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    Brother Gregory: Digression
    Brother Gregory: Digression
    Brother Gregory: Digression
    Ebook85 pages1 hour

    Brother Gregory: Digression

    By John Hulme

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    About this ebook

    In the story Gene Four, the last remains of an English saint appear to perform a miracle. But how did the bones of Saint Huge end up in a church in Brno? It is path that took them through a revolution, a war and a Napoleonic battle.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Hulme
    Release dateJul 21, 2014
    ISBN9781310167195
    Brother Gregory: Digression
    Author

    John Hulme

    John Hulme is a retired Professor, now living and writing in Florida. He was educated in England - a long time ago - and arrived on the shores of New York carrying a single suitcase and lots of ideas. He has written several hardcover science books and was an early user of the fledgling internet as a teaching tool. Before retirement he wrote a set of fictional science stories about Gregor Mendel - the person who discovered genetics, which he is now converting into ebooks. Since retirement he has started on a long-cherished writing project of historical fiction - which you may be seeing soon.

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      Book preview

      Brother Gregory - John Hulme

      Brother Gregory: Digression

      The Bones of Saint Hugh

      Being the Story of How the Bones of the English Saint Hugh Came to a Church in Brno

      or

      The Highlights of the Life of Alain Duroc, Wine Merchant.

      by

      John Hulme

      scholar

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2014 John Hulme

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      ~~~ooo~~~

      Table of Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Maps

      About the Author

      ~~~000~~~

      Chapter One

      The Cold Ground.

      Alain Duroc, soldier in the Grande Armee of Emperor Napoleon Bonepart, was dying.

      At least, that is what he thought, and he had good reason for thinking it was so. Moments before he had been a fit, active, but very scared foot soldier of the 4th Brigade under the Emperor's brother Joseph advancing up a hill in the Austrian province of Moravia. Now he was lying on frozen ground with a very large lead bullet in his side and an ugly saber cut across his head.

      Surprisingly he felt very little pain. Shock and the icy soil beneath his face had numbed him of any external sensation, and all he could feel was the steady oozing of blood from his head wound as it ran across his face and into his eyes. That, and the memories running through his damaged brain.

      His earliest memory was of a warm day in the summer of 1788, when he had been about 6 years old. His whole family had left their house early that day, walked the half league into the village of Avallon, and found a good place from which to watch the parade. But the start of the Fair had been delayed and young Alain had quickly become bored and had fallen asleep on the warm grass at his sister's feet.

      When he awoke it was to the sound of drums and the excited stirring of the villagers as they pushed their way forward to see the arriving dignitaries. Marching along the main street of Avallon were the local fife players and drummers of the military garrison, but that was not what the crowd was waiting for. Behind them, on a flatbed dray, pulled by four horses, was the Bishop of Dijon seated uncomfortably on a large chair and carrying a small be-jeweled box. This was what the crowd had come to see.

      Look, Alain, his mother said excitedly as the Bishop's carriage came near, those are the bones of the Saint!

      All Alain saw was the red faced man, over dressed in elaborate robes who was trying to look dignified despite the warm temperatures and the cloud of flies that were swarming everywhere.

      Where, Mamma? he remembered asking, somewhat disappointed. For weeks now his father had been telling his children the story of Saint Hugh, and how, after 550 years, his bones were finally coming back to his place of birth. In his mind Alain had been expecting a skeleton, or at least a skull, certainly not a red-faced bishop and a box.

      Saint Hugh was born here in Avallon, his father had said, a long time ago in the 12th century. He was the son of the Lord of Avallon, and became a very holy man who was sent to England to serve an English King. There he did many great deeds, and when he died his bones performed miracles, so he was made a Saint; our Saint, and now he is coming back to us.

      Alain jumped up and down trying to get a better view. Taking pity on him, his eldest brother, Simon, swept him up in his arms and placed him on his shoulders.

      There, little brother, look at the Second Estate in all its glory. Fat, drunken priests who steal from the poor to keep themselves in luxury.

      Hush, his mother said nervously looking around at her neighbors. Her eldest son was always getting into trouble for his Jacobin tendencies.

      But why is the Saint coming back to Avallon? Alain wanted to know. He was too young to appreciate the anti-nobility and anti-clerical sentiments that had been building throughout France in the last few years.

      Simon answered him, Our great and noble Bishop recently made a deal with the English to import some of their woven cloth, and as part of the deal, the English agreed to send the bones of Saint Hugh on a tour of France.

      It is a great honor, Alain's mother said piously, crossing herself.

      Huhh! snorted Simon, ask the Brion family how much of an honor it is. Thanks to this fever for all things English, they have lost their lively-hood. The Brion family used to make the best cloth in Burgundy, now everyone is buying cheap British materials and the Brions are bankrupt.

      In his analysis, Simon Duroc was absolutely right. During the middle of the 18th century all things English became very popular throughout France. In 1786 a treaty was signed by France and Great Britain removing trade restrictions between their two countries. This resulted in the continent being flooded with cheap industrial goods. Thousands of French laborers were thrown out of work, adding to the growing unrest.

      Saint Hugh's bones were sent by the Bishop of Lincoln in England, his father added, They started their tour in Paris, and now they are coming here to Avallon where they will rest in the Priory of Villard-Benoit. It was here that the Saint was born. Later next year they will be moved to the Chartreuse in Grenoble for the 550th year celebrations of the Saint's birth.

      But where are the pigs?

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