Todd Bernhardt

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

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First Reading

About Sunday 26 June 1664

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"If the man was recommended by Penn, it's a wonder they even stopped by."

What, and miss the opportunity to talk trash about him (and thus Penn)?

About Sunday 12 June 1664

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For the first time, I pity poor John Creed ... it's never good to be a third wheel in those situations.

And I pity poor Sam, troubled by the knavery and neglect of the deliciously named Captain Fudge (something tells me he never became a privateer ... not exactly a name to strike fear in the hearts of men or women) and Captain Taylor. The best-laid plans, etc.

About Site design updates

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I wouldn't mind if Phil made a bit of green (beigy or otherwise) for his efforts ... plus, given the nature of the discussion, and the keyphrases the Google Adbot would parse from it, think about the potential for amusement caused by some of the ads that it would display!

About Tuesday 24 May 1664

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Was this book written in shorthand? In any case, no wonder Sam's eyes eventually (almost) failed him ... what a tremendous amount of writing he did each day, in addition to his other activities. What a powerhouse the man was!

About Wednesday 25 May 1664

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Wonder what reason prompted Sam to take a mid-week physique (besides the fact that it rhymes)? He usually saves this for the Lord's Day.

Interesting time-saving technique, too, taking it betimes, and then devoting only the morning to its effects...

About Tuesday 24 May 1664

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Indeed, thanks for sharing, Jeannine. I agree with Robert that the tone and style of the note is very Diary-like (unlike much of his other correspondence, which is more formal and stilted).

About Tuesday 24 May 1664

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Fascinating glimpse into Batten's corruption, Jeannine, which we've not had described in the Diary yet ... can you tell more about the source of this? Thanks.

About Wednesday 18 May 1664

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"This day I begun to drink butter-milke and whey, and I hope to find great good by it"

Oh Sam, if only they knew then what they know now about dairy (rich in calcium) and kidney/bladder stones...

About Tuesday 17 May 1664

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"and making a little water, but not yet breaking any great store of wind"

More evidence -- to my mind, anyway -- that this is a kidney stone slowly working its painful way down Sam's urinary tract. He's noted several times his difficulty in urinating, and the pain in his back would lead him to think he needs to break wind -- but of course, it's not there to be broken (to Elizabeth's relief, I'd imagine).

Can you imagine tying your hands before falling asleep? I wouldn't be able to endure it, either.

About Sunday 15 May 1664

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"but will take time to make my use of it"

Ah ... so now we have a reason for Sam's muted reaction. Now he has the advantage of his rich uncle, and is waiting for the Wight time to use it.

BTW, sounds like a lovely domestic scene all day long, doesn't it?

About Saturday 14 May 1664

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re: the extraordinary pain

FWIW, I second Bradford's guess of a kidney stone. I've never had one (praise Goddess), but know enough people who have had them to recognize the symptoms. And, as Robert points out, Sam's autopsy revealed that he was riddled with the things, both in his kidneys and bladders, when he died.

About Wednesday 11 May 1664

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Not quite sure I'd resolve to go betimes to Woolwich and leave my wife alone, after what happened today, but Elizabeth obviously knows how to take care of herself.

Wonder what convinced ol' Unc that the time was right to bring up the subject?

About Tuesday 10 May 1664

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Or, as Terry mentioned in the post above yours, Robert, using "threats of mass destruction" (i.e., FEAR) to further their agenda and control the population...

About Monday 9 May 1664

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"and there saw several things done in my work to my great content"

What?!? Is something wrong, Sam? Oh. You're talking about the workmen making alterations to your office. For a moment I thought that you actually believed some of your co-workers were doing a good job.

"This day my wife and I in our way to Paternoster Row to buy things called upon Mr. Hollyard to advise upon her drying up her issue in her leg, which inclines of itself to dry up, and he admits of it that it should be dried up."

Okay, I get that the issue in her leg needs to dry up, but can anyone shed more light on this? It's not Beth's "other problem," is it? That's not in her leg, after all.

No Monday visit to the Duke today?

About Sunday 8 May 1664

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re: "the perfidious rogue"

May I point out that The Perfidious Rogues would be an excellent name for a band?

Perhaps on a double bill with The Sub Zonas (MV, man of a thousand nom de plumes...)

About Thursday 5 May 1664

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re: Sam's failing eyesight

When I visited the Pepys Library in Cambridge recently, I was amazed at his small, meticulous writing, both in the Diary and especially on official writings. I suppose that paper was a more-precious commodity than it is now, so you had to use as much of it as possible. And, of course, we know our boy was a bit of a perfectionist, so this type of close work in dim lighting, over time, must have been responsible for his eye strain.