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San Diego Sarah has posted 9,788 annotations/comments since 6 August 2015.

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Third Reading

About Other general reference sites

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

This article is about an American university level on-line history course. The instructor has chosen to end the section at 1763 instead of the usual 1500 or 1600 to provide students with more grounding in early modern encounters and colonialism, and a firmer foundation for further History study. But he never even mentions the Enlightenment.

Most interesting I thought were these supplementary reference materials about people and events I have never heard of before. Education is never done!

"... my two modules for 1450-1763 include as supplementary material
a Dig history podcast episode on Malintzin and her involvement in the Spanish-Mexica war,
a segment from PBS’ Africa’s Great Civilizations on Queen Njinga Mbandi and her resistance to Portuguese rule in Angola,
an article from The Met about Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita to introduce students to Kongolese Christianity,
and an episode of the Ben Franklin’s World podcast featuring Andrés Reséndez on the enslavement of Native Americans.

"Other example resources include
the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database at slavevoyages.org, which has lesson plans,
an Aeon long-form piece on the Little Ice Age,
and a World History Encyclopedia overview of the global flow of silver from the Spanish-controlled mines in Potosí and Zacatecas."

From https://ageofrevolutions.com/2022…

So what happened in 1763?

February 10, 1763 -- The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). France surrenders all of its North American possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain. This ends a source of insecurity for the British colonists along the Atlantic Coast.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/9a.a…

This is Chief Pontiac and Daniel Boone's time. Also shown is George III's proclamation in October outlining incentives for British settlers to move there.

About Monday 30 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... having great need to do my business, and so pretending to meet Mr. Shott the wood monger of Whitehall I went and eased myself at the Harp and Ball, ..."

Pepys doesn't say that he actually met Mr. Shott, so whether he pretended to look for in the modern sense, or unsuccessfully aimed to meet in the old sense, really doesn't matter. His intent in going to the Harp & Ball was to relieve himself. I therefore lean to the modern usage -- which we all have done.

About Serving food

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

PART 2

The man who stood behind the counter had to be ‘all courtesy, civility, and good manners’. No discourteous trader, it was claimed, had ever risen to a great fortune; and the economic expansion of 18th-century England would have been impossible without a widespread ethic of honesty, courtesy and trustworthiness.

An important civilizing role was played by the thousands of voluntary clubs and societies that sprang up all over the country in the 17th and 18th centuries. They included associations of like-minded friends who met in taverns and eating places to drink, dine and converse. Some of these became aggressively masculine gatherings, bawdy and drunken. Others, such as the Jacobean meetings of poets, lawyers and politicians associated with Ben Jonson and his friends, were self-conscious agents of cultivated sociability.

The rules for Ben Jonson’s Apollo Club in the early 1620s pointedly dissociated its members from the aristocratic rowdies of the day:
"And let our only emulation be
Not drinking much but talking wittily.
. . .
To fight and brawl (like Hectors) let none dare,
Glasses or windows break, or hangings tear."

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the in pursuit of civility, middle-class English home became better equipped for entertaining visitors. As houses were enlarged, room spaces were differentiated and expenditure increased on tables, linen, cutlery and tableware, domestic eating and drinking became an important aspect of what contemporaries regarded as ‘civility’.

The authors of the 17th century cookery books assumed their readers would entertain at meals ‘their kindred, friends, allies and acquaintances’; and the frequency of such domestic entertaining is confirmed by diaries of the times.

Mild intoxication was accepted as a helpful aid to convivial conversation, although the new nonalcoholic drinks of coffee, tea and chocolate also soon played a central role in public sociability.

Cosmo records ladies holding open house at what we think of as afternoon tea time. The tea party became a ubiquitous 18th century social ritual.

The coffee-houses attracted ‘civil’ and ‘intelligent’ company that they could not fail to ‘civilize our manners, enlarge our understandings, refine our language, [and] teach us a generous confidence and handsome mode of address’.

For more info and sources, see: https://yalebooksblog.co.uk/2022/…

About Serving food

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Cosmo, the future Grand Duke of Turin, is recorded as not enjoy English dining manners.
See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

In Italy, starting in the 1500s, nobles began to lay out individual table settings for their guests. For the first time, each diner would be apportioned their own spoon, fork, knife, glass, and plate. This led to an abrupt shift in table manners. Suddenly, dining etiquette was less about common courtesy and more about demonstrating your sophistication.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/arti…
The English were just adopting the use of a two-pronged fork now, and Pepys never says if he brings his own, or if his hosts are setting places.

I suspect Cosmo was dining in the wrong company:

A writer in 1585 observed that there were 3 sorts of men whose manners were to be reprehended:
those who neither invited neighbors to dinner nor accepted invitations from them;
those who invited them, but declined return invitations;
and those who accepted invitations, but never issued any themselves.

It was with good reason that Richard Baxter regarded ‘freeholders and tradesmen’ as ‘the strength of religion and civility in the land’.

Freeholders and tradesmen were certainly more civil in their behavior than many aristocrats, whose conduct was often noisy, boorish and inconsiderate.

Most of the middling classes were hostile to aristocratic values; they rejected dueling and the gentleman’s code of honor that went with it; and they preferred diligence and thrift to conspicuous leisure and profligate expenditure. They also exceeded their superiors in personal cleanliness and linguistic propriety. That sums up Pepys.

Their characteristic error was that of excessive refinement. Pepys is working on that.

'Obliging behaviour’ and ‘genteel deportment’ were accepted, important qualifications for anyone engaged in commerce. ‘They who would enfavour themselves for the advantage of any business,’ noted a trader in 1638, ‘must show themselves affable, smooth and courteous.’

About Mercers' Company

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

A bit of fun: Color in Elizabethan Dress

Lists of cloth colors used throughout the 16th and early 17th century have been compiled by Penny Ladnier (penny.creative.outlets@erols.com) and are excerpted here from her paper Color Names Throughout the Centuries. Visit her The Costume Gallery's Online Library for more great costume info.

Color names available at Mercers and Drapers Companies during 1586-87 were:
Gentlemen's Grey,
Beggar's Grey,
Partridge,
Pheasant,
Rat, and
Ginger

In other places she found references to:
Bristol Red: A "pleasant" red.
Cane Color: Yellowish tint.
Carnation: Resembling raw flesh
Crane Colour: Greyish white
Dead Spaniard: Pale greyish tan
Gingerline: 1595, Reddish violet
Goose-Turd: Yellowish green
Hair: Bright tan
Incarnate: Red
Isabella: Light buff
Lincoln Green: Bright Green
Lustie-Gallant: Light Red
Maiden Hair: 1605, Bright tan
Milk and Water: Bluish white
Murrey: Purplish red
Plunket: Light blue
Popinjay: Bluish Green
Puke: Dirty Brown
Rat's Color: Dull grey
Sangyn: Blood red
Sheep's Color: Natural
Strammel: 1575, Red
Straw: 1578, Light Yellow
Watchet: Pale greenish blue
Whey: Pale whitish blue

Dead Spaniard!? Well, this was the time of the Armardas.

For all the lists, see http://www.elizabethancostume.net…

About Plague

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

London’s dogs and cats were killed at the beginning of the plague outbreak in 1665. This might be surprising because, in 1484, Pope Innocent had empowered the Inquisition to burn all the cats -- and the cat lovers.

As a result of the drastic drop in the cat population, the number of rodents increased throughout Europe (and presumably also in the then-Catholic British Isles). Consequently, millions of rats carrying fleas infected with the bubonic plague spread the Black Death across Europe.

When the persecution of cats ended in the late 17th century, cats started hunting rats again, and Europeans experienced the advantage of having these natural hunters keep their towns more rodent free.

Pepys, Evelyn and Cosmo are silent about how true this was in London. I think the English had long ago re-embraced their cats, even if that was just a political statement against the Pope and Inquisition. Plus cats are periodically found in the walls of Tudor buildings, presumably left there to keep out the evil spirits.
Info from http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page…

About Wednesday 14 November 1666

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

BLOOD WORK -- A TALE OF MEDICINE AND MURDER IN THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION -- by Holly Tucker
https://www.holly-tucker.com/bloo…

"On a cold day in 1667, the renegade Jean-Baptiste Denis plucked an insane man off the streets of Paris and transfused him with cow’s blood.
A few days later, the patient was dead – and the transfusionist soon faced murder charges…

"Set in 17th-century London and Paris, Blood Work (W.W. Norton, 2011) is a story of political infighting, professional backstabbing, and the struggle to control the most powerful commodity in 17th-century Europe: knowledge.

"Using blood transfusion as a frame for the larger social history of the Scientific Revolution, I track the confluence of cultural, political, and religious forces in a world undergoing radical transformation as science and society changed at a pace never before imagined.

"I came across the fascinating – and bizarre – story of early animal-to-human transfusions as many professors do…while preparing a lecture on the history of blood circulation (discovered in 1628 by William Harvey) for one of my history of medicine classes at Vanderbilt University. My work on the Denis case would soon lead me through the violent and dirty streets of early Paris, into the affluent homes of French nobles, and across the Channel to a plague-ridden and fire-destroyed London.

"As I hunted down answers to the madman’s death, I became fascinated by how one of the most common procedures in medicine today – blood transfusion – had such a long and fraught history. With the possibilities of genetic manipulation, stem cell research, and cloning, I do think we’re also deep in a similar moment of Scientific Revolution.

"Time will only tell which of our modern discoveries stick, and which ones are cast aside for another 150 years like transfusion was after the Denis trial. And like the early transfusionists, we have to ask the same time-worn questions they did: How far are we willing push the limits of science? And at what price?"

About Serving food

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

For lovely pictures of forks, and their history, see
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/foo…

It says in part that the Italians and French widespreadly adopted two pronged forks before the British, which might account for some of Cosmo's disdain for English dining. Since Charles II and James grew up there in their formative years, I assume they used forks. But I assume Pepys grew up not using them.

The elaborate decorum and manners demanded in the 17th century mean little to us today. They evolved in order to create certainty. Crossing the invisible borders of certainty could be interpreted as disregarding social norms when those norms were the only thing keeping people peacefully in line. People who broke the norms were considered dangerous, and capable of anything. When someone shows that a taboo does not function, society feels insecure about what that person is going to do next.

In most situations, those norms dictate the considerate things to do. They show respect for the other people at the table, or in the room, for elderly people, or people with disabilities. Good manners are acts of good faith, showing appreciation and respect, and in turn demand that you be treated with the same respect.

Many of us grew up with the “no elbows on the dining room table” rule. This goes back to at least the 15th century, as it’s easier to start a fight if your arms are flexed and you have a loose posture. At that time, you also used your own dagger at the table; it was long and sharp. Times have changed, but sitting up straight and keeping your elbows off the table are still signs of a good upbringing.

About General resources

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The British Antiquarian Society’s Library has part of the Lemon Broadsides collection (miscellaneous broadsides presented by Thomas Hollis in 1757, and later catalogued and arranged chronologically by treasurer Robert Lemon in 1866).

Many of the early broadsides published up to the mid-17th century are unique copies. Around 130 are digitized in high-quality and available to view with transcripts via the freely-accessible EBBA (English Broadside Ballad Archive).

https://library.sal.org.uk/cgi-bi…

http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/

About Saturday 21 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Stephane, the British Antiquarian Society’s Library has part of the Lemon Broadsides collection (miscellaneous broadsides given to them by Thomas Hollis in 1757, and later catalogued and arranged chronologically by treasurer Robert Lemon in 1866).
Many of their early broadsides were published up to the mid-17th century and are unique copies. Around 130 are digitized in high-quality and available to view with transcripts via the freely-accessible EBBA (English Broadside Ballad Archive).

https://library.sal.org.uk/cgi-bi…

http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/

Maybe they have some there -- I beliefly checked out the index and it looks like some dedicated searching and reading may be required, but happily free of charge.

About Tuesday 24 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Thence back with my father home, where he and I spoke privately in the little room to my sister Pall about stealing of things as my wife’s scissars and my maid’s book, at which my father was much troubled."

Pall was born in 1640, so she's 20. Girls were not treated well in the 17th century and it was customary to give them a dowry when they wed, and England has just gone through 10 years of civil wars and famine, so money was scarce.
In the Pepys household, whatever spare cash there was appears to go to supporting the smart boys at St. Paul's School and then at Cambridge, which means they are not available to earn any money.
So Pall is running errands and helping her mother clean and cook, and there's no sign of a beau for her.
How does she express her frustration/anger at the situation? By stealing things she is otherwise denied from her pretentious "French" sister-in-law.

About Monday 23 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Sounds like "Thence to my office and there did nothing but make up my balance." means he got paid his balacnce. Otherwise, where did the money for all this bill paying come from?

About Sunday 22 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... the season cold, the frost is going away, and yet checked with cold and snow, ..." but even in those days, it's warmer in London than at Rev. Ralph's farm and rectory in Essex.

Put those fashionable buckles on your boots, Pepys. Of course you had to spruce up the wardrobe for the new job.

About Robert Mossom

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I went in the morning to Mr. Messum’s, ... A very eloquent sermon about the duty of all to give good example in our lives and conversation, which I fear he himself was most guilty of not doing."

The reviews above make Robert Mossom sound like a saint, but sadly Pepys doesn't elaborate on what he was most guilty of doing. His contemporary, Bishop "Kenn’s account of him, ... says that Dr. Mossom, during the usurpation, was silenced, plundered, and persecuted."
https://words.fromoldbooks.org/Ch…

Anyone know more about the real Mr. Mossom?

The on-line version of his sermons and books can be found at https://onlinebooks.library.upenn…

About Saturday 21 January 1659/60

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Account of arrears due to Dorothy Chiffinch, the King's laundress, for 4½ years past; total, 4,103 guilders 10 stivers".

Yes, that is a mind-blowing amount of money to be paid for doing the laundry. HOWEVER, your New Tauropolos has begged, borrowed and stolen soap and assistance for no pay and no expenses, across Europe from the Pyrranees to Cologne to Brussels, through snow and heatwaves. She had to have some personal funds to be able to do that. Maintaining the Royal dignity (and probably keeping some very personal secrets) was an honorable position, even if the work was menial.

His father, King Charles, entrusted his laundress with his big pearl earring on the morning of his execution, for delivery to his daughter, Elizabeth.

You have to reward loyalty like that. Dorothy was married to Thomas Chiffinch, who was known by Pepys. https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…