The four men a farrago series#

It was a joyous occasion, for I had not seen my parents since December of the previous year. The two other events that I remember vividly are the garden party that took place during the early summer of 1937 when my parents came to visit us at school with tio Pedro, tia Elsa, tia Enriqueta and my faithful nanny, Rita. The idea of the English gentleman still prevailed, but as Belloc tells us: “The gentleman is generous and treats all men as his equals, especially those whom he feels to be inferior in rank and wealth.” 7 Unfortunately, this was not always the case. Vestiges of the Edwardian epoch were still to be seen in London literary circles and among the English upper classes. The Regatta is regarded as part of the English social season and certain enclosures had strict dress codes. We always cheered for Oxford (at least I did). What particularly comes to my mind is the Henley Royal Regatta held annually on the River Thames where, at the Boat Races, crews from Oxford and Cambridge Universities competed for the well-earned trophy. Edmund’s College, Old Hall Green, Ware in Hertfordshire my frequent hikes in the surrounding countryside and the numerous sport facilities provided by the School and encouraged by the House Master. Or dares persistent interwreath love permanent with the wild hedgerows He does not die but still remains in substantiate with is darling plains.” 5 The English writer and poet does not hesitate to launch into a rich lyricism to describe the land he loves.Īfter reading these lines about Belloc’s travel experiences 6 and his love for England, my mind went back to the years I spent at St. But since he knows he cannot do that, ‘at least’ he says, ‘I will keep her image, and that shall remain.'” 4 As a further remembrance of the Sussex he loved, he wrote the following: “He does not die that can bequeath Some influence on the land he knows. Then, believe me Sussex, he is anxious in a very different way he would, if he could, preserve his land in the flesh, and keep it there as it is forever. As a tribute to his dear Sussex he wrote the following lines: “In this love he remains content until, perhaps, some sort of warning reaches him, that even his own County is approaching its doom. He tramped the length and breadth of the County, he drank in the pubs, sailed her coast and wrote several books about her. He had a deep love for nature and in particular for the peaceful county of Sussex where he grew up.īelloc loved Sussex, where he bought a working windmill in which he lived most of his life until his death. His Catholic faith had a strong influence on his work. Even his critics have admitted that he had the power to bring history to life.īelloc was well versed with the thinking of Henry Edward Cardinal Manning and wholeheartedly embraced his dictum: “all human conflict is intrinsically theological.” 3 He is considered as one of the most powerful influences working in favor of the truth.

The four men a farrago series#

Among his historical writings, the better known ones include: “ Europe and the Faith” (1920), History of England in four volumes (1925-31), and a series of biographies ranging from James II (1928) to Wesley (1930). It was followed by the Bad Child’s Book of Beasts which satirized moralistic verse for children. It can probably be said that he is most remembered for his “light verse,” particularly his first book Verses and Sonnets, published in 1896. The literary contribution of this man from Sussex is so great that a short essay like this one would fall short of the credit he deserves. The College was founded in 1263 and considered a place where people of exceptional potential for study attended. 1 The French born historian and essayist was a graduate of Balliol College at Oxford University. And time after time mankind must learn the hard lessons of history - the lessons that for some dangerous and awful reason we can’t seem to keep in our collective memory.”īelloc, together with Newman, Chesterton, and Waugh, were three of the principal writers of the Catholic literary revival during the early 20 th century in England. “Time after time mankind is driven against the rocks of the horrid reality of a fallen creation.