Shorthand is a system of graphical notation making it possible to record speech at greater speed than by normal writing. Early systems were developed by the Greeks and Romans. Modern shorthand was first developed in England in 1588 by Timothy Bright. Thomas Shelton developed a system employed by Samuel Pepys in 1630. The idea of using sound instead of an alphabet as the basis for a shorthand system was introduced by William Tiffin in 1750. The Pitman system of shorthand, a phonographic system invented by Sir Isaac Pitman, first appeared in 1837 and is widely used today, being quite capable of 250 words a minute. Research Shorthand
An actress is a female dramatic performer (actor). A woman who performs in plays. Samuel Pepys, a keen spectator of plays, describes first seeing women performing in a play - 'Beggars Bush' which had previously opened in Autumn 1660 with an all-male cast - in early January 1661, previous to that date, in England and western Europe, the parts of women in plays were played by men. Research Actress
John Evelyn was an English diarist and friend of Samuel Pepys. He was born in 1620 at Wotton in Surrey and died in 1706. After completing his course at Oxford he studied law at the Middle Temple, visited various parts of the Continent, and in 1659 took the royal side in the English Civil War. He published numerous works, amongst which are Sculptura, or the History and Art of Chalcography; Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest Trees; treatises on gardening, architecture, etc. But by far his most important work is his memoirs, comprehending a diary and correspondence, which are interesting contributions to the history of the time. Research John Evelyn
Samuel Pepys was an English civil servant and staunchRoyalist, renowned for his diary. He was born in 1633 at London and died in 1703. He entered the navy office in 1660, a few months after starting his diary. He was appointed secretary to the Admiralty in 1672, imprisoned in the tower of London with loss of office in 1679 on suspicion of being connected with the Popish Plot - no formal charges were ever brought against him, he was reinstated in 1684, and finally deprived at the 1688 Revolution when he retired to Clapham. His diary was discontinued in 1669 as he thought his sight was failing, and was written in a personal version of Shelton's shorthand, and was not deciphered until 1825 - and then only transcribed in a censored edition. In 1970 his diary, all twelve volumes and 1.3 million words was finally transcribed in its entirety. His diary is unrivalled for its intimacy and the human picture it presents of daily life in the 17th century, much of which is disturbing by modern standards, Pepys having no qualms about recording details of the executions he witnessed, and the adulterous affairs that appear to have been the norm. Research Samuel Pepys
Nell Gwynn (real name Eleanor Gwynn) was an English actress and a mistress of King Charles II. She was born in 1650 and died in 1687. She was at first an orange girl in Drury Lane Theatre, At a young age she took to the stage, her first performance being in 1665 in The Indian Emperor of Dryden. She acted in many parts both in tragedy and comedy, though she was best in comic parts. About 1667 she became the mistress of Lord Buckhurst, who surrendered her about 1670 to the king. As mistress of the king she had an establishment, and was made lady of the privy chamber to Queen Catharine. She was merry and open-hearted, is said to have been faithful to Charles II, was mindful of old friends, and a liberal patroness of the poets Dryden, Lee, Otway, and Butler. From her are sprung the dukes of St. Albans, but she herself received no title. She is repeatedly spoken of in Samuel Pepys's Diary. Research Nell Gwynn
Infertility is the inability of a couple to produce children. The causes of infertility are numerous, and many strange suggestions have over the years been made as to how best to deal with the matter. In 1664 Samuel Pepys records in his diary the ten points of advice given to him by women in response to his questioning on how he and his wife could achieve children:
1) Do not hug the wife too hard or too much. 2) Do not eat a late supper. 3) Drink sage juice. 4) Be attentive to and praise his wife. 5) Wear cool holland-drawers (loose fitting underpants) 6) Keep the stomach warm and the back cool. 7) Make love when you feel like it. 8) The wife not to 'go too straight-laced', though whether this applied to not wearing tight corsets, or being more liberal and less prudish in love making and relationships with other men is unclear (adultery was very much a way of life in 17th century London). 9) The man to drink mum (a kind of beer) mixed with sugar. 10) To sleep with the feet raised and head lowered.
Since Samuel Pepys received such frank advice science has discovered that hot, tight clothing constricting the testicles does reduce the potency of the semen. Research Infertility
Abbreviations
Research Shorthand
