Today’s historical event made me curious. Of course, there are all sorts of historical happenings this August 20.
Like these.
In 1672, the former Grand Pensionary of Holland, Johan de Witt, and his brother Cornelis, were brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague.
Or in 1865, President Andrew Johnson proclaimed an end to the “insurrection” in Texas. There may be another on the way, I might add.
Then there is this. In 1882, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” debuted in Moscow. Now, that is really something.
But. The one that made me curious was this.
In 1578, Sir Francis Drake renamed his flagship. It was called the Pelican, and he changed it to the Golden Hind in honor of his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton.
My only thought was about what a “Golden Hind” would be. Someone who sits on a golden toilet seems like the logical answer. And we all know exactly who that is.
But apparently, a hind can be a few things.
A rear end.
A skilled farm worker or peasant.
A large grouper fish with spotted markings.
Or.
A female deer.
Doe. A deer. A female deer. Ray, a drop of golden sun.
Anyway, in this case, it is a female deer.
Sir Christopher Hatton, who sponsored Sir Francis Drake’s trip, apparently had a family Coat of Arms. And on that Coat of Arms is a golden hind. Not, I took a look at the shield, and there was no deer on that thing. Only sheaths of wheat.
But let’s back up. And clear up a few of the players.
Sir Francis Drake. He was an English explorer, among other things. A sea captain, a naval officer, and a politician. He lived from 1540 to 1596, but he is best known for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition.
Yes, he set sail around the globe from 1577 to 1580. It happened to be the first time any English fellow sailed around the world. But he wasn’t the first to do this. Ferdinand Magellan set sail, commissioned by Spain, and was the first person to sail around the world.
Anyway, Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581, which he received on his ship, the Golden Hind. During that same year, he was appointed mayor of Plymouth. About ten years later, he tried to attack San Juan, Puerto Rico, and he failed. Right after that, Drake died of dysentery in January 1596.
Even still. The Golden Hind reminds me of the Golden Toilet, and that makes me want to hurl, heave, and spit.
So. There is my convoluted take on this historical event — an event that means nothing in the bigger scheme of things.
And this is a lesson I am learning. There are a lot of happenings in the world that seem to mean nothing when it comes to the bigger scheme of things, for better or for worse.
Yet. Here we all are. Sailing on our own voyages — our tiny little ships — in the middle of the much, much bigger scheme of things.
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“Look tonight at the stars. Let them overwhelm you in the postures of their bright dance. Face the vastness which they dot like silver bees, and sound with your own brain the mystery, hazarding at the inscrutable plan of things.”
― Robert H. Barlow
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Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I’ll forgive Thy great big joke on me. — Robert Frost
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“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”
— Jaws
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The Golden Booty. I mean, Hind.
