Todd Bernhardt

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Todd Bernhardt has posted 946 annotations/comments since 8 January 2003.

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First Reading

About Tuesday 27 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Not an exceedingly busy day, which is one reason we get so much detail about Sunday and Monday, I think. I was wondering about this as I originally read those entries -- I thought that he might have had a bit more time than usual to collect and record his thoughts.

About Sunday 18 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

FWIW, I agree with Phoenix on this. Sam clearly thinks he is following the "rules," while Creed is not. Plus, as Mary says, getting caught only worsens Sam's opinion of Creed.

About Thursday 15 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"and by and by comes Mrs. Pierce, with my name in her bosom for her Valentine, which will cost me money"

Why? No statute of limitations on Valentine's gifts? (And maybe the whole "cost me money" aspect is why Elizabeth had to call Mr. Hill upstairs yesterday...?)

About Sunday 11 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Thanks, Terry. I suppose that without other "invitations" to compare to the one you cite, it'll be hard to determine whether by "mild" Sam means that Charles' "call to action" is weaker than usual in these instances, or that he's using particularly conciliatory language toward the subjects of his adversaries...

About Sunday 11 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"Yesterday come out the King’s Declaration of War against the French, but with such mild invitations of both them and the Dutch to come over hither with promise of their protection, that every body wonders at it."

Anyone have access to this, to help explain what he means here? Thank you in advance.

About Saturday 10 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

I'm quite fit, yet I was just fit (because my wife was fit, to be tied) with a dental "sleep device" that forces my lower jaw forward and keeps me from snoring (it's not nearly uncomfortable as it sounds -- it's kind of like an enhanced bite guard). I must say, I am sleeping better (so's my wife) and waking more refreshed.

All this after taking a sleep test several years ago, being diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, and trying to endure a CPAP machine (but couldn't take sleeping like an astronaut -- hence the dental device). I also have a slightly deviated septum, and had had my tonsils removed several years before the apnea diagnosis, to help quell chronic sinusitis, so I can empathize with Future Sam, as reported on by Michael.

And now, the health news for wombats...

About Legends of British History: Samuel Pepys

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Andrew, funny you should bring that up -- it was the only thing that stuck in my throat as I read the essay, quite frankly, being a subjective judgment firmly drawn from current times.

I prefer to suspend such judgment, given that the times you and I grew up in are so very different from Sam's. That said, OCD is usually marked by dysfunction (that's why it's termed a "disorder," after all), and I see little of that in Sam's little pacts with the Almighty and his justifications for bending his self-imposed rules. He's highly functional, and his great gift to us is that he documented so openly and honestly his internal dialogue -- that is, he simply wrote down (sometimes brilliantly) something that all of us experience at some point but rarely make public.

About Friday 9 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"where strange pleasure they seem to take in their wine and meate, and discourse of it with the curiosity and joy that methinks was below men of worthe"

Too much enthusiasm? Not enough "cool"? Or is he saying the food didn't merit the enthusiasm?

Thanks for the info, Glyn -- reminds me of my years as a waiter (during my rock-n-roll daze), when we would always provide extra good service to those we knew were likely to tip well...

About Wednesday 7 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Owie owie owie -- Sam's description gave me shivers. Been there done that, but at least I had ready access to antibiotic gel, sterile bandaging, etc ... back then a simple accident could be a death sentence.

About Monday 5 February 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"and that I am not at all the more suppliant because of my Lord Sandwich’s fall"

So, the only reason Sam has put up with Batten and his lady to the extent that he has is because Batten is also Sandwich's man, and Sam doesn't want to offend Sandwich by being rude to Batten?

About Sunday 14 January 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Gotta say, I'm with LH ... as a long-time resident of Washington, DC ("Chocolate City"), and the only white member of a number of bands, I still have no idea of this mysterious use of "love" by African-Americans ... could you please explain?

About Friday 12 January 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "him"

This is tough, especially given that the punctuation is not Sam's! Do L&M punctuate this long sentence any differently?

JonTom, the only disagreement I have w/your parsing is that I think Penn was the one who did declaring Sam's proposal "he best thing he ever heard of this kind," rather than Brouncker.

I do see your and A's points about Penn. I guess I was originally seeing a full stop after the quote I give above, and assumed that the focus then turned to Batten, whom Sam has also disparaged as corrupt, incompetent, etc. Plus, from my own experience in office politics, I've too often seen pledges to "further study the proposal" as a passive-aggressive way of killing it ("Let's study this further by forming a committee, but oh -- can't do that too soon, as I'll be out of town anyway," etc.)

About Friday 12 January 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Ah ... yeah, I realize that Penn came around to Pepys' vision, after picking at it a bit, but I read the "he" in the passage above as Batten. So, in my reading, Batten's saying, "Let's form a committee [excluding Sam] with those who *really* know victualling, to further study this," thereby ensuring the proposal's delay and possible death (or its virtual death, since the committee might change it beyond Sam's intent). Hence Sam's bitter pronouncement about Batten ("So as I ever knew him never did in his life ever attempt to mend any thing, but suffer all things to go on in the way they are, though never so bad, rather than improve his experience to the King’s advantage"), and his attempt to sidestep Batten by requesting Brouncker to bring it up directly with the DoY.

About Friday 12 January 1665/66

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Ah, office politics through the centuries ... now, when I tell my staff, " 'twas ever thus," I'll be able to cite this fantastic entry as proof.

I love Sam's honesty when it comes to Penn's criticisms (basically, "some of what he suggested went over my head, plus he got me on a couple of things") and his bitterness about Batten -- working in an organization full of "we've always done it that way"-ers, Lord! How I can relate.