@samuelpepys

"I fear I shall lose my command over her, and her mind finds other sweets besides pleasing of me."

Wow. That sentence could be straight out of Proust, La Prisonnière. What a remarkable example of unembroidered, honest self-reflection, written in the 17th century. Utterly remarkable.

#Pepys #MarcelProust #LaPrisonnière

@samuelpepys

"and most of the way sang, he and I, and eat some cold meat we had, and with great pleasure home."

This is poetry, Samuel. Pure poetry. The bliss of unscheming intimacy in an afternoon walk with a friend. And it happens, beautifully, amidst all the turmoil of your current jealousy about your wife's dance teacher. You are such a rich & complex person, Sam.

--
"And most of the way talked films and books, she and I, and ate the cheese sandwiches she had prepared. And elated home."

#Pepys #EverydayBliss #friendship

@samuelpepys

Ah, the purges commence.

At least now the concern is about losing one's job, not losing one's head.

All along Sam has been alert to the fragility of everyone's position in the newly restored monarchy. He remembers the executions.

Status is temporary. You work for it for many years, you lose it in a day.

#Pepys #StatusIsTemporary

@samuelpepys

"I calling her beggar, and she me pricklouse"

Frank exchanges are at the core of every healthy marriage, and you and your wife are doing well, Sam, very well. And "pricklouse" is excellent: your wife is even better with words than you are, Sam.

And I love how you're putting the entire episode into brackets! Without it, we merely read "So up and to my office () and there all the morning." The most subversive use of brackets imaginable.

Either way, your charming entry has made my Saturday morning blues go away. You are a good man, Sam.

#Pepys #Pricklouse #marriage #brackets #diary

@samuelpepys

"...; but the fellow do it in kindness, and is one I am beholden to."

And those are the things that matter, Sam, you are so right. The kindness, not the oddness of their action toward you.

#Pepys #KindnessWillPrevail

@samuelpepys

"He would not be wooed to go to a play, nor to White Hall, or to see the lyons, though he was carried in a coach. I never could have thought there had been upon earth a man so little curious in the world as he is."

And the man W. Stankes doesn't even want to see the lions! Not even the lions! We share your disbelief and disappointment.

And more importantly, my friend, we look at you and we love you for your own unstoppable curiosity about everything around you: the lions, plays, la musique, ship building, the fabric of your new overcoat, a good meal, ..., nothing that does not interest you.

#Pepys #curiosity #CuriosityIsLife

@u0421793 @samuelpepys
Apparently he came twice a day and Sam wasn't best pleased.

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/12/

#Pepys

@samuelpepys

" ... (who is so very melancholy) ... "

Good that you spent some time with your dad when he was down, Sam.

#Pepys

@samuelpepys

"... word is brought that the King and Duke are come, so they all went away to show themselves, while I staid and had a little dish or two by myself."

Classic comedy, this. One of the more light-hearted scenes in my path-breaking Pepys movie (160min). Everyone rushes out to see the King and the Duke, but Sam stays behind to have a double helping of fish. Not sure whether I want him to be slightly furtive and embarrassed about his greed, or smug and cheeky about beating the system. A good actor will know how to get it right without detailed instructions.

#Pepys #FreeLunch