Lumbared

[It is difficult from his account of that feverish dream in August 2022 to know whether Pepys truly intended to finish his diary. Possibly he felt its purpose accomplished with his finally succumbing to the Covey Plague. Perhaps he anticipated less opportunity to write, given the exigencies of his forthcoming course at the Conservatoire in Banger; or perhaps the pages are simply lost. We are able to piece together some of his activities from what records there are, which suggest that he recovered speedily enough from the plague to resume by mid-month his customary habits of dining out at the expense of friends, grumbling about overlong operas and falling asleep at sundry theatrical events. Unreliable memoir as it is, according to My Years as a Stifled Sidekick: Living in the Shadow of Samuel Pepys by Martin Jones, Sam was well enough to make the journey to Durham that September, whilst other sources indicate that he started his musical education the same month, as predicted. Whatever the cause of the hiatus, Pepys had taken up his Journal again by the end of November 2022. Ed.] 

 

30 November, in the year of our Lord 2022

Awake betimes, my back less painful than heretofore and Banjo demanding breakfast, which I did give him. Proceeded to ablutions, but in the act of towelling off in the shower carelessly reached beyond sensible limit of movement and felt once more an acute pain in my lower back, worse by far than than the last, and on the contrary side. Unable to straiten, I had little recourse but to lie upon the cold tiled floor, positioning one naked foot within sight through the open door, in the hope that a passing deliveryman might see it from the threshold and presume to make enquirie of my fate. None come, presently I pulled myself up on the basin, my spine all twisted for my lower back being in so a great a Spasm that I was unable to stand strait, nor able to walk more than two halting steps at a time. All day thus, sitting, lying or hobbling, till in the evening comes Mr. M. Jones with two armcrutches that he had from Mr. Jones and Mrs. Hunt’s Hospitalle in Salop when they rehipped him. Obliged to take two days off my study at the Conservatoire, which vexed me.