Near the Samuel Johnson museum/ house, there is a statue of a very fine cat indeed:
To the left you can even see Hodge's eaten oyster.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Got milk?
Ah, Christmas. For the Scrooges among us, it is a time of annoyance and awful credit card bills. The leading lights of the Enlightenment were not immune to the horrors of an unpaid bill.
Though Dr. Samuel Johnson, writer of the first really complete English dictionary, fed his famous cat Hodge oysters every morning, it appears the good doctor had some trouble keeping Hodge in milk. Dr. Johnson owed his milkman so much that said milkman tried to have Dr. Johnson arrested and hauled off to Debtor's prison. In reponse, Dr. Johnson put a chain across his door and then dragged his bed down the stairs to use as a barricade, all the while shouting that he would defend his citadel to the last.
The Amateur Historian would not advise adopting this method when Visa, MasterCard, request that you pay for all your Christmas shopping.
Though Dr. Samuel Johnson, writer of the first really complete English dictionary, fed his famous cat Hodge oysters every morning, it appears the good doctor had some trouble keeping Hodge in milk. Dr. Johnson owed his milkman so much that said milkman tried to have Dr. Johnson arrested and hauled off to Debtor's prison. In reponse, Dr. Johnson put a chain across his door and then dragged his bed down the stairs to use as a barricade, all the while shouting that he would defend his citadel to the last.
The Amateur Historian would not advise adopting this method when Visa, MasterCard, request that you pay for all your Christmas shopping.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Poor Elizabeth....
And to continue on, W.H. Auden on Robert Browning:
“I don’t think Robert Browning was very good in bed. His wife probably didn’t care for him very much. He snored and had fantasies about twelve-year-old girls.”
“I don’t think Robert Browning was very good in bed. His wife probably didn’t care for him very much. He snored and had fantasies about twelve-year-old girls.”
Monday, December 5, 2011
Zing!
In the spirit of the Christmas Season, or lack thereof, have Oscar Wilde's opinion on Alexander Pope:
“There are two ways of disliking poetry; one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Pope.”
“There are two ways of disliking poetry; one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Pope.”
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Call Ralph Lauren-- we have a new spring color!
John Keats is well known for saying that beauty is truth and truth beauty, but he also had some interesting ideas of color, according to this letter to his fiancée, Fanny Brawne:
I have been writing with a vile old pen the whole week, which is excessively ungallant. The fault is in the Quill: I have mended it and still it is very much inclin'd to make blind es. However these last lines are in a much better style of penmanship thof [for though] a little disfigured by the smear of black currant jelly; which has made a little mark on one of the Pages of Brown's Ben Jonson, the very best book he has. I have lick'd it but it remains very purplue [for purple]. I did not know whether to say purple or blue, so in the mixture of the thought wrote purplue which may be an excellent name for a colourmade up of those two, and would suit well to start next spring.
I have been writing with a vile old pen the whole week, which is excessively ungallant. The fault is in the Quill: I have mended it and still it is very much inclin'd to make blind es. However these last lines are in a much better style of penmanship thof [for though] a little disfigured by the smear of black currant jelly; which has made a little mark on one of the Pages of Brown's Ben Jonson, the very best book he has. I have lick'd it but it remains very purplue [for purple]. I did not know whether to say purple or blue, so in the mixture of the thought wrote purplue which may be an excellent name for a colourmade up of those two, and would suit well to start next spring.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thanks for the advice Talleyrand
Talleyrand, also known as the political chameleon of the 19th century, started his career as a priest. Since he was born into the nobility with a club foot, the army and navy were out as professions.
However, the laws of celibacy of the Catholic Church did not suit Talleyrand in the slightest. He was defrocked after being un-frocked with an equally undressed lover. Later on, Talleyrand explained his popularity with the ladies as such:
"For a woman, to have an abbé had a double advantage. The first was to be sure that your secret would be safe; the second was to be sure of receiving absolution."
However, the laws of celibacy of the Catholic Church did not suit Talleyrand in the slightest. He was defrocked after being un-frocked with an equally undressed lover. Later on, Talleyrand explained his popularity with the ladies as such:
"For a woman, to have an abbé had a double advantage. The first was to be sure that your secret would be safe; the second was to be sure of receiving absolution."
The Hotness of King George
Apparently the Amateur Historian is not the only William Pitt the Younger fan out there.
Friday, November 25, 2011
The very shoe roses had to be got by proxy....
For the historical costumers and other fashion fans that follow this blog:
"Pemberley" Regency Shoe Pre-Sale OPEN + Giveaway!
Go forth, merry historical holiday shoppers, and order a pair of Pemberlies, the perfect Regency shoe, for your Jane Austen-obsessed love one, or treat yourself!
Pre-Order Now
November 25 - December 9
$80 (
Click Here
Ordering is UNLIMITED, on all women's USA sizes 6 through 12, including half sizes.
Orders of 5 + receive the special pre-order price, plus quantity and shipping discounts.
Delivery in early 2012.
*We need to sell just over 100 pairs of Pemberlies in order to manufacture them. If we don't meet that goal, all of you who did order will have to be refunded in full, and the Pemberlies will be canceled. If this is the Regency shoe of your dreams, please share, blog, tweet, tumble, stumble, and pass the news along.*
And when you share, you could win....
Pemberley Regency Shoe Giveaway
The "Pemberley" Regency shoes are closely based on extant footwear from the 1790s through 1810. The smooth, dyable, hand-sewn leather upper is designed to be lovely enough formal occasions, and durable enough for walking in the countryside. Particular attention was paid to the point of the toe, as well as the other hallmarks of Regency historical footwear, with the main goals being both historical accuracy and all-day comfort
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
"Ca ira mon amour" - Rod Janois (1789 Les Amants de la Bastille)
Despite having taken some translation classes, the Amateur Historian is a very indifferent poet. Therefore this translation is more literal than poetic. If I have made any errors, Gentle Readers, please comment and I will fix it. Many thanks and happy listening! (Also important to note, the phrase 'Ça ira' is an important revolutionary slogan, and the name of a cheerfully violent revolutionary song (are there any other kind?) about hanging aristocrats on lampposts.)
IT WILL BE MY LOVE
(Translation by the Amateur Historian, will whatever vague intellectual property things come from an amateur internet translation. If you use it, Gentle Readers, steer people back to my blog, is what I'm saying.)
This fear which undresses me
To have dared to put your name on my skin
And these tears which remove your make-up
Come take my reason under their streams
Despite it all
The looks which shoot
Close to us
The flag that wavers
After all
We don’t care
Care, care, care….
It will be, my love!
Ah! It will be forever!
Go, lovers, declare our forbidden vows
It will be my love!
One will forget the military drums
On all the walls I will write, I swear it,
Dear Liberty!/ Liberty my dear!
I have dreamed of our touching bodies
Caressed by the spirit of our ideals
I put my tongue on your mouth
Savoring the essence of your smallest words
Despite it all
Desire is fragile
Close to us
Pleasure in danger
After all
We don’t care
Care, care, care….
It will be my love!
Ah! It will be forever!
Go, lovers, declare our forbidden vows
It will be my love!
One forgets the military drums
On all the walls I will write, I swear,
Dear Liberty!/ Liberty my dear!
My love
It’s your life that I marry/ take on
In that day
Set in red roses
Go, lovers
One must laugh and dance
Here is the free spring!
It will be my love.
We will write that great day
I will offer you my nights for life
It’s promised.
It will be my love!
Ah! It will be forever.
Go, lovers, declare our forbidden vows.
It will be my love.
One will forget the military drums
On all the walls I will write, I swear it,
LIBERTY!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
1789 Ca ira mon amour - Rod Janois (clip officiel)
One of the Amateur Historian's friends sent her this lovely video. If the Amateur Historian feels inspired/ bored enough, perhaps there will be a translation for those Gentle Readers who do not speak French. If not, pray enjoy the break-dancing prisoner of the Bastille and the dance troupe formally known as the National Guard.
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