Annotations and comments

Paul Chapin has posted 849 annotations/comments since 17 January 2003.

Comments

First Reading

About Saturday 27 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

poignards

Wikipedia: A poignard, or poniard, originally a French word, is a lightweight dagger employed in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was primarily used for stabbing in close quarters or in conjunction with a rapier. It was used by soldiers of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India in the 14th to 17th centuries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poig… (with a picture of one)

About Wednesday 3 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

CGS, I think that was probably Roger Pepys, Sam's cousin, who was M.P. for Cambridge at the time. The order is from the H of C Journal, and appears to refer entirely to Members of the House.

About Saturday 20 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Sam will not forget these reports of the "ill government of the fleete" later in life, when he devotes his energies and his talents to the professionalization of the navy.

About Thursday 18 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"another greater person than any of these, who fell into their snares" (from Evelyn's diary, as provided by Terry)
Presumably he's talking about Charles II and Nell Gwyn.

I like Evelyn a lot, but he sounds like somebody you wouldn't want to invite to a party.

About Sunday 14 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"I did not owne it, but do myself think it were not unnecessary if either he should die, or be removed to the Lords, or any thing to hinder his doing the like service the next trial, which makes me think that it were not a thing very unfit; but I will not move in it."

This sentence, with its multiple interacting negatives, and no clear antecedent for "which", is way too convoluted for me to parse. I *believe* the "he" here is Coventry and not Fox, but beyond that I'm adrift. Anybody have some light to shed?

About Wednesday 10 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Like Bradford, I was startled by the casual reference to "mine Host dead," followed immediately by eating, drinking, and merriment. From Terry's L&M reference, I gather this was the owner of the tavern in Islington. I suppose if I were out at a restaurant with friends and relatives for an enjoyable meal, and learned that the owner, whom I didn't know well, had just died, we would offer our sincere condolences, but then would go on with our party. If the establishment didn't want that to happen, they would have closed.

About Sunday 7 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

What a vivid and wonderful scene, in the cabinet meeting. I rolled over all the names and looked at the portraits, to try to form a better picture in my head of the event.

I do wonder who the "him" is in "it would be no hurt if I went to him, and showed him the report himself brought up from the fleete" - Prince Rupert or the King? If it's Rupert, Sam's going to have to screw his courage to the sticking-place to do it.

About Tuesday 2 October 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Mr. G, I read the passage about "raising and lowering of money" as a precursor to monetarist economics. I think Mr. Slingsby may have some intuition that the king has ways of manipulating the currency supply, and that these are used to further his own purposes and the purposes of those whom he favors. I like Sam's reaction - I'm convinced, now if I could only remember how the argument goes.

About Thursday 27 September 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"She is poor in clothes, and not bred to any carriage, but will be soon taught all, and if Mercer do not come again, I think we may have her upon better terms, and breed her to what we please."

I had to check to be sure, but her name is Miss Barker, not Eliza Doolittle.

About Wednesday 19 September 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

A "health" is a toast, e.g. "To the king!" (bottoms up). The toad story is fun, but I don't know the meaning of Lord Norwich "drawing a tooth at a health" - maybe he banged the cup against his teeth so hard that he knocked one out?

About Tuesday 4 September 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

The drawing Terry gave us the link to is impressive, but the legend says it was drawn some seven years after the fire, so one wonders just how accurate a depiction it is.

About John Evelyn's Fire of London

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Wow. Evelyn was no slouch at turning a phrase, either, when the occasion demanded. An incredible, extended description of the calamity, summed up in the poignant "London was, but is no more."

And before the ashes have cooled, he has a plan for rebuilding the city to offer the king. What a guy.

About Tuesday 28 August 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

RG, although "Mr. Christopher Pett his daughter" (i.e. Pett's daughter) was present at the wedding party, there's no indication in the entry that Pett himself was there.

About Sunday 19 August 1666

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Sam, just wait a few years, and a young guy named Isaac will explain the theory behind the refractions.

A sidelight on that, involving another character we've been hearing from a lot lately: "When Robert Hooke criticised some of Newton's ideas [on optics], Newton was so offended that he withdrew from public debate. The two men remained enemies until Hooke's death."
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaa…

About Portraits added to 'pop ups'

Paul Chapin  •  Link

I tried that, but still no joy. But it seems to be every rollover that unmasks the top line, not just the ones that may have pictures attached. It unmasks all the way across, creating a notch in the left and right borders.

About Portraits added to 'pop ups'

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Phil, I'm afraid it doesn't work for me. All it does is make the first line of text in the pop-up unreadable, because it no longer masks the background text underneath. I'm using Google Chrome, if that makes a difference.