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2 Annotations

First Reading

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Cosmo, the future Grand Duke of Turin, visited Bishops Stortford.
I've standardized names, scanning errors I could figure out, and increased the number of paragraphs:

Everything that was necessary for his journey to Newmarket, being arranged, and having heard mass betimes on the morning of 6 May/26 April, 1669, his highness got into his carriage, with Colonel Gascoyne and his attendants, followed by other carriages for the convenience of his suite; and left London for Newmarket, towards which the king set out, the same morning, with the Duke of York, for the sole purpose of shewing his highness the horse races; an amusement taken by the court several times in the year, great numbers of ladies and gentlemen crowding thither from London and from their country-houses in the neighborhood.

On quitting London, they found many villages and a numerous population; the country afterwards rises into a level plain; the greater part of which is devoted more to cow pastures, than to cultivation.

On the way to Epping is an open place, belonging to the Bishopric of London, to which it was given, with other domains by King William I.

202

Continuing his journey, after dinner, through a country not very unlike that which he had before travelled over, his highness reached Bishop's Stortford, to supper, a small town in the county of Hertford, situated on the river Stort, which, falling into the Lea which washes the town of Hertford, whence the province takes its name, encreases it with its tributary waters.

This place, as well as Epping, belongs to the bishopric of London, to which it was given by the same prince.

They stopped at the principal inn in the place, and found there everything necessary for the accommodation of the court; it being abundantly provided, as indeed are all the other inns in England, with everything that can be wanted; the more so, as the landlady boasts of her relationship by blood to the Protector Cromwell.

His highness retired, and supped as usual.

@@@

From:
TRAVELS OF COSMO THE THIRD, GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY,
THROUGH ENGLAND,
DURING THE REIGN OF KING CHARLES THE SECOND (1669) -
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN MANUSCRIPT
https://archive.org/stream/travel…

His highness, Cosmo, must be considered only as a traveler. Under his direction, the narrator of the records was Count Lorenzo Magalotti, afterwards Secretary to the Academy del Cimento, and one of the most learned and eminent characters of the court of Ferdinand II.

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References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1667

  • Oct

1668