Why this conclusion? And why does it apply to this entry? On December 5th both parents were apparently living at the same address, but they are not mentioned at all on December 6th.
Why spoil the suspense? January 1661 will come soon enough and then we'll see how household arrangements work out. The development of the Pepys menage's domestic arrangements is just as interesting as that of their social and/or professional ones, so let's not get ahead or ourselves.
Sandwich tells of a meeting, but does not indicate that he was present at it - simply that it took place. Nor does he state that he afterwards spoke with anyone who had been present. The meeting broke up early. Sandwich's ignorance of the proceedings thus seems unsurprising.
Certainly it was Sir Stehen Fox who made possible the establishment of the Royal Hospital Chelsea by his munificent gift of the £13,000 used to acquire the site and finance construction, but it is Charles II who is the acknowledged founder of the Hospital, which celebrates its Founder's Day each year on the anniversary of Charles's birthday.
In modern parlance one might substitute "christened" for "handselled in such a context.
As for that "little chamber three stories high" I presume this means not that the chamber itself was extraordinarily high-ceilinged but that it was a garret, a small room immediately beneath the roof of the house. Not choice accommodation.
Not every annotator's style suits every reader. In the course of the original run-through we learnt to glide across the annotations that regularly irritated and to concentrate on those that struck a more cogent note. On the whole we proved to be a pretty tolerant group and I hope that we shall remain so throughout the second reading.
The fiddly little nutty fruit of the beech tree are still known collectively as beechmast. Delicious, but it takes ages to pry each little 'nut' open and one can get sore fingers doing so.
No, the house was 'company' accommodation that went with the job. Building work/remodelling was generally done at the Navy Office's expense and by their employees. Pepys generally put his own money into moveable goods - artwork, plate, hangings etc.
Because it's a good idea to be nice and polite to the brother of the King. Pepys, our diarist, certainly doesn't yet know what role James might play in months to come; Sandwich probably doesn't know. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
"Harlots, Housewives and Heroines" sounds like a programme that was presented by Lucy Worsley some months ago. The current BBC4 offering on informal 17th century writing is "The Century that Wrote Itself." Presented by Adam Nicolson; Wednesday evenings 9 p.m. Three parts. Haven't watched it yet, but will catch up in due course.
Expanding on MW's earlier note I suspect that Samuel and his companions were having a bit of mildly ribald fun with the idea of the excellence of the lady's "buns." One hears the same joke today; hence the apparently inadvertent double-entendre of "We're certainly going to need more buns!" in the film "Calendar Girls."
Are you sure that your perpetual calendar has taken account of the 1752 Great Calendar Change from Julian to Gregorian, which resulted in the "lost" eleven days?
Comments
Second Reading
About Saturday 29 December 1660
Mary K • Link
"a good piece of roast beef at the fire"
It sounds as if this is being spit- or Jack-roasted in front of the fire, rather than being cooked in Elizabeth's earlier mentioned oven.
About Thursday 6 December 1660
Mary K • Link
Separate residences????
Why this conclusion? And why does it apply to this entry? On December 5th both parents were apparently living at the same address, but they are not mentioned at all on December 6th.
About Thursday 22 November 1660
Mary K • Link
Whisk.
See also the description given in the encyclopaedia section under "fashion."
About Monday 12 November 1660
Mary K • Link
Sister Pall.
Why spoil the suspense? January 1661 will come soon enough and then we'll see how household arrangements work out. The development of the Pepys menage's domestic arrangements is just as interesting as that of their social and/or professional ones, so let's not get ahead or ourselves.
About Monday 22 October 1660
Mary K • Link
Sandwich tells of a meeting, but does not indicate that he was present at it - simply that it took place. Nor does he state that he afterwards spoke with anyone who had been present. The meeting broke up early. Sandwich's ignorance of the proceedings thus seems unsurprising.
About Monday 30 July 1660
Mary K • Link
Bucklersbury still exists as the short street that runs between Queen Victoria Street and Walbrook.
About Monday 25 June 1660
Mary K • Link
The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Certainly it was Sir Stehen Fox who made possible the establishment of the Royal Hospital Chelsea by his munificent gift of the £13,000 used to acquire the site and finance construction, but it is Charles II who is the acknowledged founder of the Hospital, which celebrates its Founder's Day each year on the anniversary of Charles's birthday.
About Thursday 21 June 1660
Mary K • Link
"handselled my silver can"
In modern parlance one might substitute "christened" for "handselled in such a context.
As for that "little chamber three stories high" I presume this means not that the chamber itself was extraordinarily high-ceilinged but that it was a garret, a small room immediately beneath the roof of the house. Not choice accommodation.
About Saturday 9 June 1660
Mary K • Link
Gallantry.
A collective term for gallants, gentry, fashionable people. (1606). Also fine or gay appearance, splendour, magnificence (1613).
About Sunday 3 June 1660
Mary K • Link
Not every annotator's style suits every reader. In the course of the original run-through we learnt to glide across the annotations that regularly irritated and to concentrate on those that struck a more cogent note. On the whole we proved to be a pretty tolerant group and I hope that we shall remain so throughout the second reading.
About Friday 18 May 1660
Mary K • Link
"wherein are gallant nuts, better than ever I saw"
These 'nuts' are 'knots' (per L&M). Pepys is praising the excellence of a particularly fine, fashionable knot-garden.
About Monday 14 May 1660
Mary K • Link
more bits of mast.
The fiddly little nutty fruit of the beech tree are still known collectively as beechmast. Delicious, but it takes ages to pry each little 'nut' open and one can get sore fingers doing so.
About At home with Mr and Mrs Pepys
Mary K • Link
No, the house was 'company' accommodation that went with the job. Building work/remodelling was generally done at the Navy Office's expense and by their employees. Pepys generally put his own money into moveable goods - artwork, plate, hangings etc.
About Wednesday 18 April 1660
Mary K • Link
Why correspond with the Duke at all?
Because it's a good idea to be nice and polite to the brother of the King. Pepys, our diarist, certainly doesn't yet know what role James might play in months to come; Sandwich probably doesn't know. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
About Wednesday 11 April 1660
Mary K • Link
"Harlots, Housewives and Heroines" sounds like a programme that was presented by Lucy Worsley some months ago. The current BBC4 offering on informal 17th century writing is "The Century that Wrote Itself." Presented by Adam Nicolson; Wednesday evenings 9 p.m. Three parts. Haven't watched it yet, but will catch up in due course.
About Friday 30 March 1660
Mary K • Link
I fully agree with Chris Squire; much better to assume a number of first-time readers of either whole or part of the diary.
About Friday 30 March 1660
Mary K • Link
What is the policy about 'spoilers' for this second trip through the diary? There may be some who are reading for the first time.
About Tuesday 27 March 1660
Mary K • Link
sail in/sail on.
Not sure that the difference in usage is quite as clear-cut as this. Does one need to make distinction between naval usage and general usage?
About Sunday 18 March 1659/60
Mary K • Link
those toasted cakes.
Expanding on MW's earlier note I suspect that Samuel and his companions were having a bit of mildly ribald fun with the idea of the excellence of the lady's "buns." One hears the same joke today; hence the apparently inadvertent double-entendre of "We're certainly going to need more buns!" in the film "Calendar Girls."
First Reading
About Sunday 1 January 1659/60
Mary • Link
Are you sure that your perpetual calendar has taken account of the 1752 Great Calendar Change from Julian to Gregorian, which resulted in the "lost" eleven days?