Allowance

Up, and all day, both morning and afternoon, at my accounts, it being a great month, both for profit and layings out, the last being 89l. for kitchen and clothes for myself and wife, and a few extraordinaries for the house; and my profits, besides salary, 239l.; so that I have this weeke, notwithstanding great layings out, and preparations for laying out, which I make as paid this month, my balance to come to 1203l., for which the Lord’s name be praised!
Dined at home at noon, staying long looking for Kate Joyce and my aunt James and Mary, but they came not. So my wife abroad to see them, and took Mary Joyce to a play. Then in the evening came and sat working by me at the office, and late home to supper and to bed, with my heart in good rest for this day’s work, though troubled to think that my last month’s negligence besides the making me neglect business and spend money, and lessen myself both as to business and the world and myself, I am fain to preserve my vowe by paying 20s. dry money into the poor’s box, because I had not fulfilled all my memorandums and paid all my petty debts and received all my petty credits, of the last month, but I trust in God I shall do so no more.

laying out clothes
I stand looking
at this day’s money
dry as rust


Erasure poem derived from The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Friday 30 September 1664.

2 Replies to “Allowance”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.