Tea at Trianon: Thirty Days Prayer to Saint Joseph

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Thirty Days Prayer to Saint Joseph

Today begins the Thirty Days Prayer to Saint Joseph, in preparation for his feast on March 19. It is also about a month away from Saint Patrick's day. (We celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with an octave at our house.) I will be posting some articles about Irish history and culture over the next few weeks.

Does anyone know anything about the Ask Sister Mary Martha blog? I cannot tell if she is for real or not but it is certainly enjoyable to read what she has to say. "Life is tough. But Nuns are tougher." Isn't that the truth! Share

2 comments:

elena maria vidal said...: That was what I thought, too. It is really hilarious to read!; February 19, 2007 at 7:24:00 AM EST
Gerry said...: Hey! I loved the way you concluded your post , that's real funny :D.....and yes do drop by my blog to check out some funny jokes that you can crack this St. patrick's Day.; February 23, 2007 at 6:29:00 AM EST