ANECDOT5ES OF ROYAL PERSONAGES.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 24, Issue 17, 4 March 1913, Page 3

ANECDOTSES OF ROYAL PERSONAGES.

Louis XL, of France, was so fearful os death that, as often as it came into his physician’s bead to threaten him with death, he put money into his hands tv pacify him; and bis physician is said to have got 55,000 crowns ironi him in five months Constantink THE Great, in order to reclaim a miser, took a lance, and marked out a space of ground of the size of the human body, and said to him, " Add heap to heap, accumulate riches upon riches, extend the bounds of your possessions, conquer the whole world, and in a few days such a spot as this will be all you will have.” It is remembered as one of the libera) axioms of George 111. that " no British subject is by necessity excluded from the peerage." Consistently with this sentiment, he once checked a man of high rank, who lamented that a very good speaker in the court of Aldermen was of a mean trade, by saying, " What signifies a man’s trade ? A man of any honest trade may make himself respectable if he will." Henry IV., of France, was standing one day with some of his courtiers at the entrance of a village, and a poor man passing by bowed down to the very ground; and Hie king, with great condescension, returned bis salutation just in the same manner. At this one of his attendants ventured to express his surprise, when the monarch finely replied to him—" Would you have your king exceeded in politeness by one of I lie lowest of his subjects ?" Peter the Great madi a law, in lya?, hat if any nobleman beat or ill-trbated his Haves, he should be looked upon as insane, ■ad a guardian should be appointed to take :.-ire of his person and of his estate. Peter nice struck his gardener, Who, being a man F great sensibility, took to his bed, and iicd in a few days, The Czar, hearing of bis, exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, ‘Alas! I have civilized my own subjects: t have conquered other nations : yet 1 have am been able to civilise or to conquer n-.self."

Whun Edward IV. declared war against Ennis XL of France he addressed his Parliament in an able speech, which concluded with the following impressive words;— “ But I detain you too long by my speech from action. 1 see the clouds of dire rerenge gathered in your hearts, and the lightning of fury break from your eyes, which bodes thunder against our enemy ; let us therefore lose no time, but suddeniy and severely scourge this perjured court to a severe repentance, and regain honour to out nation, and his kingdom to our crown.” Oliver Millard, apopular and energetic preacher of the reign of Louis XL, attacked the vices of the court in his sermons, and did not spare even the king himself, who, raking offence at it, sent the priest word that ii he did not change histone, he would have him thrown into the Seine. " The king,” replied Oliver, "is the master, to do what he pleases ; but tell him that I shall reach Paradise by water sooner than he will with his post-horses." (The establishment ol travelling post was instituted by Louis XL) Jhe bold answer at once amused and mtimidated the king, for he let the priest continue to preach as he pleased, and what ne pleased. When a prince of the blood royal ol France disgraced himself, by committi? robbery and murder in the street of Paris Louis XV. would not grant apardon, though eagerly solicited to do so by a deputation from the Parliament of Paris, who tried him md suspended their sentence until the royal Measure should be known. “My lords and ■unsellors,” said the king, “ return to your lamber of justice, and promulgate yom ;ree.” " Consider," said the first president,

■ hat the unhappy prince has your majesty's alood in his veins.” 11 Yes,” said the king, ■■ bat the blood has become impure, and justice demands that it should be let out; aor would I spare my own son for a crime, for which I should be bound to condemn ;he meanest of my subjects.” The prince was executed on the scaffold in the court of the Grand Chatelet on the 12th of Aug., 1729. One of the favourites of King Henry V., when Prince of Wales, having been indicted for some misdemeanour, was condemned, noth withstanding all the interest he could make in his favour; and the Prince was sc incensed at the issue of the trial that he struck the judge on the bench. This magistrate, whose name was Sir William Gascoign, acted with a spirit becoming his character He instantly ordered the Prince to be committed to prison ; and young Henry, sensible by this time of the insult he had offered to •he laws of his country, suffered himself to be quietly conducted to gaol by the officers if justice. The king, Henry IV., who was am excellent judge of mankind, was no sooner informed of this transaction, than he cried out, in a transport of joy, “ Happy is •he king who has a magistrate possessed of :,ourage to execute the laws, and still more nappy in having a son who will submit to juch chastisement." Philip the Third, of Spain, was gravely seated by a fireside, where the firemaker of bis court had kindled so great a quantity of wood that the monarch was nearly suffocated with heat, and his'grandeur would lot suffer him to rise from the chair, and the domestics could not presume to enter the' apartment, because it was against the etiquette. At length the Marquis de Posa appeared, and the king - ordered him to damp the fires ; but he excused himself, alleging that he was forbidden by the etiquette to perform such a function, for ’ which the Duke d’Usseda ought to be called upon, as it was his business. The Marquis departed, the fire burned with increasing fierceness, and the king endured it rathei than derogate . from his dignity ; but his blood was heated to such a degree that an erysipelas of'the head appeared next day, which, succeeded by a violent fever, carried him off in 1621, in the twenty-fourth year oi 1 his age. I RELATIVE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT OF MEN. It is well that all persons should know what the normal weight of man really is The following shows the relative height and weight of individuals measuring 5 feet and upwards 5 feet 1 inch should be 120 11).; 5 feet 2 inches should be 126 lb.; 5 feet 3 inches should be 133 lb- 1 5 f® e t 4 inches ihould be 136 lb.: 5 feet 5 inches should be 142 lb.; 5 feet 6 inches should be 145 lb. ; 5 feet 7 inches should be 148 lb.: 5 feet 8 inches should be 155 lb. I 5 - 9 inchol--be 162 lb.; 5 feet xo inches should be 169 lb.; 5 feet ii inches should be 174 lb.: 5 feet should be 178 lb. MEDICINAL VALUE OF LEMONS. To get the better of the bilious syc‘..-m without blue pills or quinine take the juice of one, two, or three lemons, as appetite craves, in as much water as makes it pleasant to drink without sugar, before going to bed In the morning, on rising, at least half-an-hour before breakfast, take the juice of one lemon in a goblet of water. This will clear the system of humour and bile with efficiency, without any of the weakening effects of calomel. People should not irritate the stomach by eating lemons clear: the powerful acid of the juice, which is always most corrosive, invariably produces inflammation after a while, but properly diluted, so that it does not burn or draw the throat, it does q-medical work without harm, and, when the stomach is dear of food, has abundant opporunity to work OwaytoKß thoroughly.