Like cape henry, I thought of firewood as a modern example of a commodity whose purveyors sometimes try to sell it in fuzzily defined units for their own advantage. However, a cord is a precisely defined measure, 128 cubic feet of wood (nominally in a 4 foot by 4 foot by 8 foot stack). If somebody says he's selling you a cord (or fraction thereof) and it falls short of that volume, you can report him to the authorities. For that reason, less scrupulous dealers like to use measures like "rack," "rick," "stand," "face cord," "load," and so on, which have no precise definition. See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord…
"the city of Houston [Texas] is pronounced like hooston." Actually, like hyooston. You're right about Houston Street in New York, though. Interestingly, the second president of Rice University, in Houston, from 1945-1961, was named William Houston, and pronounced his surname like the New York street, not like the city in which he presided.
Jeannine, another stupendous contribution. Many thanks.
I found myself curious about James' whereabouts during Charles' first visit to Jersey. According to Wikipedia, he was confined in Saint James' Palace from 1646 to 1648, when he escaped and went to The Hague in disguise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame…
A gremlin got into Terry's post and changed Charles' birth year from 1630 to 1530, and his title from Prince of Wales to Duke of York (I infer Charles is the intended referent, because of the mention of his "second visit").
"Mr Shish likely can't read a measuring tape, and I'm not too sure if he can read or write very well" Wheatley's footnote to the 1893 text, on the first page of the link to Mr. Shish, informs us that he was "altogether illiterate."
Sandwich port and Castle Do you suppose that Mountagu, as Earl of Sandwich, had any special privileges at Sandwich port and/or Sandwich Castle, aside from those due to anyone of high rank? Would they keep a suite of rooms in the Castle specifically for his use, for example?
"who supplied the prizes, and why?" I supposed that Sir Arthur was having a large estate sale of his own stuff, to raise some money and get rid of some excess possessions, but I searched in vain for any evidence for this supposition. And there is some evidence against it - it doesn't seem likely that Sir Arthur would have owned multiple pairs of globes. So it's a good question where the prizes came from, and where the proceeds went.
I concur with Sam in admiring Mr. Cholmley, who figured out a nearly risk-free way to make a profit from this event. Maybe that's why we don't see lotteries like this any more (at least I don't, although Paul Dyson seems familiar with the concept, under the name of Tombola).
September 15 is the exact midpoint of the diary, as EKmathcountschamp informed us in February:
"Sam started the Diary on Jan 1, 1660 and stopped on May 31, 1669, for a total of 3439 days (there are 3 leap years -in 1660, 1664 and 1668). The midpoint of his Diary would be 1719.5 days which (including the 2 leap years of 1660 and 1664) would bring us to the September 14/15 date."
(EK is 10 years old!) [and the K is for Kerwin - PC]
So that is indeed a propitious date for a Pepys gathering, as well as a nice time of year to be in London. I'm just bummed to hear that Phil can't be there. I'd certainly like to try to come.
CSG may well be right about Merrie Olde England, but the event Melissa is referring to, from steve h's post, occurred in the 19th century American South, where carrying a handgun at all times was virtually mandatory social behavior. In the US we have an organization, the National Rifle Association, which is trying to reinstate that norm.
Pedro, great story and link. I love those sorts of stories.
For those who wonder, as I did, how it came out, here is an item from the New York Times archives:
Published: October 8, 2004 That Shakespeare first folio inherited by an Englishwoman from a relative she never knew has been sold at auction in London for $285,000, the BBC reported. Some 40 pages, including most of ''The Tempest,'' were missing from the book, printed in 1623 and sold by Anne Humphries, 48. A complete version was sold in 2001 for $7.3 million. The identity of the buyer was not immediately known.
my Lord Treasurer The link goes to Southampton, Lord Treasurer of England, and Terry incorporates this identification in his excellent synopsis of the issue. This is certainly a defensible reading, and possibly the correct one, but I'm wondering if Pepys didn't actually mean Carteret, Treasurer of the Navy Board. There's been no indication earlier in the diary of Southampton's direct involvement in Navy matters in any way, and Hyde's ire is explicitly directed at Carteret, both in his talking to Sam and in his snubbing of Sir G. in the garden.
It's quite shrewd of Sam, by the way, to suspect that there's more going on here than just the trees. It's that kind of instinct that made him a successful public servant and political player throughout his career.
Michael, thanks for the info about the sale of the Lely painting, about which I was also curious. The Christie's links give no indication of who bought it. Is that known?
"when we list" = whenever we choose to OED: b. Without dependent inf.: To wish, desire, like, choose. (Chiefly in subordinate clauses)
c1200 Vices & Virtues (1888) 13 After ðan ðe here herte leste, ic hem folŠede. c1320 R. Brunne Medit. 352 Þy wyl be ydo, ryŠt as þou lest. 1430-40 Lydg. Bochas viii. v. (1558) 4 All worldly thynges chaungyng as she lust. a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 3 To that entent that who so luste may kepe hem from harme. c1470 Henry Wallace v. 123 Deyme as yhe lest, ye that best can and may. 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxxii. 7 They do euen what they lyst. 1563 Homilies ii. Agst. Idolatry ii. (1859) 209 The Bishop of Rome+did in all the West Church+what he lust. a1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1629) 199 Your griefes, and desires whatsoeuer and whensoeuer you list, he will consider of. Ibid. iii. 260 He might returne if he listed. 1611 Bible John iii. 8 The winde bloweth where it listeth. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle iv. 1441 Thou mayst make sale of it to whom thou list. 1674 Playford Skill Mus. i. 60 By his Musick he could drive men into what Affections he listed. 1741 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. xxvii. 42 Let them think what they list. 1823 Scott Peveril v, We will, if your ladyship lists, leave him. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) III. xiv. 348 The invaders landed and harried where they listed.
"Liz would be swearing in french (her native tongue)"
Miss Ann's comment obliges me to reiterate my annotation to the 22 June 2006 entry. Elizabeth was almost certainly a native speaker of English. Here are the arguments from that earlier annotation:
Elizabeth was born in England, and lived there until the age of 8 or 9. She was taken to France for a few years, maybe 3 or 4, then returned to live in England for the rest of her life. Her father was French, but her mother was Anglo-Irish. Under those circumstances, she was clearly a native speaker of English. She was no doubt fluent in French as well, possibly bilingual (her epitaph credits her with being gifted in languages). But there's no reason to suppose she had any difficulties with English, or spoke differently than anyone else around her in London.
This is not to say that she didn't know, and use on occasion, some choice French swear words.
When we lived in northern Virginia, we were within an easy drive of an excellent cherry (and peach) orchard. The owners solved the problem of picking by letting the customers pick their own. Being 6 foot 6, I had an advantage over a lot of the other amateur cherry pickers, and we came home every year with buckets full of superb, tree-ripened cherries.
Mr. Shepley has decided to be a little more forthcoming than yesterday, when he said the girls left "without any great discontent." Now he says, "Well, actually ..."
Comments
First Reading
About Wednesday 27 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Like cape henry, I thought of firewood as a modern example of a commodity whose purveyors sometimes try to sell it in fuzzily defined units for their own advantage. However, a cord is a precisely defined measure, 128 cubic feet of wood (nominally in a 4 foot by 4 foot by 8 foot stack). If somebody says he's selling you a cord (or fraction thereof) and it falls short of that volume, you can report him to the authorities. For that reason, less scrupulous dealers like to use measures like "rack," "rick," "stand," "face cord," "load," and so on, which have no precise definition. See Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord…
About Monday 25 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Who else? The name Robert Moses comes to mind.
About Saturday 23 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"the city of Houston [Texas] is pronounced like hooston."
Actually, like hyooston. You're right about Houston Street in New York, though. Interestingly, the second president of Rice University, in Houston, from 1945-1961, was named William Houston, and pronounced his surname like the New York street, not like the city in which he presided.
About Carteret and the King
Paul Chapin • Link
Jeannine, another stupendous contribution. Many thanks.
I found myself curious about James' whereabouts during Charles' first visit to Jersey. According to Wikipedia, he was confined in Saint James' Palace from 1646 to 1648, when he escaped and went to The Hague in disguise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame…
A gremlin got into Terry's post and changed Charles' birth year from 1630 to 1530, and his title from Prince of Wales to Duke of York (I infer Charles is the intended referent, because of the mention of his "second visit").
About Friday 22 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Wheatley quoting John Evelyn re Mr. Shish.
About Friday 22 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"Mr Shish likely can't read a measuring tape, and I'm not too sure if he can read or write very well"
Wheatley's footnote to the 1893 text, on the first page of the link to Mr. Shish, informs us that he was "altogether illiterate."
About Wednesday 20 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Sandwich port and Castle
Do you suppose that Mountagu, as Earl of Sandwich, had any special privileges at Sandwich port and/or Sandwich Castle, aside from those due to anyone of high rank? Would they keep a suite of rooms in the Castle specifically for his use, for example?
Jeannine, thanks for posting his journal.
About Wednesday 20 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"who supplied the prizes, and why?"
I supposed that Sir Arthur was having a large estate sale of his own stuff, to raise some money and get rid of some excess possessions, but I searched in vain for any evidence for this supposition. And there is some evidence against it - it doesn't seem likely that Sir Arthur would have owned multiple pairs of globes. So it's a good question where the prizes came from, and where the proceeds went.
About Wednesday 20 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
I concur with Sam in admiring Mr. Cholmley, who figured out a nearly risk-free way to make a profit from this event. Maybe that's why we don't see lotteries like this any more (at least I don't, although Paul Dyson seems familiar with the concept, under the name of Tombola).
About Sir Arthur Slingsby
Paul Chapin • Link
Feb. 12, 1665. Sir Arthur Slingsby, Knt., was buried.
This an entry from the Patrixbourne parish register, reported in Notes and Queries, May 9, '91 [1891, I believe - PC].
About Pepys meet-up, September 15th
Paul Chapin • Link
September 15 is the exact midpoint of the diary, as EKmathcountschamp informed us in February:
"Sam started the Diary on Jan 1, 1660 and stopped on May 31, 1669, for a total of 3439 days (there are 3 leap years -in 1660, 1664 and 1668). The midpoint of his Diary would be 1719.5 days which (including the 2 leap years of 1660 and 1664) would bring us to the September 14/15 date."
(EK is 10 years old!) [and the K is for Kerwin - PC]
So that is indeed a propitious date for a Pepys gathering, as well as a nice time of year to be in London. I'm just bummed to hear that Phil can't be there. I'd certainly like to try to come.
About Thursday 11 October 1660
Paul Chapin • Link
CSG may well be right about Merrie Olde England, but the event Melissa is referring to, from steve h's post, occurred in the 19th century American South, where carrying a handgun at all times was virtually mandatory social behavior. In the US we have an organization, the National Rifle Association, which is trying to reinstate that norm.
About Shakespeare's plays
Paul Chapin • Link
Pedro, great story and link. I love those sorts of stories.
For those who wonder, as I did, how it came out, here is an item from the New York Times archives:
Published: October 8, 2004
That Shakespeare first folio inherited by an Englishwoman from a relative she never knew has been sold at auction in London for $285,000, the BBC reported. Some 40 pages, including most of ''The Tempest,'' were missing from the book, printed in 1623 and sold by Anne Humphries, 48. A complete version was sold in 2001 for $7.3 million. The identity of the buyer was not immediately known.
About Thursday 14 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
my Lord Treasurer
The link goes to Southampton, Lord Treasurer of England, and Terry incorporates this identification in his excellent synopsis of the issue. This is certainly a defensible reading, and possibly the correct one, but I'm wondering if Pepys didn't actually mean Carteret, Treasurer of the Navy Board. There's been no indication earlier in the diary of Southampton's direct involvement in Navy matters in any way, and Hyde's ire is explicitly directed at Carteret, both in his talking to Sam and in his snubbing of Sir G. in the garden.
It's quite shrewd of Sam, by the way, to suspect that there's more going on here than just the trees. It's that kind of instinct that made him a successful public servant and political player throughout his career.
About Sunday 10 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Michael, thanks for the info about the sale of the Lely painting, about which I was also curious. The Christie's links give no indication of who bought it. Is that known?
About Sunday 10 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"begin I will not"
I don't understand what he won't begin. Is this the correct text per L&M?
About Saturday 9 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"when we list" = whenever we choose to
OED: b. Without dependent inf.: To wish, desire, like, choose. (Chiefly in subordinate clauses)
c1200 Vices & Virtues (1888) 13 After ðan ðe here herte leste, ic hem folŠede. c1320 R. Brunne Medit. 352 Þy wyl be ydo, ryŠt as þou lest. 1430-40 Lydg. Bochas viii. v. (1558) 4 All worldly thynges chaungyng as she lust. a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 3 To that entent that who so luste may kepe hem from harme. c1470 Henry Wallace v. 123 Deyme as yhe lest, ye that best can and may. 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxxii. 7 They do euen what they lyst. 1563 Homilies ii. Agst. Idolatry ii. (1859) 209 The Bishop of Rome+did in all the West Church+what he lust. a1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1629) 199 Your griefes, and desires whatsoeuer and whensoeuer you list, he will consider of. Ibid. iii. 260 He might returne if he listed. 1611 Bible John iii. 8 The winde bloweth where it listeth. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle iv. 1441 Thou mayst make sale of it to whom thou list. 1674 Playford Skill Mus. i. 60 By his Musick he could drive men into what Affections he listed. 1741 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. xxvii. 42 Let them think what they list. 1823 Scott Peveril v, We will, if your ladyship lists, leave him. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) III. xiv. 348 The invaders landed and harried where they listed.
About Monday 4 July 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"Liz would be swearing in french (her native tongue)"
Miss Ann's comment obliges me to reiterate my annotation to the 22 June 2006 entry. Elizabeth was almost certainly a native speaker of English. Here are the arguments from that earlier annotation:
Elizabeth was born in England, and lived there until the age of 8 or 9. She was taken to France for a few years, maybe 3 or 4, then returned to live in England for the rest of her life. Her father was French, but her mother was Anglo-Irish. Under those circumstances, she was clearly a native speaker of English. She was no doubt fluent in French as well, possibly bilingual (her epitaph credits her with being gifted in languages). But there's no reason to suppose she had any difficulties with English, or spoke differently than anyone else around her in London.
This is not to say that she didn't know, and use on occasion, some choice French swear words.
About Sunday 26 June 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
When we lived in northern Virginia, we were within an easy drive of an excellent cherry (and peach) orchard. The owners solved the problem of picking by letting the customers pick their own. Being 6 foot 6, I had an advantage over a lot of the other amateur cherry pickers, and we came home every year with buckets full of superb, tree-ripened cherries.
About Thursday 30 June 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Mr. Shepley has decided to be a little more forthcoming than yesterday, when he said the girls left "without any great discontent." Now he says, "Well, actually ..."