Tea at Trianon: Forward Boldly

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, October 20, 2012

Forward Boldly

Tonight I will be interviewed by Christine Niles of Forward Boldly on Blog Talk Radio at 10pm Eastern Time. We will be discussing Marie-Antoinette and her family and other topics as well. To join the discussion, please call (626) 226-1464. If you miss the live broadcast then you can still listen to it, HERE. Share

5 comments:

May said...: Loved listening to it! Thank you!!; October 20, 2012 at 11:10:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, my dear! It was great fun! Doesn't Christine have a wonderful broadcast!; October 20, 2012 at 11:17:00 PM EDT
May said...: Yes, she does! I was wanting to call in, but it was all flowing so well I hesitated to interrupt.; October 20, 2012 at 11:33:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I think we ran out of time anyway. There was so much to talk about! And Christine is so knowledgeable.; October 20, 2012 at 11:43:00 PM EDT
julygirl said...: Beautiful talk and fascinating details. Description of Louis death brought tears to my eyes. Does such nobililty exist anymore?; October 22, 2012 at 2:20:00 PM EDT