Mary Ellen

Annotations and comments

Mary Ellen has posted 25 annotations/comments since 8 January 2016.

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Second Reading

About Wednesday 23 August 1665

Mary Ellen  •  Link

The word is out on this guy. Give him your female relatives for sex and he will consider getting a job for your male relative. Pretty disgusting. He was not above raping at least one of them to get what he wanted in the deal, either. He always got him pay, one way or another. Talk about keeping TALLY.... he did.

About Sunday 20 August 1665

Mary Ellen  •  Link

So, I am curious as to "I ‘light and paid off my post-horses, and so slipped on my shoes, and laid my things by" and does this mean that people took off their shoes while riding a horse?

About Thursday 12 May 1664

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Wanting or not wanting a child at that time might not have been the real issue. It might have been expected to have children and then surprising when it does not happen.

About Roll Call. Say hello!

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Greetings from Illinois. I am more or less speed reading thru this diary. I find this look into history interesting and appreciate the ability to review in this modern format. Thanks to Phil and the people who add background information to help understand the meanings of the terms used in that day.

About Monday 2 May 1664

Mary Ellen  •  Link

It would have been nice for him to share the gold with his wife. Giving her some for her family would have been the right thing to do, considering their circumstances.

About Sunday 10 April 1664

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Interesting that Sam finds out about Tom's child AFTER Tom is dead and unable to verify the claim. Knowing that the Pepys might have money to leave to an heir, and with no kids of their own, it is possible that the story was created just to get some money.

About Sunday 27 September 1663

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Seems simple in that he is feeling guilty for cheating on his wife... and he makes a direct connection between getting sick and when he was cheating. I am sure it is normal even today for people to assume that they are somehow getting 'punished' when they get sick. ("What did I do to deserve this?")

About Tuesday 26 May 1663

Mary Ellen  •  Link

It would be nice if people would stop excusing this couple on the pretense of them 'being so young' and 'only 30' and etc, etc. I do not see them as being so very young or that 8 years is such a large number between their two ages. I would offer, however, that since they both did get married fairly young... that they might not have had enough experience in how to handle jealousies that might arise between them. It is obvious to me that Sam is unable to control his imagination and refuses to bring it out into the open, to have it validated by his wife.

About Thursday 12 February 1662/63

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Kirk's Castile soap is available. It is apparently made with coconut oil. The wrapper says it has been around since 1839. As I recall it is a soap with no lather or nonsense. very basic

About Wednesday 7 January 1662/63

Mary Ellen  •  Link

"I also searched all the ships in the Wett Dock for fire, and found all in good order, it being very dangerous for the King that so many of his ships lie together there." I think it is obvious that he is referring to all the wooden ships being so close to each other in terms of a fire hazard. If one caught on fire, the entire fleet could burn. It is well explained and in one sentence.

About Monday 22 September 1662

Mary Ellen  •  Link

Not sure what is causing his abdominal discomfort. However, I have yet to hear of any version of portion control. I wonder how much food was acceptable to be eaten at a given meal. Did a person just eat whatever there was available? Sometimes I suspect he overate to the point of discomfort, which in itself could have led to stomach cramps.

About Monday 8 September 1662

Mary Ellen  •  Link

"and blocking up the house of office on the leads. "
"for he do not object against my having a door upon the leads, but that all my family should not make it a thoroughfare"

I laughed at this one. Sounds like he got the toilet clogged. Picturing SAM using the office to relieve himself after being so constipated as of late. Then too many people were using it. I used to hear 'do not make it a thouroughfare' and I understood it to be too many people going by.
He mentions three things. Blinding the light, blocking the 'toilet' and too much foot traffic. Blinding the light does not appear to be directly related to blocking the toilet.