|
|
The story of Diane de Poitiers should serve as an inspiration to all of us who feel not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be. Diane was born in 1499, the daughter of Jean de Poitiers and thus a member of a very ancient line. A beauty from a very young age, at 13 she married into another distinguished line when she became the spouse of Louis de Breze who was 39 years older than Diane and a grandson of Charles VII. When she and her husband came to the court of Francois I, she found herself immersed in the wonderful Renaissance atmosphere that she loved. This was a time when France was discovering the new wonders of art and architecture brought back to France by Francois I from his campaigns in Italy, where, of course, the Renaissance was in full swing. In 1531, her elderly husband died, but Diane remained at court. Whilst there she not surprisingly managed to attract the eye of young Henri later to became Henri II. Although she was in her 30s by then, and surrounded at court by many younger women, she was considered to be one of the outstanding court beauties. Shortly before Henri's arranged marriage to Catherine de Medicis in 1533, Diane became his mistress. Henri was only 14.
At the time of Henri's marriage to Catherine she herself was something of a looker and she was 18 years younger than Diane. In spite of this, Henri seemed to try to avoid Catherine as much as he could, continuing to pursue his interest in Diane. Catherine de Medicis did not take kindly to her husband's interest in Diane who was officially acknowledged as his mistress three years after his marriage to Catherine. The age factor added insult to injury, and things just seemed to go from bad to worse for Catherine. As Henri's wife, it was Catherine's duty to produce an heir (or better yet, several of them), preferably male, since a daughter could not inherit the throne in France. Catherine appeared to be incapable of fulfilling her duty in this respect. Of course, this failure may have had something to do with the fact that Henri seemed determined to spend all his time, day and night, with Diane.
Now this is where the story gets really good. Diane realized there was no love lost between her and Catherine. She was also aware that if Henri's marriage were annulled because there was no heir, he might have to marry someone even less accommodating than Catherine. Being something of a pragmatist, she made an arrangement with Catherine, agreeing that on some evenings Henri would spend several hours in Diane's bed, then go to Catherine's for a while, then return to Diane's bedchamber. We are told that Diane also gave Catherine some practical hints which we assume were not directed toward how she could cook a better pot roast. This evidently did the trick, because the future Francois II was born in 1544, followed by the future Charles IX in 1550, and the future Henri III in 155l, plus several other children.
So Diane did not exactly marry a younger man, she did come close, managing to retain Henri's love and interest until his death in 1559. Although Diane did present an enduring attraction, Henri II managed to squeeze in some other interests. One of them, unfortunately, was jousting. Periodically, Henri would throw a huge fete, which would customarily involve drinking lots of wine, eating the French equivalent of barbeque, and enjoying, as entertainment, a sort of recreation of a medieval tournament. Now this would have been fine, as long as the King just sat in the stands and cheered on his favorites. But that was not the sort of man Henri was. So, on one of these memorable occasions, Henri, always the life of the party, climbed on his horse and prepared to have a go at his opponent with what we believe were tipped lances. This did not turn out to be a good idea. Although the sport was aimed at simply knocking your opponent off his horse, something went wrong. Henri zigged when he should have zagged and the next thing he knew he had been nearly run through by a lance, which pierced deeply into his eye. Henri should have known better than to deliberately expose himself to such danger, because there was really no able heir ready to succeed him. In spite of his heroic efforts to produce children by his wife Catherine de Medicis, none of his sons was yet of age to assume the throne. This meant, of course, that when he succumbed to his injuries shortly after the tournament in 1559, he left France in the hands of at least one of his minor children. In any case, with a new king on the throne, Diane suddenly found herself persona non grata at court. Since Catherine de Medicis was now in a better position to exact her revenge, being the mother of the king instead of simply an out-of-favour wife, she began to pressure Diane to hand over one of the most important presents she had been given by Henri II - the chateau of Chenonceau, something of a sore point between the two women.
Diane loved the chateau of Chenonceau. In 1547 Henri II had made her a gift of the chateau and in 1551, she had become the Duchess of Valentinois there. She is reputed to have ran the place with an iron but artistic hand, turning the already lovely area into a garden spot with plants and trees personally selected by her, including such exotic offerings as artichokes and melons. The balls and hunts given by her at Chenonceau became legendary. By 1552, Henri was spending most of his time, frequently without Catherine, at Chenonceau. Hence, the chateau had become It was probably to be expected that Catherine would want Chenonceau returned if anything untoward ever happened to the man in both women's lives. But when Henri died, Catherine discovered that Henri had not simply given Diane the use of the property instead, the chateau had been given outright to Diane, in spite of legal restrictions which specified that such royal property could not be alienated. Since it was potentially no longer part of the royal domain, it would be difficult for Catherine to assert a claim to Chenonceau on purely legal grounds. On her side, Diane had not been naive enough to trust that all would be well forever between her and Henri, and she had prudently set about to make her own chateau of Anet quite comfortable just in case. A period of sparring ensued, but since Catherine's power was clearly on the ascent, Diane did the prudent thing and decided to yield, however painful that may have been for her. There is some reason to believe that Catherine offered to provide her rival with the chateau of Chaumont in exchange for Chenonceau, but in the end, Diane retired to Anet, where she died in 1566, seven years after the death of Henri.
Chateau Chenonceau is open to the public to view and it is the must see chateau during a holiday to the spectacular Loire Valley region in France. A trip to Chateau Chenonceau is all the better enjoyed for knowing a little history of those times before you visit.
Corina Clemence
“Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”
Two items hidden away in the recent deluge of news were two pieces about censorship. The first was about the Australian government setting their sights on gamers, promising to use its internet censorship regime to block websites hosting and selling video games that are not suitable for 15 year olds. Can you imagine the number of games that will be included?
The second was about the mandatory requirement that all computers in China are to carry security software, which is scary to this internet silver surfer. Are not most computer’s and televisions bought in Europe manufactured in China?! The apparent purpose of the Green Door software is to shield children from online pornography, but one imagines it will also block access to sensitive political and social online resources that the regime considers dangerous. The program is designed to thwart not just the browsing of undesired content, but also attempts to create unwanted content, it will for example shut down your word-processing program if the novel you're writing contains too many illicit words. The program could make China's millions of PCs sitting ducks for western hackers, to remotely install malware or spyware and of course, government officials could also commandeer Chinese PCs remotely. Because Green Door blocks legitimate content and increases vulnerability to hacking, it may provoke a backlash. It works with only one operating system, Windows; it may push some users to experiment with other systems. Many may learn the advanced tricks of Windows and its privacy tools. Taking on pornography may also be more difficult than the manderins think. It would run foul of the "Cute-cat theory” which says it is always best to post illicit content on extremely popular Web sites. For example shutting down YouTube may thwart a handful of dissidents, but it would upset many millions of cat lovers. The popularity of online pornography, of course, outshines even that of pets or, for example, human-rights sites or pseudo religious sites. There may be no more effective way of promoting awareness of anti-censorship tools than putting a ring fence, or dare I say, green door program between pornography and a generation of teens! A Great Firewall to censor political discussion has been circumvented before what is to say that history will not repeat itself?
Now summer is in flower and natures hum
Is never silent round her sultry bloom
Insects as small as dust are never done
Wi' glittering dance and reeling in the sun
And green wood fly and blossom haunting bee
Are never weary of their melody
Round field hedge now flowers in full glory twine
Large bindweed bells wild hop and streakd woodbine
That lift athirst their slender throated flowers
Agape for dew falls and for honey showers
These round each bush in sweet disorder run
And spread their wild hues to the sultry sun
Where its silk netting lace on twigs and leaves
The mottld spider at eves leisure weaves
That every morning meet the poets eye
Like faireys dew wet dresses hung to dry
The wheat swells into ear and leaves below
The may month wild flowers and their gaudy show
Bright carlock bluecap and corn poppy red
Which in such clouds of colors widely spread
That at the sun rise might to fancys eye
Seem to reflect the many colord sky
And leverets seat and lark and partridge nest
It leaves a schoolboys height in snugger rest
And oer the weeders labour overgrows
Who now in merry groups each morning goes
To willow skirted meads wi fork and rake
The scented hay cocks in long rows to make
Where their old visitors in russet brown
The haytime butterflyes dance up and down
And gads that teaze like whasps the timid maid
And drive the herdboys cows to pond and shade
Who when his dogs assistance fails to stop
Is forcd his half made oaten pipes to drop
And start and hallo thro the dancing heat
To keep their gadding tumult from the wheat
Who in their rage will dangers overlook
And leap like hunters oer the pasture brook
Brushing thro blossomd beans in maddening haste
And 'stroying corn they scarce can stop to taste
Labour pursues its toil in weary mood
And feign woud rest wi shadows in the wood
The mowing gangs bend oer the beeded grass
Where oft the gipseys hungry journeying ass
Will turn its wishes from the meadow paths
Listning the rustle of the falling swaths
The ploughman sweats along the fallow vales
And down the suncrackt furrow slowly trails
Oft seeking when athirst the brooks supply
Where brushing eager the brinks bushes bye
For coolest water he oft brakes the rest
Of ring dove brooding oer its idle nest
And there as loath to leave the swaily place
He'll stand to breath and whipe his burning face
The shepherds idle hours are over now
Nor longer leaves him neath the hedgrow bough
On shadow pillowd banks and lolling stile
Wilds looses now their summer friends awhile
Shrill whistles barking dogs and chiding scold
Drive bleating sheep each morn from fallow fold
To wash pits where the willow shadows lean
Dashing them in their fold staind coats to clean
Then turnd on sunning sward to dry agen
They drove them homeward to the clipping pen
In hurdles pent where elm or sycamore
Shut out the sun-or in some threshing floor
There they wi scraps of songs and laugh and tale
Lighten their anual toils while merry ale
Goes round and gladdens old mens hearts to praise
The thread bare customs of old farmers days
Who while the sturting sheep wi trembling fears
Lies neath the snipping of his harmless sheers
Recalls full many a thing by bards unsung
And pride forgot-that reignd when he was young
How the hugh bowl was in the middle set
At breakfast time as clippers yearly met
Filld full of frumity where yearly swum
The streaking sugar and the spotting plumb
Which maids coud never to the table bring
Without one rising from the merry ring
To lend a hand who if twas taen amiss
Woud sell his kindness for a stolen kiss
The large stone pitcher in its homly trim
And clouded pint horn wi its copper rim
Oer which rude healths was drank in spirits high
From the best broach the cellar woud supply
While sung the ancient swains in homly ryhmes
Songs that were pictures of the good old times
When leathern bottles held the beer nut brown
That wakd the sun wi songs and sung him down
Thus will the old man ancient ways bewail
Till toiling sheers gain ground upon the tale
And brakes it off-when from the timid sheep
The fleece is shorn and wi a fearfull leap
He starts-while wi a pressing hand
His sides are printed by the tarry brand
Shaking his naked skin wi wondering joys
And fresh ones are tugd in by sturdy boys
Who when theyre thrown down neath the sheering swain
Will wipe his brow and start his tale again
Tho fashions haughtv frown hath thrown aside
Half the old forms simplicity supplyd
Yet their are some prides winter deigns to spare
Left like green ivy when the trees are bare
And now when sheering of the flocks are done
Some ancient customs mixd wi harmless fun
Crowns the swains merry toils-the timid maid
Pleasd to be praisd and yet of praise affraid
Seeks her best flowers not those of woods and fields
But such as every farmers garden yield
Fine cabbage roses painted like her face
And shining pansys trimmd in golden lace
And tall tuft larkheels featherd thick wi flowers
And woodbines climbing oer the door in bowers
And London tufts of many a mottld hue
And pale pink pea and monkshood darkly blue
And white and purple jiliflowers that stay
Lingering in blossom summer half away
And single blood walls of a lucious smell
Old fashiond flowers which huswives love so well
And columbines stone blue or deep night brown
Their honey-comb-like blossoms hanging down
Each cottage gardens fond adopted child
Tho heaths still claim them where they yet grow wild
Mong their old wild companions summer blooms
Furze brake and mozzling ling and golden broom
Snap dragons gaping like to sleeping clowns
And 'clipping pinks' (which maidens sunday gowns
Full often wear catcht at by tozing chaps)
Pink as the ribbons round their snowy caps
'Bess in her bravery' too of glowing dyes
As deep as sunsets crimson pillowd skyes
And majoram notts sweet briar and ribbon grass
And lavender the choice of every lass
And sprigs of lads love all familiar names
Which every garden thro the village claims
These the maid gathers wi a coy delight
And tyes them up in readiness for night
Giving to every swain tween love and shame
Her 'clipping poseys' as their yearly claim
And turning as he claims the custom kiss
Wi stifld smiles half ankering after bliss
She shrinks away and blushing calls it rude
But turns to smile and hopes to be pursued
While one to whom the seeming hint applied
Follows to claim it and is not denyd
No doubt a lover for within his coat
His nosegay owns each flower of better sort
And when the envious mutter oer their beer
And nodd the secret to his neighbor near
Raising the laugh to make the mutter known
She blushes silent and will not disown
And ale and songs and healths and merry ways
Keeps up a shadow of old farmers days
But the old beachen bowl that once supplyd
Its feast of frumity is thrown aside
And the old freedom that was living then
When masters made them merry wi their men
Whose coat was like his neighbors russet brown
And whose rude speech was vulgar as his clown
Who in the same horn drank the rest among
And joind the chorus while a labourer sung
All this is past-and soon may pass away
The time torn remnant of the holiday
As proud distinction makes a wider space
Between the genteel and the vulgar race
Then must they fade as pride oer custom showers
Its blighting mildew on her feeble flowers.
by John Clare - a longer poem than usual but enjoy reading it,and not too difficult for my english students I hope !!
|
THE 500 th. ANNIVERSARY OF THE CORONATION
OF KING HENRY VIII
Born in Greenwich Palace, Henry VIII was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Of the young Henry's six siblings, only three — Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret, and Mary — survived infancy.In 1502, Arthur, just 15 years old, died suddenly. His death thrust all his duties upon his younger brother Henry, who then became Prince of Wales. When only 17 years old, Henry married Catherine of Aragon, his deceased brother's widow on 11 June 1509 and two days after his father's death, on 24 June 1509, the two were crowned at Westminster Abbey.
In 1513, Henry invaded France and his troops defeated a French army at the Battle of the Spurs. His brother-in-law James IV of Scotland invaded England at the behest of Louis XII of France, but failed to draw Henry's attention from France. The Scots were disastrously defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field on 9 September 1513. Among the dead were the Scottish King and the battle ended Scotland's brief involvement in the war.
Though mainly motivated by dynastic and personal concerns, Henry ensured that the greatest act of his reign would be one of the most radical and decisive of any English monarch. His break with Rome in 1533-34 was an act with enormous consequences for the subsequent course of English history beyond the Tudor dynasty. Not only in making possible the transformation of England into a powerful and distinctive nation; but also in the seizing of economic and political power from the Church by the aristocracy, chiefly through the acquisition of monastic lands and assets - a short-term strategy with long-term social consequences. Henry's decision to entrust the regency of his son Edward's minor years to a decidedly reform-oriented regency council, dominated by Edward Seymour, most likely for the simple tactical reason that Seymour seemed likely to provide the strongest leadership for the kingdom, ensured that the English Reformation would be consolidated and even furthered during his son's reign. Such ironies marked other aspects of his legacy.He fostered humanist learning and yet was responsible for the deaths of several outstanding English humanists. Obsessed with securing the succession to the throne, he left as his only heirs a young son (who died before his 16th birthday) and two daughters adhering to different religions. The power of the state was magnified, which after his death led to demands for increased political participation by the middle class. Henry worked with some success to make England once again a major player on the European scene but depleted his treasury in the course of doing so. He also wrote Greensleeves.
Late in life, Henry became grossly overweight (with a waist measurement of 54 inches/137 cm) and had to be moved about with the help of mechanical inventions. He was covered with painful, suppurating boils and possibly suffered from gout. His obesity dates from a jousting accident in 1536 in which he suffered a leg wound. This prevented him from exercising and gradually became ulcerated. It undoubtedly hastened his death at the age of 55, which occurred on 28 January 1547 in the Palace of Whitehall, on what would have been his father's 90th birthday.
He died soon after uttering these last words:
"Monks! Monks! Monks!"
R I P
The celebration of Midsummer's Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. People believed that mid-summer plants, especially Marigold had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. Mid-summer celebration was celebrated as a sacrifice time in the sign of the fertility.The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the day, which falls on the previous eve.
Roses are of special importance on Midsummer's Eve. It is said that any rose picked on Midsummer's Day will keep fresh until Christmas.
At midnight on Midsummer's Eve, young girls should scatter rose petals before them and say:
"Rose leaves, rose leaves,
Rose leaves I strew.
He that will love me
Come after me now."
Then the next day, Midsummer's Day, their true love will visit them.
The first (or only) full moon in June is called the Honey Moon. Tradition holds that this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives. This time of year, between the planting and harvesting of the crops, was the traditional month for weddings. This is because many ancient peoples believed that the "grand [sexual] union" of the Goddess and God occurred in early May at Beltaine. Since it was unlucky to compete with the deities, many couples delayed their weddings until June. June remains a favorite month for marriage today. In some traditions, newly wed couples were fed dishes and beverages that featured honey for the first month of their married life to encourage love and fertility. The surviving vestige of this tradition lives on in the name given to the holiday immediately after the ceremony namely The Honeymoon.
A Midsummer Nights Dream act IV, scene I. Engraving from a painting by Henry Fuseli, published 1796.
The Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said their investigations revealed that the drinks contain harmful residues, posing a health risk. CSE Director Sunita Narain told journalists in Delhi that samples from 12 states showed that Pepsi products contained 30 times more pesticides than found in 2003. Likewise she said that Coke samples had 25 times the amount of pesticides found three years ago. She alleged that despite the public outcry over the issue following the first report, the government has failed to set up the necessary quality-control standards for the soft drinks industry.India does not have any purity standards for soft drinks.
A Senior Nutritionist at the USA Naval Medical Research Institute: "I was amazed to learn," he testified, "that the beverage contained substantial amounts of phosphoric acid. . . . At the Naval Medical Research Institute, we put human teeth in a cola beverage and found they softened and started to dissolve within a short period. The acidity of cola beverages ... is about the same as vinegar. The sugar content masks the acidity, and children little realize they are drinking this strange mixture of phosphoric acid, sugar, caffeine, coloring, and flavoring matter."
"Heavy soft drink consumption can interfere with your body's metabolization of iron and diminish nerve impulse transmission. Cola drinks can interact adversely with antacids, possibly causing constipation, calcium loss, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and kidney damage."
Barnet Meltzer MD:" Food Swings: Make the Life-Changing Connection Between the Foods You Eat and Your Emotional Health and Well-Being. Soft drinks are far from soft. High in phosphorous and phosphoric acid, they infiltrate bodily fluids and corrode stomach linings, upset the alkaline-acid balance of the kidneys, and eat away at your liver like Hannibal Lecter. Soft drinks also contain hidden caffeine, refined sugar, and unspecified artificial chemicals."
King Richard 2nd meets the rebels
In June 1381, from the English county of Kent formed behind Wat Tyler,a blacksmithby trade, and joined with rebels from Essex and marched on London. When the rebels arrived in Blackheath on June 12, the renegade Lollard priest, John Ball, preached a sermon including the famous question that has echoed down the centuries: "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?". On june 13th, the rebels, encouraged by the sermon, crossed London Bridge into the heart of the city. Meanwhile the 'Men of Essex' had gathered with Jack Straw at Great Baddow and had marched on London, arriving at Stepney. Instead of what was expected from a riot however, there was only a systematic attack on certain properties, many of them associated with John of Gaunt and/or the Hospitaller Order. On June 14, they are reputed to have been met by the young king himself, and, led by Richard of Wallingford to have presented him with a series of demands, including the dismissal of some of his more unpopular ministers and the effective abolition of serfdom. One of the more intriguing demands of the peasants was "that there should be no law within the realm save the law of Winchester". This is often said to refer to the statutes of the Charter of Winchester (1251), though it is sometimes considered to be a reference to the more equitable days of king Alfred the Great, when Winchester was the capital of England. At the same time, a group of rebels stormed the Tower of London, probably after being let in,and summarily executed those hiding there, including the Lord Chancellor (Simon of Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was particularly associated with the poll tax), and the Lord Treasurer (Robert de Hales, the Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitallers of England). The Savoy Palace of the king's uncle John of Gaunt was one of the London buildings destroyed by the rioters. At this meeting, the Lord Mayor killed Wat Tyler whose death and another promise by Richard to give the peasants what they asked for, was enough to send them home.
The rising is significant because it marked the beginning of the end of serfdom in medieval England. It led to calls for the reform of feudalism in England and an increase in rights for the serf class. By the summer of 1381, the revolt was over. John Ball was hanged. Richard did not keep any of his promises claiming that they were made under threat and were therefore not valid in law. Other leaders from both Kent and Essex were hanged. The poll tax was withdrawn but the peasants were forced back into their old way of life - under the control of the lord of the manor.
What was it these peasants objected to?
| 1. |
Every able person under the age of 36 who is not a craftsman must work for his lord for the same wages as before the plague. |
| 2. |
Any worker or servant leaving his lords service without cause or licence should be imprisoned. |
| 3. |
A man must not pay his servant more than the above wages, on pain of a fine of twice the labourers wage. |
| 4. |
A Lord of town or Manor must not pay his servant more than the above wages, on pain of a fine of thrice the labourers wage. |
| 5. |
Any craftsman charging more for his goods or service than pre-plague levels should be imprisoned. |
| 6. |
Traders and Merchants overcharging for their goods will pay a fine of three times the amount. |
| 7. |
Anyone giving alms to the poor, or gifts to beggars will be imprisoned. This is to ensure that they carry out rightful employment. |
What a pity that other countries, hide such stories from successive generations.
The hovercraft was invented by British engineer Sir Christopher Cockerell. He produced his first working model in 1956 and three years later his first full size test craft was produced by Saunders Roe. On 25 July 1959 the, Cockerell designed, Saunders Roe Nautical One (SRN1), successfully completed the first cross Channel hovercraft crossing from Calais to Dover, exactly fifty years after Bleriot’s first Channel flight. The first regular passenger service from Dover started on 1 August 1968 when the Dover to Boulogne service was inaugurated.One passenger recalled the experience of the ride: "The ride was quite noisy, more like a ride on a noisy turboprop airliner than a boat. Unless calm, the motion was also rather abrupt as waves struck the vessel, producing a synchronized head toss action of the passengers." The last of the craft was withdrawn from service in October 2000.
|
|
| |
Ode to fallen warriors
for they have silently given theirs
Ode to their mothers
for every day they continue giving
while sadness and despair
keep taking
Ode to the children
that were left behind
with remnant memories
of the mom's and dad's lives
Ode to the babies
that were never born
or the generations
that will ever see dawn
Ode to loves lost
the music that will never
be written
played
nor heard
The art that could have
been
shared and given
© Nelson Nieves - 2007
| |
"Perhaps this bad thing will enable us to progress more steadily and even faster than before in carrying out the policies of reform and opening to the outside world, to correct our errors more quickly and give better play to our advantages."
Quote
Mads Gilbert not allowed into Gaza
The Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert was known all over the world during the Israelian bombing of Gaza last winter. No journalists were allowed to go into Gaza, so Gilbert worked not only as a doctor, but also as a reporter. Many of us remember his report “We’re walking in blood…”
Yesterday Gilbert was denied entrance to Gaza. His friend and collegue Erik Fosse, who was also there during the war, was let in.
Gaza is as bad as in January, says Gilbert.
According to Fosse and Gilbert, nothing has been done to help the Palestinians in Gaza after the war. People are hungry, their houses are bombed out, children are suffering from serious traumas. And people from the outside, who want to get into Gaza to help, are denied entrance.
Mads Gilberts calls the situation absurd. His hope is that the humans who reacted when there was a war in the area will react as strong now as then.
|
工具 
