Happy Birthday, 3catsjackson!

[the_gneech]

For your present, here's today's Forgotten English (© Jeffrey Kacirk):

landfall

A sudden translation of property in land by the death of a rich man.

—Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon of the English Language, c. 1850

Farewell to Charles II

On this date in 1685, Charles II died of kidney failure caused by excessive inhalation of toxic mercury vapors, which believed helped transmute base metals into gold. English diarist John Evelyn described the king's final moments: "I can never forget the inexpressible luxury and profaneness, gaming, and all dissoluteness; the king sitting and toying with his concubines, Portsmouth, Cleveland, and Mazarine, a French boy singing love songs in that glorious gallery whilst about twenty of the great courtiers and other dissolute persons were at Basset round a large table, a bank of at least two thousand in gold before them ... It was enjoined that those who put on mourning should wear it as for a father, in the most solemn manner." Two days earlier, Evelyn wrote of a sudden "apoplectic fit" that overtook Charles: "If, by God's providence, Dr. King, that excellent chirurgeon, had not been accidentally present to let his blood, having his lancet in his pocket, his Majesty had certainly died that moment."

So you're saying what, it was a bit on the dissolute side?

-The Gneech

Comments

[kevinjdog.livejournal.com]

What's sad is that Charles II was the best of the Stuarts.

And happy birthday, Trey!