Tea at Trianon: Looking Ahead

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

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Looking Ahead

St. Valentine's day is just about a month away. Anyone who is searching for a special and romantic gift might want to visit some of the following sites for ideas. Tuccini has about every kind of perfume and fragrance in the world. For gifts of fine jewelry, there are some lovely inspirations HERE. As I used to tell customers when I worked at a jewelry store years ago that any piece of jewelry should be seen as an investment; it lasts forever and can become an heirloom. Like any gift, the true value lies in the love it represents; authentic love, of course, is beyond measure.

For those who are becoming engaged anytime soon, HERE is an article on the etiquette of giving and receiving an engagement ring.

(Artwork courtesy of Art Renewal) Share

1 comment:

Lucy said...: Hi! I just sent you a "Great Buddy" award, cause you really are a wonderful blogger friend. It's always a pleasure for me to read your comments;-); January 10, 2009 at 9:21:00 PM EST