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Terry Foreman has posted 16,447 annotations/comments since 28 June 2005.

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Second Reading

About Sunday 9 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"(By the way, I must remember that Pegg Pen was brought to bed yesterday of a girl; and, among other things, if I have not already set it down, that hardly ever was remembered such a season for the smallpox as these last two months have been, people being seen all up and down the streets, newly come out after the smallpox.)"

L&M: Cf. C. Creighton, Hist. epidemics in Britain, ii. 452-3. The Duke of York had had it in the previous November: CSPD 1667-8, e.g. p. 51.

About Sunday 9 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"At noon home to dinner, where by appointment Mr. Pelling come and with him three friends, Wallington, that sings the good base, and one Rogers, and a gentleman, a young man, his name Tempest, who sings very well indeed, and understands anything in the world at first sight. "

L&M: For the singers, see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
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Apparently apt sight-reading was unusual even in these circles.

About Friday 7 September 1666

Terry Foreman  •  Link

ORIGIN OF MANUSCRIPT
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin manūscrīptus written by hand, equivalent to Latin manū by hand (ablative of manus) + scrīptus written;
https://www.dictionary.com/browse…

A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document that is written by hand — or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten — as opposed to being mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way.[1] More recently, the term has come to be understood to further include any written, typed, or word-processed copy of an author's work, as distinguished from its rendition as a printed version of the same.[2] Before the arrival of printing, all documents and books were manuscripts. Manuscripts are not defined by their contents, which may combine writing with mathematical calculations, maps, explanatory figures or illustrations. Manuscripts may be in book form, scrolls or in codex format. Illuminated manuscripts are enriched with pictures, border decorations, elaborately embossed initial letters or full-page illustrations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man…

About Friday 7 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"So there parted, my mind pretty well satisfied with this plain fellow for my sister, though I shall, I see, have no pleasure nor content in him, as if he had been a man of reading and parts, like Cumberland,"

L&M: For Pepys's hopes of Richard Cumberland, see
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Pepys found his brother-in-law incorrigibly improvident. He came to avoid direct dealings with him, preferring to correspond only with Paulins.

About Friday 7 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"do hear that there is a great triall between my Lord Gerard and Carr to-day, who is indicted for his life at the King’s Bench, for running from his colours; but all do say that my Lord Gerard, though he designs the ruining of this man, will not get any thing by it."

L&M: For Gerard's persecution of Carr see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Carr was now indicted on three charges: one of felony (for desertion///////////0 and two of forgery. He was acquitted of all three, and came off with credit: HMC, Rep., 14/4/81; BD, Add. 36916, f. 66r.

About Wednesday 5 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He tells me what a character my Lord Sandwich hath sent over of Mr. Godolphin, as the worthiest man, and such a friend to him as he may be trusted in any thing relating to him in the world; as one whom, he says, he hath infallible assurances that he will remaine his friend which is very high, but indeed they say the gentleman is a fine man."

L&M: William Godolphin (after an apprenticeship as secretary to Arlington) had served Sandwich as secretary to the Madrid embassy, taking a leading part in the conclusion of the recent Anglo-Spanish treaty. He was knighted in 1668 and became envoy-extraordinary to Spain in 1669 and ambassador there in 1671.

About Wednesday 5 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He tells me that an Act of Comprehension is likely to pass this Parliament, for admitting of all persuasions in religion to the public observation of their particular worship, but in certain places, and the persons therein concerned to be listed of this, or that Church;"

L&M: For the bill (which provided for toleration as well as for 'comprehension') see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
An unusual clause requiring registration of members of congregations, as well as of their ministers, was included in an original draft put forward by Dr John Owen, the Independent leader: G. F. Nuttall and O. Chadwick (eds), From uniformity to unity, 1662-1962, p. 200.

About Tuesday 21 October 1662

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I did by several steps shew Tom how he would not be 100l. the better for her according to the ways he took to joynture her."

L&M: Tom was offering £50 p.a. At this time the average ratio of jointure to portion was one to six; later in the century it was one to ten. H. J. Habbakuk, in TRHS (ser. 4), 12/15+; cf. 25 June 1665.

About Tuesday 4 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"then home, and there my wife and Deb. and I and Betty Turner, I employed in the putting new titles to my books"

L&M: Mr H. M. Nixon writes: 'Few of Pepys's books at this time had binders' titles, and Pepys and his companions may now have been pasting paper labels on to the spines. If so, it is odd that no trace of the labels remains. He refers again. at 15 February, to "titleing" the books. The words used in both entries make it clear that he was dealing with his new books, and it is difficult to believe that he was merely listing them. On the 16th he made a new catalogue.'

About Monday 3 February 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"after dinner to the Duke of York’s house, to the play, “The Tempest,” which we have often seen,"

L&M note Pepys had already seen the play four times.

About Friday 31 January 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"after dinner... I to make a visit to Mr. Godolphin at his lodgings, who is lately come from Spain from my Lord Sandwich,"

L&M: William Godolphin, Secretary to the English embassy at Madrid, had been sent by Sandwich to bring news of the Spanish-Portuguese treaty (q.v. https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… ), and to discuss with the government proposals for an Anglo-Spanish alliance. Sandwich MSS, Letters to Ministers, f. 45.

About Friday 31 January 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He tells me that the King is for Toleration, though the Bishops be against it: and that he do not doubt but it will be carried in Parliament; but that he fears some will stand for the tolerating of Papists with the rest; and that he knows not what to say, but rather thinks that the sober party will be without it, rather than have it upon those terms; and I do believe so."

L&M: For the scheme of comprehension and indulgence, see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Birch had been in charge of the abortive beill introduced before Christmas: G. F. nuttall and O. Chadwick (eds.), From uniformity to unity, 1662-1962, p. 198. At the opening of the new season the King made a strong appeal to parliament to 'think of some better course to beget a better union and composure in the minds of my Protestant subjects': LJ, xiii, 181. Charles in fact favoured toleration for all peaceable subjects, Catholic as well as Protestant.

About Friday 31 January 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the present quarrel between the Bishop and Deane of Coventry and Lichfield; the former of which did excommunicate the latter, and caused his excommunication to be read in the Church while he was there; and, after it was read, the Deane made the service be gone through with, though himself, an excommunicate, was present, which is contrary to the Canon, and said he would justify the quire therein against the Bishop; and so they are at law in the Arches about it; which is a very pretty story."

L&M: During the recent rebuilding of Litchfield Cathedral the Bishop, Dr John Hacket, had had constant trouble with the Dean, Dr Thomas Wood. The excommunication had been prodounced in 1667, but there is no trace of the dispute in the Court of Arches. Wood was an eccentric. He courted his wife for 30 years before marrying her, and after marriage threatened to 'lie alone because . . . [she] putts her arms out of bed, & lets the cold into it': G. D. to Sancroft, 2 March 1667, Tanner 45, f. 153r. He was made bishop of the see on Hacket's death in 16670, , but lived mostly in his native Hackney, where he spent his time sawing wood to save money (though he was very rich). On being told by the Primate in July 1681 to pay a visit to his diocese, he replied that he would go 'when the weather was somewhat cooler'. He was thereupon suspended, and at his death in 1692 was buried without any inscription on his tomb: T. Harwood, Litchfield (1806), p. 156. W. Beresford, Litchfiels, pp. 250+.

About Friday 31 January 1667/68

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"“I will yet choose such a lease before any other, yes,” says he, plainly, “because I know they cannot stand, and then it will fall into the King’s hands, and I in possession shall have an advantage by it.” “And,” says he, “I know they must fall, and they are now near it, taking all the ways"

L&M: This was an extension of the rumour about deans and chapters reported at 23 January: https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… There were stories in May 1669 that the bishops were going to surrender their lands in exchange for salaries settled on the revenue: CSPD 1668-9, p. 320; cf. also Marvell, i. 165. Birch had invested heavily in church lands during the Interregnum.