Bill

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Bill has posted 2,777 annotations/comments since 9 March 2013.

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Second Reading

About Wednesday 16 January 1660/61

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"how the Captain (whom she had sent for) of the Charles had forsoothed her, though he knew her well and she him."

FORSOOTH, an Interjection of Contempt or Derision. See further in the Encyclopedia

About Forsooth

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FORSOOTH, an Interjection of Contempt or Derision; also a Title of Respect and Submission used by a Servant to a Mistress, etc.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Tuesday 15 January 1660/61

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"to see the yacht that Commissioner [Peter] Pett is building, which will be very pretty; as also that that his brother [Christopher] at Woolwich is in making"

In 1604, a yacht had been built for Henry Prince of Wales, by Phineas Pett, to whom the English navy was much indebted in the reigns of the early Stuarts. He was the father of Peter and Christopher.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Phineas Pett: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Christopher Pett: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

About Phineas Pett (c)

Bill  •  Link

In 1604, a yacht had been built for Henry Prince of Wales, by Phineas Pett, to whom the English navy was much indebted in the reigns of the early Stuarts. He was the father of Peter and Christopher.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Tuesday 15 January 1660/61

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"Hence we walked to Dick-Shore"

Duke's-Shore Stairs is shown in one of Smith's Maps, 1806. It was not far from the great turn of the river southward, opposite to the Isle of Dogs. The proper spelling might be—Dick, Dyke, Dock, Dog, or Duke, but there seems to be no doubt as to the identity of the place. Dick's-Shore, Fore Street, Limehouse, and Dick's-Shore Alley by Dick's-Shore, are both mentioned in London and its Environs, vol. ii., p. 233, edit. 1761. Notes and Queries, vol. i., p. 220.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Dick's Shore in Forestreet at Limehouse. Against it is a Plying-place for Watermen.
---Remarks on London. W. Slow, 1722.

About Thursday 15 November 1660

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Sasha, I was unclear. "4oz. per monetary pound" meant that 1£ weighted 4oz. A Silver Crown weighs 1 oz.

A Silver Crown of Charles II from 1662 weighs 29.7 grams ( http://museumvictoria.com.au/coll… ). So 4 Crowns to the (monetary) pound weight 118.8 grams and 1000£ would weigh 118.8 kg or 262 (American!) pounds. A lot of silver for even 2 porters.

A Silver Penny of Charles II weighs .486 grams ( http://museumvictoria.com.au/coll… ). 240 pennies weigh 116.6 grams and 1000£ weigh 116.6 kg. Bingo!

About Tuesday 1 January 1660/61

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Another carbonado reference from Shakespeare (King Lear):

KENT: Draw, you rascal: you come with letters against the king; and take vanity the puppet's part against the royalty of her father: draw, you rogue, or I'll so carbonado your shanks: draw, you rascal; come your ways.

About Tuesday 1 January 1660/61

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"where we had a calf’s head carboned"

CARBONADO [Carbonate, F.] a Stake broiled on the Coals.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Thursday 15 November 1660

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"two porters carried away the other 1000l."

On Nov. 12 Sam needed a coach to transport 3000l. Today 2 porters for 1000l. Hard currency is heavy! Silver crowns weigh 4oz. per monetary pound. Surely some gold coins were involved.

About Rota Club

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Turk's Head Coffee-house, "the next house to the Stairs," New Palace Yard, Westminster. Here, about 1659, James Harrington's celebrated Rota Club met. Among the members were Cyriac Skinner, Major Wildman, and Sir William Petty. For them "was made purposely," says Aubrey, "a large oval table with a passage in the middle for Miles [the landlord] to deliver his coffee. About it sate his [Harrington's] disciples and the virtuosi. We many times adjourned to the Rhenish Wine-house."
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

James Harrington: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Maj. John Wildman: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Sir William Petty: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Turk's Head Coffee House: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

About Turk's Head / Miles's

Bill  •  Link

Turk's Head Coffee-house, "the next house to the Stairs," New Palace Yard, Westminster. Here, about 1659, James Harrington's celebrated Rota Club met. Among the members were Cyriac Skinner, Major Wildman, and Sir William Petty. For them "was made purposely," says Aubrey, "a large oval table with a passage in the middle for Miles [the landlord] to deliver his coffee. About it sate his [Harrington's] disciples and the virtuosi. We many times adjourned to the Rhenish Wine-house."
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

Rota Club: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
James Harrington: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Maj. John Wildman: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Sir William Petty: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

About Groat

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From the currency units page:

4 farthings = 1d (penny)
4d = 1 groat
12d = 3 groats = 1s (shilling)

About Ratcliff

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Ratcliffe, a manor and hamlet in the parish of Stepney, between Shadwell and Limehouse.

Radcliffe itself hath also been encreased in building eastward (in place where I have known a large highway with fair elm trees on both the sides), that the same hath now taken hold of Limehurst or Lime host, corruptly called Lime house, some time distant a mile from Radcliffe. . . . The first building at Radcliffe in my youth (not to be forgotten) was a fair free-school and alms-houses, founded by Avice Gibson, wife to Nicholas Gibson, grocer; but of late years shipwrights and (for the most part) other marine men, have built many large and strong houses for themselves, and smaller for sailors, from thence almost to Poplar, and so to Blackwall.—Stow (1603), p. 157.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Tuesday 6 November 1660

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The "half moon" was a naval maneuver that would cause trouble for any enemy ship caught in the middle:

The Fleet being drawn up into a Line of Battle, if a single Privateer attacks the Ship in the Center of the Fleet they must advance, or more properly loof in the Wings, and form a Half-moon, that every Ship may bring his Guns to bear, and every Man have his share in the Glory of the Action.
---The art of sea-fighting. R. Park, 1706.

About Gunpowder Plot Day

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From the Book of Common Prayer (1662), the following link is for "A Form of Prayer with Thanksgiving; to be used yearly upon the Fifth Day of November for the happy Deliverance of the King, and the Three Estates of the Realm, from the most Traiterous and Bloudy intended Massacre by Gun-Powder."
Interesting is this: "After the Creed, if there be no Sermon, shall be read one of the six Homilies against Rebellion."

http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bc…

About Monday 10 December 1660

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"demanding money for pollmoney"

On September 9 Sam learned his regiment would be disbanded. On November 17 he learned "the Regiment is now disbanded, and that there is some money coming to me for it."

Today he paid the tax that made the disbanding of most of the army possible.