Re Charlezzzzz's comment above about Coventry and the flagons, this goes back to yesterday and the matter of Pett having ordered some silver flagons to be sent to Coventry "but he did not receive them." I took this to mean that "receive" meant "accept," i.e., Coventry did not accept them. Perhaps based on my error (sorry!), several others thought the same, and, since the gifts could be interpreted as a bribe, they attributed Coventry's non-acceptance to his virtuous character, But I was wrong. "Receive" did not mean "accept," and it's just another case of something that happens occasionally in Pepys's diary, the knotty question of "what or who" is the antecedent of a pronoun, this time the antecedent of the "he" in "he did not receive them. The answer is not Coventry, it's Pett. Pett did not receive the flagons timely, and therefore he had to wait to send them to Coventry, who, virtue to the contrary notwithstanding, did accept them.
The pictures and other information about diarist Josselin were most welcome. In 2023 the Eastern Orthodox [Catholic] Church officially changed the date of their Christmas (the Feast of the Nativity) to December 25th.
In the American Deep South the unmarried daughter or sister of the head of the household was called the "ole miss" (old maid) to distinguish her from the family's young marriageable misses, and you can be sure that the ole miss sat with the family at table. For some reason that I have never been able to figure out, the University of Mississippi is called Ole Miss. And when they play football it's not "the University of Mississippi versus Texas" or some other team. It's always "Ole Miss versus Texas" or some other team. I don't admire Sam's attitude toward his sister. She's not an ole miss, she's a young miss, and a good brother would include her in order to marry her off to someone in his circle.
With regard to all the comments above regarding infant or child mortality, it is worth noting that James, Duke of York, and Anne Hyde had eight children, and today King Charles II attended the christening of the first one, a boy, Charles, Duke of Cambridge. That child died, and only two of their eight children lived to be adults. Both were girls, and both became queens: Mary and Anne.
Right at the top of today's annotations "Joe" wondered in 2003 what Will's diary would say for today. Will was Pepys's "boy" and was for Pepys what a footman is for the king or queen, someone in the background, always silently on hand to do whatever is needed, and not noticed if nothing is needed. Will was probably with Pepys the whole time. (As for his diary, he probably didn't have one because he undoubtedly couldn't write.)
"Commissioner Pett (who seldom comes there) told me that he had lately presented a piece of plate (being a couple of flaggons) to Mr. Coventry, but he did not receive them . . . ." At first I thought that "he did not receive them" meant that they had somehow gone astray on the way to Coventry, but apparently everybody but me knew that "receive" here means "accept." Coventry did not accept them.
With regard to Sam's singing today, the fact that in Blagrave's pew he sang along competently while sight-reading proves to me that he had perfect pitch. I've thought so before. Also, it was a real treat to read all the Navy knowledge displayed in today's comments. It makes the work of the Navy Board so much more accessible.
I love Latin. I was the geek wandering through the hall in high school griping to anyone who would listen that our high school didn't offer a third year of Latin. Many years later I wound up in graduate school working toward a Ph.D. in German Literature. Realizing that most of the German authors we were studying had had a true classical education, including Latin and Greek, I had a hunch that I should pursue Latin and Greek again in case knowledge of those languages and literatures would give me insight into the workings of the minds of the gymnasium-educated German authors of preceding centuries. (Notice that I avoided saying hyper- or über-educated (-: ) And it worked. Not to brag, but while I was still a graduate student, I scored an article in the prestigious "German Quarterly" that explained the puzzling structure of Kleist's "Penthesilea," and my dissertation was informed by Johann Christian Günther's imitation of Ovid's "Letters from the Black Sea." My point: Latin and Greek still rock, especially in Comparative Literature.
A peck of oysters: "How many are in a peck of oysters? "A basic rule of thumb for most American oysters is that there are roughly 100 oysters per bushel; 25 per peck. A bushel of oysters will feed, on average, between 4 and 6 people." Per Wiki
My Lady "took occasion to inquire . . . how I did treat my wife’s father and mother. At which I did give her a good account . . . ." My Lady seems to be an admirable, kind, caring person. She is also from a Puritan family, the Crewes, and she must know that Elisabeth is the daughter of aristocratic French Protestant refugees who can be expected to have given up a lot when they fled to England. I believe she inquires into how Pepys treats his wife's father and mother in order to be assured that he is helping them financially. He says he "did give her a good account." That may have led My Lady to believe, wrongly, that he is helping them financially when in fact he avoids them and doesn't welcome visits from Balty (Elizabeth's brother) either because he feels they will want financial help from him. It will be seen that the only help Sam (unwittingly) provides for them takes the form of money Elisabeth embezzles from the household budget to give to them. My Lady would not be proud of Sam if she knew the truth.
"His mother would fain marry him to get a portion for his sister . . . ." Today we would say "would fain marry him OFF to get a portion . . . ." That makes more sense, except that today we don't use "would fain."
" . . . on discourse he seems to be wise and say little, though I know things are changed against his mind." Obviously a disappointed but prudent Puritan.
"in our way calling at the Bell to see the seven Flanders mares that my Lord has bought lately, where we drank several bottles of Hull ale. Much company I found to come to her, and cannot wonder at it, for she is very pretty and wanton."
This "she" must be the successful owner or hostess or barmaid at the Bell. Maybe the sign of the "Bell" could also be construed as the "Belle."
It is certainly not Dr. Pearse's beautiful wife, known as La Belle Pearse/Pierce (who was not part of this pub-and-stable-crawl at all, but who Elizabeth Pepys will say later in the diary is wanton).
"Ask how to live? Write, write, write, anything; The world's a fine believing world, write news." This quote is especially relevant in the United States in these days of propagandistic news media.
The original gruesome plan behind hanging, drawing, and quartering was that the person would be hanged, but only briefly, then cut down while he was still alive to endure the grisly drawing out of his guts and the final chopping off of his arms and legs to make the quarters that were nailed up in public places. One can only hope that the hangman left the victim hanging long enough for him to be well and truly dead. In the next century James Boswell, attorney and author of Dr. Johnson's biography, would hear of a person or persons who had been cut down so soon after hanging that they survived the hanging. Boswell hoped for the same good fortune for his sheep-stealing client who had been condemned to be hanged, and before the hanging Boswell made preparations to aid his client immediately after he was cut down, but alas, they left him hanging for forty-five minutes.
Re "The criminal would presumably try to get away with the game he had bagged in his pouch, pocket, or 'poche'." It would have to be a rather small part of a rather small deer to fit in a pocket. But I've heard that English deer are very small (compared to American deer).
The "morning draft" If you tap on that phrase, you will get an explanation that people didn't actually have breakfast in Pepys's time, they just had a "morning draft." Okay, but what is it? We know it's not tea, coffee, or orange juice, so is it small beer? The Pilgrims are said to have had beer for (or at) breakfast, so that's my guess.
Comments
Third Reading
About Tuesday 25 December 1660
LKvM • Link
Re Charlezzzzz's comment above about Coventry and the flagons, this goes back to yesterday and the matter of Pett having ordered some silver flagons to be sent to Coventry "but he did not receive them."
I took this to mean that "receive" meant "accept," i.e., Coventry did not accept them.
Perhaps based on my error (sorry!), several others thought the same, and, since the gifts could be interpreted as a bribe, they attributed Coventry's non-acceptance to his virtuous character,
But I was wrong. "Receive" did not mean "accept," and it's just another case of something that happens occasionally in Pepys's diary, the knotty question of "what or who" is the antecedent of a pronoun, this time the antecedent of the "he" in "he did not receive them.
The answer is not Coventry, it's Pett. Pett did not receive the flagons timely, and therefore he had to wait to send them to Coventry, who, virtue to the contrary notwithstanding, did accept them.
About Sunday 6 January 1660/61
LKvM • Link
The pictures and other information about diarist Josselin were most welcome.
In 2023 the Eastern Orthodox [Catholic] Church officially changed the date of their Christmas (the Feast of the Nativity) to December 25th.
About Wednesday 2 January 1660/61
LKvM • Link
In the American Deep South the unmarried daughter or sister of the head of the household was called the "ole miss" (old maid) to distinguish her from the family's young marriageable misses, and you can be sure that the ole miss sat with the family at table.
For some reason that I have never been able to figure out, the University of Mississippi is called Ole Miss. And when they play football it's not "the University of Mississippi versus Texas" or some other team. It's always "Ole Miss versus Texas" or some other team.
I don't admire Sam's attitude toward his sister. She's not an ole miss, she's a young miss, and a good brother would include her in order to marry her off to someone in his circle.
About Tuesday 1 January 1660/61
LKvM • Link
With regard to all the comments above regarding infant or child mortality, it is worth noting that James, Duke of York, and Anne Hyde had eight children, and today King Charles II attended the christening of the first one, a boy, Charles, Duke of Cambridge.
That child died, and only two of their eight children lived to be adults. Both were girls, and both became queens: Mary and Anne.
About Sunday 30 December 1660
LKvM • Link
Right at the top of today's annotations "Joe" wondered in 2003 what Will's diary would say for today. Will was Pepys's "boy" and was for Pepys what a footman is for the king or queen, someone in the background, always silently on hand to do whatever is needed, and not noticed if nothing is needed. Will was probably with Pepys the whole time. (As for his diary, he probably didn't have one because he undoubtedly couldn't write.)
About Sunday 30 December 1660
LKvM • Link
"I to the Abby and walked there" -- wouldn't it be wonderful today to be able to just walk in and mosey around?
About Monday 24 December 1660
LKvM • Link
"Commissioner Pett (who seldom comes there) told me that he had lately presented a piece of plate (being a couple of flaggons) to Mr. Coventry, but he did not receive them . . . ."
At first I thought that "he did not receive them" meant that they had somehow gone astray on the way to Coventry, but apparently everybody but me knew that "receive" here means "accept." Coventry did not accept them.
About Sunday 9 December 1660
LKvM • Link
With regard to Sam's singing today, the fact that in Blagrave's pew he sang along competently while sight-reading proves to me that he had perfect pitch. I've thought so before.
Also, it was a real treat to read all the Navy knowledge displayed in today's comments. It makes the work of the Navy Board so much more accessible.
About Monday 3 December 1660
LKvM • Link
I love Latin. I was the geek wandering through the hall in high school griping to anyone who would listen that our high school didn't offer a third year of Latin.
Many years later I wound up in graduate school working toward a Ph.D. in German Literature. Realizing that most of the German authors we were studying had had a true classical education, including Latin and Greek, I had a hunch that I should pursue Latin and Greek again in case knowledge of those languages and literatures would give me insight into the workings of the minds of the gymnasium-educated German authors of preceding centuries. (Notice that I avoided saying hyper- or über-educated (-: )
And it worked. Not to brag, but while I was still a graduate student, I scored an article in the prestigious "German Quarterly" that explained the puzzling structure of Kleist's "Penthesilea," and my dissertation was informed by Johann Christian Günther's imitation of Ovid's "Letters from the Black Sea."
My point: Latin and Greek still rock, especially in Comparative Literature.
About Wednesday 28 November 1660
LKvM • Link
A peck of oysters:
"How many are in a peck of oysters?
"A basic rule of thumb for most American oysters is that there are roughly 100 oysters per bushel; 25 per peck. A bushel of oysters will feed, on average, between 4 and 6 people."
Per Wiki
About Thursday 22 November 1660
LKvM • Link
My Lady "took occasion to inquire . . . how I did treat my wife’s father and mother. At which I did give her a good account . . . ."
My Lady seems to be an admirable, kind, caring person. She is also from a Puritan family, the Crewes, and she must know that Elisabeth is the daughter of aristocratic French Protestant refugees who can be expected to have given up a lot when they fled to England.
I believe she inquires into how Pepys treats his wife's father and mother in order to be assured that he is helping them financially.
He says he "did give her a good account." That may have led My Lady to believe, wrongly, that he is helping them financially when in fact he avoids them and doesn't welcome visits from Balty (Elizabeth's brother) either because he feels they will want financial help from him.
It will be seen that the only help Sam (unwittingly) provides for them takes the form of money Elisabeth embezzles from the household budget to give to them. My Lady would not be proud of Sam if she knew the truth.
About Saturday 17 November 1660
LKvM • Link
"His mother would fain marry him to get a portion for his sister . . . ."
Today we would say "would fain marry him OFF to get a portion . . . ."
That makes more sense, except that today we don't use "would fain."
About Friday 16 November 1660
LKvM • Link
" . . . on discourse he seems to be wise and say little, though I know things are changed against his mind."
Obviously a disappointed but prudent Puritan.
About Sunday 4 November 1660
LKvM • Link
"in our way calling at the Bell to see the seven Flanders mares that my Lord has bought lately, where we drank several bottles of Hull ale. Much company I found to come to her, and cannot wonder at it, for she is very pretty and wanton."
This "she" must be the successful owner or hostess or barmaid at the Bell. Maybe the sign of the "Bell" could also be construed as the "Belle."
It is certainly not Dr. Pearse's beautiful wife, known as La Belle Pearse/Pierce (who was not part of this pub-and-stable-crawl at all, but who Elizabeth Pepys will say later in the diary is wanton).
About Friday 26 October 1660
LKvM • Link
"I find it fascinating to consider the wide range of information we can stumble upon from reading Pepys."
Me too, Jim.
About Tuesday 16 October 1660
LKvM • Link
"Ask how to live? Write, write, write, anything; The world's a fine believing world, write news."
This quote is especially relevant in the United States in these days of propagandistic news media.
About Monday 15 October 1660
LKvM • Link
The original gruesome plan behind hanging, drawing, and quartering was that the person would be hanged, but only briefly, then cut down while he was still alive to endure the grisly drawing out of his guts and the final chopping off of his arms and legs to make the quarters that were nailed up in public places. One can only hope that the hangman left the victim hanging long enough for him to be well and truly dead.
In the next century James Boswell, attorney and author of Dr. Johnson's biography, would hear of a person or persons who had been cut down so soon after hanging that they survived the hanging. Boswell hoped for the same good fortune for his sheep-stealing client who had been condemned to be hanged, and before the hanging Boswell made preparations to aid his client immediately after he was cut down, but alas, they left him hanging for forty-five minutes.
About Friday 12 October 1660
LKvM • Link
Re "The criminal would presumably try to get away with the game he had bagged in his pouch, pocket, or 'poche'."
It would have to be a rather small part of a rather small deer to fit in a pocket. But I've heard that English deer are very small (compared to American deer).
About Saturday 8 September 1660
LKvM • Link
"Cunning" is an Anglo-Saxon word going back to German "können," meaning to be able.
About Thursday 23 August 1660
LKvM • Link
The "morning draft"
If you tap on that phrase, you will get an explanation that people didn't actually have breakfast in Pepys's time, they just had a "morning draft."
Okay, but what is it? We know it's not tea, coffee, or orange juice, so is it small beer?
The Pilgrims are said to have had beer for (or at) breakfast, so that's my guess.