Lisa

Annotations and comments

Lisa has posted eight annotations/comments since 6 March 2013.

The most recent first…

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Second Reading

About Thursday 30 July 1668

Lisa  •  Link

"Anyway, as we look back from the lofty heights of our own corruption-free era, giving thanks for the triumph of legalism and representative democracy..." Robert Gertz, it does indeed take a long time to build a representative democracy based on the rule of law, but only a few years to smash it to pieces.

About Tuesday 23 June 1668

Lisa  •  Link

Batch, you’re welcome. I sympathize in a very personal way with Pepys’ struggles with ‘dry eye’. I too suffered with it for many years. When the inflammation gets out of control the eyes do ache, as Pepys reports. Ulcers can form on the cornea and interfere with vision, but can heal when the inflammation recedes — perhaps that accounts for the ebb and flow of Pepys’ condition over time. In our day, Serious eye inflammation can be treated with steroid drops but this treatment can put the patient at risk for glaucoma. A much better option, cyclosporine (Restasis), which prevents eye inflammation and improves tearing, became available maybe 20 years ago, several centuries too late for Pepys.

About Tuesday 29 May 1660

Lisa  •  Link

@Al Doman. Thank you. I was mislead by the Project Gutenberg eText Editor's Bookmarks in the Second Preface which states at several different places that Pepys first attempted to learn the multiplication table in 1661. Had I searched further I would have found two further references to multiplication tables, one to July 1662 and another to December 1662. Only the July 4 1662 reference is from the text itself. Ebooks are very handy but not the most reliable for research. Next time I think I'll check this site's encyclopedia first!

About Tuesday 29 May 1660

Lisa  •  Link

See July 1661 entry for information about Pepys' knowledge of multiplication tables (or lack thereof).

About Saturday 17 March 1659/60

Lisa  •  Link

"I did before I went out with my wife, seal my will to her, whereby I did give her all that I have in the world, but my books which I give to my brother John, excepting only French books, which my wife is to have."
Two days ago he said he was giving all his books to John. Perhaps Elizabeth reminded him she might like to have the books written in her native language, French.

About Thursday 15 March 1659/60

Lisa  •  Link

Aha! I just noticed this. Today he says he's giving Elizabeth everything but his books but amends that tomorrow (tiny spoiler -- its already tomorrow). Elizabeth is a native French speaker, and a smart cookie to boot, so of course she would want the books written in French! And Sam thus shows his deep regard for her.