Friday 2 April 1669
Up, and by water to White Hall, and there with the Office attended the Duke of York, and staid in White Hall till about noon, and so with W. Hewer to the Cocke, and there he and I dined alone with great content, he reading to me, for my memory’s sake, my late collections of the history of the Navy, that I might represent the same by and by to the Duke of York; and so, after dinner, he and I to White Hall, and there to the Duke of York’s lodgings, whither he, by and by, by his appointment come: and alone with him an hour in his closet, telling him mine and W. Coventry’s advice touching the present posture of the Navy, as the Duke of Buckingham and the rest do now labour to make changes therein; and that it were best for him to suffer the King to be satisfied with the bringing in of a man or two which they desire. I did also give the Duke of York a short account of the history of the Navy, as to our Office, wherewith he was very well satisfied: but I do find that he is pretty stiff against their bringing in of men against his mind, as the Treasures were, and particularly against Child’s coming in, because he is a merchant. After much discourse with him, we parted; and [he to] the Council, while I staid waiting for his telling me when I should be ready to give him a written account of the administration of the Navy. This caused me to wait the whole afternoon, till night. In the mean time, stepping to the Duchess of York’s side to speak with Lady Peterborough; I did see the young Duchess,1 a little child in hanging sleeves; dance most finely, so as almost to ravish me, her ears were so good: taught by a Frenchman that did heretofore teach the King, and all the King’s children, and the Queen-Mother herself, who do still dance well. Thence to the council door and Mr. Chevins took me into the back stairs, and they with his friend, Mr. Fowkes, for whom he is very solicitous in some things depending in this Office, he did make me, with some others that he took in (among others, Alderman Backwell [L&M say Bucknell. P.G.]), eat a pickled herring, the largest I ever saw, and drink variety of wines till I was almost merry; but I did keep in good tune; and so, after the Council was up, I home; and there find my wife not yet come home from Deptford, where she hath been all this day to see her mother, but she come and by, and so to talk, and supper, and to bed. This night I did bring home from the King’s potticary’s, in White Hall by Mr. Cooling’s direction, a water that he says did him mighty good for his eyes. I pray God it may do me good; but, by his description, his disease was the same as mine, and this do encourage me to use it.
20 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
John Evelyn's Diary
2d April, 1669. Dined at Mr. Treasurer's, where was (with many noblemen) Colonel Titus of the bedchamber, author of the famous piece against Cromwell, *Killing no Murder*. I now placed Mr. Wase with Mr. Williamson, Secretary to the Secretary of State, and Clerk of the Papers.
http://goo.gl/rjHJo
Australian Susan • Link
Charming little vignette of a future Queen, who was not a Duchess, but was styled "The Lady Mary". Usually she lived at Richmond with her governess, Lady Frances Villiers, so Sam was lucky to see her. We see here not only Sam's love of dancing, but also his capacity to love children and be enchanted by them. Mary grew up to be similarly childless - a great sorrow to her.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...Her ears were so good..."?
"...drink variety of wines till I was almost merry; but I did keep in good tune..." Read "almost soused but I did keep on my feet"? What a charming bedfellow Bess can look forward to tonight.
Terry Foreman • Link
Pepys's frequent use of "merry" and "very merry" have seemed to me to mean approx. "tipsy" and "soused" respectively throughout.
Mary • Link
Degrees of merriness.
Not throughout, surely? There are numerous occasions when Pepys describes what appears to have been a thoroughly convivial though hardly tipsy/sozzled gathering.
Egoscribo • Link
I suspect that "ears" is a misreading of "airs" in the sense of "mien, demeanor, attitude, gesture, manner, look;" OED cites Steele, writing in the Tatler in 1709, with "He is of a noble Family, has naturally a very good air," and similar uses.
Chris Faulkner • Link
The tiny error from 31st shows just how much work Phil has put into this labour of love. We are as someone said a couple of days ago all ‘a little to involved with S Pepys’ Oh dear, what shall we all do? I’ve tried reading the diary from a hardbound version, but without the notes, references and annotations it’s very difficut to keep track of who’s who. We all owe Phil a huge vote of thanks. If the Pepys Day event goes ahead it will be good to put some faces to some names to those who have added their comments and additions over the last few years.
JWB • Link
Egoscribo...;therfore, you exist in cyberspace...:
I think by 'ears' Pepys meant that Lady Mary danced in time with the music.
Mark S • Link
Irregular verb:
I am merry
You are tipsy
He is drunk
Terry Foreman • Link
"There are numerous occasions when Pepys describes what appears to have been a thoroughly convivial though hardly tipsy/sozzled gathering. "
Mary, that's been a topic of sometimes oblique discussion for several years now. It may be irresolvable. I must say I did think a while before I took the plunge and claimed that Pepys llinks "merry" to the most common beverage "throughout" the Diary. https://www.google.com/search?num…
Mary • Link
Lady Mary's 'ears' are rendered 'airs' by L&M.
Mary • Link
Those airs.
I meant to add that it is still possible (just) to hear a criticism of someone, usually female, as "all airs and graces."
i.e. pretending to great gentility
Pat Stewart Cavalier • Link
I think "ears" means she has a good ear for rhythm ; he goes on to say "taught by a Frenchman .... who do still dance well."
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
" W. Hewer...reading to me, for my memory’s sake, my late collections of the history of the Navy"
See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
and http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Terry Foreman • Link
" to the Duke of York’s lodgings...alone with him an hour in his closet, telling him mine and W. Coventry’s advice touching the present posture of the Navy"
L&M note Pepys gives another and longer account of this interview in NWB, pp. 181-3. He once again criticised Mennes for incompetence.
Terry Foreman • Link
"he is pretty stiff against their bringing in of men against his mind, as the Treasures were, and particularly against Child’s coming in, because he is a merchant."
The joint Treasurers of the Navy 1668-1671 Sir T. Osborne and Sir T. Littleton
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Josiah Child was now proposed for a commissioner's place
( http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ) It was a rule that no officer of the Board could have an interest in trading with the navy.
Terry Foreman • Link
"The Princess Mary, afterwards Queen of England. ↩"
L&M: Princess Mary, now a few days under seven.
Eric the Bish • Link
With grateful thanks to a random WordPress website – link below:
“Pothecary, Potticary — Middle English: apotecarie, ultimately from Latin apothecarius “store-keeper” (specifically of spices and drugs — only later came to mean some-one who prepared drugs, an apothecary).”
https://namenookdotcom.wordpress.…
San Diego Sarah • Link
Annotations for the John Evelyn Diary above:
Col. [Silas] Titus [and Edward Sexby] anonymously authored "Killing no Murder: A Discourse proving it lawful to kill a Tyrant according to the Opinion of the most celebrated Ancient Authors".
One of the most inflammatory and popular works to appear during the Protectorate (1657), vigorously advocating the assassination of Cromwell and -- in both scholarly and witty terms -- marshalling the case in favor of tyrannicide.
http://www.washlaw.edu/newlawbook…
@@@
John Evelyn wrote to Williamson about this bright young Latin and languages scholar, Christopher Wase, on November 18, 1668:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
San Diego Sarah • Link
Today Cosmo woke up in Salisbury, and took a side trip to Stonehenge:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
From there he went to Wilton House for lunch:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
... as evening now drew near, went back to Salisbury, accompanied by the same persons who had attended him in the morning.
[ Salisbury see https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl… ]
His highness there understood that a great number of ladies of the province were assembled at the house of a lady, a widow of the family of Piatt, who said that they intended to come and see his highness sup; he therefore caused it to be signified to them, that, without taking that trouble, he would visit them at the place where they were.
[ Thomas Piatt served his highness as interpreter on his passage from Spain and in England. ]
This he did, and passed half an hour in their company, standing; during which time, two of them sang an English air very indifferently — the fault either of the music, or of the singers.
Having taken leave of them, he returned home, retiring at his usual hour.
@@@
From:
TRAVELS OF COSMO THE THIRD, GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY,
THROUGH ENGLAND,
DURING THE REIGN OF KING CHARLES THE SECOND (1669)
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN MANUSCRIPT
https://archive.org/stream/travel…
His highness, Cosmo, must be considered only as a traveler. Under his direction, the narrator of the records was Count Lorenzo Magalotti, afterwards Secretary to the Academy del Cimento, and one of the most learned and eminent characters of the court of Ferdinand II.