Bill

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

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Second Reading

About Sir George Downing

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DOWNING, Sir GEORGE, first baronet (1623?-1684), soldier and politician; second graduate of Harvard College; scout-master-general of Cromwell's army in Scotland, 1650; M.P. for Edinburgh, 1654, for Carlisle and Haddington boroughs, 1656; headed movement for offering crown to Cromwell; sent to remonstrate with Louis XIV on Vaudois massacre, 1655; resident at the Hague, 1657, 1659, and 1660; teller of the exchequer, 1660; procured the arrest of three regicides, Barkstead, Okey, and Corbet, at Delft, 1662; created baronet, 1663; began the custom of the appropriation of supplies during the Dutch war, which he promoted, 1665; M.P., Morpeth, 1669-70; resident at the Hague, 1671; compelled by his unpopularity to leave the Hague, 1672. Colbert called him 'le plus grand querelleur des diplomates de son temps.'
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Cheapside

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Cheapside, originally Cheap, or West Cheap, a street between the Poultry and St Paul's, a portion of the line from Charing Cross to the Royal Exchange, and from Holborn to the Bank of England.

At the west end of this Poultry and also of Bucklesbury, beginneth the large street of West Cheaping, a market-place so called, which street stretcheth west till ye come to the little Conduit by Paul's Gate. --Stow, p 99
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Bacon

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BACON, Hog's Flesh salted and dried
BACO, a fat Hog or Bacon Hog
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675

About Saturday 22 March 1661/62

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"We had a very fine dinner, and all our wives’ healths, with seven or nine guns apiece; and exceeding merry we were ... having drank a great deal of wine."

GUN, a great Flagon for Drink.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675

About Sunday 16 March 1661/62

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"an hour or two in the Park, which is now very pleasant. Here the King and Duke came to see their fowl play"

The fate of things lies always in the dark;
What Cavalier would know St. James's Park?
For Locket's stands where gardens once did spring,
And wild ducks quack where grasshoppers did sing.
---The Poetical Works of Dr. William King. W. King, 1781.

About New Spring Garden, Vauxhall

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After the Restoration the Spring Garden at Charing Cross was called the Old Spring Garden, the ground built upon, and the entertainments removed to the New Spring Garden at Lambeth, since called Vauxhall. Pepys preferred the new Spring Garden to the old one.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Old Spring Garden, Vauxhall

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After the Restoration the Spring Garden at Charing Cross was called the Old Spring Garden, the ground built upon, and the entertainments removed to the New Spring Garden at Lambeth, since called Vauxhall. Pepys preferred the new Spring Garden to the old one.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Vauxhall Manor

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Tradition has associated the name of Guido Fawkes with Vauxhall, but it is certain that he never had any connection with the place. It appears, however, that a house or store by the waterside at Vauxhall was hired by Robert Kayes, who was hanged and quartered along with Fawkes, Rookwood and Winter in Old Palace Yard, January 31, 1606. This house, which stood on a part of the present Nine Elms Station of the South-Western Railway, "was casually burnt down to the ground by powder" in 1634.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Sunday 16 March 1661/62

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"Drinking of cold small beer here I fell ill"

But for the Brewing of Small-Beer, or common Ale, take something above the quantity of a Barrel of Water scalding hot, which put into your Mashing-tub alone; let it cool 'till you can see your Face in it, and put to it four Bushels of Malt, pouring of it in by degrees, and stirring of it well: Let it stand on the Malt two Hours then draw it off, and let it boil an Hour and an half in Summer, or an Hour in Winter; and when it is boiled enough, it will look curdled. Of this first Wort you may make a Barrel of Ale: After this is boiled, scald about a Barrel of Water more, and put it upon your Malt, letting it stand an Hour and an half: This draw off, and put the same quantity of hot Water on again, observing the same Rules, as before directed, of this you may make an Hogshead of Small-Beer.
---The Whole Art of Husbandry. J. Mortimer, 1716.

About Saturday 15 March 1661/62

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"Troubled at my maid’s being ill"

I think the reason he's troubled is that people died rather often in his time and place from diseases that seemed inconsequential. Until they weren't.

About Tuesday 11 March 1661/62

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"all the afternoon rummaging of papers"

To RUMMAGE, to remove any Goods or Luggage from one Place to another, to clear a Ship's Hold of Goods.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675

About St James's Palace

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James's (St.) Palace, an irregular brick building, the only London Palace of our Sovereigns from the period of the fire at Whitehall in the reign of William III. to the occupation of Buckingham Palace by George IV. It was first made a manor 1528 by Henry VIII., and was previously a hospital dedicated to St. James, and founded for fourteen sisters, "maidens that were leprous." When Henry altered or rebuilt it (it is uncertain which), he annexed the present park, closed it about with a wall of brick, and thus connected the manor of St. James's with the manor or palace of Whitehall. Little remains of the old palace except the brick gatehouse facing towards St. James's Street, part of what has since been called the Chapel Royal, and the initials H. A. (Henry and Anne Boleyn) in the chimney-piece of the old Presence Chamber.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

About Asparagus

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Des asperges au jus clair.
Asparagus with clear gravy.

For this trim and scrape your grass neat and clean, set them over the fire in but little cold water and salt: the reason of this is, the French prefer a crispness and yellow in asparagus and French beans, to what we are always in so much care to make green and tender; but they eat it (as they do many other vegetables) for a hot sallet; boil your grass but a little time, and serve them to table with nothing but gravy and the juice of oranges or lemons. French beans whole are done in the same manner frequently.
---A Complete System of Cookery. W. Verral, 1759.

(Exactly the way I cook them, nothing worse than tender asparagus, but mine are indeed always green.)

About Prince Rupert

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RUPERT, Prince, Count Palatine Of Rhine and Duke Of Bavaria, afterwards Duke Of Cumberland and Earl Of Holderness (1619-1682), third son of Elizabeth, queen of Bohemia, and Frederick V, elector palatine; born at Prague; served as volunteer under Prince of Orange in invasion of Brabant, 1635; came to England, and was created M.A. Oxford, 1636; at siege of Breda, 1637; captured during invasion of Westphalia, 1638; released, 1641; in England, 1642: appointed by Charles I general of the horse; gained, at Worcester, 1642, first victory of tha war; commanded right wing of Charles I's horse at Edgehill, 1642; took Cirencester; unsuccessfully attempted Bristol, March 1643; took Birmingham, April 1643; gained victory at Chalgrove Field, June 1643; forced capitulation of Bristol, July 1643; at Newbury, September 1643; created Earl of Holderness and Duke of Cumberland, January 1644; relieved Newark, March 1644; defeated parliamentarians at Stockport, May 1644; captured Liverpool, June 1644; failed to relieve York, and was defeated with Newcastle at Marston Moor, June 1644; appointed general, 1644; suppressed rising in Wales, February 1645; relieved Chester; took Leicester, May 1645; distinguished himself at Naseby, where royalists were defeated, June 1645; occupied Bristol; urged Charles I to make peace, July 1645; surrendered Bristol to Fairfax (September), and was deprived of commissions (October); in siege of Oxford, and on its capitulation ordered (January 1646) to leave England; went to St. Germain, July 1646; appointed mareschal-de-camp, with command of English troops in French service; accompanied Prince Charles to Holland, 1648; commanded fleet sent to assist Ormonde in Ireland, 1649; relieved Scilly isles; blockaded by Blake at mouth of Tagus, 1650; escaped to Mediterranean, made piratical cruise, and reached Barbados, 1652; returned to France, 1653; in Germany, 1654-60; returned to England, 1660; privy councillor, and commissioner for government of Tangier, 1662; one of the patentees of Royal African Company, 1663; admiral of white under Duke of York at Solebay, 1665; shared command with Monck against Dutch, 1666; held command at Woolwich, 1667; constable of Windsor Castle, 1668; received charter for Hudson Bay Company, 1670; vice-admiral of England on outbreak of second Dutch war, 1672; general on sea and land, and, later, admiral of fleet, 1673; fought unsuccessful battles off
Schoneveldt and Texel; first lord of the admiralty, 1673-1679. Buried in Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster; his portrait painted by Lely.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Sunday 25 May 1662

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Farthingales had gone out of fashion in England during the reign of Charles I., and therefore their use by the Portuguese ladies astonished the English. Evelyn also remarks in his Diary on this ugly custom (May 30th, 1662).
---Wheatley, 1899.

[May] 30 The Queene arivd, with a traine of Portugueze Ladys in their mostrous fardingals or Guard-Infantas: Their complexions olivaster, & sufficiently unagreable: Her majestie in the same habit, her foretop long & turned aside very strangely: She was yet of the handsomest Countenance of all the rest, & tho low of stature pretily shaped, languishing & excellent Eyes, her teeth wronging her mouth by stiking a little too far out: for the rest sweete & lovely enough: This day was solemnly kept the Anniversary of his Majesties Birth, & restauration: Dr. Alestree preaching in the Chapell:
http://www.gyford.com/archive/200…

About Dulcimer

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The hammered dulcimer is still a southern Appalachian bluegrass instrument, as a search of YouTube will uncover. Here's a short video of a tune made famous by the Carter Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R…

About John Lacy

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LACY, JOHN (d. 1681), dramatist and comedian; attached to Charles II's (Killigrew's) company of actors; his acting commended by Pepys and Evelyn; his best play 'The Old Troop, or Monsieur Raggou,' written before 1665 (printed, 1672); the original Bayes of the 'Rehearsal,' 1671.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Wednesday 21 May 1662

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"she, being with child, was said to be heaviest"

Charles Fitzroy, Lady Castlemaine's son by the King, was born in June, 1662; created Duke of Southampton, 1675; succeeded his mother as Duke of Cleveland in 1709, and died September 9th, 1730.
---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.