Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2)Ashton, John
History
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Regency -- England
The Cossacks were wonderfully popular with the English just then.
Their _Hetman_, or Commander, Count Platoff, was reported to have
offered to give his daughter, and a small dowry, to any soldier
who would bring him Napoleon's head. In some verses relative to
Napoleon's reverses in Russia is one:--
"But, take care, Master Nap, you meet with no trap,
To poke either leg, or your head in;
Loss of legs stops your flight, lose your head, why the sight
Will be welcome at Miss Platoff's wedding."
She figures in another Satirical print, published on November 9,
1813, called "Cossack Sports--or, the Platoff Hunt in full cry
after French Game." Leipsig is in the background, and the Cossacks
plunge into the river Elster in full chase after the "Corsican Fox."
Count Platoff cries, "Hark forward! my boys, get along! He runs in
view. Yoics, Yoics. There he goes. Tally ho!" His daughter is in
mid-stream, thrashing her horse, and calling out, "Hi! Ho! Tally ho!
for a Husband!"
There was another thing much talked about at this time, and that was
the discovery of the Body of Charles I. at Windsor. This was not the
first body of a Sovereign found there unexpectedly: for on March 13,
1789, the workmen employed in re-paving the Choir of St. George's
Chapel, discovered the entrance into the vault where Edward IV.
had been deposited; the royal body was found enclosed in a leaden
and wooden Coffin, reduced to a skeleton; on the King's Coffin lay
another of wood, much decayed, which contained the skeleton of a
woman, supposed to have been his Queen, Elizabeth Woodville.
The Duchess of Brunswick (mother of the Princess of Wales) died in
England on March 23, 1813, and was buried with much pomp, at Windsor
on the 31st of March.
The following is a newspaper account of "THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODY OF
CHARLES I. On Wednesday last, at the interment of the Dowager Duchess
of Brunswick, an important discovery was made. It had been long
suspected that the remains of Charles I. were deposited in a vault
at Windsor. Indeed Wood, in his _Athenæ_, states the supposition. On
Wednesday a search was made, a Coffin was opened, which was found to
a certainty to contain the long-sought-for body. It was not at all
decayed; the severed head had been carefully adjusted by a cement to
the shoulders, and the most perfect resemblance to the portraits, was
remarked in the shape of the head, the pointed beard, &c., fragments
of which were carefully taken off as relics, as well as to identify
the body."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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