Saturday 5 January 1660/61
Home all the morning. Several people came to me about business, among others the great Tom Fuller, who came to desire a kindness for a friend of his, who hath a mind to go to Jamaica with these two ships that are going, which I promised to do. So to Whitehall to my Lady, whom I found at dinner and dined with her, and staid with her talking all the afternoon, and thence walked to Westminster Hall. So to Will’s, and drank with Spicer, and thence by coach home, staying a little in Paul’s Churchyard, to bespeak Ogilby’s AEsop’s Fables and Tully’s Officys to be bound for me. So home and to bed.
Andrew Hamilton Link to this
Tully's Officys.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, "de Officiis,"
an ethical treatise addressed to his son. A rich source of gnomic quotes, e.g., "summum jus, summa injuria," which might be translated as "Extreme law is extreme injustice." An English translation (Loeb edition) can be found at
http://www.stoics.com/cicero_book.html
The Latin text is at:
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cicero/off.shtml
dirk Link to this
Jamaica
Jamaica had only five years before become English. In 1655 the British had taken Jamaica from the Spanish - with the help of the "bucanneers". Bristol Admiral Sir William Penn in command of the operation.
Many slaves took the opportunity to escape to the mountains and establish the socalled "Maroon" settlements. These Maroons - and slave rebellions - would continue to be a problem for the British for the rest of the century.
Jamaica, by the way, would introduce **rum** to Europe - a "hellish" drink that was originally given to the plantation slaves to ease their misery and keep them tolerably content during their appalling labours.
In 1660 the voyage to Jamaica was still not exactly without danger...
vincent Link to this
"...bespeak Ogilby's AEsop's Fables and Tully's Officys to be bound for me…”
655+ Fables AesopFables.com
Most[modern] were translated into English by Rev. George Fyler Townsend (1814-1900) and Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) the rest are from Jean De La Fontaine [the tales were actually written by Aesop. Some scholars even believe he never existed.
His works were polished by Jean de La Fontaine in his Fables (1668-1694)] in French and translated to English
http://www.aesopfables.com/
Ogilby, John 1600-1676. … Paris
John Ogilby's 1651 edition of Aesop's Fables mentioned in
http://www.cf.ac.uk/encap/ceir/scntilla/poison.... for
For those desperate for this version like SP got; still available for money Fables of Aesop Paraphrased in Verse
by Author: Aesop Author: John Ogilby
Wim van der Meij Link to this
It is peculiar that Sam can always stay for a bite whenever he is visiting people at mealtimes. There was enough to eat for unexpected guests, but that was especially the case in the richer houses, I suppose. In some countries there is (was?) the habit to lay the table for at least one extra person.
Kevin Sheerstone Link to this
Wim van der Meij -extra place at table
I have personally come across this practice in Eastern Europe (Poland and Hungary), and in North America (Newfoundland in Canada and the New England states of the US). In the case of New England it seemed to be confined to Thanksgiving, and in the other places mentioned, to Christmas.
I can remember my mother, who was Irish, mentioning it too.
Barbara Link to this
I think the laying of an extra place had more of a charitable religious background, than in case a chance guest turned up. In large households, such as the Sandwich one, there were many children, servants, other employees and there would always be a further cut of a large joint to serve an extra person, or the remains of yesterday's pie to be hurried from the kitchens.
Alan Bedford Link to this
Correction to Vincent's reference: http://www.cf.ac.uk/encap/ceir/scntilla/poison....
It's an interesting history of an adaptation of one of Ogilby's Aesop translations into a masque for (!) Cromwell.
vincent Link to this
In my early formative years: an extra mouth never fazed the Lady of the house, rich or poor. But by the 60's it changed amongst the more affluent. I still find that those who have the least are more generous than those with excess. Just an observation [or my personality or who nose].