Bill

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

Comments

Second Reading

About Thursday 8 March 1659/60

Bill  •  Link

@Tripleransom, I suppose the term has entered American English but I think of it as an affectation. I agree with Wikipedia: "The term is generally more prevalent in British English; for example, StyleRocks "bespoke jewellery". American English tends to use the word "custom" instead."

About Monday 2 February 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"the buriall of young Cumberland, a lusty young man"

LUSTY, strong, hale, healthful.
---An universal etymological English dictionary. N. Bailey, 1724.

About Jonas Moore

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Jonas Moore, one of the most eminent mathematicians of his age, was born at Whitlee, in Lancashire. He had a strong propensity to mathematical studies from his childhood, and in the early part of his life taught the mathematics in London for his support. He was employed by the commissioners for draining and dividing the fens; and in his survey took notice that the sea made a curve line on the beach, from which he took the hint to keep it effectually out of Norfolk. This added much to his reputation. Mr. Aubrey informs us, that he made a model of a citadel, for Cromwell to bridle the city of London, which was in the possession of Mr. Wild; and that this citadel was to have been the cross-building of St. Paul's church. He patronised the famous Mr. Flamsteed, who had but a very scanty subsistence at Cambridge when he took him under his protection. He and Sir Christopher Wren are said to have persuaded Charles II. to build the Observatory at Greenwich, in which Flamsteed was placed. He was the first Englishman that composed a" System of the Mathematics," which was published in two volumes 4to. 1681. He was knighted by Charles II. who appointed him surveyor-general of the ordnance. Sixty pieces of artillery, equal to the number of his years, were discharged at the Tower at his funeral. Ob. Aug. 1679. See more of him in Birch's "History of the Royal Society," vol. iv. p. 106.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1824.

About Monday 2 February 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"and drank a cup of Cock ale"

To make Cock Ale. Take a couple of young Cocks, boil them almost to a Jelly in Water, and put them into four Gallons of Ale; put in also four Pound of Raisins of the Sun stoned; infuse a Pound of Dates, Mace and Nutmegs of each two Ounces in a Quart of Canary, put them to the Ale; strain and squeeze out the Liquor, and put to it half a Pint of new Ale Yeast, let it work for a Day, you may drink it the next, but it is better the third Day; you may make it weaker by mingling it with plain Ale as you draw it, or you may put it into a Firkin of Ale. It is good against a Consumption, and to restore decay'd Nature.

Another Way. Parboil a young Cock, skin him, pound him in a Mortar, till you have broken all his Bones, put two Quarts of Canary to it, and let it infuse all Night, the next Morning put to it eight Gallons of Ale, and four Pounds of Raisins of the Sun, ston'd and bruis'd, and half a Pound of Dates ston'd cut to pieces, an Ounce of Cloves, and as much more bruis'd, and a quarter of a Pound of Nutmegs flic'd thin, stop these up close, and let them stand for a Week; then boil it up, and put a Lump of fine Sugar into each Bottle, it will be fit to drink in eight or ten Days.
---The cooks and confectioners dictionary. J. Nott, 1723.

About Sunday 1 February 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"This day Creed and I walking in White Hall garden did see the King coming privately from my Lady Castlemaine’s; which is a poor thing for a Prince to do"

Two weeks ago (12 Jan.) SP and Sandwich were walking in the same garden when Sandwich was summoned by the king from inside Castlemaine's lodging. Sandwich requested his silence about the summons and Sam later expressed his displeasure in his diary.

Sam might want to stay out of that garden.

About Monday 26 January 1662/63

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“and will not suffer one pasquill to come forth against him”

PASQUIL, a Statue in Rome, upon which Satyrical Papers are usually fix’d, and fathered on him as the Author; a slanderous Libel posted up for public View.
PASQUINADE, a Satyrical Invective or Libel.
---An Universal English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1724.

About Friday 23 January 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"and they sent for up"

Tonyel and Terry, a very good question! Google Books finds the phrase "sent for up" used frequently through the 19th century and seldom in the 20th. "Send for up" is used much less frequently. Sometimes the meaning is clear but often puzzling. For example:

"His Majesty went to the House of Peers, and the Commons being sent for up, and attending..."

seems to mean the Commons were invited to the House of Peers. The "up" usually seems to indicate movement to somewhere important. I think.

"the condemned Popish Priests, sent for up to London from the several County Goals"

About Saturday 24 January 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"[In earlier days Pepys noted for us each few pounds or shillings of graft which he annexed at each transaction in his office.]"

The earlier annotators were a little rough on Henry Wheatley for this "annotation," surprisingly so to me since I remember no other case of Wheatley offering censure of Pepys.

The sentence appearing in square brackets does NOT appear in the 1893 edition digitized by Project Gutenberg, or in any other Wheatley edition of the Diary that I could discover on Google Books. It does appear in the Project Gutenberg digitization and may have been added by D.W., who, as Phil notes, "is David Widger, who produced the electronic text," and who added a few footnotes of his own. In this case quite gratuitously.

Here is Phil's information about the text used on this site: http://www.pepysdiary.com/about/t…

About St Dunstan-in-the-East

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The church, previous to the Great Fire, had a high leaden steeple, and was, when seen from a distance, one of the most striking of the City churches. When Wren restored it, for it was not altogether destroyed in the Fire, he made an incongruous mixture of several kinds of architecture. The body of the church having become dilapidated was taken down, and the first stone of the present building laid, November 26, 1817. It is a very poor imitation Gothic building, quite unworthy of the tower and spire, which is 166 feet 11 inches high to the top of the ball, to which it is attached.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Monday 19 January 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"the walls done with Dutch tiles, like my chimnies."

Azulejo, a Dutch tile glazed, such as we use to adorn the sides of chimneys, or such places.
Proverb: Nunca haras casa con azuejos: You'll ne'er build a house adorn'd with Dutch tiles. As is used in Spain for coolness, to set them about the walls high as we usually wainscot, when room is to be hung. The sense of proverb is, You'll never thrive, or be a rich man.
[Azul is, of course, Spanish for blue.]
---A new dictionary Spanish and english. J. Stevens, 1726.

The ancient Dutch Tiles were us'd for Chimney Foot Paces; they were painted with Antick Figures, and frequently with Postures of Soldiers, sometimes with Compartments, and sometimes with Moresque Devices; but fell far short, both as to the Design, and the Colours of the Modern ones.
The Modern Flemish Tiles are commonly us'd plaster'd up in the Jaumbs of Chimneys, instead of Chimney Corner-Stones. These Tiles are better glaz'd and such as are painted (for some are only white) are done with more curious Figures, and more lively Colours than the ancient ones.
---The Builder's Dictionary Or Gentleman and Architect's Companion. A. Bettesworth, 1734.

About Elizabeth Stanhope (Countess of Chesterfield, b. Butler)

Bill  •  Link

The scandalous chronicles of those times charge her husband, the Earl of Chesterfield, with having caused her to take the sacrament upon her innocence, respecting any intimacy with the Duke of York, and having then bribed his chaplain to put poison into the sacramental cup, of which she died. His son, Lord Stanhope, by his third wife (father of Lord Chesterfield the author), married Gertrude Saville, daughter of the Marquis of Halifax. The marquis and earl quarrelled, and the latter made his son bring his wife to Litchfield, breaking off all intercourse between the families. Lady Stanhope had always on her toilet her father's " Advice to a Daughter:" her father-in-law took it up one day, and wrote on the title-page, "Labour in vain." On her side, the lady made her servant out of livery carry in his pocket a bottle of wine, another of water, and a cup; and whenever she dined or supped in company with her father-in-law, either at his own house or abroad, she never would drink but of those liquors from her servant's hand, as a hint to the earl, and society present, of what his lordship was suspected of having effected by a sacred beverage.
---Walpoliana. Horace Walpole, 1830.

About Elizabeth Stanhope (Countess of Chesterfield, b. Butler)

Bill  •  Link

Lady Chesterfield's retirement (or banishment) took place in 1662; about a year afterwards she gave birth to a daughter, and thenceforward her time was spent entirely at Bretby, if not happily, at least irreproachably. She died in 1665, before she had completed her 25th year. Her infant daughter, Lady Elizabeth Stanhope, was educated by her grandmother, the excellent Duchess of Ormond, and afterwards married John Lyon, Fourth Earl of Strathmore.
---The Beauties of the Court of Charles the Second. A. Jameson, 1833.

About Thomas Povey

Bill  •  Link

POVEY, THOMAS (fl. 1633-1685), civil servant; sat in the Long parliament as M.P., Liskeard, 1647; M.P., Bossiney, 1659; after the Restoration was much favoured at court; held many offices and was a master of requests from 1662 till the accession of James II; friend of Evelyn and Pepys.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Monday 19 January 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"I told him the complaints I meet every day about our Treasurer’s or his people’s paying no money"

Rather than paying the sailors with money they have been (and will be) paid with a "ticket" (an IOU) that can be redeemed at a appropriate office in London. At some future date. Probably. The last reference to this practice was this past Jan. 2 ("Sir W. Batten was paying off tickets") and there will be many mentions of tickets in the future. The sailors have no option but to sell the tickets at a discount to whomever will give them ready cash. Undoubtedly "Maynell the Goldsmith" will have the influence to redeem these tickets at a profit from the Treasury.

All such references can be found under the encyclopedia entry for: Ticket http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

About China alehouse

Bill  •  Link

To make China-Ale
TO six Gallons of Ale, take a Quarter of a Pound or more of China-root thin sliced, and a Quarter of a Pound of Coriander Seed bruised; hang these in a Tiffany or coarse-Linnen bag in the Vessel, till it has done working, and let it stand fourteen Days before you bottle it; tho' the common Sort vended about Town, is nothing more (at best) than Ten Shilling Beer, put up in small stone Bottles, with a little Spice, Lemmon peel, and Raisins or Sugar.
---The London and country brewer. W. Ellis, 1737

About Capt. Thomas Teddeman

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TEDDEMAN, Sir THOMAS (d. 1668?), vice-admiral; rear-admiral in the action off Lowestoft, 1665; knighted, 1665; present at the attack on Bergen and capture of Dutch ships, 1665; vice-admiral in the fight, 1-4 June 1665; vice-admiral of the white, 1666.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Tuesday 13 January 1662/63

Bill  •  Link

"this day’s feast will cost me near 5l."

At the end of this month SP will declare his worth at 640l. so this meal represents almost 1% of that.

Two of those silly historical monetary equivalent calculators give about 670l. and $1000 in current value. In any case SP spent a lot of money for this meal for 8.