Bill

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

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Second Reading

About Ludgate

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Ludgate, one of the four ancient gates of the City, taken down November 1760, at the solicitation of the inhabitants of Farringdon Within and Farringdon Without . It stood immediately west of the church of St. Martin, Ludgate, between the church and the London Coffee-house. It is a popular notion that Ludgate takes its name from the mythical King Lud, by whom it was built sixty-six years before the birth of Christ . Dr. Edwin Freshfield supposes it to be derived from the word lode, a cut or drain into a larger stream.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Blackwall

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From an early date Blackwall was a great place for ships, shipbuilding, and docks. It is often mentioned in Sir Walter Raleigh's Letters to Cecil, and is spelt indifferently Blakwale, Blakewale, and Bralkwale. Thus on May 3, 1596, he writes, "From Blakewale, reddy to go down agayne this tyde;" in the body of the letter he spells it Bralkewale. He was then toiling to organise the expedition against Cadiz, and on the following day he writes from Northfleet, "if this strong wind last I will steale to Blakewale to speak with you and to kiss your hands."
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Ticket

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The system of tickets afterwards gave great trouble, and caused much discontent.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About John Hollond

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John Holland was secretary to Sir G. Carteret, then Treasurer of the Navy, and was author of the Discourse on the Navy, mentioned in note, March 19, 1669.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Lady Elizabeth Batten

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Elizabeth Woodcock, evidently his second wife (as his daughter Martha is often mentioned), married Feb. 3, 1658-9, to Sir W. Batten; and secondly, in 1671, to a foreigner called, in the register of Battersea parish, Lord Leyenburg. Lady Leighenberg was buried at Walthamstow, Sept. 16, 1681. Sir James Barkman Leyenburg, the envoy from Sweden, was resident in England till 1682, or later. His name occurs in The Intelligencer, 12th March, 1663-4, as delayed at Stockholm by a fever, though his despatches were ready. A hostile message appears to have passed between him and Pepys, in November, 1670, but the duel was prevented. Perhaps they quarrelled about the money due from Sir W. Batten to Pepys, for which the widow was liable.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About John Singleton

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John Singleton, appointed, 1660, one of the musicians of the sackbuts in place of William Lanier. From the sackbut he advanced to the violin, and lastly to the flute. He is mentioned by Dryden in Mac Flecknoe, and by Shadwell in Bury Fair. He died 1686, and was buried (7th April) in the churchyard of St. Paul's Covent Garden.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Tuesday 20 November 1660

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"and after supper a play"

Sir John Denham wrote the Prologue, of which there is a contemporary copy in the British Museum.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Saturday 10 November 1660

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"the comedy of the Rump"

"The Rump, or the Mirror of the late Times," a comedy, by John Tatham.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Saturday 10 November 1660

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"there bought Montelion, which this year do not prove so good as the last was; so after reading it I burnt it."

"Montelion, the Prophetical Almanac for the year 1660, 8vo, with a frontispiece, by John Phillips." The Montelions for 1661 and 1662 were written by Thomas Klatman. It would appear that Pepys bought the Montelion for 1661, as there had not been one for 1659.—See Watt's Bibliotheca.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Thursday 8 November 1660

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"Mr. Pett is to make one to outdo this for the honour of his country, which I fear he will scarce better."

Sam changed his mind by January.

"with Commissioner Pett to his lodgings there (which he hath for the present while he is building the King’s yacht, which will be a pretty thing, and much beyond the Dutchman’s)"

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

About Tuesday 6 November 1660

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"for the sale of two ships by an inch of candle (the first time that ever I saw any of this kind), where I observed how they do invite one another, and at last how they all do cry, and we have much to do to tell who did cry last."

This is exactly how eBay works, where, as I write, a Ship is being auctioned for a minimum bid of $10,000,000.

Plus ça change...

About Thursday 1 November 1660

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"He did make us good sport in imitating Mr. Case, Ash, and Nye, the ministers"

Thomas Case, one of the Assembly of Divines, and some time rector of St Giles's-in-the-Fields. Ob. 1682, aged 84. Simeon Ash, one of the leading Presbyterian ministers. Philip Nye, who had been minister of Kimbolton, and rector of Acton, Middlesex, retired after his nonconformity, and died in 1672.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Saturday 27 October 1660

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"which is now fitting, and indeed is a very pretty house"

I think 'a fit house' is meant, not 'a house being fitted out.'

FIT [au fait, F. of factum, L.] apt, meet, proper; also a Paroxysm.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Thursday 18 October 1660

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I don't think Mary is right: "By the 17th century the term 'dame' had generally ceased to be an honorific appellation and was most often applied to women of lower rank."

DAME [Dame, F.] a Lady; among Country People, Mistress, Goody.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.