CHAPTER LXXVI Some Pleasant, Shady Talk In The Groves, Between My Lords Abrazza And Media, Babbalanja, Mohi, And Yoomy

Abrazza had a cool retreat--a grove of dates; where we were used to lounge of noons, and mix our converse with the babble of the rills; and mix our punches in goblets chased with grapes. And as ever, King Abrazza was the prince of hosts.

"Your crown," he said to Media; and with his own, he hung it on a bough.

"Be not ceremonious:" and stretched his royal legs upon the turf.

"Wine!" and his pages poured it out.

So on the grass we lounged; and King Abrazza, who loved his antique ancestors; and loved old times; and would not talk of moderns;--bade Yoomy sing old songs; bade Mohi rehearse old histories; bade Babbalanja tell of old ontologies; and commanded all, meanwhile, to drink his old, old wine.

So, all round we quaffed and quoted.

At last, we talked of old Homeric bards:--those who, ages back, harped, and begged, and groped their blinded way through all this charitable Mardi; receiving coppers then, and immortal glory now.

ABRAZZA--How came it, that they all were blind?

BABBALANJA--It was endemical, your Highness. Few grand poets have good eyes; for they needs blind must be, who ever gaze upon the sun. Vavona himself was blind: when, in the silence of his secret bower, he said--"I will build another world. Therein, let there be kings and slaves, philosophers and wits; whose checkered actions--strange, grotesque, and merry-sad, will entertain my idle moods." So, my lord, Vavona played at kings and crowns, and men and manners; and loved that lonely game to play. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Where did someone stretch his legs?
2. Who's crown had he taken?
3. And placed it where?
4. Where did they rest?
5. Who poured the drink?
6. What was it?
7. What grew there?
8. Did they drink from flutes?
9. What then?
10. What was requested of Mohi?
11. And Yoomy?
12. What of babbalanja?
13. And what were they all to do?
14. Of what?
15. Did they do as requested of them?
16. Who was blind?
17. Anyone else?
18. What did he wish to create?
19. Would there be royalty there?
20. And wise men?
Answer: 1. the turf.
2. Media's
3. a bough.
4. on the grass
5. pages
6. Wine
7. dates
8. No.
9. goblets
10. rehearse old histories
11. sing old songs
12. tell of old ontologies
13. drink
14. old, old wine.
15. Yes.
16. old Homeric bards
17. Vavona
18. another world.
19. Yes.
20. Yes.

Maupassant(*)was born in 1850 in northern France. His early life was not happy. His parents separated when he was 11. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert--his mother's friend and his godfather, a journalist and novelist. Often Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw. This type of training developed in Maupassant a sense of observation, which he later put to use in his writing. Flaubert also allowed Maupassant to attend his Sunday gatherings with others in his literary circle

For a few years, Maupassant was connected with the Ministry of Public Instruction. It is interesting to note that Monsieur Loisel, a poor man character in The Necklace, worked there. He also served in the French army during the Franco-Prussian War. His favorite writing subjects were peasants, servants, in the city, and the Francd-Prussian War.

At an early age, Maupassant started writing short stories. In 1880, some of his works were published and he received a wide reputation for Boule de Suif (Ball of Tallow). With this success, he began to work full-time on writing. During the next ten years, he wrote over 300 stories, including six novels, three travel books, and a book of verse. Through them, he earn a lot of money.

His writing was classical and simple, avoiding social comments and dirty details. His works often showed a real world and an accurate knowledge of the subject. Although Maupassant wrote in many forms, he received widest recognition for his short stories. By 1890, Maupassant was suffering from the latter staged of syphilis . He died in 1893 in Paris. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Did MAupassant have a happy life?
2. why?
3. What was his schooling?
4. who was that?
5. What would he have him do?
6. did this help in his learning?
7. how?
8. What did he write at an early age?
9. Did he write a lot?
10. How many novels?
11. Did he write any travel books?
12. how many?
Answer: 1. No
2. His parents separated when he was 11
3. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert
4. his mother's friend and his godfather, a journalist and novelist
5. Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw
6. Yes
7. It helped develop in Maupassant a sense of observation, which he later put to use in his writing.
8. short stories.
9. Yes
10. six novels
11. Yes
12. three

(CNN) -- Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan pathologist who put assisted suicide on the world's medical ethics stage, died early Friday, according to a spokesman with Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was 83.

The assisted-suicide advocate had been hospitalized for pneumonia and a kidney-related ailment, his attorney had said.

He had struggled with kidney problems for years and had checked into a hospital earlier this month for similar problems, his lawyer, Mayer Morganroth, said. He checked back into the hospital in the Detroit suburb on May 18 after suffering a relapse, Morganroth said.

Kevorkian, dubbed "Dr. Death," made national headlines as a supporter of physician-assisted suicide and "right-to-die" legislation. He was charged with murder numerous times through the 1990s for helping terminally ill patients take their own lives.

He was convicted on second-degree murder charges in 1999 stemming from the death of a patient who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease. He was paroled in 2007.

After his release, he said he would not help end any more lives.

Morganroth told CNN Friday that he was summoned to the hospital Thursday night, with doctors telling him "the end was near" for Kevorkian.

1998 video sparked criminal case against Kevorkian

"The doctors and nurses were extremely supportive," Morganroth said. They played music by Kevorkian's favorite composer -- Bach -- in his room, and Kevorkian died about 2:30 a.m., Morganroth said.

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who was Kervorkian's lawyer on several assisted-suicide cases, described Kevorkian as a "historic man." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who died?
2. In what building?
3. Which is where?
4. What was his specialty?
5. What was he best known for?
6. Was he in jail?
7. When was he paroled?
8. What was his hickname?
9. Why was he in the hospital?
10. When did he check in for the last time?
Answer:
1. Dr. Jack Kevorkian
2. Beaumont Hospital
3. Royal Oak, Michigan.
4. pathology
5. putting assisted suicide on the world's medical ethics stage.
6. no
7. in 2007.
8. "Dr. Death,"
9. kidney problems
10. May 18