Christopher

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Christopher has posted 20 annotations/comments since 19 September 2015.

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Third Reading

About Monday 3 May 1669

Christopher  •  Link

"resolve first, and consider it and the fitness of it afterward."

Also known as “Ready, fire - aim!”

Second Reading

About Saturday 29 September 1666

Christopher  •  Link

When the news in 2019 is hard to bear I look forward to a daily escape to 1666.

It is I, the future from the year 2020, Bintisabella. And if you thought 2019 was bad...

About Thursday 14 September 1665

Christopher  •  Link

The links for "Diary of Ralph Josselin" died in 2019. The Wayback machine fills in the missing pages...

from Sept. 12. to 19. the moon at full on the 14. though the weather cold, and winds stirring yet there was an increase again and especially within the walls where there died. 1493. of the plague 1189. this bill was 8297. of the plague 7165. and yet Coln preserved.

About Saturday 16 September 1665

Christopher  •  Link

The links for "Diary of Ralph Josselin" died in 2019. The Wayback machine fills in the missing pages...

Sept. 16. God good in Colnes preservation, yet Colchester increases in illness being spread over the whole town, after frequent reports of a most wonderful increase this week it abated through mercy.

About Tuesday 12 September 1665

Christopher  •  Link

The links for "Diary of Ralph Josselin" died in 2019. The Wayback machine fills in the missing pages...
Sept. 23. God good in our public preservation. a poor woman Wades wife drowned herself this night. thought there died at Colchester this week 184. from Sept. 12. to 19. the moon at full on the 14. though the weather cold, and winds stirring yet there was an increase again and especially within the walls where there died. 1493. of the plague 1189. this bill was 8297. of the plague 7165. and yet Coln preserved.

About Friday 15 May 1663

Christopher  •  Link

Now so deadly full of jealousy I am that my heart and head did so cast about and fret that I could not do any business possibly, but went out to my office, and anon late home again...

Clearly very late if wrote this lengthiest of all entries so far (I believe) at the office. Venting his jealously in feverishly setting down a day full of events before returning home? The process of remembering the day tempering his jealously?

About Thursday 13 November 1662

Christopher  •  Link

I recall an earlier post where Sam tore up a letter Liz had written to him. He hadn't read it, tore it up in front of her, then felt sorry about doing it. Maybe she finds writing a carefully constructed letter easier than debating to her opinionated and "high" husband in her second language.

About Sunday 12 October 1662

Christopher  •  Link

And Sam is doing all the heavy lifting of the family business. It's all up to him. It's a lot to think about and a heavy responsibility to carry by oneself.

Separate issue: isn't this our first Lords Day without a supplemental entry by Ralph?

About Saturday 19 July 1662

Christopher  •  Link

"methought it lessened my esteem of a king, that he should not be able to command the rain"

Double entendre? Rain vs Riegn?

The diary is written ten in code, obscuring Sam's preferred spelling option. And that's the point. I wonder if it is Sam's little pun!

About Tuesday 29 April 1662

Christopher  •  Link

It would appear the surgeon is even more rare than the sturgeon!

I apologize, and can't believe it took 11 years for such a terrible pun to be posted.

About Friday 11 April 1662

Christopher  •  Link

"Where were the drowned negroes?"

My first, horrified thought was slave ships, the dead thrown overboard while en route to southern North America.

About Monday 16 September 1661

Christopher  •  Link

"I afterwards found that it was a rogue that did use to play such tricks to get money of people, but he got none of me,"

An email, Internet scam-1660s style!