du Moulin was in the works by January 1668:
Jan.? 1668
Petition of Peter du Moulin to Charles II,
for the place now vacant of assistant-master of ceremonies.
His grandfather was chosen by King James to defend his supremacy against two famous cardinals, and was banished from France, lived 40 years after, and died an exile;
one of the sons, now canon of Canterbury, wrote in vindication of the late King;
was himself employed for his Majesty in important business in Denmark and Holland, and was once taken prisoner.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 232, No. 19.]
https://www.british-history.ac.uk…
San Diego Sarah • Link
The Buckler was an internationally influential book, written by Baron François Paul de Lisola, 1613-1674. It formed the philosophical basis of European politics for a generation.
I found this essay helpful:
https://www.academia.edu/41661703…
Stephane Chenard • Link
Routine memo on office trivia: On this day Sam is victualling Sir Thomas Allin. There's no fish left, so they get beef and peas (https://play.google.com/books/rea…). Yawn. One wonder where Allin is going, what his adventures will be? The expectation is the Streights and sunny Barbary - nice at this season, but you never know. How droll if he should come across his old nemesis, the gallant French admiral Gilles de La Roche Saint-André... an important man now, and what mustache! They could have a gentlemanly reunion and talk around coffee of Anglo-French friendship and reminiscences.
john • Link
"but it was denied, so furious they are against this Bill: and thereby a great blow [...] to the House itself, by denying a thing desired by the King, and so much desired by much the greater part of the nation."
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Gerald Berg • Link
Class. If I understand correctly -- as a Lord you are a procurer but as a plebeian you would be a pimp. Or is it that anyone working on behalf of a King is automatically a procurer? Is this us allowing language to work against us or our prejudices bolstering societal constraints?
San Diego Sarah • Link
Where does that question come from, Gerald?
To me it's a question of vocabulary;
People who were Charles II's procurers (e.g. Buckingham and Rochester) are procurers because they represented him.
People who profit financially from women's activities are called pimps.
Buckingham procured Nell Gwyn.
I can't think of a known example of who pimped their daughter or wife, but it did happen. A couple of possible examples:
Barbara Villiers Palmer: possibly it was her husband who dangled her alluringly in front of Charles II shortly before the Restoration, hoping for preferment?
Or Francis Boyle, married to Elizabeth Killigrew (one of Charles Prince of Wales' first loves). "Black Betty" had a daughter, Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria Boyle, but before her pregnancy was too obvious the couple where whisked back to Ireland by the Boyles, and Francis acknowledged Charlotte. Francis was later created Viscount Shannon.
(Charles never acknowledged Charlotte, but after she married James Howard, grandson of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk in 1663, Charles awarded Charlotte and James a 600l. per annum pension in 1667.)
Pimping and procuring are two different functions.
(In February, 1668 I see Charles had not forgotten his obligations:
Feb. 25. 1668
Whitehall.
Warrant to Lord Ashley, treasurer of prizes,
to pay 200l. as the King's free gift to Elizabeth Boyle, Viscountess Shannon.
[S.P. Dom., Entry Book 26, f. 27.])
'Charles II: February 1668', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1667-8, ed. Mary Anne Everett Green (London, 1893), pp. 204-261. British History Online
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
San Diego Sarah • Link
I wonder if there was a Marriage Settlement for this mess created by an unwilling bride to an arranged marriage:
Feb. 1. 1668
WHITEHALL
Warrant for a pardon to Anne, daughter of Henry Skelton, alderman of Leeds,
because after secretly marrying Thomas Witham,
she, in obedience to her father, married Gilbert Cowper;
granted on condition of her adhering to the first marriage.
[S.P. Dom., Entry Book 28, f. 13.]
San Diego Sarah • Link
'Charles II: February 1668', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1667-8, ed. Mary Anne Everett Green (London, 1893), pp. 204-261.
British History Online
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Feb. 10. 1668
POST OFFICE, LONDON
Sir John Bennet to Williamson.
Requests him to insert in the Gazette that the post-house is removed from the Swan, near Charing Cross,
to the Red Lion at Charing Cross, against the newest gate.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 234, No. 137.]
***
The great fire had burned down the old Post Office.