ciudadmarron
Annotations and comments
ciudadmarron has posted six annotations/comments since 25 August 2013.
The most recent first…
Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
ciudadmarron has posted six annotations/comments since 25 August 2013.
The most recent first…
Comments
Second Reading
About Tuesday 23 July 1661
ciudadmarron • Link
Tim, my thoughts exactly, seing as Pepys says he sat "before" her.
About Wednesday 12 December 1660
ciudadmarron • Link
"Troubled with the absence of my wife."
Where's the mrs? It seems that this sentence, at the beginning of his entry, is his most pressing thought at the time of writing. She's not present at Lady Batten's (as seemingly expected), and it appears only the wench is present at home later in the evening.
About Monday 19 November 1660
ciudadmarron • Link
Glyn - The Judgement of Paris, Rubens, 1636
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File…
Perhaps a copy, or work inspired by the Rubens? Although it was painted for the Spanish Court, I don't know what the accessibility was like for likenesses to pop up in London. Other paintings existed of it of course.
I read the entry as Paris the mythological figure as opposed to the city, and would think this the more likely.
Paris was tasked by Zeus with judging the most beautiful of Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Aphrodite successfully bribed him with the prize of Helen of Sparta and thus precipitated the Trojan War.
About Wednesday 7 November 1660
ciudadmarron • Link
"Home by coach, and read late in the last night’s book of Trials"
Last night Sam was reading these, although he didn't say in what forma they were. I imagined pamphlets or similar, but here he refers to it as a book... were the Trials referred to the recent Trials? In which case is it possible a book was published so soon afterwards? I may have missed it - does Sam mention a purchase or borrowing of this material? He is enjoying the read at any rate.
About Sunday 4 November 1660
ciudadmarron • Link
On the 8th of July Sam attended White Hall Chapel and noted that it was
"the first time that ever I remember to have heard the organs and singing-men in surplices in my life".
So it would seem that this is more correctly the first time he has heard one, as he says, "in a cathedral".
This no doubt would have been all the more impressive given the acoustics - but he has heard one before.
About Friday 24 August 1660
ciudadmarron • Link
re: French regional differences, despite the Academie being created in 1634, it was the French Revolution in 1789 which began to solidify a standard French. It is estimated by Hobsbawm in his tome on nationalism that at that time 50% of the population could not speak French and only 12 to 13 % of it "fairly". Little wonder that over one hundred years before an expatriate who had been living in another country could not pass muster!