A Journey Through Time (unedited) -Time Slipping Away Chronicles Volume 1-

DIALOGUE OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

AN: In this chapter there is bold part that you can skip if it doesn't interest you. During my reading I came across this this book about a nun's life that I like so much. If you are like me and like weird book like this one then just google it and you can read it for free online. It's a historical piece about how women lived back then. But for to book it is only what Eleanor was reading to King Uther, nothing more. Sorry for the interruption, please like and comment if you will. :)

Once in the King's chambers it became crystal clear, that King Uther like the life of luxury, the room had beautiful rugs and tapestries covering the walls and floors, the bed was huge even bigger than a king size bed, and the furniture was all impeccably made in a dark wood that fit the stone walls perfectly. Their was a suit of armor and an assortment of battlements out on one table and the other long table held maps and plans with figures on top that looked like chess figures. But if I had to guess what those represented I would have guessed that it showed the battle plans for the army that was coming ever closer to us.

I had been told of the truths of the Saxon army while me and Alden stayed at the cottage, and I knew from my previous history lessons that everything is not always as history writes it down as. This war was no different, I has always heard about the the Saxon were invading Camelot trying to take over its lands. But Alden told me the truth, King Uther had stolen their princess and created Arthur with her, his half sisters wear Saxon blood and all of this fighting and carnage was because of the self righteous, lustful, lying, and frivolous man.

But at this moment he didn't look like all of that. Right now he was sweating from fever, his eyes were red, his breathing was labored, and the bed sheets were pulled back exposing a nasty wound that had way to much puss coming out of it for it to heal. I swallow any ill will I have towards Uther for the carnage he has caused and began treating him like I would any other patient and got to work.

Step one was remove the soiled strips of cloth from the wound, even though they were barely there. This process proved to be painful for the King, not that this surprised me but I knew what would come next would be worse. Step two was purify the wound. For this step I used alcohol, their draft beer went the best thing to use in this situation but it was better than nothing. I had Alden hold Uther as I did this since I knew he would writhe from the pain. Then step three, dressing the wound with herbs that me and Alden made back in our chambers of healing, as I had heard the noble folks of the castle call it. I put plenty on to his wound so the juices and healing properties would go into his wound. Step four is dressing the wound, I used clean clothes to bind it up tight and prevent further infection of the site. Step five change his linens and clean the body. For this step Alden did most of the work as I either held Uther down or tucked in sheets for comfort. Last but not least me and Alden proceeded to deal with the fevers Uther had, we bundled him up, put a cold rag of his head, and gave him a draft of fever reducer from this era of healing. Ok I'll admit I made small modifications to it so it would be more potent.

Once done I volunteered to stay with the king and wait on him if he wakes and chance his cooling cloth from time to time. Thankfully Alden left me with a book and the words Merlin gave him about how if I didn't volunteer to insist that I stay here so Arthur isn't able to insnare me with his wiles, this causes me to laugh.

Once Alden is gone I open the book and begin reading, I've heard that reading to unconscious people is good for them but I was really just doing it because I was bored.

"THE DIALOGUE OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

INTRODUCTION

It would be hard to say whether the Age of the Saints, le moyen age enorme et delicat, has suffered more at the hands of friends or foes. It is at least certain that the medieval period affects those who approach it in the manner of a powerful personality who may awaken love or hatred, but cannot be passed over with indifference. When the contempt of the eighteenth century for the subject, the result of that century's lack of historic imagination, was thawed by the somewhat rhetorical enthusiasm of Chateaubriand and of the Romanticists beyond the Rhine, hostility gave place to an undiscriminating admiration. The shadows fell out of the picture; the medieval time became a golden age when heaven and earth visibly mingled, when Christian society reached the zenith of perfection which constituted it a model for all succeeding ages. Then came the German professors with all the paraphernalia of scientific history, and, looking through their instruments, we, who are not Germans, have come to take a more critical and, perhaps, a juster view of the matter. The Germans, too, have had disciples of other nations, and though conclusions on special points may differ, in every country now at a certain level of education, the same views prevail as to the principles on which historical investigation should be conducted. And yet, while no one with a reputation to lose would venture on any personal heresy as to the standards of legitimate evidence, the same facts still seem to lead different minds to differing appreciations. For history, written solely ad narrandum, is not history; the historian's task is not over when he has disinterred facts and established dates: it is then that the most delicate part of his work begins. History, to be worthy of the name, must produce the illusion of living men and women, and, in order to do this successfully, must be based, not only upon insight into human nature in general, but also upon personal appreciation of the particular men and women engaged in the episodes with which it deals. With facts as such, there can indeed be no tampering; but for the determination of their significance, of their value, as illustrative of a course of policy or of the character of those who were responsible for their occurrence, we have to depend in great measure on the personality of the historian. It is evident that a man who lacks the sympathetic power to enter into the character that he attempts to delineate, will hardly be able to make that character live for us. For in Art as well as Life, sympathy is power."