Divine Madness

[poliphilo]

Richard III is going to be lying in state in Leicester cathedral for a week. Then they'll bury him in his nice, new, medieval-themed tomb. Mad isn't it?

My mother's radio was transmitting the service they had for the beginning of his lying in state. Nice music. And some sonorous chap talking about kingly virtues and how God chooses flawed characters to work his will- like Moses and David- and finally what St Paul thought about it all. And I found myself thinking, "I don't give a fuck what St Paul thought about anything- and why on earth should we care about mythical and possibly entirely fictional characters like Moses and David? It would be as relevant- in fact more relevant in the circumstances- to talk about King Arthur.

Do you think the Anglican clergy believe of word of all the tosh they talk? I don't. That's why only cynical and/or silly old people attend their services.

Talking about tosh I found an hour and a half of Spike Milligan's Q on YouTube last night and indulged. The Pythons nicked Milligan's ideas and smoothed off the rough edges- but the rough edges are one of the glories of the original. Q, I am convinced, is the greatest work of art ever conceived for television. The BBC keeps it in a vault and won't let it out- because its absolute- joyous- contempt for all things human scares the shit out of the middle-management types who run the Corporation.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

He's been lying in Leicester for hundreds of years. It's sort of his second home. Also York has lots of attractions already and Leicester could do with the tourist dollars.

Richard III wasn't a Roman Catholic. The medieval church was something very different from both the Anglican church and the modern Roman Catholic Church- both of which came into existence at the Reformation. Richard (supposing him to be still around) would find the current RC liturgy as alien as the Anglican liturgy.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Might explain why although brought up as an Anglican, I converted to Quakerism in my teens. It was all blue rinse and best hats even in my yoof and no one ever attempted to explain that Creed.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

I kind of envy the Anglicans, they get the best of both worlds. (Because there are only two, right?)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Anglican church is fading away but it has an enviable history of mildness (as religions go) and curates a fantastic collection of buildings.

Who knows how many worlds there are.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't think the city of Leicester regards the tourist argument as spurious.

I'm rather fond of Leicester- it's a city with a long history and considerable contemporary pizazz that deserves to be more in the public eye.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I like to think they'll let York have Gary Lineker when the time comes.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

One could have a great deal of fun designing him a worthy tomb. Crisp packets- rendered perhaps in enamel - would need to feature somehow.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And king of England- the capital of which is London. As lblanchard points out, he buried his Queen in Westminster Abbey and- had he'd lived to die a natural death- would surely have expected to have been interred there beside her.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well, he's dead and doesn't get a vote.

Do you think he's still hanging about, worrying about his funeral arrangements?

More fool him if he is!