Selective vision

Early with Mr. Moore about Sir Paul Neale’s business with my uncle and other things all the morning.
Dined with him at Mr. Crew’s, and after dinner I went to the Theatre, where I found so few people (which is strange, and the reason I did not know) that I went out again, and so to Salsbury Court, where the house as full as could be; and it seems it was a new play, “The Queen’s Maske,” wherein there are some good humours: among others, a good jeer to the old story of the Siege of Troy, making it to be a common country tale. But above all it was strange to see so little a boy as that was to act Cupid, which is one of the greatest parts in it. Then home and to bed.

Another thin dinner to heat—
few know the full mask.
Some jeer making a common count.
To see so little
is one of the greatest arts.


Erasure poem derived from The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Saturday 2 March 1660/61.

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