Normally I will not be posting on Saturdays, but as it is the anniversary of Jane’s birthday, I wanted to share these lines 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!
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!)
The picture is St. Nicholas church in Steventon, where Jane’s father was rector.
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)