Todd Bernhardt

Encyclopedia topics

Todd Bernhardt has written a summary for this topic:

Annotations and comments

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

Comments

First Reading

About Tuesday 6 May 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: Tipping and Samuel and bribes, oh my

Folks, I love the banter of this group ... ain't many places on the Web where I can learn so much from so much discussion about four sentences that describe a day from 340+ years ago.

That said, my English teacher(s) would be appalled at the level of conjecture that prompted all this discussion. Where exactly did we get the info that Sam made some money under the table recently? I've been looking back at previous posts, and haven't been able to see any evidence of this. Given that he usually isn't shy about noting in the diary gifts/favors given to him in the line of duty, I wonder if perhaps we're tipping over the edge with this line of thought...

About Thursday 8 May 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "...and told the news the first on the exchange..."

A heady day for Sam! It's always nice to be among the first in the know -- information is power, as I'm sure was true even then (perhaps more so, since information moved more slowly than now). Add to that his perception of his rising importance in Sir George's eyes, and of Sir George's confidence in him as a confidant (all according to plan, thank you very much), and no wonder he goes to bed with his "head full of business."

About Sunday 4 May 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: Is Sam figuring this out as he goes along?

I do believe that, Pauline. I firmly believe that he wrote this diary only for himself, and that only when he re-read it later in life did he decide to leave it for future decoders and posterity. I believe it's an honest internal dialogue -- or, as honest as Sam is allowing himself to be to himself on each given day he writes an entry or three. That's one of the things that fascinates me so much about the diary ... it's almost like being a fly on the wall in Sam's therapist's office, or summat.

Does this mean we're all voyeurs?

About Thursday 1 May 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

First Batten, and now Penn.

Sam seems to be getting increasingly disenchanted with his colleagues. Familiarity breeding contempt ... and, as his star rises, he no longer feels satisfied in their shadows, I suppose.

About Wednesday 30 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "quite a chuckle over our poor Sam's flirting"

Good point, Robert. The thing that occured to me is that, though we all -- with 20-20 hindsight -- think Sam is the cat's pajamas, others may have seen him as just another gov't bureaucrat. Talented and witty perhaps, but no Jude Law/George Clooney/etc. My bet is that La Belle Pierce was out of his league. Being married, and a nice person, she probably genuinely enjoys Sam's company and attentions, but both of them most likely know that their relationship would never go beyond the bounds of propriety.

About Monday 28 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "Owen was no Quaker"

Good point, JWB. In any case, Penn Jr. is not treading the accepted path (ah, the thrill of youthful rebellion!), and Dad's none the happier for it.

Thanks all, for the off-the-hooks definitions and discussion...

About Monday 28 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "which I now perceive is one thing that hath put Sir William so long off the hooks."

Could someone help with this? I understand that Penn Sr. believes that Owen is a bad influence on Penn Jr., but I'm not sure what the phrase above means.

About Friday 25 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "but I was much troubled in my eyes"

Don't worry, Shammy old boy, jesht do what I do ... close one of yer eyshes like *this*, and you can schee single agin! *hic*

About Wednesday 23 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "that my wife should come..."

I dunno, David and Dirk, I must say I side with Robert on the reading here. To paraphrase Sam in modern English, it says (IMO): "When we got there, we sent a messenger to Sir W. Batten, to keep him from coming. I suggested this with the ulterior motive of keeping me from having to live up to the oath I had made to Elizabeth -- that she would be able to come if any of the wives came. I had heard that Lady Batten intended to come with her husband."

Now, this is not a direct "translation" -- I'm filling in some things to make my point clearer -- but this is how I read the sentence. FWIW.

This way, not only does Sam get to have a boy's (boys'?) week out, but he doesn't have to deal with the Battens!

About Friday 18 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: the Portsmouth journey

I agree with Mary. Though Sam has strayed from the straight and narrow often enough (and, we know, will continue to do so), I haven't seen convincing evidence so far that he has ulterior motives in this instance. So far, he's been completely honest when "speaking to" his diary; I don't see why things would be any different this time.

About Tuesday 15 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: Sarah

Or maybe Sam has changed his plans, prompted by Elizabeth's suspicions and desire to stick around Londontowne, and now is looking into sending Sarah off into the country by herself?

About Monday 14 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: Sam's motives

I don't know ... everyone here seems sure that Sam is about to go off womanizing, but I didn't read the entry that way. I saw it as him admitting to his diary that Elizabeth was suspicious, but then protesting that all he wants to do is go to Portsmouth with the other guys from the Navy office to pay off the ships there.

The "yet all my design was" part of the sentence really reads to me as an honest admission of motive (rather than, as David has suggested, an obfuscation), and a complaint about being misunderstood by his suspicious wife.

It also looks as if Monsieur de Rigueur, as quoted by Monsieur le Bradford, has slightly missed the mark ... the person with the ague is, of course, not Elizabeth but Sarah.

About Saturday 12 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"at the close did excuse my not waiting on him myself so often as others do for want of leisure"

Sam, you crafty fox. I wonder if perhaps there was some offhand-yet-disparaging comment in the letter about Sir W. Batten?

About Wednesday 2 April 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "which seems very authoritative and extremely well written."

Why Glyn, *all* the Pepys walks are authoritative and well-written! Just like your posts... :-)

About Monday 31 March 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "he and I did discourse much of Mr. Montagu's base doings, and the dishonour that he will do my Lord, as well as cheating him of 2 or 3,000l., which is too true”

If this is true, you’d think that the Montagu cousins would have had a major falling out. Instead, looking at the entries on Ned’s annotation page, doesn’t look as if this is the case. Strange…

About Monday 31 March 1662

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "that in fine if there be occasion he and I will be bound for it."

It seems that Lord Crew is counseling Sam (rather wisely, I think) not to put Montagu in Carteret's debt, but to make an impession on the king that he's putting himself in debt for the king (and, by doing so, possibly shame the king into giving him a "raise"), but what does this last part of the sentence mean?

About Thursday 13 March 1661/62

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Not to worry, Aussie Susan. From what I hear, we have plenty to look forward to...

(After all, we need some dynamics -- light and dark, ups and downs, etc. -- to make the experience more enjoyable, eh? :-)