The Good Soldier_ A Tale of Passion - Ford Madox Ford [129]
92. General Braddock: Edward Braddock (1695–1755) was a British general who was killed in an ambush by French troops and native Americans while crossing the River Monongahela in Pennsylvania in July 1755.
93. General Washington… War of Independence: George Washington (1732–99) was the first President of the United States of America (1783–97) and Commander in Chief of the Congress forces during the American War of Independence (1775–83).
94. ‘Pocahontas’: the daughter of the native American chief Powhatan, Pocahontas (c.1595–1617) was brought to England, baptized, and married the English colonist John Rolfe. She died of smallpox at Gravesend as she was about to return to America.
95. Rye Station… cars to Waterbury: Rye is a suburb of New York City on Long Island Sound. In colonial times, Rye was the first stop on the Boston Post Road after New York City. The ‘cars’ must refers to railway carriages: for Waterbury, see Note 31.
96. Sandy Hook: is a low, sandy peninsula situated in northeast New Jersey, projecting five miles north towards New York City. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse (1763) is the last American landmark before the Atlantic.
97. Julien’s: Ford has in mind one of the Paris studios which specifically catered for young foreign men (particularly Americans and Britons) who wanted a solid training in drawing and painting without the obstacle of competitive entry.
98. cinquecento: sixteenth-century (Italian).
99. Rue de la Paix: ironically, Peace Street (French).
100. Hoboken: a New Jersey city, lying across the Hudson River from Manhattan, New York City.
101. D.S.O.: the Distinguished Service Order is an order of military merit founded on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria, its object being to recognize the exceptional service of officers in the army or navy.
102. Royal Humane Society’s: founded in 1774 ‘to encourage the saving of human life’, the Royal Humane Society is still in existence today.
103. V.C.: the Victoria Cross is the highest British decoration for ‘conspicuous bravery or devotion to the country in the presence of the enemy’. It was founded by Queen Victoria in 1856.
104. the Beefeaters: the more common name for the Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London, originally appointed by Edward VI (reigned 1547–53). Their uniform is very similar to that of the sovereign’s Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (1485), the oldest royal bodyguard and the oldest military corps in the world. There are six officers and sixty-six men, and it is almost certainly this bodyguard that Dowell has in mind.
105. Lohengrin and the Chevalier Bayard: in Arthurian legend, Lohengrin was the courageous son of Percival (Parzifal) and a Knight of the Holy Grail who was drawn on by Richard Wagner (1813–83) in his opera Lohengrin (1850). Pierre Terrail, Seigneur de Bayard (c.1473–1524) was a French soldier known as ‘le bon chevalier sans peur et sans reproche’ (the good knight without fear and without reproach). He gained particular distinction at the battles of Fornovo (1495) and Marignano (1515).
106. the Cid: the Spanish hero Rodrigo (Ruy) Diáz de Vivar (c.1043–99) was better known as El Cid (from the Moorish Suit, ‘lord’) or El Campeador (‘The Warrior’). He survived as a soldier of fortune, fighting for both the Spanish and the Moors, and his greatest achievement was the capture of the kingdom of Valencia (1094). He became its ruler until his death.
107. put him at it: a hunting phrase, meaning to make a horse jump a fence.
108. nitrate of amyl: a yellow liquid with a penetrating odour used in medicine for angina pectoris (see note 110) owing to its power of producing vascular dilation and of stimulating the heart’s action. Ironically, amyl nitrate is also abused as an aphrodisiac; it is supposed to extend or intensify orgasm.
109. au mieux: on the best of terms (French).
110.