The Death of King Charles II by Katherine Pym

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 Last time, I mentioned King Charles II's death and how nasty it was. Happy New Year to you with this macabre tidbit. May 2016 treat you better than 1685 bestowed upon the poor king.

King Charles II, Older but Healthier

First, a little about him…

After his father was beheaded, King Charles II went into exile where he learned to keep his own counsel. He loved sex. Prompted by others, his revenge extended to only a few of the regicides, but he took no joy in it.

Charles took a long time to come to a state decision. He’d put it off with a wave of his hand, and play with one of his women. He loved spaniels, and several romped in his private chambers, soiling the floors so that no one could walk across the room in a straight line.

Even though he reigned in a Protestant country, while on the run in 1651 after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester, Charles was protected at their peril by Roman Catholics. For a few hours, Charles hid in a priest hole, very snug and claustrophobic, while Parliament men searched for him. By the end of his trek through England and into exile, Charles had gained a high regard for Catholics and Catholicism.

But I digress.

While Charles reigned, he did not confide in many. He was considered an enigma by both his contemporaries and those who study him. He had a kind heart. His nature made people comfortable. They confided in him, wanted to be near him. But when Charles wanted to be alone, or was tired of the subject, he’d pull out his watch. Those who knew of this would quickly state their business, for soon their king would walk away.

Charles loved reading (not political or religious). He brought great strides to the theatre sector, and he enjoyed science. In 1660, he approved a charter for The Royal Society. The group of great minds, Isaac Newton for one, met at Gresham College in London City. Experiments took place there, including draining the veins of a dog into the veins of another dog. The results amazed those curious people.

So, we come to his death…

Physician's Tool

‘He fell sick of a tertian fever’, but the official cause of death was: Uremia (per dictionary.com—“a condition resulting from the retention in the blood of constituents normally excreted in the urine.”), chronic nephritis and syphilis.

On the evening of February 1, 1685, Charles went to bed with a sore foot. By early morning, he was very ill with fever. His physician (Sir Edmund King) tended to his foot while a barber shaved his head. Suddenly, the king suffered apoplexy. His physician immediately withdrew sixteen ounces of blood.

Sir Edmund took a big risk, and could have been charged with treason. The protocol was to get permission from the Privy Council prior to a bloodletting the monarch.

For several days, Charles was tormented by his physicians. As a private man this must have been difficult. Surrounded by more physicians than could gain his bed, they attempted to remove the ‘toxic humours’ that penetrated his body.

17th c - Hooke's Microscope

He was bled and purged. Cantharides plasters were stuck to his bald pate, which caused blistering. They attached plasters of spurge to his feet, then red-hot irons to his skin. Besides the large number of physicians crowding his bed, His Royal Highness’ bedchamber was filled to the walls with spectators (family members and state officials).

They gave the poor king “enemas of rock salt and syrup of buckthorn, and ‘orange infusion of metals in white wine’. The king was treated with a horrific cabinet of potions: white hellebore root; Peruvian bark; white vitriol of peony water; distillation of cowslip flowers; sal ammoniac; julep of black cherry water (an antispasmodic); bezoar stone from the stomach of a goat. He was forced to drink boiled spirits from a human skull.”

After days of this, he apologized for taking so long to die, then added, “I have suffered much more than you can imagine.”

Finally, on February 6, 1685 “the exhausted king, his body raw and aching with the burns and inflammation caused by his treatment, was given heart tonics, to no avail. He lapsed into a coma and died at noon on February 7.”

His death is considered by historians as “iatrogenic regicide”.

~ * ~ * ~

I give thanks to:

Royal Poxes & Potions, The Lives of Court Physicians, Surgeons & Apothecaries, by Raymond Lamont-Brown.

Wiki-commons public domain

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions... by Diane Bator

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So are the pages of a good novel.

In real life, we all have all had good intentions that go wrong. That is one of those things that makes us all human and makes our characters more believable. Sometimes a character is only "evil" because he or she makes choices that seem like a good idea at the time. Many times he has the ability to undertake something that will correct a bad situation but fails to do so due to spite, procrastination, laziness or vice. These situations are what create such great tension and conflict in many novels and movies.

One of the best examples I can think of is Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. He is a character we all love to hate, yet we find out in the end that all he has wanted from the beginning is to protect Harry rather than see him killed. His actions were intended to help Harry all along and yet, Snape's own good intentions cost him his life.

In my third Wild Blue Mystery novel The Bakery Lady, Christina Davidson has good intentions when she returns to Packham to help out in her family bakery when her mother dies, but gets stuck with running the shop when her father takes off to Florida to grieve. While part of her wants to remain in town until her father returns, she soon discovers her husband stands accused of murder. 

Private Detective and Good Samaritan Leo Blue has the best of intentions when he promises to help set things straight and plans to bring husband and wife together for Christmas. Even if it costs him his sanity and possibly the love of his life. It seems the harder he tries to solve the case, the more his good intentions will cost him.

One good quote about good intentions comes from Stephen Garrard Post writing about altruism: "If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it is partly because that is the road they generally started out on." In other words, mankind normally acts from less worthy, selfish motives. While that may not be normally true in real life, it does make for some great reads.

May 2016 bring many more fantastically flawed characters to read & write about.

Diane Bator

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR - MARGARET TANNER

VIETNAM WAR

 At the risk of revealing my age, I have to say the 1960’s was my time. Mini-skirts, stilettos (I’ve got the bunions to prove it), beehive hair-dos, I couldn’t quite manage that, although I did tease the life out of my hair and regularly put in coloured rinses, French Plum or Rich Burgundy, were the colours I favoured. I can remember when the Beatles made their first visit out to Australia. A couple of girls I worked with were lucky enough to get tickets to their concerts, (we hated them, of course), they came to work the next days minus their voices, and stayed that way for about a week, because they had screamed so much.

We used manual typewriters in those days. One original and four copies of everything we typed. I don’t know how many blouses I ruined because I got ink on the sleeves from changing the typewriter ribbon or the black stuff off the carbon paper.

During this time the Vietnam War loomed in the background. The Australian government introduced conscription. It was in the form of a ballot, or the death lottery as many called it. All twenty year old males had to register, their birth dates were put into a barrel. A certain number were drawn out, and those young men had to report to the army and subsequently many of them were sent to Vietnam. This of course caused severe bitterness and division in the community, and even though the government denied it, was subject to abuse and unfairness. Rich men kept their sons at university so they didn’t have to go.  Conscientious objectors were thrown into prison. Only sons were called up, yet families with two or three eligible males didn’t have any of their boys called up.

I only had one brother, and I can clearly remember my father (a World War 2 veteran) vowing, that if his son got called up, he would protest on the steps of the parliament with a placard on his back.

There were protests marches, anti-war demonstrations, and things often turned violent. Not that I went to any of the protest marches, but a cousin of mine did and got trampled by a police horse. A very turbulent time in our history and I was right in the middle of it.

BLURB:  MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

Make love, not war was the catch cry of the 1960’s. Against a background of anti-war demonstrations, hippies and free love, Caroline’s life is in turmoil. Her soldier brother is on his way to the jungles of Vietnam. She discovers she is pregnant with her wealthy boss’ baby, and her draft dodger friend is on the run and needs her help. 

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Love-Not-War-ebook/dp/B0094WQOPU/ref=sr_1_12?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346642917&sr=1-12&keywords=margaret+tanner

 

BIO:  Margaret Tanner is a multi-published award winning Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically accurate. No book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty, or cemetery too overgrown. Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors in frontier Australia.

As part of her research she has visited the World War 1 battlefields in France and Belgium, a truly poignant experience.

Margaret is married with three grown up sons, and two gorgeous little granddaughters.

Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion.

http://www.margarettanner.com

 

 

THE BLIND DATE - MARGARET TANNER

TRUE CONFESSIONS – MARGARET TANNER

 

In my late teens in the 1960’s, I worked for a large government department in a typing pool with about twenty girls in it. Yes, I am that old.  I started off with a manual typewriter and we had to type up an original and four carbon copies of every report or letter we did. I used to arrive home every night with black carbon marks on my sleeve. And don’t get me started on the woes of changing a typewriter ribbon.  But I digress.

 In those times in the typing pool, a blind date was a thing of ridicule. You were looked upon as desperate because you couldn’t find a man of your own, and had to rely on some other girl’s generosity to introduce you to her brother, her boyfriend’s mate etc.

 Anyway, every year there was an annual ball, and if you didn’t attend, you were socially ruined. It was then public knowledge that you couldn’t get yourself a man.

 My girlfriend and I cringed when everyone else was discussing their ball gown etc. and we hadn’t even been asked. Well, our fear of missing out on the ball and the subsequent humiliation led us to contemplate a desperate plan - the blind date. She lined me up with the guy living across the road from her, and I lined her up with my cousin who had just broken up with his girlfriend.

 We had a great time at the ball, and no-one ever knew our dark and deadly secret. We had attended the ball in the company of our blind dates.

 My cousin ended up going back to his girlfriend, and I ended up marrying my blind date.

 

I have written two novels set during the 1960’s, Make Love Not War which is published by BWL and a soon to be published BWL novel, Daddy Dilemma. These are called Vintage novels by some people. I knew I was getting fairly long in the tooth but I didn’t think my heyday would be considered Vintage. I would rather be called antique, I mean, that does put you in mind of something desirable and expensive, so I could live with that.

 

BLURB:  MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

Make love, not war was the catch cry of the 1960’s. Against a background of anti-war demonstrations, hippies and free love, Caroline’s life is in turmoil. Her soldier brother is on his way to the jungles of Vietnam. She discovers she is pregnant with her wealthy boss’ baby, and her draft dodger friend is on the run and needs her help. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0094WQOPU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

 

 

AMERICA SINGS by Shirley Martin

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON

Even before this country became a nation, music and singing had been part of our heritage.  We’ve all heard this song:

Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony
He stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni

According to legend, British soldiers sang this song to mock the disheveled American soldiers they fought with during the French and Indian War.

The War for Independence spawned a plethora of patriotic songs.  Here is a glimpse of one by Thomas Paine, author of “The Age of Reason” and “Common Sense.”

In a chariot of light from the regions of day, the Goddess of Liberty came;
Ten-thousand celestials directed the way, and hither conducted the dame.

If the War of 1812 is remembered for nothing else, it should be recognized as producing our national anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner.”  Many people have trouble reaching the high notes and many others would prefer “America, The Beautiful.”  But our national anthem is here to stay.

Known as “the father of American music” Stephen Foster (1826-1864) didn’t receive the recognition he so richly deserved during his lifetime.  Yet his songs have remained classics, not only in the United States but throughout the world.  Songs such as “Oh, Susanna,” “Camptown Races” and “I Dream of Jeanie,” (written in honor of his wife) have remained part of the American tradition.  Since he was a native of  Pittsburgh, there stands a monument to this talented man on the grounds of my alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh.  Roy Orbison sings one of Foster’s loveliest songs, “Beautiful Dreamer.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_VnbtRFx5Y

The Civil War (1861-1865) produced an outpouring of songs, both ballads and those military in nature.  We are all familiar with this southern number, “Dixie.”  From the North, we find this tragic  song, “Tenting Tonight,” written by a young man who’d wanted to join the Union army but was rejected because of a childhood bout with rheumatic fever.  The love song, “Lorena,” was popular in both the North and the South, its lyrics so sad that many commanders forbade its singing at their posts.  Tom Roush gives us a lovely version of this song and sings many other oldies, such as “On the Banks of the Ohio.”  Here is his “Lorena.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyskZquf0ac

Years later, after the agonies of the Civil War and the trials of Reconstruction, a sense of optimism burst upon the American scene.  We extended our western boundary (at the expense of the Native American) and entered the Industrial Age.  Names such as Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Gould became household words.  Our songs took on a whimsical note, like “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.”  Or this one:

Frankie and Johnny were lovers
Oh, lordy how they could love
They swore to be true to each other
Just as true as the stars above
He was her man, but he was doing her wrong.

And speaking of sad songs, (which we were a while ago), surely  “In the Gloaming” is one of the most sorrowful songs ever written with lyrics such as this:

...For my heart was crushed with longing
What had been could never be....

In my historical romance, “Forbidden Love,” there’s a scene where Lisa, the wealthy society heroine, goes to visit the hero, a steelworker from the wrong side of the tracks.  He’s not home, so she lets herself in his house. (No one locked their doors then.) She tidies up his house while singing “In the Gloaming” because it exemplifies their seemingly hopeless love.
Evelyn Tubb gives us a lovely rendition of “In the Gloaming.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNqM9wt33VY

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was elected to a second term as president with the slogan, “He kept us out of the war.”  Except that he didn’t.  By 1917, thousands of doughboys were headed for the European slaughterhouse, better known as the First World War.  Thousands did not come back.  (One of my uncles died of gas poisoning.)  Yet we entered the war with an idealistic purpose and this song:

Over there, over there
Send the word, send the word over there
  That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming
And we won’t come back ‘til it’s over, over there

Once the war ended, and our boys came home again, we tried to forget all the pain and sorrow with this song:

How ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?
How ya gonna keep ‘em away from Broadway
Jazzin’ around, paintin’ the town....
How ya gonna keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?

The Roaring 20s brought us a medley of popular songs like “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and country songs, such as “Prisoner Song.”  Al Jolson gained fame in an entertainment venue known as vaudeville with songs such as “Swanee.”

Despite, or possibly because of, the Great Depression of the ‘30s,we still enjoyed singing songs like “Over The Rainbow.”  This was the era of the Big Bands, and instrumentals found their way into the national psyche.  Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” remained popular for decades.  The same is true of Kate Smith’s “God Bless America.”

In my opinion, the ‘40s through the mid ‘50s was the golden age of popular music.  “When the Lights Go on Again” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” reflected the trauma of the Second World War.
Vaughn Monroe’s “Riders in the Sky” became a classic, revived decades later.  Country and western music gained new popularity.  Some people called this type of music “hillbilly” music and spoke of it in a derogatory manner, apparently not realizing that many country songs found their way into popular music.  “Cold,. Cold Heart” and “Half As Much” were first recorded by Hank Williams, Sr., one of the greatest entertainers this country has known.  Crossing over into popular music, these songs achieved even greater renown.  One of my favorite songs from the ‘40s is “To Each His Own” by the Ink Spots.  We can listen to this group sing this plaintive song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G5wqiLiPHg

This era produced outstanding male singers, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Perry Como, to name a few.  Jo Stafford, Patti Paige, and Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt) were popular songstresses who knew how to carry a tune and didn’t have to screech to reach the high notes.

The ‘40s and ‘50s also gave us Broadway musicals.  We found ourselves singing so many songs from “Oklahoma!” and “South Pacific.”   “Showboat” was revived from the ‘20s, a different kind of musical that dealt with race, miscegenation, and abandonment.  In this musical, Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson sing “We Could Make Believe.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VvpDE87b7E

Until the mid ‘50s, music was parent-friendly.  Elvis Presley and rock ‘n roll changed all that.  Elvis Presley’s gyrations drove the teenagers crazy, but we soon learned that he could sing.  He revived this golden oldie, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”  Another revival was Tommy Edwards’ “It’s All in the Game,” the music written by Charles Dawes, Vice  President under Calvin Coolidge.

Funny songs, like “Mairzy Doats” made the popularity charts.  My favorite is “Grandma’s Lye Soap.” (“It’s in the Book” by Johnny Standley.)

As for rock ‘n roll, Bill Haley and the Comets presented a new type of music, but “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” with its male chauvinist lyrics, wouldn’t gain much traction in today’s politically correct society.

From the ‘60s on, popular music achieved an entirely new tone, and in my opinion, lost much of its charm.  This was the era of protests, and popular music reflected the national mood.

The late ‘60s and ‘70s brought us rock groups with names such as Paper Lace and Three Dog Night.  Young people enjoyed Don McLean’s “American Pie” and “Joy to the World.”  (No, not the Christmas carol.)

The ‘60s also brought us a British invasion, this one friendly.  The Beatles took the world by storm.  They could play their instruments well and achieved good harmony, but in my opinion, their lyrics were sophomoric.  As for melody, John Lennon was sued, and rightly so, for “borrowing” the tune of “He’s So Fine” for “My Sweet Lord.”  The plaintiffs won the lawsuit.

The Swedish group, ABBA, belted out many songs with catchy tunes and lyrics, such as "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando, that soon reached the popularity charts.

Two of my favorite songs from the ‘80s are “What A Feeling” from the movie “Flashdance” and “Make it Real” by the Jets.  That's as far as I'm going with my musical history, because I don't follow today's music.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!


I write historical, paranormal, and fantasy romances. Please check out my website at www.shirleymartinauthor.com
My books are sold at Amazon, Smashwords, AllRomance eBooks, Barnes and Noble, KOBO, the Apple iStore and at other sites where ebooks are available online and also at your local bookstore. Three of my books are in print: "Night Secrets," "Night Shadows," and "Dream Weaver.