Sasha Clarkson

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Sasha Clarkson has posted 752 annotations/comments since 16 February 2013.

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Second Reading

About Tuesday 11 August 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Perhaps the reason that Sam can "order" Tom to bring his accounts is that it's still technically John Senior's business, but managed by Tom subject to Sam's oversight as his dad's representative?

Re "list": the word also means to lean physically, and presumably metaphorically. The truncated sentence is "Dr Pierce tells me that ... Lady Castlemaine ... do what she list with him", that is, whatever her whim is today. (He tells me that she "do", rather than she "does", is an example of the semi-archaic present subjunctive in reporting an action: it derives from the German, where it's still common.)

As for Mrs Turner, I believe that "she do what she list" with our Sam. For good reasons, there is no relative outside immediate family to whom he is more attached. Although, as a Pepys, uncle Thomas is her relative too, it's not him she's come to see!

About Sunday 9 August 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

If young Dawes is having the letters patent given him, then he's the first baronet.

If the other gent was his father, then he was merely a knight, which, unlike a baronetcy, is not a hereditary title.

Baronetcies are a new title anyway, created by James I to raise funds, ie sell. The prostitution of the British honours system has a long history!

About Saturday 8 August 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

It's worth mentioning that John Pepys' near contemporary, Young Isaac Newton, was also currently at Cambridge, where he too was supplementing his Aristotle with Descartes.

It's likely of course that young Newton was taking both more seriously. Although Wiki describes Newton as "undistinguished" at Cambridge, it's also clear that he was already doing a considerable amount of work on his own account. :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isa…

About Monday 27 July 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Re Pepys' "snapp of musique" - today they'd call it a "flashmob"! :)

eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d…

*********************************************************

The Royal Assent:
Le Roi (Roy) le veult: the King wills it;
The Royal Veto:
Le Roi s'avisera: the King will consider it.

For private bills, eg enabling railways, granting a university charter, and, historically, granting divorce, the assent take the form of "Soit fait comme il est désiré" ("let it be as it is desired").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy…

About Monday 20 July 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Malaga wine is very difficult to get outside Spain, but it's worth tasting, being intensely sweet and strong, like liquefied alcoholic raisin.

The closest to Malaga wine which is readily available is pure Pedro Ximenez sweet sherry, but muscat in any blend, as Malaga has, always improves the flavour of a sweet wine.

A drop will turn ordinary ice-cream into something special!

About Sunday 19 July 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

"a person of honour (which is, I find, as much as to say a coxcomb)"

makes me think of our (Rt) "honourable MPs today! 😡

About Thursday 9 July 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

The wonderful British summer: we're set for a couple of solid days of rain now - at least the rain's warmer this time of year!

I wonder what else was in the "elder spirits"? It seems to have done something to Sam's libido!

About Elizabeth Pepys (wife, b. St Michel)

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

I was researching a poetess, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, (1661 -1720), daughter of one Sir William Kingsmill. It is not inconceivable the she and Elizabeth might be related via Elizabeth's maternal grandfather, Sir Francis Kingsmill.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann…

For comparison I tweeted a picture of both to our Pepys Diary twitter feed, in case anyone wants to look and judge for themselves ...

https://twitter.com/SashaClarkson…

A contemporary poet of Anne Finch was Sandwich's grand-daughter in-law, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad…

The following article compares the two women and describes Lady Mary as "The Germaine Greer of her day".

http://www.jimandellen.org/finch/…

About Monday 29 June 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Turning to Elizabeth, today I was researching a poetess, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, (1661 -1720), daughter of one Sir William Kingsmill. It is not inconceivable the she and Elizabeth might be related via Elizabeth's maternal grandfather, Sir Francis Kingsmill.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann…

For comparison I tweeted a picture of both to our Pepys Diary twitter feed, in case anyone wants to look and judge for themselves ...

https://twitter.com/SashaClarkson…

A contemporary poet of Anne Finch was Sandwich's grand-daughter in-law, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad…

The following article compares the two women and describes Lady Mary as "The Germaine Greer of her day".

http://www.jimandellen.org/finch/…

About Thursday 25 June 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Creed is responsible, but it was on behalf of Sandwich - who has financial problems partly because of Ned Montagus's embezzlements.

About Saturday 20 June 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

You're right Sarah: Will Hewer seems to be from a merchant background, wealthier perhaps than Pepys, but without the aristocratic connections or University education. He's also a connection to the Commonwealth/Protectorate regime via his uncle Richard Blackburne/Blackborne, whom Pepys respected highly, and for whose advice he was very grateful early in the diary years.

http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

So Pepys in teaching Will Latin, and whatever else he can, is passing on some of the advantages of Pepys' own formal education. His association with Sam, effectively as what we would now call a personal assistant, will give Will the connections which helped him prosper and rise though the system.

If it were not for the long association with James which, with the impending exclusion crisis, and long before James' accession, endangered both Sam and Will, both of them might well have been knighted or better.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exc…

About Wednesday 10 June 1663

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

It has often been said the Brits and Americans are "divided by a common language". That is also true of Samuel Pepys versus we modern readers.

Thanks to the estimable Language Hat for his crucial insight into the meaning of the word "took" in the context of today's diary entry! :)