August 22, 2006
"I Am Not In The Giving Vein To-day"**
Your Maximum Leader marks the anniversary of the death of one of England's most notorious Kings, suggesting that he was more maligned than malignant.
Me, I prefer Shakespeare's villain. But if you're in the revisionist vein today, perhaps you can read, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" instead as, "My parents never gave me a pony for Christmas!"
***Richard III, Act IV, Scene 2.
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinish'd, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;
Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
I believe "maligned" may well be more accurate than "malign". For an interesting look at the subject, I'd suggest Josephine Tey's novel, "The Daughter of Time". Within the fictional framework of a mystery story, the author conducts a first-rate investigation into the historical facts.
Posted by: D. Carter at August 22, 2006 05:14 PM
Image courtesy of the lovely and talented 