Todd Bernhardt

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

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First Reading

About Wednesday 18 September 1661

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"...but I was to blame; for she is a very good companion as long as she is well."

Take *that*, all ye who think Sam is wholly ignorant of his own shortcomings... :-)

About Sunday 15 September 1661

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re: poor rascally people

Perhaps Sam was bemoaning the fact that, "besides us and my uncle Fenner's family, there was none of any quality”? Hasn’t anyone here gone to a friend’s funeral and been saddened by a lack of attendance? Remember, funerals back then were events where attendees could hope to receive something (at least in the form of food and drink), and perhaps Sam is simply commenting upon people whom he sees as taking advantage of a sad situation? The rascals…

About Tuesday 3 September 1661

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A couple of questions:

1) Their turner (which my dictionary defines as "one who forms articles with a lathe"), sends them "two things to file papers on very handsome." Not quite sure what this means, but it could give us some good insight into the previous discussion about what it is exactly that Sam does when he gets his papers in order. Ideas/info, anyone?

2) How can Lady Montagu be "my Lord's mother-in-law"? Wouldn't that be Lady Crew?

I'm getting more convinced that Sam's POV about his mother's simplemindedness has more to do with her unwillingness to heed his (or his father's) counsel in all things than with her actual mental acuity. Ya know?

About Sunday 1 September 1661

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re: "good God! what an age is this, and what a world is this!"

Exactly, David. That’s what I found so touching about this sentence. Contrary to some here, I don’t think Sam originally meant his diary to be seen by others (though I do believe that he, later in life, re-read it and consciously chose to preserve it for future generations), so for me this is a great example of the man’s conscience talking.

About Sunday 1 September 1661

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re: "But, good God! what an age is this, and what a world is this! that a man cannot live without playing the knave and dissimulation."

Politics hasn't changed much over the course of time, I see...

What a beautiful, heartfelt sentence from Our Sam.

About Saturday 31 August 1661

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re: all those "she's" and summing up

Pauline, I think My Lady is sweating at the prospective honor of having the king as godfather to her newborn girl. And Cynical Sam, who thinks it will never come to pass, is charmed by her naivete at thinking it will. Perhaps the friend who lies at Mrs. Crispe's house will make the king an offer he can't refuse? (Perhaps by agreeing to lie with him? Or lying about it?)

As for summing up on a monthly basis, Daniel, it seems that Sam has just begun this practice in earnest. There are a couple of perfunctory monthly summations (see June and Feb of '61), and more detailed summations at the beginning of each year, but this day's entry is the most complete I've seen. Phil might be able to lift such paragraphs wholesale to insert into "The Story So Far" section!

Great entry ... it gives a real flavor of what the day (and month) were like for him.

About Monday 26 August 1661

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re: the Antipodes

The American Heritage Dictionary says this:

1. Australia and New Zealand. Usually used informally.
2. A group of rocky islands of the southern Pacific Ocean southeast of New Zealand, to which they belong. They were discovered by British seamen in 1800 and are so named because they are diametrically opposite Greenwich, England.

Make the "A" lower-case, and you get this:

1. Any two places or regions that are on diametrically opposite sides of the earth.
2. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Something that is the exact opposite or contrary of another; an antipode.

About Monday 26 August 1661

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re: "...so that I cannot but think in what a condition he had left my mother if he should have died before my uncle Robert."

No wonder Sam's mother has been nagging her husband! Sounds as if he hasn't exactly been keeping up his side of the bargain.

Otherwise, an action-packed entry. My head's reeling after simply reading it, and I haven't even hit the wine (yet). At least we've found another reason why Sam was mad at Pall ... she's been a bad influence on (sweet) Jane.

About Friday 23 August 1661

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re: simple and unquiet

Actually, I thought we'd agreed -- after *much* discussion -- that there was little evidence for a diagnosis (from the distance of 340+ years) of senile dementia ... better not to open this discussion again, methinks?

That said, this entry made me wonder if it's simply Sam's perception of his mother that is changing, rather than her behavior, given his rising place in the world and his changing attitudes about obedience and propriety...

About Saturday 3 August 1661

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re: "how high the old doctors are"

I agree w/Mary on this, and agree w/Pauline's reading, too. The tables have turned, and political affiliation has become more important than merit.

Nice to see that the cousins are treating our boy well...

About Friday 26 July 1661

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re: "breaking it against my will"

I agree completely, Mary, but the thing I found amusing about Sam's entry (hah! I almost said "post" ... how this modern world doth afflict us!) is that he chooses to regard what is ultimately his responsibility -- whether or not to say yes to a proffered glass of wine (or three) -- as something he had no control over.

Of course, I could be wrong ... he could be speaking of his will as something separate that his internal desires must do battle with, as waves break against the rocks on the shoreline. Lord knows we've all probably felt that internal struggle before (angel on right shoulder, devil on left, etc.)

About Friday 26 July 1661

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"Having the beginning of this week made a vow to myself to drink no wine this week (finding it to unfit me to look after business), and this day breaking of it against my will, I am much troubled for it, but I hope God will forgive me."

To quote Nancy Reagan, "Just say 'No,' " Sam! (Although, personally, I always thought Nancy's advice was a little rude ... I prefer "Just say 'No, thank you.' ")

But seriously folks, this makes me wonder if it wasn't simply the long ride the day before that rendered Sam "unfit for business" on the 23rd...

About Tuesday 23 July 1661

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re: "Put on my mourning."

Did I miss something? What/whom is he mourning? Or is there another meaning to this that I'm forgetting?