Todd Bernhardt

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

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First Reading

About Tuesday 10 March 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

I think it would also be a signifier of the type/weight of the bottle -- i.e., that a two-pence bottle was heavy enough to be used as a deadly weapon.

About Tuesday 10 March 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Thanks, Mary -- I understood about the house and the history, but I guess I was just surprised at Sam taking "pleasure" at her "great loss" about what to do about her lost ticket. For all his faults, he usually doesn't take pleasure at others' misfortunes, and unless she was being purposely comical in wondering what happened to the ticket (and the language doesn't support that, IMO), there seems to be a bit of uncharacteristic schadenfreude going on here...

About Tuesday 10 March 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"but it was pleasant that she come on purpose to me about getting a ticket paid, and in her way hither lost her ticket, so that she is at a great loss what to do"

Hmmm ... I thought Sam *liked* Kate Joyce.

About Tuesday 3 March 1668

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"but I care not, for I believe I shall get more honour by it when the Parliament, against my will, shall see how the whole business of the Office was done by me."

Love it. You can almost sense him putting extra pressure on his pen as he writes this...

About Thursday 27 February 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Can anyone explain exactly what Sam means by "wind music" here? Thanks in advance.

(Such a strange placement of a comma -- "But that which did please me beyond any thing in, the whole world" -- I know the punctuation was added later by whomever was editing the Diary, but why would anyone put a comma there? Is it a scanning error, or did at least L&M remove it?)

About Monday 24 February 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"though at present under great disgrace at Court, being put by his Clerk of the Closet’s place."

Could someone please help me understand this? Thanks in advance.

About Monday 3 February 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

It's also an indication of his growing wealth -- several years ago a loss like this could have wiped him out, and the threat of it would have caused much gnashing of Diary teeth.

About Thursday 16 January 1667/68

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If I recall correctly, Tomalin has a theory that Pepys' failure to write a history of the Navy may have contributed to his decision to leave the Dairy in with the other volumes he contributed to Cambridge (after he re-read the Diary during a spot of bad health in the '90s, and realized what an accomplishment it was). Thank goodness for us that he did!

About Wednesday 15 January 1667/68

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Phoenix, I think it's the latter two sentences in your question ... I don't get the feeling that Sam is outraged, but that he wanted to "sport" with them.

About Monday 9 December 1667

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"and when I had done it went down to my clerks at the office for their opinion which at this time serves me to very good purpose, they having many things in their heads which I had not in the businesses of the office now in dispute"

A particularly valuable revelation for any manager -- your staff members are valuable resources; they actually might know something you don't. Sentences like this, as well as his recent entries regarding dinners with his team, make me realize why Sam inspired such dedication among people like Will Hewer and other subordinates. Must have been refreshing in those days to have a boss like Sam!

About Sunday 8 December 1667

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

In addition to JWB's shortcut, in Windows, you can create a £ sign with the keyboard combination of Alt + 0163.

Terry, thanks for pointing out the remark about the "gentlemen" who "could never be brought to order." More evidence of the motivation behind Sam's future reforms.

About Saturday 7 December 1667

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"and was so glad (which was pretty odde) that since she came hither her breasts begin to swell, she being afeard before that she would have none, which was a pretty kind of content she gave herself."

If Wikipedia is to be believed, Deb is about 16 at this point.

About Monday 2 December 1667

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Thanks for the lunch/dinner/supper definitions, everyone. I actually did know about that already, but what I found interesting was that apparently (an assumption I'm making from reading this entry -- maybe someone like LH can clarify?) "dine" was supposed to refer only to dinner, while "sup" was supposed to refer to supper.

About Monday 2 December 1667

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Interesting ... from reading this entry I've just realized that apparently "dine" was supposed to refer only to dinner (lunch), and "sup" to "supper." Always assumed they were interchangeable terms then, as they (more or less) are now.