Alter Kacker
Annotations and comments
Alter Kacker has posted 10 annotations/comments since 29 January 2023.
The most recent first…
Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Alter Kacker has posted 10 annotations/comments since 29 January 2023.
The most recent first…
Comments
Third Reading
About Monday 21 May 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
Some regicides rode out the storm on the other side of the Atlantic.
From the current issue of the Yale Alumni Magazine —
Escape to New Haven
With a third King Charles taking the throne, we recall New Haven's troubles over the first two.
By Mark Alden Branch ’86 | May/Jun 2023
https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/5659-esca…
About Thursday 3 May 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
Answering a question I asked during the First Reading, Wikipedia says Charles’ regnal years are numbered from 1649.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnal_years_of_Eng…
About Tuesday 1 May 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
San Diego Sarah — I don’t know when the description “knee-walking drunk” was coined, but it certainly seems to be applicable here.
About Monday 30 April 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
Let’s not be censorious — I can’t be the only one following this diary who can look back on being “scandalously overseene in drink” at 20 and crawled into bed after a drinking game at 27.
About Monday 2 April 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
Terry Foreman makes an excellent point — at the time of the diary nothing could be “misspelled” because the notion of a correct way to spell a word didn’t yet exist.
For an example of the value of standardized spelling, check out Michael Murphy’s free online version of The Canterbury Tales — http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/…
This is not a translation of paraphrase of Chaucer into modern English — “The words are Chaucer’s, line for line,” Murphy explains. “Only the spelling is modernized, as it is in Shakespeare texts.” After laying it aside half a century ago, I may finally get through it! (Made it through the General Prologue and The Knight’s Tale so far.)
About Monday 26 March 1660
Alter Kacker • Link
Reading through the First Reading annotations, I was mentally struggling to compose a response — and then discovered the one I had written 20 years ago (under my previous nom de web, Nix) that said PRECISELY what I was trying to articulate today.
Many thanks to Phil, to all commenters, but above all on this 365th Stone Cutting Day to Dr. Hollier.
About Friday 23 March 1659/60
Alter Kacker • Link
“to bed in my cabin, which was but short; however I made shift with it” —
As we are reminded how cramped shipboard quarters were, do we have any notion how tall Samuel was?
About Wednesday 29 February 1659/60
Alter Kacker • Link
Metheglin — street drug or single malt?
About Monday 13 February 1659/60
Alter Kacker • Link
The older I get, the more amazed I am at the sheer busy-ness of Samuel’s daily life.
About Sunday 29 January 1659/60
Alter Kacker • Link
As the guy who used to go by the screen name Nix, I’m impressed by the essay on negotiable instruments law I posted 20 years ago! I’m glad for the refresher — I don’t think I could have explained it nearly so well today. 😄