Annotations and comments

JMW has posted three annotations/comments since 18 November 2023.

The most recent first…

Comments

Third Reading

About Monday 18 November 1661

JMW  •  Link

"Snide and anachronistic comments and value judgements contribute nothing to our understanding of Pepys' times." Sasha Clarkson.
This.

About Saturday 17 November 1660

JMW  •  Link

"His mother would fain marry him to get a portion for his sister . . . ."
Today we would say "would fain marry him OFF to get a portion . . . ."
That makes more sense, except that today we don't use "would fain."

I (born 1950) have heard the use of "fain" with this meaning when I was young, but in the context of someone speaking, naturally, Lancashire dialect. But not more recently.