Bill

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

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Second Reading

About St Paul's Churchyard

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Paul's (St.) Churchyard, the irregular area, lined with houses, encircling St Paul's Cathedral and burial-ground, of which the side towards the Thames is commonly called the bow, and the side towards Paternoster Row the string.
Before the Fire, which destroyed the old Cathedral, St Paul's Churchyard was chiefly inhabited by stationers, whose shops were then, and till the year 1760, distinguished by signs. The Cronycle of England, folio, 1515, was printed by Julian Notary, "dwellynge in powles chyrche yarde besyde y° weste dore by my lordes palyes." His sign was The Three Kinges. At the sign of the White Greyhound, in St Paul's Churchyard, the first editions of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis and Rape of Lucrece were published by John Harrison; at the Flower de Luce and the Crown appeared the first edition of the Merry Wives of Windsor; at the Green Dragon the first edition of the Merchant of Venice; at the Fox the first edition of Richard II.; at the Angel the first edition of Richard III.; at the Spread Eagle the first edition of Troilus and Cressida; at the Gun the first edition of Titus Andronicus; and at the Red Bull the first edition of Lear.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About John Barclay

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BARCLAY (John), son of the preceding [William Barclay], born in France, 1582, at Pontamousson, where his father was professor. He studied under the Jesuits, who became so fond of him, on account of his capacity and genius, that they used their utmost endeavours to engage him in their society, which was the reason of his father's breaking with them, and of his retiring with his son to England. Soon after his arrival in England, John Barclay wrote a Latin poem on the coronation of King James, and in 1603 dedicated the first part of his "Euphormio" to his majesty. The king was highly pleased with these two pieces, and would have been glad to have retained young Barclay in England; but his father, not finding things answer his expectations, took a resolution of returning to France, and being afraid of his son's becoming a Protestant, he insisted on his going along with him. John continued at Angers till the death of his father, when he removed to Paris, where he married, and soon after went to London. After ten years residence in London, he went to Paris again. The year following he went to Rome, being invited thither by Pope Paul V. from whom he received many civilities, as he did likewise from Cardinal Bellarmin. He died at Rome, 1621.
---A New and General Biographical Dictionary. 1793.

About Thames Street

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Thames Street, on the north bank of the Thames, stretches from Blackfriars Bridge to the Tower, and is rather more than a mile in length. That part of the street below London Bridge is called Lower Thames Street, that above, Upper Thames Street. The eastern end of Thames Street was sometimes called Petty Wales, and also occasionally Galley Row. That part of Thames Street which lies in Bridge Ward formerly bore the name of Stockfishmonger Row.
John Chaucer, the poet's father, was a vintner in Thames Street, and the poet himself lived there for many years. In the 14th century the river front of Thames Street exhibited numerous handsome buildings, but these were destroyed by the fire and not rebuilt.
In Thames Street stood formerly Baynard's Castle, and the Steelyard.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Tuesday 21 August 1660

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"told me how he was bred up under Sir W. Batten"

I can't find a definition of "bred up" and don't have an OED. =brought up? =trained? =educated?

About St Olave, Hart Street

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Olave's (St.) (the Danish St. Olaf), Hart Street, a church in Tower Street Ward, at the top of Seething Lane, Crutched Friars, and sometimes called "Crutched Friars Church." A church was standing on the present site in 1319 when an agreement was made between the Brethren of the Crutched Friars and William de Jamford, the rector, by which the Friars were to pay the rector and his successors for ever the sum of two marks and a half per annum, as compensation for any injury he might sustain by the erection of their friary. The present church escaped the Great Fire.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Saturday 18 August 1660

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"to buy her a petticoat"

Sam has been spending a good deal of money on his own clothes, both because he now has the money and because his new position requires him to look the part. His wife also must look the part, and Sam's father, a tailor, well appreciates that.

About Friday 17 August 1660

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To Shift off. To defer; to put away by some expedient. Rogers.
---A Dictionary Of The English Language. Samuel Johnson, 1756.

...but by various Illusions of the Devil they are prevailed on to shift off the Duties, and neglect the Conditions on which Salvation is promised.
---Nineteen sermons. J. Rogers, 1735.

About Charing Cross

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The statue of Charles I. in Charing Cross erected in 1675 was evidently a long time being finished. (A common urban complaint, it seems.) And so it provided a topic for Andrew Marvell:

THE STATUE AT CHARING CROSS,
1.
What can be the mystery? why Charing Cross
This five months continues still muffled with board;
Dear Wheeler, impart, we are all at a loss,
Unless we must have Punchinello restored.

(And finally decides that Charles I. might not have approved of his son.)

14.
So the statue will up after all this delay,
But to turn the face towards Whitehall you must shun;
Though of brass, yet with grief it would melt him away
To behold such a prodigal Court and a son

About Seething Lane

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James, check the annotation right above. (There should be a period after "Street.") Sieuthenestrate, or Suiethenestrate, is mentioned in the City records as early as A.D. 1281.

About Wednesday 11 July 1660

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Gerald, note Pauline's annotation above for a "spoiler" about this night's sleepover.

About Anchovies

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ANCHOVIE, a little Sea-fish much used in Sauces, &c. Anchovie-Cullices are frequently made and put into several Ragous, as well for Flesh as Fish-days, so that it would be unnecessary here to give a particular account of them, since it is sufficiently done in the respective places where they are to be us'd; we shall only observe at present, that the Bones of the Anchovies, which have been already made use of, may be fry'd, after you have put them into Paste made of Flower and White-wine, with a little Pepper and Salt, so that you may either garnish another Dish with that Paste, or serve it up to Table for an Outwork, with Orange and fry'd Parsley.
---Dictionaire oeconomique. N. Chomel, 1725.

About Friday 17 August 1660

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SHEEPS-TROTTERS, the Feet and part of the Legs of Weathers, Sheep, &c. of which they make excellent Food, and to have a side Dish of Sheeps-Trotters farced, let the Trotters be well Scalded, and afterwards Stew'd in some good Broth, with a little Parsley and Chibol, taking Care that they be not over-done. As soon as they are taken out, let the Foot be cut off, leaving the Legs, the Bones of which must be taken away, and the Skins spread upon the Table or Dresser, in order to be stuffed with a little of the Farce of Croquets, or some other, and rolled one by one : Then when you have laid 'em in a Dish, and sprinkled 'em with a little melted Fat, they must be neatly breaded on the Top, and brought to a Colour in the Oven. When they are colour'd, let the Fat be drain'd from them, and let the side of the Dish be rubb'd with a Shallot, pouring a little Ragoe upon them, or a Mushroom-Cullis, before they are serv'd up Hot to the Table.
Sheeps-Trotters, may also be drest with White Sauce, Frying them in Lard, with fine Herbs, young Chibols, Pepper, Salt and Nutmeg: The Sauce must be thickned with the Yolks of Eggs, and Rose Vinegar, Garnishing the Dish with the Trotter-Bones fry'd in Paste and Parsley.
---Dictionaire oeconomique. N. Chomel, 1725.

About Thursday 12 July 1660

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Indeed, but I thought the entire definition from that other Sam's famous dictionary would be interesting. The way it was done in SP's day is the way citizens handle government paperwork in much of the third world today. You pay someone to do it. A roadside scribe perhaps. Herman Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener is about just such a person in a nineteenth century law office. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart…

About Cockpit Playhouse (Drury Lane)

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Cockpit or Phoenix Theatre, in Drury Lane, stood in the parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, on the site of Cockpit Place or Alley, afterwards named Pitt Place, and is said by Prynne to have demoralised the whole of Drury Lane. The performances appear to have been of a low class.

Volpone. The bells, in time of pestilence, ne'er made
Like noise, or were in that perpetual motion!
The Cock-pit comes not near it.
Ben Jonson's Volpone, Act iii. Sc. 6.

In 1660 a company of players, under Rhodes, acted here until Killigrew and Herbert managed to suppress them. Charles II. had authorised two companies of players, and two only—one under Killigrew, called the King's Servants; and one under Davenant, called the Duke's. Rhodes's players (Mohun, Hart, etc.) joined Killigrew; and Davenant's newly-formed company, with Betterton in its ranks, began to act in the Cockpit Theatre, vacated by Rhodes. Here they continued till they removed, in 1662, to their new theatre in Portugal Row, Lincoln's-Inn Fields.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Bear Garden

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Bear Garden, Bankside, Southwark, a royal garden or amphitheatre for the exhibition of bear and bull baitings; a favourite amusement with the people of England till late in the reign of William III. There was a garden here from a very early date,.

June 16, 1670.—I went with some friends to the Bear Garden, where was cock-fighting, dog-fighting, beare and bull baiting, it being a famous day for all these butcherly sports, or rather barbarous cruelties. The bulls did exceedingly well, but the Irish woolfe-dog exceeded, which was a tall greyhound, a stately creature indeed, who beat a cruel mastif. One of the bulls tossed a dog full into a lady's lap, as she sate in one of the boxes at a considerable height from the arena. Two poor dogs were killed: and so all ended with the ape on horseback, and I most heartily weary of the rude and dirty pastime, which I had not seen I think in twenty years before. —Evelyn, Diary.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Basinghall Street

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Basinghall or Bassishaw Ward, one of the twenty-six wards of London, described by Stow as "a small thing, consisting of one street, called Bassings Hall Street, of Bassings Hall, the most principal house, whereof the ward taketh name." Basinghall Street leads from Gresham Street to London Wall. At the corner next Gresham Street is Gresham College.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.