“
Lady,” the Master of Security said, shaking his head, “if you’re here to warn the king about Eli, then you’re a little late.”
Miranda scowled. “You mean he’s already stolen the artifact?”
“No.” The Master of Security sighed. “He’s stolen the king.
”
”
Rachel Aaron (The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1))
“
It’s all really a game of thrones, if you will. And our founders were more Lannister than Stark: just a bunch of rich people rebelling against a “mad king,” who weren’t really interested in freeing anybody but themselves.
”
”
Elie Mystal (Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution)
“
—Okay,” I hear Eli mutter from somewhere in the room. “I’m going to get pussy. Mommy and Daddy are fighting again.
”
”
Amo Jones (Malum: Part 2 (The Elite Kings Club Book 5))
“
But Christian… he was unique, a rose blooming in a frozen tundra.
Had Christian been a woman, he might have married a king. As a man, he could have any woman’s bed, or all of them.
He could inspire ballads. He could inspire wars.
”
”
Eli Easton (The Lion and the Crow)
“
Had Christian been a woman, he might have married a king. As a man, he could have any woman’s bed—or all of them. He could inspire ballads. He could inspire wars. William
”
”
Eli Easton (The Lion and the Crow)
“
Sirs, I am but a nameless man,
A rhymester without a home,
Yet since I come of the Wessex clay
And carry the cross of Rome,
I will even answer the mighty earl
That asked of Wessex men
Why they be meek and monkish folk,
And bow to the White Lord's broken yoke;
What sign have we save blood and smoke?
Here is my answer then.
That on you is fallen the shadow,
And not upon the Name;
That though we scatter and though we fly,
And you hang over us like the sky,
You are more tired of victory,
Than we are tired of shame.
That though you hunt the Christian man
Like a hare on the hill-side,
The hare has still more heart to run
Than you have heart to ride.
That though all lances split on you,
All swords be heaved in vain,
We have more lust again to lose
Than you to win again.
Your lord sits high in the saddle,
A broken-hearted king,
But our king Alfred, lost from fame,
Fallen among foes or bonds of shame,
In I know not what mean trade or name,
Has still some song to sing.
Our monks go robed in rain and snow,
But the heart of flame therein,
But you go clothed in feasts and flames,
When all is ice within;
Nor shall all iron dooms make dumb
Men wandering ceaselessly,
If it be not better to fast for joy
Than feast for misery.
Nor monkish order only
Slides down, as field to fen,
All things achieved and chosen pass,
As the White Horse fades in the grass,
No work of Christian men.
Ere the sad gods that made your gods
Saw their sad sunrise pass,
The White Horse of the White Horse Vale,
That you have left to darken and fail,
Was cut out of the grass.
Therefore your end is on you,
Is on you and your kings,
Not for a fire in Ely fen,
Not that your gods are nine or ten,
But because it is only Christian men
Guard even heathen things.
For our God hath blessed creation,
Calling it good. I know
What spirit with whom you blindly band
Hath blessed destruction with his hand;
Yet by God's death the stars shall stand
And the small apples grow.
”
”
G.K. Chesterton (The Ballad of the White Horse)
“
if my memory serves me right, here is my genealogical line: Boccaccio, Petronius, Rabelais, Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau, Maeterlinck, Romain Rolland, Plotinus, Heraclitus, Nietzsche, Dostoievsky (and other Russian writers of the Nineteenth Century), the ancient Greek dramatists, theElizabethan dramatists (excluding Shakespeare), Theodore Dreiser, Knut Hamsun, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, Thomas Mann, Elie Faure, Oswald Spengler, Marcel Proust, Van Gogh, the Dadaists and Surrealists, Balzac, Lewis Carroll, Nijinsky, Rimbaud, Blaise Cendrars, Jean Giono, Celine, everything I read on Zen Buddhism, everything I read about China, India, Tibet, Arabia, Africa, and of course the Bible, the men who wrote it and especially the men who made the King James version, for it was the language of the Bible rather than its “message” which I got first and which I will never shake off.
”
”
Henry Miller (The Books in My Life)
“
With the demon gone, the angels turned to watch the scene of redemption in front of them, always eager to see another soul forgiven and welcomed into the courts of the King. Eli laughed as joy flooded him. The prayer of salvation, the rejoicing as lost children were welcomed home, brought sweet delight. Sim joined him, his brown eyes filling with tears. As the strain of the battle faded, they put up their swords for the moment. They joined in a prayer of thanksgiving and raised their hands to worship the Creator,
”
”
Vicki V. Lucas (No Earthly Storm: Alpha Mission)
“
Once a man has mastered himself, he has no king, no conqueror, no predator but himself.
”
”
Rachel Aaron (The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1-3))
“
You're too smart for that."
"You overestimate me.
”
”
Eli Hinze (The Imposter King)
“
Even a gilded shroud will not hide a corpse’s rot forever.
”
”
Eli Hinze (The Wretched Spy (The Imposter King #2))
“
Sir Thomas More, son of Sir John More, a justice of the King's Bench, was born in 1478, in Milk Street, in the city of London. After his earlier education at St. Anthony's School, in Threadneedle Street, he was placed, as a boy, in the household of Cardinal John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor. It was not unusual for persons of wealth or influence and sons of good families to be so established together in a relation of patron and client. The youth wore his patron's livery, and added to his state. The patron used, afterwards, his wealth or influence in helping his young client forward in the world. Cardinal Morton had been in earlier days that Bishop of Ely whom Richard III. sent to the Tower; was busy afterwards in hostility to Richard; and was a chief adviser of Henry VII., who in 1486 made him Archbishop of Canterbury, and nine months afterwards Lord Chancellor. Cardinal Morton—of talk at whose table there are recollections in "Utopia"—delighted in the quick wit of young Thomas More. He once said, "Whoever shall live to try it, shall see this child here waiting at table prove a notable and rare man.
”
”
Thomas More (Utopia (Norton Critical Editions))
“
Sigara konusunda yardım eli
Bir çocuk sigara içmeye başladığında içinde ne varsa kusmadan ya da bayılacak gibi olmadan sigaranın yarısına varabilirse şanslı sayılırdı. Altı aylık bir deneyimin ardından günde beş on dal sigara içebilirdi. Çocuğa üç yıl, verin karşınıza günde iki buçuk paket sigara içen bir akciğer kanseri adayı çıkardı.
Şimdi tersine çevirin. İlk sigarasını yeni bitrimiş, yeşil suratıyla öğürerek dolaşan çocuğa sigarayı bırakması gerektiğini söyleyin. Büyük ihtimalle dizlerinin üzerine çöküp kıçınızı öperdi. Günde beş on sigara içerken sorun, iki türlüsünü de yapabilecek bir çocukla karşılaşırdınız. Gerçi o seviyede alışmış bir çocuk bile kendini şekere vurabilir ve sıkıldığında ya da gerildiğinde sigara içmek isteyebilirdi.
”
”
Stephen King (The Tommyknockers)
“
Mom, what about the story you were going to tell Katie?” “Oh, yes. Queen Elizabeth. When she came to Kenya for a visit in 1952, she and Prince Philip stayed at Treetops. It’s a hotel not far from here. The rooms are at treetop height. She sipped tea on the open veranda while the elephants and other wild animals came to the watering hole below. Her father, King George IV, had been ill but seemed to have recovered, so the trip to Africa didn’t pose a conflict.” “Was he the one who stuttered? I remember seeing a movie about him,” Katie said. “Yes, that was the same king,” Eli answered for his mom. “What happened is that he took a turn for the worse and passed away while Princess Elizabeth was at Treetops. Since communication between England and Africa was so slow, she didn’t know her father had died until after they had left Treetops, and they stopped for lunch at the Aberdare Country Club, where we just ate.” “Really? The queen of England ate at that same restaurant?” “Yes. Only she didn’t yet know she was the queen of England. Word hadn’t reached her. The great statement about Treetops is that Elizabeth went up the stairs to her room that night as a princess, and when she descended those same stairs the next morning, she was the queen of England.” “I love stories like that,” Katie said. “I mean, it’s sad that her father died while she was in Africa, but what a rite of passage that moment was. She was doing what was on the schedule for that day, and by the time she put her head on her pillow that night, everything had changed.” As
”
”
Robin Jones Gunn (Finally and Forever (Katie Weldon, #4))
“
Get it off!" Julian howled, shimmying his back in front of Sacha.
Sacha was too busy being doubled over laughing his ass off to give half a shit about the fact that his friend had gotten crapped on by a bird.
For the second time in less than an hour.
We were at King's Park in Perth, the largest inner-city park in the world, the day after we’d arrived in the Land Down Under. Sacha, Julian, my brother, Isaiah and I had all caught a ride to the beautiful location late that morning. What had started with me banging on my brother’s door so he could accompany me somewhere, ended up becoming an extended invitation to the other guys during breakfast.
"Quit laughing and somebody wipe it off!" Julian was practically screeching as he made his stop in front of me, hoping I'd be his savior.
I wanted to help Julian with his issue. Really. I did. The problem was that I couldn't stop cracking up either.
“Gaby! Please! Get it off!”
It seriously took everything inside of me to get it together. I finally cleaned the gooey spot with the last napkin I’d tucked into my pocket earlier, but it took longer than it normally would have. A second later another bird swarmed overhead and made him start cursing in annoyance and probably fear. It was bad enough to get pooped on once, but twice? And in front of Eli and Sacha? There was no way Julian was ever going to be able to live it down.
"I feel like I should take a shit on you too now. What exactly am I missing out on, you know?" Eli cackled, slapping the poor guy on the back before immediately yanking his hand away and checking it with a grimace.
The same bird swooped dangerously over our heads, and I started crying, not imagining the look of pure horror on Julian's face all over again.
"You better run before they come after you again," Sacha teased him through a gulp of air. He stole a glance in my direction, and then lost it once more; this loud, belly-aching laugh that fueled my own.
”
”
Mariana Zapata (Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin)
“
Every July, when Eli was growing up, his mother would close the cabin and move the family to the Sun Dance. Eli would help the other men set up the tepee, and then he and Norma and Camelot would run with the kids in the camp. They would ride horses and chase each other across the prairies, their freedom interrupted only by the ceremonies. Best of all, Eli liked the men’s dancing. The women would dance for four days, and then there would be a day of rest and the men would begin. Each afternoon, toward evening, the men would dance, and just before the sun set, one of the dancers would pick up a rifle and lead the other men to the edge of the camp, where the children waited. Eli and the rest of the children would stand in a pack and wave pieces of scrap paper at the dancers as the men attacked and fell back, surged forward and retreated, until finally, after several of these mock forays, the lead dancer would breach the fortress of children and fire the rifle, and all the children would fall down in a heap, laughing, full of fear and pleasure, the pieces of paper scattering across the land. Then the dancers would gather up the food that was piled around the flagpole—bread, macaroni, canned soup, sardines, coffee—and pass it out to the people. Later, after the camp settled in, Eli and Norma and Camelot would lie on their backs and watch the stars as they appeared among the tepee poles through the opening in the top of the tent. And each morning, because the sun returned and the people remembered, it would begin again.
”
”
Thomas King (Green Grass, Running Water)
“
The Son of God dies in splendor and majesty, not in defeat and loss. The crucifixion event covers about six hours. During those six hours, the gospel writers capture a series of seven sayings of Christ from the tree of death—sometimes referred to as the Seven Last Words. The first three statements are horizontal in nature, describing Christ’s conclusion of His dealings with mankind. They are characterized by: Forgiveness: “Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:34). Redemption: “He said to [the thief on the cross], ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise’” (23:43). Compassion: “When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into his own household” (John 19:26-27). * Even in the middle of His pain and anguish, Jesus took the time to perform the duty of the oldest son in caring for His mother. Having cared for those around Him,* the Savior turned His attention heavenward and to the ultimate task at hand. His final four statements engage His Father in the redemptive act that is occurring on the cross of Calvary. These statements express the spiritual aspects of Christ’s work as He progresses through these stages: Abandonment: “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46). Readiness: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19:28). Fulfillment: “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Release: “Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). The charge that was placed above His head read: “this is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37). Everything about His crucifixion spoke of His true majesty, not only as the King of the Jews but also as the King of kings.
”
”
Bill Crowder (The Mockery & Majesty of the Cross - Discovery Series)
“
The best stories are those dreams yet to be written.
~ Taken from King Eli, To the Ends of the Earth.
”
”
C.M. Padilla
“
In 1821, the United States government sent Dr. Eli Ayres to West Africa to buy, on what was known as the “Pepper Coast,” land that could be used as a colony for relocated slaves from America. He sailed to the location on the Mesurado River aboard the naval schooner USS Alligator, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Stockton. When they arrived, Stockton forced the sale of some land at gunpoint, from a local tribal chief named King Peter.
Soon after this sale was consummated, returned slaves and their stores were landed as colonists on Providence and Bushrod Islands in the Montserado River. However, once the USS Alligator left the new colonists, they were confronted by King Peter and his tribe. It took some doing but on April 25, 1822 this group moved off the low lying, mosquito infested islands and took possession of the highlands behind Cape Montserado, thereby founding present day Monrovia. Named after U.S. President James Monroe, it became the second permanent African American settlement in Africa after Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Thus the colony had its beginnings, but not without continuing problems with the local inhabitants who felt that they had been cheated in the forced property transaction. With the onset of the rainy season, disease, shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities, caused the venture to almost fail.
As these problems increased, Dr. Ayres wanted to retreat to Sierra Leone again, but Elijah Johnson an African American, who was one of the first colonial agents of the American Colonization Society, declared that he was there to stay and would never leave his new home. Dr. Eli Ayres however decided that enough was enough and left to return to the United States, leaving Elijah and the remaining settlers behind. The colony was nearly lost if it was not for the arrival of another ship, the U.S. Strong carrying the Reverent Jehudi Ashmun and thirty-seven additional emigrants, along with much needed stores. It didn’t take long before the settlement was identified as a “Little America” on the western coast of Africa. Later even the flag was fashioned after the American flag by seven women; Susannah Lewis, Matilda Newport, Rachel Johnson, Mary Hunter, J.B. Russwurm, Conilette Teage, and Sara Dripper. On August 24, 1847 the flag was flown for the first time and that date officially became known as “Flag Day.” With that a new nation was born!
”
”
Hank Bracker
“
Don’t even remind me of that, Captain. I get nightmares about the day my babies will introduce me to some fuckers. Aiden Pretty sure you know at least one of them, if not two. Cole What are you insinuating? Aiden You might want to sit down for this. Cole Sit down for what? Aiden One day, my Eli will marry your Ava and we’ll be in-laws. Xander Jesus. Is that a script for a horror film? Aiden A reality show. Cole I’ll kill him first, Aiden. You know that. Aiden Good luck trying to stop my son. We King men always get what we want.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of Fury (Legacy of Gods, #5))
“
My, Mrs. King. We just got back and you’re already throwing yourself into my arms? Control yourself, would you?” I jerk away. “It was an accident.” “One of many.” “Stop it.” “Stop what?” “Being a dick, for starters.” “And now we’re talking about my dick. That desperate, huh?” “Hell will freeze over before I let you touch me, Eli.” “You look adorable when spouting lies. Besides…” He lifts my chin with a curled index finger, spearing his cold eyes into my soul. “I already touched you. If I want to fuck you, you’ll bend over and take it.” “Lie.” My whisper is barely audible as my chin trembles. “Want to bet?” “You’re messing with me because I lost my memory. I’d never sleep with you.” “There was no sleeping involved. I must say I wasn’t impressed, but I can give you a chance for a redo.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
Although he said more about hell than most other subjects, Jesus had a very short fuse with those who appeared enthusiastic about the idea of people suffering eternally. Once, after being rejected by a village of Samaritans, Jesus’ disciples asked him for permission to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans. Jesus’ response was to rebuke his disciples for thinking such a harsh thing.[1] His response makes me wonder what to do with a subject like hell. On one hand, Jesus indicated that the fire of hell is an appropriate punishment for sin.[2] On the other, he got very upset with anyone suggesting that someone else should go there...Howard Thurman, a predecessor to Dr. King and an African American scholar and minister, gave a lecture at Harvard in 1947 during the pre–civil rights era. In that lecture he shared these words: “Can you imagine a slave saying, ‘I and all my children and grandchildren are consigned to lives of endless brutality and grinding poverty? There’s no judgment day in which any wrongdoing will ever be put right?’”[15] Volf and Thurman are saying the same thing: if there is no final judgment, then there is really no hope for a slave, a rape victim, a child who has been abused or bullied, or people who have been slandered or robbed or had their dignity taken from them. If nobody is ultimately called to account for violence and oppression, then the victims will not see justice, ever. They will be left to conclude the same thing that Elie Wiesel concluded after the Holocaust stripped him of his mother, his father, his sister, and his faith: “I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God. . . . Without love or mercy.”[16] If we insist on a universe in which there is no final reckoning for evil, this is what we are left with. To accept that God is a lover but not a judge is a luxury that only the privileged and protected can enjoy. What I’m saying here is that we need a God who gets angry. We need a God who will protect his kids, who will once and for all remove the bullies and the perpetrators of evil from his playground. Those who cannot or will not appreciate this have likely enjoyed a very sheltered life and are therefore naive about the emotional impact of oppression, cruelty, and injustice. To accept that God is a lover but not a judge is a luxury that only the privileged and protected can enjoy.
”
”
Scott Sauls (Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides)
“
Did Eli just call me a good girl? The Eli King?
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
Eli King stands by the bar, nonchalantly leaning back, one hand nestling a drink and the other tucked in his pressed black trousers. He always wears something black. Like a gothic duke in a faraway castle. A step above Dracula and Satan’s favorite tutor. It fits with the sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and vile character. His crisp white shirt highlights his broad shoulders and lean, muscled frame. The cuffs are slightly rolled, revealing a Patek Philippe watch that’s so expensive, it could buy everyone in this club.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
Eli King has been my damnation ever since I figured out what that word meant. My nemesis. The only man who’s immune to my charms. If anything, he disregards them with cold indifference. Like right now. His eyes exude a bottomless darkness, and their stormy gray color never rages or revolts. Never deviates from the coldness I faced the day he shattered my heart to pieces and stomped all over it. “Turn around and remove your distasteful presence from my sight, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your embarrassing confessions.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
That’s it. Good girl.” My heart trips over itself and my breathing stutters. The machines beep louder and my world tilts on its axes. Did Eli just call me a good girl? The Eli King?
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
Eli King has been my damnation ever since I figured out what that word meant.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
After years of rejecting and humiliating me through a kiss, Eli King is the one who’s kissing me right now. And it’s not a mere kiss. It’s a possessive claim that’s brimming with simmering darkness.
”
”
Rina Kent (God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6))
“
lawlessness. Just as the opposite of grace was never law but disgrace.
”
”
Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg (The Jewish Gospel of John: Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel (All Books by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg Book 3))
“
recall one of the greatest stories of the Hebrew Bible – the story of the dove that, after having been released by Noah several times, finally came to rest on dry ground. (Gen. 8) The dove became a symbol of safety, hope, peace and future. At the time of Jesus’ baptism, the dove rested once again on the ultimate symbol of safety, hope, peace and future – the King of Israel, Jesus.
”
”
Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg (The Jewish Gospel of John: Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel (All Books by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg Book 3))
“
eli-king: No tongue?
”
”
Rina Kent (God of Wrath (Legacy of Gods, #3))
“
am already shaking my head. “Olivia, I can’t afford this...” Dang, I wish I could. I can just imagine how excited Eli would be to do it. Olivia takes the papers, flips to the back, and holds it up. “I applied for the sponsorship. See here?” She points to the bottom of the paper. “This was signed by King Bryant. He approved the sponsorship.
”
”
Hope Ford (Protector Cowboy (Whiskey Valley: Bryant Brothers #1))
“
Anyone can feign incompetence.”
“Not like this.
”
”
Eli Hinze (The Wretched Spy (The Imposter King #2))
“
In a different lifetime, he would have been able to hold her every day. He would have been able to kiss her, and dote upon her, and listen to her every thought. He wanted it for this lifetime, too.
But she was a rising priestess, and he, a monster.
”
”
Eli Hinze (The Wretched Spy (The Imposter King #2))
“
Actually, success is a by-product. “Try not to become a man of success,” wrote Albert Einstein, “but rather try to become a man of value.” Values involve character, which is why Theodore Roosevelt said, “The chief factor in any man’s success or failure must be his own character.” Eli, the priest, and Saul, the king, both had reputations; but David had character. His character and skills were developed in private before they were demonstrated in public.
”
”
Warren W. Wiersbe (Be Successful (1 Samuel): Attaining Wealth That Money Can't Buy (The BE Series Commentary))
“
Now come I, forsooth, from good Banbury Town," said the jolly Tinker, "and no one nigh Nottingham--nor Sherwood either, an that be the mark-- can hold cudgel with my grip. Why, lads, did I not meet that mad wag Simon of Ely, even at the famous fair at Hertford Town, and beat him in the ring at that place before Sir Robert of Leslie and his lady? This same Robin Hood, of whom, I wot, I never heard before, is a right merry blade, but gin he be strong, am not I stronger? And gin he be sly, am not I slyer? Now by the bright eyes of Nan o' the Mill, and by mine own name and that's Wat o' the Crabstaff, and by mine own mother's son, and that's myself, will I, even I, Wat o' the Crabstaff, meet this same sturdy rogue, and gin he mind not the seal of our glorious sovereign King Harry, and the warrant of the good Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, I will so bruise, beat, and bemaul his pate that he shall never move finger or toe again! Hear ye that, bully boys?
”
”
Howard Pyle (The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood)
“
Benny'nin kolunun ucundaki eli, Tanrı'yla tokalaşmak istercesine avucu yukarı bakar halde duruyordu. Hangi Tanrı? Son dedikodulara göre Kara Kule'nin tepesindeki oda boştu.
”
”
Stephen King
“
But we know I’m not your daughter or nowhere near it. Because if I were, you would have never allowed Jimmy to approach me. You would’ve protected me against his charm and lies. If you cared about me so, you would’ve told me the first time he brought me to your home for dinner that he was bringing different women even after I’d moved in. You were there the night I met him. If I were your daughter, would you have told me he’d been showing signs of CTE and even had fears of having it? Because you knew, Eli. He told me.
”
”
Love Belvin (Love's Ineligible Receiver (Connecticut Kings, #5))
“
Therefore your end is on you, Is on you and your kings, Not for a fire in Ely fen, Not that your gods are nine or ten, But because it is only Christian men Guard even heathen things.
”
”
G.K. Chesterton (The G.K. Chesterton Collection [34 Books])
“
In 1821 the United States government sent Dr. Eli Ayres to the Pepper or Grain Coast of West Africa, to buy the land discovered by Samuel Bacon prior to his death the preceding year. Dr. Ayres sailed aboard the U.S. naval schooner the USS Alligator, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Stockton, to the proposed new colony near the Mesurado River. After several days of negotiations in November of 1821, this valuable land was purchased at gunpoint from the tribal chief King Peter.
Soon after this purchase, the colonists and their stores were landed on Providence Island and Bushrod Island, two small islands in the middle of the Mesurado River. Once the armed schooner sailed out of sight, the settlers were challenged by King Peter and his tribe. It took some doing, but on April 25, 1822, this group moved off the low-lying islands and took possession of the highlands behind Cape Mesurado, thereby founding present-day Monrovia, which was named after U.S. President James Monroe. It became the second permanent African American settlement in Africa, after Freetown, Sierra Leone.
”
”
Hank Bracker
“
Damian, who do you admire?’
I said, ‘St Roch, sir.’
The others stopped talking.
‘Who does he play for?’
‘No one, sir. He’s a saint.’
The others went back to football.
‘He caught the plague and hid in the woods so he wouldn’t infect anyone, and a dog came and fed him every day. Then he started to do miraculous cures and people came to see him – hundreds of people – in his hut in the woods. He was so worried about saying the wrong thing to someone that he didn’t say a word for the last ten years of his life.’ ‘
We could do with a few like him in this class. Thank you, Damian.’ ‘
He’s the patron saint of plague, cholera and skin complaints. While alive, he performed many wonders.’ ‘Well, you learn something new.’
He was looking for someone else now, but I was enjoying being excellent. Catherine of Alexandria (4th century) came to mind.
‘They wanted her to marry a king, but she said she was married to Christ. So, they tried to crush her on a big wooden wheel, but it shattered into a thousand splinters – huge sharp splinters – which flew into the crowd, killing and blinding many bystanders.’ ‘
That’s a bit harsh. Collateral damage, eh?
Well, thank you, Damian.’ By now everyone had stopped debating players versus managers. They were all listening to me.
‘After that they chopped her head off. Which did kill her, but instead of blood, milk came spurting out of her neck. That was one of her wonders.’ ‘Thank you, Damian.’ ‘She’s the patron saint of nurses, fireworks, wheel-makers and the town of Dunstable (Bedfordshire). The Catherine wheel is named after her. She’s a virgin martyr. There are other great virgin martyrs. For instance, St Sexburga of Ely (670– 700).’
Everyone started laughing. Everyone always laughs at that name. They probably laughed at it in 670– 700 too.
‘Sexburga was Queen of Kent. She had four sisters, who all became saints. They were called—’
Before I could say Ethelburga and Withburga, Mr Quinn said, ‘Damian, I did say thank you.’
He actually said thank you three times. If that doesn’t make me excellent, I don’t know what does. I was also an artistic inspiration, as nearly all the boys painted pictures of the collateral damage at the execution of St Catherine. There were a lot of fatal flying splinters and milk spurting out of necks. Jake painted Wayne Rooney, but he was the only one.
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Frank Cottrell Boyce (Millions)
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In the afternoon, Eli suggests we take a nap so we can be rested for later, but I stay awake watching his blank sleeping face, his hand tucked restfully beneath the pillow. The doorbell rings and I pad out into the living room to press the intercom button. It’s Chaya, and I press the buzzer to let her in. “I heard what happened,” she says, after she is seated at my new dining room table, stocking feet crossed neatly under her chair. I wait for her to come to my defense, to say something soothing. Her face is hard when she continues. “If there’s one thing that makes a marriage work,” she says, “it’s that a man must be king in the bedroom. If he is king in the bedroom, then he feels like a king everywhere else, no matter what happens.” She pauses, looking intently at me, her hands clutching the handles of her black bucket purse. “You understand me?” she asks, waiting for confirmation. I nod, too flabbergasted to say anything. “Good,” she says, firmly, standing up and smoothing her skirt. “Then everything will be taken care of. I’m not even going to tell Bubby and Zeidy about this; why give them more bad news in their old age and fragile condition?” I hear the implications of that statement and feel immediately guilty. Still, as the door shuts behind her, I wait for it to hit me. How exactly will everything be taken care of? I wonder. Does she have a plan? Because I don’t.
”
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Deborah Feldman (Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots)
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Thereafter the King, for the sake of Christ’s sepulchre, virtually put the realm up for sale. Money he must have at all costs for his campaign in far-off Palestine. He sold and re-sold every office in the State. He made new and revolutionarily heavy demands for taxation. He called for “scutage”, the commutation of military service for a money payment, and later reintroduced “carucage”, a levy on every hundred acres of land. Thus he filled his chests for the Holy War. Confiding the government to two Justiciars, William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, and Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham, under the supervision of the one trustworthy member of his family, his mother, the old Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, he started for the wars in the winter of 1189.
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Winston S. Churchill (The Birth of Britain (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #1))