London in January 1667 must be experiencing remarkably mild weather for this to be an enjoyable pastime. Quite unlike last night's weather in the London area - heavy frost and sub-zero temperatures with a promise of snow-flurries.
L&M reads "within their barr" which I presume means within rather than outside the bar of the House.
'Uncovered' usually means 'having removed o's hat' in such contexts.
Looks to me as if the Lords are emphasizing the point (for the benefit of the Commons) that Mordaunt, though being called to account, is still a member of the upper House.
Perhaps worth noting also that Rhazes (Persian physician of the late 9th, early 10th centuries) was the first to make a clear distinction between smallpox and measles BUT inclined to the view that they were different forms of the same disease; one was more dangerous and severe than the other, but both capable of killing the patient.
My reading is that the party began in the Pepys's accommodation, but that it then moved to the office where Sam had already seen to getting the place swept, a good fire made and abundance of candles.
fruit/dried seeds of the tree strychnos nux vomica, which grows in eastern India, southeast Asia and northern Australia. Contains the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. In medicinal use for many centuries and still used in some homeopathic remedies.
Exactly so, Ticea. One of the reasons adduced for the speed with which the Great Fire leapt from house to house and street to street was the fact that so many buildings had acquired jetted upper storeys that, at the highest level, there was scarcely any space between buildings on either side of a street. No doubt handy both for increasing floor area and (as a by-product) providing pedestrians with some cover during rainy weather, but hazardous in case of fire.
One can only speculate. Funded by Michell Sr. perhaps? His Westminster Hall business (situated well beyond the reach of the great fire) may have increased considerably as a result of the city booksellers around St. Paul's having lost large amounts of stock. He seems to have been pretty well off in any case, as the L&M Companion notes that he appears to have occupied a large house. (No evidence for this is cited, but presumably the Hearth Tax records show a goodly number of hearths).
Pepys is here visitng the younger Michells, (son and daughter-in-law if the Westminster booksellers). The younger Michells live on Old Swan Lane in the City of London (close to Upper Thames Street and the river) and keep a strong-water house there.
They must have done some very successful scavenging to have re-built a house since the time of the Great Fire. Timber is in very short supply in London and new London brick will not be ready for use until about April. No doubt the brickmakers from Kent and the Thames valley (both clay-soil areas) will have charged a tidy sum for any surplus stocks that they held at the end of 1666 and were able to ship into London.
Furthermore, new building regulations had been brought in at the end of 1666 which had to be incorporated into every building contract. No mansion was allowed to exceed uniform height regulations and, for other houses, there were three categories allowed. Those fronting 'by-lanes' could have two storeys only, with cellar and garret; those fronting 'streets and lanes of note' were allowed three storeys, cellar and garret and those fronting 'high and principal streets' could have four storeys. Furthermore 'no jetties, windows or anything of the like sort shall be made to extend beyond the ancient foundation line.'
It means that, had Betty Michell been home, Sam might (peut etre) have obtained something (algo = a sexual favour in this context) from her that he intended to attempt/essay.
You may have noticed that whenever Sam uses dog-French, dog-Spanish etc. it is his way of feebly 'disguising' what he relates.
Certainly women (and children) took a morning draught of small beer. Most morning draughts would have been taken at home, not in a tavern.
Beer was very widely available, not just from taverns but also from small, local ale-houses. The brewing of ale was widely practised and in larger households would have been done in house.
Where home-brewing was not practised, ale or beer would have been bought by the barrel by such as could afford to do so, and by the jug or flagon by those who could not. A gallon of small beer (such as would have been taken as the morning draught) would have cost about a penny-halfpenny and strong beer would have been twice that price.
The monarch had the power to give named individuals the right to disregard a particular statute provided that such action did not harm the common law rights of others.
L&M note that this power of dispensation would have applied to the case of the importation of Irish cattle if the term 'common nuisance' were used in the statute. However, it would not have applied if the Lords were to succeed in substituting the words 'detriment and mischief' in the Bill.
I suspect that when Pepys was reading (or, indeed, writing) classical Latin, his attention to grammar was perfectly sound. The slips that you note in the diary entries are just typical of the kind of 'dog Latin' that used to be heard (perhaps still is heard in the right schools) when pupils were extemporising odd phrases for their own private amusement.
The occasionally careless grammar in the English text just emphasizes that the diary was intended as a document of private record and entertainment for Pepys, never intended for the eyes of others.
[By the way, congratulations on catching up with us in a mere 4 months!]
Comments
First Reading
About Wednesday 30 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
This smacks very much of the (apocryphal?) tale that Queen Elizabeth I was in the habit of taking a bath once a month "whether she needed to or no."
About Wednesday 30 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
and so into the garden..
London in January 1667 must be experiencing remarkably mild weather for this to be an enjoyable pastime. Quite unlike last night's weather in the London area - heavy frost and sub-zero temperatures with a promise of snow-flurries.
About Monday 28 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
burr.
L&M reads "within their barr" which I presume means within rather than outside the bar of the House.
'Uncovered' usually means 'having removed o's hat' in such contexts.
Looks to me as if the Lords are emphasizing the point (for the benefit of the Commons) that Mordaunt, though being called to account, is still a member of the upper House.
About Friday 11 January 1660/61
Mary • Link
measles/chickenpox
Perhaps worth noting also that Rhazes (Persian physician of the late 9th, early 10th centuries) was the first to make a clear distinction between smallpox and measles BUT inclined to the view that they were different forms of the same disease; one was more dangerous and severe than the other, but both capable of killing the patient.
About Margaret Pepys (mother, b. Kite)
Mary • Link
Margaret Pepys's birthdate is not (yet) known.
About Thursday 24 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
My reading is that the party began in the Pepys's accommodation, but that it then moved to the office where Sam had already seen to getting the place swept, a good fire made and abundance of candles.
About Wednesday 23 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
The area acquired the name Savoy after it was granted by Henry III to the queen's uncle, Peter of Savoy, in 1246.
About Wednesday 23 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
nux vomica
fruit/dried seeds of the tree strychnos nux vomica, which grows in eastern India, southeast Asia and northern Australia. Contains the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. In medicinal use for many centuries and still used in some homeopathic remedies.
About Tuesday 22 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
Well, it might - but typically it doesn't.
About Sunday 20 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
no jetties etc.
Exactly so, Ticea. One of the reasons adduced for the speed with which the Great Fire leapt from house to house and street to street was the fact that so many buildings had acquired jetted upper storeys that, at the highest level, there was scarcely any space between buildings on either side of a street. No doubt handy both for increasing floor area and (as a by-product) providing pedestrians with some cover during rainy weather, but hazardous in case of fire.
About Sunday 20 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
Paying for Michell Jr.'s new house.
One can only speculate. Funded by Michell Sr. perhaps? His Westminster Hall business (situated well beyond the reach of the great fire) may have increased considerably as a result of the city booksellers around St. Paul's having lost large amounts of stock. He seems to have been pretty well off in any case, as the L&M Companion notes that he appears to have occupied a large house. (No evidence for this is cited, but presumably the Hearth Tax records show a goodly number of hearths).
About Monday 21 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
three drunken seamen .... called me Captain ... leap and skip....
I can just see this scene as a comic interlude in a yet-to-be-discovered play by Shakespeare.
About Sunday 20 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
1666 Building regs.
I should have added that I am indebted to Liza Picard's Restoration London for the quoted regulations.
About Sunday 20 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
Pepys is here visitng the younger Michells, (son and daughter-in-law if the Westminster booksellers). The younger Michells live on Old Swan Lane in the City of London (close to Upper Thames Street and the river) and keep a strong-water house there.
They must have done some very successful scavenging to have re-built a house since the time of the Great Fire. Timber is in very short supply in London and new London brick will not be ready for use until about April. No doubt the brickmakers from Kent and the Thames valley (both clay-soil areas) will have charged a tidy sum for any surplus stocks that they held at the end of 1666 and were able to ship into London.
Furthermore, new building regulations had been brought in at the end of 1666 which had to be incorporated into every building contract. No mansion was allowed to exceed uniform height regulations and, for other houses, there were three categories allowed. Those fronting 'by-lanes' could have two storeys only, with cellar and garret; those fronting 'streets and lanes of note' were allowed three storeys, cellar and garret and those fronting 'high and principal streets' could have four storeys. Furthermore 'no jetties, windows or anything of the like sort shall be made to extend beyond the ancient foundation line.'
About Sunday 13 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
It means that, had Betty Michell been home, Sam might (peut etre) have obtained something (algo = a sexual favour in this context) from her that he intended to attempt/essay.
You may have noticed that whenever Sam uses dog-French, dog-Spanish etc. it is his way of feebly 'disguising' what he relates.
About Sunday 13 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
We can't be sure that the marriage has taken place.
"or that the match is quite perfected" means that the terms of the match may have been settled, not that it is already done and dusted.
About Morning draught
Mary • Link
Certainly women (and children) took a morning draught of small beer. Most morning draughts would have been taken at home, not in a tavern.
Beer was very widely available, not just from taverns but also from small, local ale-houses. The brewing of ale was widely practised and in larger households would have been done in house.
Where home-brewing was not practised, ale or beer would have been bought by the barrel by such as could afford to do so, and by the jug or flagon by those who could not. A gallon of small beer (such as would have been taken as the morning draught) would have cost about a penny-halfpenny and strong beer would have been twice that price.
About Wednesday 9 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
The king's power of dispensation.
The monarch had the power to give named individuals the right to disregard a particular statute provided that such action did not harm the common law rights of others.
L&M note that this power of dispensation would have applied to the case of the importation of Irish cattle if the term 'common nuisance' were used in the statute. However, it would not have applied if the Lords were to succeed in substituting the words 'detriment and mischief' in the Bill.
The Commons eventually prevailed.
About Wednesday 9 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
I suspect that when Pepys was reading (or, indeed, writing) classical Latin, his attention to grammar was perfectly sound. The slips that you note in the diary entries are just typical of the kind of 'dog Latin' that used to be heard (perhaps still is heard in the right schools) when pupils were extemporising odd phrases for their own private amusement.
The occasionally careless grammar in the English text just emphasizes that the diary was intended as a document of private record and entertainment for Pepys, never intended for the eyes of others.
[By the way, congratulations on catching up with us in a mere 4 months!]
About Sunday 6 January 1666/67
Mary • Link
According to an L&M footnote, this was the footbridge built by Henry VIII when he acquired Bridewell. In Tudor times Bridewell was a royal palace.