Tuesday, December 06, 2005

On December 6, 1866...
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., wrote to his friend James Hope-Scott, concerning a gift Hope-Scott had given to the Oratory years before....

Charlie, the virtuous pony, which you gave us 14 years ago, has at length departed this life. He continued his active and useful habits up to last summer— benemeritus, but not emeritus.

Then he fell hopelessly stiff, lame, and miserable. His mind was clear to the last—and, without losing his affection for human kind, he commenced a lively, though, alas, not lasting friendship with an impudent colt of a donkey—who insulted him in his stiffness, and teased and tormented him from one end of the field to the other. We cannot guess his age, he was old when he came to us. He lies under two sycamore trees, which will be, by their growth and beauty, the living monument, or even transformation of a faithful servant, while his spirit is in the limbo of quadrupeds. Rest to his manes ! I suppose I may use the pagan word of a horse.

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