Honorable Quotable: Madame Beatrix de Grammont

Beatrix de Grammont by Roslin 

She was a self-confident and beautiful woman. She was alive during the French Revolution, where there was always a threat of death. When she faced the Revolutionary Tribunal at the threat of death, she was interrogated at the trial and asked: "Didn't you send money to emigrants?"
She answered with this memorable quote:

 I would say no but my life is not worth a lie.

Sources:

Mémoires de Duc de Lauzun (1747-1783). by Antione Louis de Gontaut, p.8. 

Portrait Lives #3: Charles II

Charles was a very interesting monarch, enjoying a life full of adventures. He was born in 1630, and lived an early life of royalty. Then after his father, Charles I was executed by Parliament and kings were banned, he was on the run. He ran to other countries as well as traveling throughout England in a series of disguises because there was a 1,000 pound prince price on his head.
Kings were eventually restored in England as you might know. Charles II was crowned king at 30 years old in May 1660. He allowed women to act, resisted against Titus Oates (the best name ever) who thought Catholics were plotting conspiracies in England. He was actually was presented with the first pineapple in England, which I suppose he ate gleefully. He had tons of mistresses, one he liked to call 'Fubbs'.

2. Charles with a gun aged abt. 8 by van Dyck 

1. On the far left, Charles II is gold, aged 6 by
Anthony van Dyck

3. Charles with a sword aged about 14
by William Dobson

4. Hot Charles aged about 23
by Phillipe de Champaigne

5. Rich Charles aged about 31
by John Michael Wright

7. Charles chillin' aged 45 by Peter Lely 

6. Charles has fashion and shoes
aged about 40 by Peter Lely 

8. Old but still masuline Charles, aged 50 by Peter Lely

9. Dusty Charles aged 53 by Willem Wissing

He died at about 55 years old on 1685. The Earl of Rochester jokingly said that the King's epitaph should read:

Here lies our sovereign lord, the king,
Whose word no man relies on,
Who never said a foolish thing,
And never did a wise one. 

Sources:
Quote from Hoyt's New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotation by Kate Louise Roberts, page 685: http://books.google.com/books?id=vusHEymIuvwC&dq=We+have+a+pretty+witty+king,+Whose+word+no+man+relies+on%3B+He+never+said+a+foolish+thing,+Nor+ever+did+a+wise+one&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Charles II: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharlesII, a really good site that is kinda of like Wikipedia but more flexible.
May 28th: http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/may/29.htm
Fun Trivia: Charles II: http://www.funtrivia.com/en/people/charles-ii-8764.html
Charles II: http://instruct.uwo.ca/english/234e/site/bckgrnds/biogrphs/charlesii.html
Horrible Histories

Check out 

King Charles II by Antionia Fraser

Click the picture, what's the worst that could happen?

The Ghost Battle of the 17th Century

The Battle of Edgehill

On the October 23rd of 1642, the Battle of Edgehill took place. King Charles leads his supporters in the first Battle of the English Civil War against the Earl of Essex who commands over the Parliamentarians (supporters of Parliament). Each had ran into each other at the village of Wormleighton. It is a bloody battle with a heavy flood of deaths on both sides that lasts 3 hours until the day ends. Both sides are exhausted and are unable to continue the next day so the Parliamentarians withdraw to Warwick. The official Battle has ended.

Charles Landseer The Eve of the Battle of Edgehill, 1845
Great guys, have kids at the battle! Civilians too!
Let's have everybody there

Another battle had just begun. 

Nights after the Battle of Edgehill a battle was seen as phantoms of soldiers from 2 armies reenacted the Edgehill battle in the sky multiple times over weeks. The sightings gained much popularity, so much so that the King sent a Royal Commission to confirm the reports. The Commission saw the ghosts and recognized a few people in the sky including Sir Edward Verney, the King's heraldry holder (Standard Bearer). Vernary was at the battle of Edgehill and refused to let go of the heraldry of the king to the Parliamentarians and resulting from this his hand was cut off, still holding it (ugh). Vernery died at the battle and his body was left unidentified, they could only identify his hand.

Edward Verney and his hand(s)

The Apparent Solution

In order to try and stop these ghosts the villagers near the site gave anyone still laying dead at Edgehill a Christian burial. It seems that was the solution and the ghosts stopped.

Today

Yet today it has been said people frequently hear the sound of hooves or even see apparitions near the time of the battle of Edgehill's anniversary.

It seems they need to bury more people. Anyone wanna volunteer?



Sources:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_edgehill.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Verney_(Cavalier)
http://www.real-british-ghosts.com/edgehill-ghosts.html
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Phantom-Battle-of-Edgehill/

June 3. Cold Harbor. I was killed.

This entry was written by an unidentified Civil War soldier. And yes, indeed, he died from his wounds. His diary was found with his dead body, it was blood spattered.

Another, Joseph Hume, kept a diary. He sadly died and his doctor wrote at first in his (Joseph's) diary: "Joseph received his death wound," then after Hume's death:"Joseph died of consequence of above."

It's true that most Civil war soldiers died because of infections or illness. But it is important not to think that they were infantile in their medical knowledge.  In the 1600s, medicine was evolved enough to set bones (but they still couldn't conquer the Black Plague).

Joseph's Diary, last entries shown

Civil War Complete Surgical Set