Part of the great chain that defended the approach to Constantinople by sea

Charles I Leaving the Cavendish Mansion, Leicester, on His Way to Relieve Oxford, May 1645 by Henry Reynolds Steer

Just realised that Sir Laurie Magnus is a baronet not a knight bachelor. How did I not know this fantastic trivia? 🤣

Standing here when the National ‘phone alarm went off. The woman walking towards us said to her husband, ‘it’s that Keir Starmer. I just want to punch him in the face.’

Mechanical gondola, Augbsurg c. 1600. The gold-plated bronze gondola has a radius of about a metre. Moving the gondolier changes its direction by ninety degrees. (Schloss Ambras Innsbruck)

Rereading Gardeil’s work in probable certainty for an upcoming seminar for the Lyceum Institute . Damn. He is a true master. Reposting for everyone to enjoy: athomist.com/articles/garde…

Wonderful Blackwell, by Windermere.

Today we have the first part of “The ‘New Mass’ of 1964” Part 1 is titled “A New Liturgy: How the ‘reform before the reform’ was understood” How were the very first liturgical reforms beginning in 1964 explained to & understood by the laity and the wider church? 🧵⤵️

It’s crazy to think John of St. Thomas published one of the most complete philosophy courses ever, which was over a thousand pages, in the span of just four years, from 1631 to 1635.

New alder cones forming among the old 💚🖤💚 Much of Venice is built on alder piles (as its wood strengthens in water) & its flowers are said to have created the green dye for Robin Hood's greenwood camouflage🌳💚🌳 Alder is one of my favourite trees🌳

'Prudence and justice are virtues and excellences of all times and of all places; we are perpetually moralists, but we are geometricians only by chance.' Dr Johnson

I’ll a bit foxed by the Windsor uniform collar. From some angles it seems to end in a v, from others the coat lapel covers it. Is there a reason for this? Alastair Bruce ?

Nice bit of 1913 Hupp

Very interesting map, from A London Inheritance

The Old English word for equinox is 'emniht', from 'efen' and 'niht', when night and day are evenly balanced. Today is the 'hærfestlice emniht', autumnal equinox; after this (says Byrhtferth of Ramsey) 'langað seo niht and wanað se dæg', 'the night lengthens and the day wanes'.

In 1368 Petrarch and Chaucer were guests at the same wedding - that of the 13-year old Violante Visconti to Lionel Duke of Clarence. No record of whether they spoke to each other.

Edward VII when Prince of Wales, and his brother the Duke of Edinburgh; the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. When members of the Royal family who had not served at sea were given rank in the RNR.

Interesting that a request for a suffragan has actually been turned down.

It’s here at last in distant Cornwall - one in Waterstone’s this morning, and one delivered to me!