Tea at Trianon: A Cottage in the Desert

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 8, 2011

A Cottage in the Desert

Having a house in the wilderness is my Carmelite fantasy. Share

7 comments:

The North Coast said...: Charming house in romantic setting, but arid locales with perpetual water shortages scare me.

I really like living a block and a half from 5% of the world's fresh water supply and 20% of that of the U.S.- namely, Lake Michigan. All I need is a water treatment kit of the type that can process 16 gallons a day, and I at least have a water supply for rough times.

For Survival Living, look at all these battered Great Lakes cities like Cleveland and Detroit, where beautiful houses are being almost given away. These places will experience dramatic revivals in the next couple of decades as water and fuel become more expensive and scarce.

I wish I could BUY the whole city of Detroit or Cleveland for my sister's kids, who will live long enough to benefit.; January 8, 2011 at 9:05:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: It's a shame what's happened to Detroit.....; January 8, 2011 at 9:07:00 AM EST
The North Coast said...: It's hard to believe what has happened to these Midwestern cities that were such powerhouses 50 years ago.

However, I think these cities will experience dramatic revivals, on a different template, because their denizens now know that there's no way the mid-20th century is ever coming back and they're going to have to do things differently. The way they've been doing things has failed so utterly they can't pretend it's ever going to work.

The rest of us might have several years of suffering before we, too, realize that Business As Usual is over. We're too successful for our own good- we see no need, yet, to change, and the examples of Detroit and Cleveland don't rattle our smug complacency because we can find a million reasons why we're different... but we really aren't.; January 8, 2011 at 2:01:00 PM EST
Lucy said...: Hi Elena- I hope all is well with you and your family- I haven't been around as much as I'd like to these days and I've missed you! the Cottage life has been a dream of mine for such a long time...I would revel in the peace, beauty and tranquility- in all seasons. Hugs,
Lucy; January 8, 2011 at 8:59:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I have missed you, too, Lucy. Hugs to you and I hope that all is well!; January 8, 2011 at 9:10:00 PM EST
Brian Miles said...: Not from Carmelite, but this captures well the draw of the cottage, and especially the cloistered or hermetical life:

"What does He do to a soul which He has chosen from all eternity to be entirely His? In the great majority of cases 'He leads her into solitude to speak to her heart': Ducam eam in solitudinem et loquar ad cor ejus. Just as a vineyard is enclosed with a hedge to protect it, so the Spouse encloses that soul in the cloister 'in the clefts of the rocks': in foraminibus petrae; the mysterious sepulchre which becomes the cradle of life; He hides her 'in the secret of His face'; in abscondito faciei suae: He makes her dwell in silence, so that she may be recollected, may hear His voice more easily, may please Him alone. He gives the Rule which at each instant shows His will; for light, the Holy Scriptures, which recount His history and reveal His love; He gives the Church for Mother. He confides to her His praises so that 'her voice sounds sweet in His ears' Sonet vox tua in auribus meis, vox enim tua dulcis; He makes her live again the cycle of His mysteries, and by His sacraments gives her sovereign power. Such are the means by which the Spouse establishes safeguards, maintains and augments the love and fidelity of His elect."
Blessed Columbia Marmion, Sponsa Verbi

P.S. I ordered Trianon over the weekend, can't wait to read it!; January 10, 2011 at 4:47:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Mr. Miles, that quote perfectly expresses what I wanted to say. Thank you and I know you will enjoy TRIANON!; January 10, 2011 at 6:26:00 PM EST