Glory, love, and honour...

Last Friday, December 16, most of the Jane Austen societies in North America (and perhaps around the world) had their annual meetings in honor of the anniversary of Jane's birthday.

I would love to have gone to the local meeting, but I was in the West Indies on a little cruise with my family. (Okay, technically it was the Bahamas and not the West Indies -- as Mrs. Croft would say, "We do not call Bermuda or Bahama the West Indies, you know." I just like saying that.)

But in honor of Jane's birthday (if a bit belated), here are a few lines on Jane from Rudyard Kipling:

Jane lies in Winchester--
Blessed be her shade!
Praise the Lord for making her,
And her for all she made!

And while the stones of Winchester,
Or Milsom Street, remain,
Glory, love, and honour
Unto England's Jane!

Love this, but Kipling was unfortunately rather free with the exclamation points. (Can't stand exclamation points!)

Jane is buried in Winchester, of course, and Milsom Street was (and still is) one of the fashionable shopping streets in Bath. Anne, Elizabeth, and Mrs. Clay in Persuasion are in Milsom Street when they duck into Molland's to escape the rain and Anne spots Captain Wentworth for the first time since the tragedy at Lyme.

Like Jane, I found the fashionable Bath shops too expensive for more than window shopping. (Although I did find a fantastic bead store that helped me make a necklace with a cross I bought at Alton Abbey. It's called Bijoux Beads on 2 Abbey Street just a stone's throw from the Roman Baths. I highly recommend it!)

Hoping to post more of the Oxford writing later this week.