Show KNEW IT WAS THE POPE titled woman not strong on points of historical accuracy the duchess of bedford who died la in 1859 was rather weak minded and un happily her education did little to dis guise the defects which nature had iro im posed upon her her iier great dread was to have a visitor at woburn coburn abbey who would ask her hard questions about the foundation and history of the abbey so it if she had a savant in the party she always asked a man ot of higher rank to meet him so that she might not be taken in to dinner by the savant once as bad luck would have it she got lord stanhope the historian who though he had to take her in to dinner was none the less a savant As soon as he sat down to dinner he began the dreaded inquiries about the date of the abbey the poor duchess much frustrated ted said I 1 have a very poor head for these historical things but I 1 will tell you all I 1 know the founder was a crusader who finding himself in great dangcil in battle vo vowed ed that if ithie ie got home to europe safe he would do anything the pope told him he ile got back safe and went to rome and the pope told him to build a cistercian abbey and ha built woburn coburn abbey that s all I 1 know lord stanhope said that s exact ly what I 1 wanted for it you can tell me which pope it was I 1 can approximately fix the date oh ohl said the duchess I 1 always dundei stood it was the pope of rome manchester guardian |