Sasha Clarkson

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

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Second Reading

About Thursday 14 July 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Wikipedia states of treasurer Southampton:
"He was remarkable for his freedom from any taint of corruption"
... and, from what I infer, the vindictiveness of many politicians of his day.

I was wondering if there'd been a personal grudge, as when former PM Stanley Baldwin's wrought iron gates were impounded and melted down for the war effort, upon the personal orders, allegedly, of his old enemy Lord Beaverbrook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sta…

In March 1931, Baldwin had attacked press barons Lord Rothermere and Beaverbrook in a speech partly written by his cousin, Rudyard Kipling:

"The newspapers attacking me are not newspapers in the ordinary sense,” Baldwin said. “They are engines of propaganda for the constantly changing policies, desires, personal vices, personal likes and dislikes of the two men. What are their methods? Their methods are direct falsehoods, misrepresentation, half-truths, the alteration of the speaker's meaning by publishing a sentence apart from the context...What the proprietorship of these papers is aiming at is power, and power without responsibility – the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages.”

For more on this story, follow the link:
http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/20…

About Thursday 14 July 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

The story of the trees reminds me of an epigram by Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

"My Lord complains, that Pope, stark mad with gardens,
Has lopt three trees the value of three farthings:
"But he's my neighbour," cries the peer polite,
"And if he'll visit me, I'll wave my right."
What! on compulsion? and against my will,
A Lord's acquaintance? Let him file his bill!"

The background is here:
http://laudatortemporisacti.blogs…

About Friday 8 July 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

"my main" .... "usually when Pepys launches into French he's talking about other body parts and activities"

Yes but, for a bibliophile, covetously adding to one's book collection is such a guilty pleasure! :)

About Monday 4 July 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Sam is always somewhat worried about money and their collective future security. 25 shillings is more than his weekly salary was a very few years ago.

In the modern world, profligacy by either partner often puts a marriage at risk. A friend of mine recently divorced her husband, partly because he kept running up debts and putting their mortgage at risk. She earned more, but he spent what they didn't have without discussing first.

About Monday 4 July 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

"Americanisms like "gotten" " exist in regional English dialects, and reflect the archaic Germanic origins of English.

Eg Durham Geordie(ish) dialect: "I've getten wrong" = "I got into trouble".

About Thursday 30 June 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Imagine life without refrigerators: managing the purchase, storage and use of perishables would have been challenging. Pepys parents might have found this more difficult at Brampton than in Fleet St, where everything would have been available within easy walking distance?

About Saturday 18 June 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Re Penn and the Irish business.

One should remember that Penn was now a significant landowner in Ireland, and that his holdings there were managed by Lady Penn. I imagine that his contacts and knowledge would be valuable to the Duke. I think that on this matter Coventry is wiser than Pepys.

About Sunday 29 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Coventry " seems to think that there may be some negotiation which may hinder a warr this year, but that he speaks doubtfully as unwilling I perceive to be thought to discourse any such thing."

Then as now, it was considered weak and unpatriotic to be a peacemonger. How many millions have been killed or maimed for the sake of a "leader"'s image?

About Tuesday 24 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

I would guess that "daughter and three children" meant a (near) adult daughter and three much younger children.

Robert was being a bit naughty at comment #5. Apart from the fact that both the Pepys' had been doing their best to avoid Uncle Fenner since his remarriage, there is absolutely no reason why Sam should have "great expectations", or any expectations at all, of "dear ole Uncle Fenner". After all, Fenner was not a blood relative himself, but merely his deceased aunt's widower. The only people, other than his second wife, now widow, who might have any expectations would be Fenner's daughters (Pepys' cousins), Mary and Kate Joyce. I imagine that is for their sake alone that Sam and Elizabeth will attend Fenner's funeral.

About Sunday 22 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Re veggies:
in the next century, another Sam, Dr Johnson, wrote this piece of nonsense:

"If a man who Turnips cries,
Cry not when his father dies,
'Tis a proof that he had rather
Have a turnip than his father."

So Johnson was at least aware of the existence of turnips: of course whether he actually ate them or not is another matter!

About Saturday 14 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Bridget: it seems that getting cold is usually the prequel to Sam's kidneystone flare-ups. Perhaps getting a little chilled there causes the salts to precipitate in his kidneys?

About Friday 13 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

It's worth looking at the encyclopedia entry for William Prynne (Mr Prin): together with his late persecutor, Archbishop Laud, one of the most unattractive characters of the 17th century: priggish, self-righteous, vengeful and sanctimonious to a fault.

Although he was an opponent of Laud and Charles I, he was not interested in liberty, but merely wanted his own views to be imposed uniformly by a theocratic state. His post restoration obsequiousness to Charles II is particularly nauseating. It's difficult to believe that he was popular in the Cavalier Parliament: perhaps royal favour protected him>

About Friday 6 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

It's interesting that in 20th century Britain, being a cabinet maker was often associated with being an undertaker (funeral director). I have a phonograph (wind-up gramophone) in a cabinet made of dark oak made in 1913 by my great uncle as a wedding present for his wife. He was an undertaker/cabinet maker: they did make other things than coffins!

About Thursday 5 May 1664

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

"The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons"

(Ralph Waldo Emerson, after Dr Johnson/Boswell)