Culture, General Things, Food and Drink, Food, Meat, Chine of Beef

Chine of Beef is in Beef.

Pepy's Diary. 10 Sep 1660. Office Day. News of the Duke's intention to go tomorrow to the fleet for a day or two to meet his sister. Col. Slingsby (age 49) and I to Whitehall, thinking to proffer our service to the Duke to wait upon him, but meeting with Sir G. Carteret (age 50) he sent us in all haste back again to hire two Catches for the present use of the Duke. So we returned and landed at the Bear [Map] at the Bridge foot, where we saw Southwark Fair (I having not at all seen Bartholomew Fair), and so to the Tower wharf, where we did hire two catches. So to the office and found Sir W. Batten (age 59) at dinner with some friends upon a good chine of beef, on which I ate heartily, I being very hungry. Home, where Mr. Snow (whom afterwards we called one another cozen) came to me to see me, and with him and one Shelston, a simple fellow that looks after an employment (that was with me just upon my going to sea last), to a tavern, where till late with them. So home, having drunk too much, and so to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 08 Dec 1660. To Whitehall to the Privy Seal, and thence to Mr. Pierces the Surgeon to tell them that I would call by and by to go to dinner. But I going into Westminster Hall [Map] met with Sir G. Carteret (age 50) and Sir W. Pen (age 39) (who were in a great fear that we had committed a great error of £100,000 in our late account gone into the Parliament in making it too little), and so I was fain to send order to Mr. Pierces to come to my house; and also to leave the key of the chest with Mr. Spicer; wherein my Lord's money is, and went along with Sir W. Pen (age 39) by water to the office, and there with Mr. Huchinson we did find that we were in no mistake. And so I went to dinner with my wife and Mr. and Mrs. Pierce the Surgeon to Mr. Pierce, the Purser (the first time that ever I was at his house) who does live very plentifully and finely. We had a lovely chine of beef and other good things very complete and drank a great deal of wine, and her daughter played after dinner upon the virginals1, and at night by lanthorn home again, and Mr. Pierce and his wife being gone home I went to bed, having drunk so much wine that my head was troubled and was not very well all night, and the wind I observed was rose exceedingly before I went to bed.

Note 1. All instruments of the harpsichord and spinet kind were styled virginals.

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Pepy's Diary. 19 Dec 1660. At noon I went and dined with my Lady at Whitehall, and so back again to the office, and after that home to my workmen. This night Mr. Gauden sent me a great chine of beef and half a dozen of tongues.

Pepy's Diary. 02 Jan 1661. This day I lent Sir W. Batten (age 60) and Captn. Rider my chine of beef for to serve at dinner tomorrow at Trinity House, Deptford [Map], the Duke of Albemarle (age 52) being to be there and all the rest of the Brethren, it being a great day for the reading over of their new Charter, which the King hath newly given them.

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Pepy's Diary. 17 Mar 1661. Lord's Day. At church in the morning, a stranger preached a good honest and painfull sermon. My wife and I dined upon a chine of beef at Sir W. Batten's (age 60), so to church again. Then home, and put some papers in order. Then to supper at Sir W. Batten's (age 60) again, where my wife by chance fell down and hurt her knees exceedingly. So home and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 04 Nov 1661. In the morning, being very rainy, by coach with Sir W. Pen (age 40) and my wife to Whitehall, and sent her to Mrs. Bunt's, and he and I to Mr. Coventry's (age 33) about business, and so sent for her again, and all three home again, only I to the Mitre (Mr. Rawlinson's (age 47)), where Mr. Pierce, the Purser, had got us a most brave chine of beef, and a dish of marrowbones. Our company my uncle Wight, Captain Lambert, one Captain Davies, and purser Barter, Mr. Rawlinson (age 47), and ourselves; and very merry. After dinner I took coach, and called my wife at my brother's, where I left her, and to the Opera, where we saw "The Bondman", which of old we both did so doat on, and do still; though to both our thinking not so well acted here (having too great expectations), as formerly at Salisbury-court. But for Betterton (age 26) he is called by us both the best actor in the world. So home by coach, I lighting by the way at my uncle Wight's and staid there a little, and so home after my wife, and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 23 Nov 1661. By and by Sir W. Batten (age 60) and Cock, after drinking a good deal of wine, went away, and Sir W. Pen (age 40) staid with my wife and I to supper, very pleasant, and so good night. This day I have a chine of beef sent home, which I bespoke to send, and did send it as a present to my uncle Wight.

Pepy's Diary. 24 Nov 1661. Thence homewards, and meeting Mr. Yong, the upholster, he and I to the Mitre [Map], and with Mr. Rawlinson (age 47) sat and drank a quart of sack, and so I to Sir W. Batten's (age 60) and there staid and supped, and so home, where I found an invitation sent my wife and I to my uncle Wight's on Tuesday next to the chine of beef which I presented them with yesterday. So to prayers and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 30 Dec 1661. At the office about this estimate and so with my wife and Sir W. Pen (age 40) to see our pictures, which do not much displease us, and so back again, and I staid at the Mitre, whither I had invited all my old acquaintance of the Exchequer to a good chine of beef, which with three barrels of oysters and three pullets, and plenty of wine and mirth, was our dinner, and there was about twelve of us, among others Mr. Bowyer, the old man, and Mr. Faulconberge, Shadwell, Taylor, Spicer, Woodruffe (who by reason of some friend that dined with him came to us after dinner), Servington, &c., and here I made them a foolish promise to give them one this day twelvemonth, and so for ever while I live, but I do not intend it.

Pepy's Diary. 06 Jan 1662. Thence to dinner to Sir W. Pen's (age 40), it being a solemn feast day with him, his wedding day, and we had, besides a good chine of beef and other good cheer, eighteen mince pies in a dish, the number of the years that he hath been married, where Sir W. Batten (age 61) and his Lady, and daughter was, and Colonel Treswell and Major Holmes, who I perceive would fain get to be free and friends with my wife, but I shall prevent it, and she herself hath also a defyance against him.

Pepy's Diary. 09 Apr 1662. Sir George Carteret (age 52), Sir Williams both and myself all the morning at the office passing the Victualler's accounts, and at noon to dinner at the Dolphin, where a good chine of beef and other good cheer. At dinner Sir George showed me an account in French of the great famine, which is to the greatest extremity in some part of France at this day, which is very strange1.

Note 1. On the 5th of June following, Louis, notwithstanding the scarcity, gave that splendid carousal in the court before the Tuileries, from which the place has ever since taken its name. B.

1593 Great Plague

Pepy's Diary. 24 Dec 1662. This evening Mr. Gauden sent me, against Christmas, a great chine of beef and three dozen of tongues. I did give 5s. to the man that brought it, and half-a-crown to the porters. This day also the parish-clerk brought the general bill of mortality, which cost me half-a-crown more1.

Note 1. The Bills of Mortality for London were first compiled by order of Thomas Cromwell about 1538, and the keeping of them was commenced by the Company of Parish Clerks in the great plague year of 1593. The bills were issued weekly from 1603. The charter of the Parish Clerks' Company (1611) directs that "each parish clerk shall bring to the Clerks' Hall weekly a note of all christenings and burials". Charles I in 1636 granted permission to the Parish Clerks to have a printing press and employ a printer in their hall for the purpose of printing their weekly bills.

Pepy's Diary. 13 Jan 1663. So my poor wife rose by five o'clock in the morning, before day, and went to market and bought fowls and many other things for dinner, with which I was highly pleased, and the chine of beef was down also before six o'clock, and my own jack, of which I was doubtfull, do carry it very well. Things being put in order, and the cook come, I went to the office, where we sat till noon and then broke up, and I home, whither by and by comes Dr. Clerke and his lady, his sister, and a she-cozen, and Mr. Pierce and his wife, which was all my guests. I had for them, after oysters, at first course, a hash of rabbits, a lamb, and a rare chine of beef. Next a great dish of roasted fowl, cost me about 30s., and a tart, and then fruit and cheese. My dinner was noble and enough. I had my house mighty clean and neat; my room below with a good fire in it; my dining-room above, and my chamber being made a withdrawing-chamber; and my wife's a good fire also. I find my new table very proper, and will hold nine or ten people well, but eight with great room.

Pepy's Diary. 15 Jan 1663. Up and to my office preparing things, by and by we met and sat Mr. Coventry (age 35) and I till noon, and then I took him to dine with me, I having a wild goose roasted, and a cold chine of beef and a barrel of oysters. We dined alone in my chamber, and then he and I to fit ourselves for horseback, he having brought me a horse; and so to Deptford, the ways being very dirty. There we walked up and down the Yard and Wett Dock, and did our main business, which was to examine the proof of our new way of the call-books, which we think will be of great use.

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Pepy's Diary. 16 Jan 1663. Lay long talking in bed with my wife. Up, and Mr. Battersby, the apothecary, coming to see me, I called for the cold chine of beef and made him eat, and drink wine, and talked, there being with us Captain Brewer, the paynter, who tells me how highly the Presbyters do talk in the coffeehouses still, which I wonder at.

Pepy's Diary. 13 Oct 1663. My Baroness Castlemaine's (age 22), I hear, is in as great favour as ever, and the King (age 33) supped with her the very first night he came from Bath: and last night and the night before supped with her; when there being a chine of beef to roast, and the tide rising into their kitchen that it could not be roasted there, and the cook telling her of it, she answered, "Zounds! she must set the house on fire but it should be roasted!" So it was carried to Mrs. Sarah's husband's, and there it was roasted.

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Pepy's Diary. 25 Sep 1664. Lord's Day. Up, and my throat being yet very sore, and, my head out of order, we went not to church, but I spent all the morning reading of "The Madd Lovers", a very good play, and at noon comes Harman (age 27) and his wife, whom I sent for to meet the Joyces, but they came not. It seems Will has got a fall off his horse and broke his face. However, we were as merry as I could in their company, and we had a good chine of beef, but I had no taste nor stomach through my cold, and therefore little pleased with my dinner. It raining, they sat talking with us all the afternoon. So anon they went away; and then I to read another play, "The Custome of the Country", which is a very poor one, methinks. Then to supper, prayers, and bed.

Pepy's Diary. 06 Oct 1664. At noon by promise Mr. Pierce and his wife and Madam Clerke and her niece came and dined with me to a rare chine of beef{chine of beefe} and spent the afternoon very pleasantly all the afternoon, and then to my office in the evening, they being gone, and late at business, and then home to supper and to bed, my mind coming to itself in following of my business.

Pepy's Diary. 18 Feb 1665. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning; at noon to the 'Change [Map], and thence to the Royall Oake taverne in Lombard Street, where Sir William Petty (age 41) and the owners of the double-bottomed boat (The Experiment) did entertain my Lord Brunkard (age 45), Sir R. Murrey, myself, and others, with marrow bones and a chine of beef{chine of beefe} of the victuals they have made for this ship; and excellent company and good discourse: but, above all, I do value Sir William Petty (age 41).

Pepy's Diary. 21 Dec 1665. At the office all the morning. At noon all of us dined at Captain Cocke's (age 48) at a good chine of beef, and other good meat; but, being all frost-bitten, was most of it unroast; but very merry, and a good dish of fowle we dressed ourselves. Mr. Evelyn (age 45) there, in very good humour.

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Pepy's Diary. 16 Nov 1666. At noon to the 'Change [Map], and thence back to the new taverne come by us; the Three Tuns [Map], where D. Gawden did feast us all with a chine of beef and other good things, and an infinite dish of fowl, but all spoiled in the dressing. This noon I met with Mr. Hooke (age 31), and he tells me the dog which was filled with another dog's blood, at the College the other day, is very well, and like to be so as ever, and doubts not its being found of great use to men; and so do Dr. Whistler, who dined with us at the taverne.

Pepy's Diary. 27 Dec 1666. Anon to White Hall by coach, thinking to have seen a play there to-night, but found it a mistake, so back again, and missed our coach[man], who was gone, thinking to come time enough three hours hence, and we could not blame him. So forced to get another coach, and all three home to my house, and there to Sir W. Batten's (age 65), and eat a bit of cold chine of beef, and then staid and talked, and then home and sat and talked a little by the fireside with my wife and Creed, and so to bed, my left eye being very sore. No business publick or private minded all these two days. This day a house or two was blown up with powder in the Minorys, and several people spoiled, and many dug out from under the rubbish.