Ruslan

Annotations and comments

Ruslan has posted 79 annotations/comments since 26 October 2022.

Comments

Third Reading

About Thursday 23 October 1662

Ruslan  •  Link

Sasha said:

> In our neighbour Indo-European languages, French and German, "to be" rather than "to have" is still used as the auxilliary verb for the perfect tense of intransitive* verbs;

I'm being nitpicky here, but in French and German, the auxiliary verb "to be" (être in French, sein in German) is used to form the perfect tense for certain verbs, particularly those indicating motion or change of state.

Whether a verb is intransitive or not, is not in itself a guaranteed way to determine which auxilliary verb it uses.

E.g.
"Ich habe geschlafen" (I have slept) — schlafen is intransitive
"Il a couru" (He has run) — courir is intransitive

Or:
"Ich bin ihm gefolgt." (I have followed him) — folgen is transitive
"Il est descendu les escaliers." (He has gone down the stairs) — descendre is intransitive

About Friday 10 October 1662

Ruslan  •  Link

I had ChatGPT summarize today's entry. Here's what it came up with:

Samuel Pepys describes a day where, despite his swollen feet, he travels to Cambridge and stays at a place called the Beare. He encounters a relative, Angier, and joins him for a good meal. He mentions a university event where officers are being elected. With borrowed academic regalia, he participates in the election, voting for various positions, including someone he recognized from his past. He's content with participating in this university activity, something he longed to do.

Later, he visits another relative, Dr. John Pepys, but couldn't find his brother Roger, who was out for work. He travels to Impington for advice from relatives regarding a family matter. Unexpectedly, Roger arrives, and they discuss the family issue. Roger advises reaching a settlement with another relative, Thomas, as legal routes wouldn’t be favorable. Despite the unsettling advice, Pepys appreciates the clarity on how to proceed, ending his day with that understanding before going to bed.

About Tuesday 1 September 1663

Ruslan  •  Link

A little more context.

Australian Susan: "So where was Pembleton for all those weeks when he did not turn up at church?"

Pembleton, the dancing-master, made Pepys very jealous...
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

---

More text omitted by the Gutenberg edition: "At noon to the Exchange, where among many merchants abut provisions for the navy; and so home to dinner, where I met Mr. Hunt, his wife and child, and dined with us very merry. And after dinner I to my office with Captain Hickes, who brought my wife some shells, very pretty..."

Capt. William Hickes: https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

About Tuesday 19 August 1662

Ruslan  •  Link

8 years later, here is what deepl.com makes of the same passage:

Jermyn's second-in-command was Giles Rawlings, a man of good fortune and a heavy gambler. Howard used Dillon, a skilful, brave and honest man, and unfortunately a close friend of Rawlings. In this battle, fortune did not favor love's favorites. Poor Rawlings was killed outright, and Jermyn, pierced by three swords, was carried to his uncle's house with very few signs of life.

About Tuesday 12 August 1662

Ruslan  •  Link

I found this entry a tad difficult to parse, so I had ChatGPT "modernize" the text:

I woke up early and went to my office. I noticed that many people are starting to come to me. Among them was Mr. Deane from Woolwich. He told me he would reveal the problems related to measuring timber. Additionally, he promised to provide me with a model of a ship, something I've always wanted. Later, Sir W. Batten and I had a disagreement about his clerk drafting a warrant for a Ship's Captain. I didn't accept it, so I had my own clerk prepare a different one. Sir W. Batten suggested we discuss the matter at a full board meeting, and I agreed to this. But, even though I had my own version drafted, I'll hand over the new warrant to Batten's clerk to keep the peace. However, I will still assert my rights in the matter. I ate lunch by myself and then went back to my office.

I worked until 10 o'clock at night. I had supper and then went to bed, but the disagreement with Sir W. Batten was still on my mind. Before ending the day, I spoke to Norman, Batten's assistant, to explain my side of the story.

About Jane Turner (b. Pepys, Pepys' cousin)

Ruslan  •  Link

I'm confused. The 1893 text states:

"Jane, daughter of John Pepys of South Creake, Norfolk, married to John Turner, Sergeant-at-law, Recorder of York; their only child, Theophila..."

Yet Pauline (above) and other annotators (elsewhere in the diary) refer to "their children" and provide details of said offspring.

About Tuesday 29 July 1662

Ruslan  •  Link

Australian Susan wrote:

"I used to live in Bristol and there is a road there called Blackboys' Hill which is where the little black boys so prized as pages were 'exhibited' (can't think of another word for this) having come on the ships from West Africa."

Not true.

First off, it's "Blackboy Hill". Secondly, the street name comes from the Black Boy Inn. The pub name was probably linked to King Charles II, who was known as ‘the Black Boy’ because of his dark hair and complexion, rather than to the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans (not least because enslaved Africans never were auctioned on the Downs).

Source: https://collections.bristolmuseum…