KnoWoPerWriMo

[lucianus]

Wednesday 1. December

I stirred not from here all this day; on account of the great mist, the enemy did try to draw us out but none of ours would budge; M. du Lac came at about 2 hours after dinner and we played at cards the rest of the day until night and I did sing some songs but having not my lute here could not play for our amusement, he did sup here and did lay here as well it being very late.

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This was a slow day for both Luke and Coningsby. Along with the mist across the area, Coningsby speaks of a little field trip he and some other gentlemen take to visit a nunnery. There they are fed dishes of sweetmeats and are treated to good classy conversation. The abbess and the nuns there are all gentlewomen and he and his “so behaved ourselves that we receyved very kynd welcomes.” From his description it would seem that this is really a visit to real nuns and not that they had gotten themselves to a nunnery, to paraphrase Shakespeare, for a very different set of activities!

Coningsby, Thomas, Jornall of Cheife Thinges Happened in Our Jorney from Deape the 13. of Auguste, Untyll, MS.- Harl. 288. f. 253279, p. 53-54. Camden Miscellany by Camden Society (Great Britain), Royal Historical Society (Great Britain), published by Camden Society, 1847 Item notes: v.1 (1847)

Comments

[albreda.livejournal.com]

I knew that many nuns were noble widows, etc, but it had never occured to me to make visiting a convent a dinner destination for good conversation! Makes complete sense, but wow! I'm sure the nuns appreciated getting to use their pent up high society skills too, as well as getting to receive the news firsthand.

[lucianus.livejournal.com]

Yes, this was an interesting field trip and from what he says, it really does seem like they were visiting nuns, not making a visit to a whorehouse, which knowing the euphemisms of the time could have been a possibility.