Bill

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

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Second Reading

About Tuesday 3 September 1661

Bill  •  Link

In the month since I posted above about the sign of the cross, I met a Presbyterian minister. He assured me that, to this day, Presbyterian ministers never make the sign of the cross.

About Puritanism

Bill  •  Link

Amidst that complication of disputes, in which men were then involved [during the reign of Charles I], we may observe, that the appellation puritan stood for three parties, which, though commonly united together, were yet actuated by very different views and motives. There were the political puritants, who maintained the highest principles of civil liberty; the puritans in discipline, who were averse to the ceremonies and episcopal government of the church; and the doctrinal puritans, who rigidly defended the speculative system of the first reformers.
---The History of England. David Hume, 1776.

About Friday 30 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"a son of my Lord Somersett, whom she knew in France, a pretty man"

A pretty man in England is a despicable character the words implying beauty of person with scarcely any other accomplishment; But in Scotland, it is often used in the sense of graceful, beautiful with dignity, or well-accomplised.
---Observations on the Scottish Dialect. J. Sinclair, 1782.

About Saturday 31 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"At Court things are in very ill condition, there being so much emulacion"

EMULATION, a striving to excel or go beyond another in any Thing, also envying or disdaining.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Ludgate

Bill  •  Link

Ludgate, is situated 797 feet south of Newgate, and according to Geffry of Monmouth, took its name from King Lud; but as that historian has justly forfeited all credit among the learned, his assertion has no weight; for it is certain that the ancient Britons had no walled towns. The name of this gate is therefore with much greater propriety derived from its situation near the rivulet Flood, Flud, Vloet, Fleote or Fleet, which ran into Fleet Ditch.
The present gate was erected in the year 1586, with the statue of Queen Elizabeth on the west front, and those of the pretended King Lud, and his two sons Androgeus and Theomantius or Temanticus on the east.
---London and Its Environs Described. R. Dodsley, 1761.

About Friday 30 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"I showed him no great countenance"

COUNTENANCE, Looks, Face, Visage, also Encouragement.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Tuesday 27 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"took leave of my Lord Hinchingbroke and his brother"
"we talked an hour about Mr. Edward Montagu’s disposing of the 5000l"

Because of annotations above we have these 2 differently named individuals linked to the same person: the 12/13 year old son of Sandwich. I think this is wrong just on the face of it. But there's more.

Was the son really given 5000l. to dispose of during his education abroad while under the supervision of his uncle? Maybe. What profit would "my lord" gain from this money?

How has the young son been referred to in the past? Before Oct. 1660 he is called "Mr. Edward,", Mr. Edward Montagu." After October the young son is consistently referred to by his new title: "Lord Hinchingbrooke." (8 times, twice more as "my young lord.") SP is almost always consistent in referring to individuals by their titles.

Who else is called "Mr. Edward Montagu?" Edward Mountagu (Ned) (the the first cousin twice removed of Sandwich.) http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… (8 times since the diary began.) Unfortunately the only 2 times he is mentioned in 1661 before today (in July) seem to have no relevance to the 5000l.

But. There is an overlooked "smoking gun."

"in his absence [Sandwich's absence] as to this great preparation, as I shall receive orders from my Lord Chancellor and Mr. Edward Montagu" on June 10, 1661.

"To Whitehall to my Lord’s, where I found Mr. Edward Montagu and his family come to lie during my Lord’s absence." on June 14, 1661.

In both cases the person linked to (without any contextual evidence) is Edward Mountagu (2nd Earl of Manchester, Lord Chamberlain) http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… (Sandwich's cousin) This Edward was mentioned 9 times earlier in the diary, always by title, never by the name Edward.

So, this "Mr. Edward Montagu" has a business and family link with Sandwich in June and is probably the "Mr. Edward Montagu" referred to today. It might be the Lord Chamberlain but internal evidence indicates Ned. It is not Lord Hinchingbrooke.

About Tuesday 3 September 1661

Bill  •  Link

George, above, suggests that the "things" that SP has acquired to "file papers on" are "bars that the papers or parchments were rolled on to." He seems to be closest to the idea of these definitions:

A FILE, a Wire, &c, upon which loose Papers are strung.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

FILE, A thread or wire, whereon Writs or other Exhibits in Courts and Offices are fastned, properly called Filed, for the more safe keeping them.
---Nomo-lexikon: A Law-dictionary. N. Blount, 1691

(In Latin: filum = thread)

About Thomas Somerset

Bill  •  Link

Lord John Somerset, second son of the first Marquis of Worcester, had himself three sons, Henry, Thomas, and Charles, but it is uncertain which is here meant. There was no other Lord Somerset to whom the passage could apply. It was probably Thomas, as the other brothers were married.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

About Sunday 25 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"a very good and pungent sermon of Mr. Mills, discoursing the necessity of restitution"

We don't know if Mr. Mills had any political allusions in his sermon, but I don't need to cite the dictionary to note that "restitution" and "restoration" are synonyms.

About Sunday 25 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

"to see how she will demean herself."

To DEMEAN, to carry or behave himself or act well or ill.
DEMEAN, Behaviour.
DEMEANOUR, Behaviour, Carriage.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Sunday 25 August 1661

Bill  •  Link

Nice point Mary K, and, reading between the lines, his mother is no push-over either.

About Friday 11 October 1661

Bill  •  Link

COD, a Husk or Shell; the Bag containing the Testicles of a Male; also a Kind of Sea-fish.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

About Friday 18 October 1661

Bill  •  Link

"been troubled with a tumor"

TUMOUR, a kind of swelling, caused by the settling of Humours in any Part of the Body
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

This dictionary defines many different kinds of tumours: natural, bastard, encysted, critical, malignant, pestilential, venereal.

About Friday 11 October 1661

Bill  •  Link

"with a cataplasm"

CATAPLASM, a Poultice of Herbs, Roots, Seeds, &c.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.