Trevor M Randall

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Trevor M Randall has posted 33 annotations/comments since 26 June 2022.

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Third Reading

About Saturday 18 April 1668

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Can’t understand the eating of oranges at the theatre.

In Sam’s case he may have been more interested in the procurement than the consumption…well, the oranges at least.

About Wednesday 5 February 1667/68

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

and so to bed, and slept but ill all night, my mind running like a fool on my prize business

Even the soporific effect of a lobster couldn’t ease poor Sam’s ruminating.

About Tuesday 28 January 1667/68

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Up, and to the office, and there with W. Griffin talking about getting the place to build a coach-house, or to hire one, which I now do resolve to have, and do now declare it; for it is plainly for my benefit for saving money.

Yes! Finally! Get that coach house built Sam. Who hasn’t felt the pinch of taking too many hackney cabs? Beer blurred eyes watching the meter tick away your hard earned.

About Wednesday 4 December 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Sam’s bowels

As Mary noted, it did seem that Sam was regularly on the physic earlier in the diary and a quick check of entries shows physic being mentioned a lot. However, other than a couple of times in ‘60 and a rough patch in the fall/winter of ‘63 the majority of entries refer to other’s use and not Sam himself. So maybe its reduced use was not just due to his status change. There have been earlier discussions about the possibility of unmentioned veggies in his diet and certainly Sam seems to enjoy summer fruits when he can snaffle them from a well appointed garden, but I wonder whether wild fruit and veg eating/picking/purchasing during his trips into the bucolic surroundings of 17C London also occurred more than mentioned?

About Saturday 26 October 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

I’m with Mary, did I miss something? Sam perfectly happy to leave Bess and Pendleton alone!? Not so long ago the mere thought would’ve given him ulcers.

About Saturday 5 October 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Well Sam certainly seems to have taken Batten’s death in his stride, proposes Middleton as a replacement then jollies off to the theatre. But what about the money Sam? What are you going to do about the money?! If I hadn’t heard it before I’d think your issue with Nell’s make-up was just displacement.

About Monday 23 September 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Thence I walked over the Park to White Hall and took water to Westminster…
Surely Whitehall to Westminster is quicker by foot than water!? I thought the great fire only reached Temple so land travel this far west would’ve been normal, maybe Sam was worried about the dangers of shattering glass carriages.

About Monday 16 September 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

But one of the best arts of our sport was a mighty pretty lady that sat behind, that did laugh so heartily and constantly, that it did me good to hear her.

Ah yes.

About Sunday 25 August 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

…and there at the Swan I did baiser Frank…
tg you’re right, Sam’s just relentless. Clearly he wasn’t bothered by last week’s hat pinning and usual Sunday service has been resumed.

About Friday 23 August 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Maybe I’m being obvious, but just for clarification, the savoy mentioned by a dusty Sam is not the (much later built) Carte hotel but a hospital/military hospital on the same site, which at the time was being used as a barracks…he’d have to wait a couple of hundred years for the afternoon tea!
https://www.theiet.org/membership…'s%20Revolt%20of,the%2015th%20and%2016th%20centuries.

About Wednesday 14 August 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

…but she also hires and fires as necessary for the efficient staffing of the household.

I’m not sure that all of Elizabeth’s staff firings were in the best interest of household efficiency.

About Tuesday 18 June 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Just to add my two pennies I agree with SDS, Peg has been groomed from an early age, this is not about Sam being charming or attractive.

About Wednesday 5 June 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

After the French manner.
This intrigues me, if the French manner reflects the current western protocol of serving consecutive courses/dishes does this mean that the restoration norm was having the prawn cocktail, steak and Black Forest gateaux all served at once?

About Sunday 5 May 1667

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

It would by nice to know how typical this had been BEFORE the Great Fire.

I wondered the same Terry, although I’m sure many of these fires will have been accidental, how many may have been purposely set? emboldened pyromaniacs anyone?