Todd Bernhardt

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

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First Reading

About Thursday 24 November 1664

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Ah, Bradford, trotting out the old de Rigueur again ... it brings back such happy memories -- reading that under a shade tree during a lazy summer as a youth, planting the seeds of a lifelong fascination with England and the 17th century...

About Thursday 24 November 1664

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"and thought better than I am"

I'd wager that in this case "better" refers to Sam's social background/status, rather than any feelings of self-worth. Perhaps someone with access to the OED can look at the word for this meaning?

About Saturday 5 November 1664

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I've been traveling on business and, though able to vote (repeatedly), was unable to keep up with the Diary. Now I come back to wonderful animations (Jeannine, you kill me), news of weddings to come and weddings past (congratulations!), and now I read that Sam has actually seen a Shakespeare play that he doesn't hate.

The one somewhat-related thing I can add is a hearty recommendation for the Canadian comedy "Slings and Arrows," which follows several seasons of a Shakespearean troupe whose artistic director is haunted by the company's previous AD. Quite amusing (and sometimes even quite touching for an old trouper like yours truly) ... the second season focuses on their staging of "that play."

About Tuesday 11 October 1664

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"and I am not a whit sorry for it, for his company both chargeable and troublesome"

Then why'd you ask him, Sam? What use do you think he would have been to you, I wonder...?

About Monday 10 October 1664

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"my head being full of business, I did not think of it to keep it in any extraordinary manner"

Oh Sam, you Romantic, you. I hope you live through the night...

About Thursday 6 October 1664

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It's interesting to see how Sam is willing to "give up" daylight time to entertain and then happily goes into the office at night to do business. Obviously the daylight hours would be better for his eyes, as he does the kind of close work necessary in his job, but this doesn't seem to be an issue for him. I guess this is another 21st Century (Schizoid Man) prejudice of mine -- that the work days are for work, and the nights for play...

About Monday 3 October 1664

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re: that sentence above

Actually, I'm having a hard time parsing it ... I think it's the placement of the "else." Can someone help? Jeannine? Anyone? Bueller?

About Saturday 1 October 1664

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"but I sent her an answer that I would see her at Westminster, and so I did not go, and she went away, poor soul"

Sounds as if Sam's learned a trick or two from Jane Welsh...

About Monday 26 September 1664

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re: cold sores?

As someone who occasionally suffers from this (herpes simplex), I think this is exactly what Sam is talking about, Patricia. It would explain his description about his palate being "down," for example -- I sometimes even get them inside my mouth, along the gumline, and almost always get swollen lymph glands under my jaw and a low-grade fever when they're first coming out. The condition is s probably also combined with an illness/cold ... I know that stress or illness will bring them on for me.

Thank goodness for modern anti-virals, which make quick work of the horrible things.

About Friday 23 September 1664

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"little heart"!

What a beautiful and unexpected glimpse into their lives ... I believe (though I may be wrong) that this is the first term of endearment that we see between Sam and Elizabeth.

And, in the midst of fighting a bad sinus infection myself, I think Mary's definition of a falling palate is right on.

About Thursday 22 September 1664

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re: "But how can he seem so brusque and dismissive to Elizabeth?"

Well, remember, we're reading his Diary, in which he's speaking only to himself ... we don't know how he reacted to her. In fact, it's possible that Sam has been disappointed so often in their quest for a child of their own that the second statement in "I neither believe nor desire it" is simply a outcome of the first ... a defense mechanism to keep him from being disappointed yet again.

About Thursday 22 September 1664

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"he did give me some advice, though not so good as he would have done at any other time of the year"

Really? I wonder what it is about September that would degrade the quality of Sir William's advice?

About Sunday 11 September 1664

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Yeah, but CH, this is the man who yesterday "saved the King 5000l. per annum, and yet got [himself] a hope of 300l. per annum without the least wrong to the King"! Sam is the master of justification...

About Sunday 11 September 1664

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"So I walked home contented with my speaking with her, and walked to my uncle Wight's"

I'm assuming Sam doesn't see the irony here...?

"Sir J. Minnes fell sicke at church, and going down the gallery stairs fell down dead, but came to himself again and is pretty well"

Well! I guess "dead" had different meanings back then! Either that, or Sir John is more powerful than I imagined...

About Tuesday 6 September 1664

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I can figure out what Pepys means by "meschants" by the context, but does anyone have a good translation/explanation for the word?

(And yes, Pride goeth before a fall...)