Tea at Trianon

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, April 28, 2024

Barnwell Manor

From House and Garden:

The property went on the market in the latter stages of 2022 and has taken some time to sell, but the Duke himself has not lived there since 1995, due to the cost of maintaining the estate. Instead, he gave it over to Windsor antiques for tenancy and moved back to Kensington Palace, which has been the Gloucester's primary residence ever since. Barnwell Manor itself has 40 rooms, including a wood-panelled study, jolly green reception room, complete with ornate cornicing and intricately pelmeted curtains, and a glorious library with chintz curtains that suit the mood of the house. The decorative plasterwork throughout is a marvel, as are the beautifully mullioned windows and perfect country house interiors that are in excellent condition. While nothing is currently known about the new owners, they join a long line of illustrious names, from Prince Philip's private secretary Sir Brian McGrath to Prince Henry, the custodian who brought it into the royal family's tenure. It is a considerable property with a long line of history and immaculately restored interiors, so the hope is that whoever is next to take it on retains that same charm and period character. (Read more.)

We’re in a Violent Crime Spike

Glenn Loury & Charles Fain Lehman on The Glenn Show

Meanwhile, In Talbot County...(Part2)

From The Easton Gazette:

People send me text messages and emails throughout the week about matters of note, and this week I was perturbed to receive notice of "Big A*s Drag Bunch" at the Talbot County Community Center on May 12, 2024 from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. Now if such an event were occurring from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am at an adult venue in downtown Easton, I would not care. But why is a Drag Queen show occurring in the afternoon at a building surrounded by corn fields that belongs to Talbot Parks and Recreation and therefore is a place for the benefit of families? According to the EventBrite page:

Get ready for a fabulous time at the Big A*s Drag Brunch! Join us at Talbot County Parks & Recreation for a morning [?] filled with entertainment, delicious food, and unforgettable performances. Our talented drag queens will dazzle you with their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Bring your friends and family for a fun-filled event that you won't want to miss!

Bottomless mimosas are also being offered as well. (Read more.)

15th-century Heart-shaped Brooch

From the Victoria and Albert Museum:

This heart-shaped brooch with its romantic inscription was given as a token of love. It would have been used to fasten a tunic, gown or cloak. Gold was the most costly of metals, generally used only by royalty and the nobility. It is inscribed and would have formerly been enamelled on the reverse in French, in black letter script, ‘Ourselves and all things at your whim’ ('Nostre et tout ditz a vostre desier'). The design on the front of the brooch, possibly stylised leaves and flowers or feathers, would also have been colourfully enamelled.

Ring brooches often fastened garments with a slit at the neck. Both men and women used them. They first pulled the fabric through the ring. They then pushed the pin horizontally through the fabric. When they pulled the fabric back through the ring, it held the pin in place. (Read more.)

Can Ignorant, Anti-Israel College Students Even Find Gaza on a Map?

Megyn Kelly is joined by Heather Mac Donald, author of "When Race Trumps Merit,” to discuss uneducated students unsure of what they’re even protesting, the ignorance of our next generation, and more.

The 49th Parallel (1941)

From Word and Song by Anthony Esolen:

Our Film of the Week, The 49th Parallel, was intended as a plea for help, from one friend to another. That is, the English, who of course had all the nations of the Commonwealth on their side, including that grand and unique nation of Canada, wanted the Americans to enter the war against the Nazi regime. Goebbels, misunderstanding quite badly both American feelings and American affection for our cousins across the ocean, thought that he could win the United States over to the German side.

By the time The 49th Parallel had made its way to the screen, however, the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States was in the war on both fronts. So the immediate political use to which the director, Michael Powell, and the screenplay writer Emeric Pressburger wished to put the film had already been accomplished. And yet the film is quite moving and powerful as a tribute to the kind of nation that the Canadians wanted to be, at their best, and also as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation for their southern neighbor. For, as the voice-over says at the beginning of the film, the forty-ninth parallel is unique in the world. It is merely a line on the map, well over a thousand miles long. It marks no river or mountain range. It is undefended. It requires no defense. And my family and I speak now from over twenty years of experience: we love Canada, and though we see that the people of each nation think they know more about their neighbors than they really do, we are always struck by the welcome we receive there, and the good cheer of the people, especially of the common folk who live far from the cosmopolitan cities. (Read more.)

Debauve & Gallais

A 200-year-old French chocolatier. Chocolate was once seen as medicinal. From Atlas Obscura:

WHEN SULPICE DEBAUVE STARTED SELLING chocolate in 18th century Paris, he touted the exotic import as medicinal. Debauve was a trained pharmacist, and, not incidentally, a “lumière,” one of Voltaire’s enlightened who saw science as the future. He used the utile dulci (useful sweet) to help the French Queen, Marie-Antoinette, cure her headaches.

In the process he revolutionized French chocolate. At the time, cacao was largely consumed as a beverage, one which Marie Antoinette had been drinking since her childhood in Vienna. Debauve mixed drinking chocolate with sweet almond milk and the bitter headache powder he concocted for her, then molded the mixture into disks and allowed it to solidify. The queen named these chocolates Pistoles after their resemblance to gold coins. (Read more.)