Bill

Annotations and comments

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

Comments

Second Reading

About Sunday 12 January 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"I being troubled to hear my wife rate though not without cause at her mayd Nell"

To RATE, to reprove or chide.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

The word "berate" is not listed in this dictionary.

About Friday 10 January 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"to meet my wife at Mrs. Hunt’s to gossip with her"

GOSSIP, a God Father or Mother in Baptism.
A GOSSIPING, a merry Meeting of Gossips at a Woman's Lying in.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Guernsey

Bill  •  Link

The "Guernsey" (previously the "Basing") was a fifth-rate of twenty-two guns, built at Walderwick in 1654 by Jonas Shish ("Archaeologia," xlviii. 174).
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Capt. John Graunt

Bill  •  Link

John Graunt, born in Birchin Lane, London, April 24th, 1620, bound apprentice to a haberdasher. He obtained for his friend Petty the professorship of music at Gresham College. He was captain of train-bands for several years. He was bred a Puritan, but turned a Socinian, and lastly became a Roman Catholic. F.R.S., February, 1661-62. He was recommended by the king, and Dr. Sprat writes, in his "History of the Royal Society": — "In whose election it was so farr from being a prejudice that he was a shopkeeper of London, that his Majesty gave this particular charge to his Society, that if they found any more such tradesmen, they should be sure to admit them all, without any more ado." He published his "Natural and Political Observations upon the Bills of Mortality" in 1662, and this book, which laid the foundation of the science of statistics, went through several editions during his lifetime. Afterwards it was edited and improved by Sir William Petty, who sometimes spoke of it as his own, which gave rise to Burnet's erroneous statement that he published his 'Observations on the Bills of Mortality' in the name of one Grant, a Papist." Graunt died at his house in Birchin Lane, April 18th, 1674.
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Sir John Lewis

Bill  •  Link

He was one of the commissioners sent to Breda to desire Charles II. to return to England immediately, when he was knighted. He was afterwards created a baronet.
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Pink

Bill  •  Link

PINK, a sort of little sailing Ship
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Sunday 16 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"The Duke took very civil notice of me. So walked home, calling at Tom’s, giving him my resolution about my boy’s livery."

If the Duke notices one, perhaps it is time to dress up the servants. Sam's ascent in his world is accelerating,

About Sunday 16 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"Here the King and Duke came to see their fowl play"

Water-fowl appear to have been kept in St. James's Park from the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but the ponds were replenished after the Restoration.
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Moorfields

Bill  •  Link

Moorfields were first drained in 1527, and walks were laid out in 1606. In the following year Richard Johnson wrote "The Pleasant Walks of Moore fields."
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Saturday 1 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

Genest gives the cast, on the authority of Downes, as follows ("English Stage," vol. i., p. 42): Romeo — Harris, Mercutio — Betterton, Juliet — Mrs. Saunderson. The Hon. James Howard turned Shakespeare's tragedy into a tragi-comedy, and apparently introduced a new character, Count Paris's wife, which was taken by Mrs. Holden. But this apparently was produced at a later date, when, according to Downes, Shakespeare's original and Howard's travesty were acted alternately.
---Wheatley, 1899.

About Sunday 30 March 1662

Bill  •  Link

"This does not accord with the certificate which Dr. Mines wrote in 1681, where he says that Pepys was a constant communicant. See Life of Pepys in vol. i."

This footnote is taken from the "Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith" (v.1, 1854) which includes the wording of the certificate on page xxxiii.

About Tansy

Bill  •  Link

A kind of sweet dish made of eggs, cream, &c., flavoured with the juice of tansy, which is a species of odorous herb.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Monday 24 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"and to bring her a pair of peruques of hair"

PERUKE, a Cap of false Hairs, a Periwig.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About John Okey

Bill  •  Link

These three men [Berkstead, Cobbet and Okey] behaved with more moderation and submission than any of the other regicides, who had suffered. Okey in particular, at the place of execution, prayed for the King, and expressed his intention, had he lived, of submitting peaceably to the established government. He had risen during the wars from being a chandler in London to a high rank in the army; and in all his conduct appeared to be of a man of humanity and honour. In consideration of his good character and of his dutiful behaviour, his body was given his friends to be buried.
---The history of England. David Hume, 1763.

About Wednesday 12 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

A bit of a black-ops extraordinary rendition for the regicides:

Berkstead, Cobbet, and Okey, three regicides, had escaped beyond sea; and after wandering some time concealed in Germany, came privately to Delft, having appointed their families to meet them in that place. They were discovered by Downing, the King's resident in Holland, who had formerly served the Protector and Commonwealth in the same station, and who once had even been Chaplain to Okey's regiment. He applied to the States for a warrant to arrest them. It had been usual for the States to grant these warrants; though at the same time, they had ever been careful secretly to advertise the persons, that they might be enabled to make their escape. This precautlon was eluded by the vigilance and dispatch of Downing. He quickly seized the criminals, hurried them on board a frigate which lay off the coast, and sent them to England.
---The history of England. David Hume, 1763.

About Saturday 8 March 1661/62

Bill  •  Link

"my Lady Monk hath disposed of all the places which Mr. Edwd. Montagu hoped to have had, as he was Master of the Horse to the Queen"

She is called in the State Poems "the Monkey Duchess." The Duke was Master of the Horse to the King.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Hugh Peters

Bill  •  Link

PETERS or PETER, HUGH (1598-1660), independent divine; son of Thomas Dyckwoode, alias Peters; M.A. Trinity College, Cambridge, 1622; lecturer at St. Sepulchre's, London, but (c.1629) proceeded to Holland and (1635) became minister at Salem, Massachusetts; took a leading part in ecclesiastical matters; rebuked the governor, Henry Vane, for intervening in church matters; took a warm interest in the foundation of the colony of Connecticut, and intervened between the English settlers and the Dutch; returned to England (1641) and became prominent in controversy, war, and politics; his sermons were valuable in winning recruits to the parliamentary army, and his relations of battles and sieges are a semiofficial supplement to the generals' reports; influential among the independents; regarded with aversion by the presbyterians; acted with the army during its quarrel with parliament; accompanied Cromwell to Ireland, 1649; present at the battle of Worcester, 1650: made a chaplain to the council of state, 1650, and during the protectorate acted as a regular preacher at Whitehall; endeavoured, 1652-3, to put an end to the war with the Dutch, but after the death of the Protector took little part in public affairs; executed at Charing Cross, 16 Oct. 1660, as an abettor of the execution of Charles I.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

About Robert Creighton

Bill  •  Link

CREIGHTON or CRICHTON, ROBERT (1593-1672), bishop of Bath and Wells; educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Cambridge; M.A., 1621; professor of Greek, 1625-39; public orator, 1627-39; prebendary of Lincoln, 1631; dean of St. Burians, Cornwall, 1637; chaplain to Charles I; dean of Wells; restored Wells Cathedral; signalised himself by his outspokenness on the sins of Charles II's court; bishop of Bath and Wells, 1670; translated Sguropulus, 1660.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.