Annotations and comments

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

Comments

First Reading

About Friday 29 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

"a couple of pretty whores that stood off the doors there"

So L&M.

Today is consumed with *seing* and the sins of the eyes, of which Samuel is aware, and about which Matt. 5:29 says: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell."

About Thursday 28 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

Re the HRE: it had a good courier system.

Stretching from Northern Italy to the Netherlands, the imperial concession was granted in 1615 to the Thurn und Taxis family, still the largest landlords in Regensburg.

CORRECTION: "Perpetual Reichstag" is a better translation of the German tag.

About Thursday 28 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

"the German Empire" is surely "the Holy Roman Empire" transposed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy…

To be sure, after the 1648 end of the 30-Years' War the Holy Roman Empire was barely held together by the Habsburg Dynasty and a parliament, Reichstag, representing the interests of ca. 70 states, that was in session in the City of Regensburg, from 1663 until it was terminated by Napoleon's mandate in 1806 (so came to be called "the eternal Reichstag") http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imme… (wikipedia entry in German).

The Holy Roman Empire ca. 1630 consists primarily of German-speaking territories; and its map resembles a greater Germany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imag…

About Wednesday 27 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

"high-flyer"

Without access to an OED at the moment, an internet search suggests this is an early occurrence of this term connoting
1. An ambitious person, likely to achieve their goals.
2. Someone naturally skilled and competent in their career.

Etymology: 17c.

http://www.allwords.com/query.php…

About Wednesday 27 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

Messrs. Pepys and Hater are protecting one another.

"I...did give him good counsel, not only in his own behalf, but my own, that if he did hear or know anything that could be said to my prejudice, that he would tell me, in this wicked age...a man ought to be prepared to answer for himself in all things that can be inquired concerning him."

Samuel's word to Mr. Hater recalls this sequence of events:

9 May 1663: "Mr. Hater...the poor man began telling me that by Providence being the last Lord’s day at a meeting of some Friends upon doing of their duties, they were surprised, and he carried to the Counter, but afterwards released; however, hearing that Sir W. Batten do hear of [it,] he thought it good to give me an account of it, lest it might tend to any prejudice to me. I was extraordinary surprised with it, and troubled for him, knowing that now it is out it is impossible for me to conceal it, or keep him in employment under me without danger to myself....I could not without tears in my eyes discourse with him further, but at last did pitch upon telling the truth of the whole to Mr. Coventry as soon as I could, and to that end did use means to prevent Sir W. Batten...from going to that end to-day, lest he might doe it to Sir G. Carteret or Mr. Coventry before me; which I did prevail and kept him at the office all the morning." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

10 May 1663 "I telling [Mr. Coventry] what had happened to Tom Hater, at which he seems very sorry, but tells me that if it is not made very publique, it will not be necessary to put him away at present, but give him good caution for the time to come. However, he will speak to the Duke about it and know his pleasure." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

15 May 1663: "Mr. Coventry...told me that for Mr. Hater the Duke’s word was...that he found he had a good servant, an Anabaptist, and unless he did carry himself more to the scandal of the office, he would bear with his opinion till he heard further, which do please me very much." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

But not even the Duke can protect one like Hater from Parliament, the glove of the fist of his Royal Brother, Charles Rex. And Pepys?

About Wednesday 27 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

"I...took occasion to tell him how I hear that Parliament is putting an act out against all sorts of conventicles,"

Samuel has knowledge of what occurred in Commons four days ago and resulted in the footnoted Act:

Sectaries, &c.

A Bill to retain his Majesty's Subjects in their Obedience, and to provide Remedies against the unlawful Meeting of Sectaries, Non-conformists, and Dissenters from the Church, was this Day read the Second time.

Resolved, &c. That the said Bill be committed to [57 named M's of P] : And all the Members of this House, to whom it was formerly referred, to prepare and bring in the Bill, are appointed to be of the Committee: And all Members that shall come, are to have Voices thereat: And they are to meet on Monday at Two of the Clock in the Afternoon, in the Court of Wards: And to send for Persons, Papers, and Records.

From: 'House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 23 May 1663', Journal of the House of Commons: volume 8: 1660-1667 (1802), p. 491. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…. Date accessed: 27May 2006.

About Tuesday 26 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

Not long ago Elizabeth was afforded other diversions -

Samuel took her to many plays and, if memory serves, she enjoyed a social whirl and made merry with him (and wine?) with others.

About Monday 25 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

Enteroliths, indeed! and so far a "rarity" in England.

John Evelyn's Deptford gardens were surely not the only experimental fields, but perhaps someone was planting a new grain, alfalfa, and Mr. Alsopp was using it to feed his horse. "A common factor associated with enterolithiasis is the consumption of alfalfa hay, which results in a higher pH and increased concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and sulfur in the large colon." (Merck) Re alfalfa: "Its wide cultivation beginning in the seventeenth century was an important advance in European agriculture." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa…

Fortunately for Mr. Alsopp's stablehand, Roy Feldman's hunch is right: Merck says that "Most horses with enteroliths are ~10 yr old..."

About Monday 25 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

Perhaps the horse's 'stones' are enteroliths.

"Enteroliths are concretions composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals around a nidus (eg, wire, stone, nail)."

Click "Enterolithiasis" on the "Cecum and Large Intestine" section of the Merck Veterinary Manual site so nicely provided by John.

About Monday 25 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

L&M have "they set me down at (and who should our Coachman be but Carleton, the Vintener that should have had Mrs. Sarah at Westminster) my Lord Chancellors, and they to Paternoster Row." Clearer, Susan?

About Monday 25 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

"my wife and her maid Ashwell had between them spilled the pot . . . . upon the floor"

L&M: "my wife and her maid Ashwell had between them spilt the pot of piss and turd upon the floor"

and they had a fun time cleaning it up (potty jokes about whose turd, etc.).

About Royal College of Physicians

TerryF  •  Link

The Royal College of Physicians was located in Amen Corner prior to 1666. That building having been destroyed by the Fire, the College was newly situated on the west side of Warwick Lane in 1682.
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/ete…

"Amen Corner, London, [was at] the end of Paternoster Row, where the monks finished their Pater Noster, on Corpus Christi Day, as they went in procession to St. Paul’s Cathedral. They began in Paternoster Row with the Lord’s prayer in Latin, which was continued to the end of the street; then said Amen, at the corner or bottom of the Row; then turning down Ave-Maria Lane, commenced chanting the 'Hail, Mary!' then crossing Ludgate, they chanted the Credo. Amen Lane no longer exists." 'Phrase and Fable'. http://www.bartleby.com/81/626.ht…

Amen Corner, identified as such was located at the intersection of Paternoster Row and Ave-Maria Lane near the upper left-hand corner of this segment of the 1746 Rocque map. http://www.motco.com/map/81002/Se…

About Saturday 23 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

L&M note the short title for STALKER, John & (PARKER, George)
A treatise of Japanning and Varnishing, being a complete Discovery of those Arts. With the best way of making all sorts of Varnish for Japan, Wood, Prints and Pictures. The Method of Guilding, Burnishing, and Lackering, with the Art of Guilding, Seperating, and refining Metals and of painting Mezzo-tinto Prints
Oxford. Printed for, and sold by the author. 1688.
"....The earliest book in English on the subject, described by H.D. Molesworth as 'a work of art in its own right... as readily accepted for its literary content as for its technical information'. Parker and Stalker's book effectively introduced the processes described to Western craftsmen, and through them to their clientele, thereby changing the face of European interior decoration....." http://cgi.zvab.com/SESSz48330074…

A treatise of japanning and varnishing, by John Stalker. 84 pages. Alec Tiranti, 1971. OP and rare.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/…

About Saturday 23 May 1663

TerryF  •  Link

“Regio floret patrocinio Commercium, commercioque Regnum”

is how L&M have it (they provide no translation); and recall they say the MS contains few punctuation-marks - full-stops and paragraphs (Wheatley disregards the latter), ergo almost all punctuation in their (and therefore each) edition is editorial.

So, Paul Dyson, you can have it your way!