Saturday 9 December 1665

For Samuell Pepys Esqr

On[e] of the principall Officers

of his Majesties Navy

9 December 1665¹

Sir,

Your Letter of the 7th² concerning our Prisoners in the Golden-hand³ and Prince William⁴ came not an houre since to me; by what neglect I know not: I have sent to my Martiall at Leeds⁵, to be here on Moneday (if possible) and to march away with them; so that those Vessells shall speedily be cleared: Sir William Coventry gives me hopes our Lazers⁶ shall be cloathed, but you must coöperate or we shall be forgotten: I am Sir, Stylo Læconico⁷

Your most faithfull Servant

JEvelyn:

Source: PRO S.P. 29/138, f.77. Endorsed by P, “9 December 65. Says Court. Esqr Evelin”.

MS: “Says-Court 9th:Decr:-65”. P saw E at dinner on 10 December (diary) but makes no record of the conversation. ↩
Not known. There is no copy in NMM Letter-Book 8. ↩
This is probably the Golden Hand, a storeship referred to in The Journals of Sir Thomas Allin 1660-78, ed., R.C. Anderson for the Navy Records Society 1939-40, vol. II, pp.98, 116, et alia (for 1667). For Allin, see DNB, Allin, Sir Thomas (1612-85). ↩
MS: “Pr: W:llm”. It can probably be identified as the “flyboat” (a flat-bottomed coaster) Prince William captured from the Dutch in 1665 but recovered by them in 1666 (Colledge 1987). ↩
Leeds Castle, Kent. ↩
Variant of “Lazar” from “Lazarus”, a diseased person. ↩
“In the manner of a sweat-bath” — presumably a reference to the haste and intensive work involved. ↩

1 Annotation

Second Reading

AUGUST SPIER on 2 Jun 2022 • Link

"Stylo Laeconico"

I would have thought this to translate to "in a laconic style". Thus the ending of the letter might read, "I am, Sir, in brief, your most faithful servant"

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The Diary of Samuel Pepys

John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys