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Unbelievable Celebrity Lookalikes and Best Celeb Impersonators in Our Roster
It is said that everybody has at least one double in the world. In fact, as we all know, famous actors use stunt doubles for some action scenes in their films, which can be recorded in a very realistic way because of people who look very much like them. There are people who have made a career out of their resemblance to famous people, and some of them are simply unbelievable.
After checking this list of the most unbelievable celebrity lookalikes and best celeb impersonators that we have created for your amusement (and event inspiration - of course), you will find yourself musing over questions like 'are they the originals or the doubles?' 'Did they ally with the devil and are immortal?' 'have they worked some Voldemort-like wizardry and created twin-like horcruxes' and 'who would be so lucky as to look like Donald Trump?' The answer to these and more questions will be answered below. Have a sit and get ready to be stunned by the striking resemblance of some of our actors to famous celebs, politicians, iconic movie characters and artists.
Seeing double: unbelievable celebrity lookalikes
He might no longer be the leader of the United States, but his great popularity during his term of office still pervades him. Doesn't our Barack Obama Impersonator have an uncanny likeness to the popular former president? Well known for his nationally televised participation in the Republican Leadership Conference, this lookalike has given more than 70 radio interviews and appeared on many TV programs and political comedy shows. Who would imagine that being someone's double would attract such fame?
Talking about politicians, let's move from one president to another. Looking like the US president could be a gift or a curse (it depends on how you look at it), but this amazing Donald Trump lookalike doesn't take it too seriously. With a great sense of humour, he comically makes incredible impressions of the successful businessman turned politician. He has carefully studied Trump's look, speech and mannerisms to provide impressions that replicate reality as closely as possible.
One of the USA's former first ladies Hilary Clinton was a presidential candidate in the 2017 presidential election, and she was a tough opponent. She gained wide popularity throughout the world during her presidential campaign, and we already know what that means: doubles and impressions. There are many out there, but this Hilary Clinton Lookalike is the most legendary of them all. Performing since 1993, she has made hilarious impressions of the Democratic candidate at numerous events and parties. Of course, she has also participated in many TV shows and has even had the privilege to meet Clinton and pose for photos with her.
Earlier we talked about a businessman turned politician, but let us not forget that there are some Hollywood actors who decided to get involved in politics as well. Arnold Schwarzenegger surprised the world when he declared himself as a Republican and assumed the governorship of California. Of all impersonators, please let's take some time to check the picture below and believe who we're actually looking at is not the real celebrity icon. This Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike is simply astonishing.
Enough politics. Let's focus on Hollywood and iconic movie characters. Have you ever imagined booking Johnny Depp as a host for your party? Well, that's not very likely to happen, but a Jack Sparrow Lookalike who looks exactly like him can be a good option as well, can't it? Yes, we also had to look twice and rub our eyes after seeing his picture. The best thing is that he not only looks like the naughty Caribbean captain, but he can also recreate incredibly accurate costumes and even some of the scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean. He has indeed been used for numerous TV adverts and was also Depp's photo double in one of the movies.
Depp's co-star in The Tourist has also an incredible double. Constantly mistaken for the real actress, this Angelina Jolie lookalike bares a close resemblance to the Hollywood star. A former model, her striking resemblance immediately attracts attention everywhere she goes. Alone or accompanied by other Hollywood actors lookalikes, this incredible double causes a sensation with her wild beauty and her intense look.
Are you British or a fan of British TV? Then the following double will blow you away. Not only a lookalike but also a soundalike, this Patsy Stone lookalike leaves 'Absoluely Fabolous' fans speechless with her striking resemblance to the beloved Joanna Lumley's character. She delivers an exceptional portrayal of the eccentric icon of British television. Would you like to see it? Then press play!
The world of sports also deserves representation in a list of unbelievable celeb lookalikes. Be ready to be flabbergasted because this Zlatan Ibrahimovic lookalike is truly astonishing. No, look again. He's not the real hit stiker, but an actor whose close resemblance to the elite footballer is extraordinary. You can expect someone to look very much like someone famous, but would you also expect this person to be talented? Well, this sports entertainer has it all! He has great ball skills, so it is almost impossible to tell the two apart.
This fearsome X Factor judge became famous worldwide due to his honest (and not always very popular) opinions and his strong character. Loved by many and feared by others, Simon Cowell awakens mixed feelings. His true fans, however, will be stunned to discover this incredible Simon Cowell lookalike. No, this is not the real Simon Cowell: the resemblance is uncanny.
Not many can boast of looking like one of the most iconic sex symbols in history. Our Marylin Monroe Impersonator is one of the few people who can, and she pays the late actress one of the best tributes you'll ever see. This actress and model can wear Marylin's more emblematic outfits and hairstyle and perform as gracefully and elegantly as her. See it for yourself.
Best Celeb Impersonators: incredible singing impressions
The best way of starting a list of incredible celeb impressions is by choosing the king of kings, one of the most imitated people in the world, who also happens to be the King of Rock and Roll: Elvis Presley. The singer and dancer who performs this flawless Elvis Stage Show pays tribute to one of the biggest stars of all time and he does it with so much passion and professionalism that is impossible not to feel like you're witnessing the real Elvis in action. The way he moves, the way he sings, his attitude…everything recalls the late icon.
Another iconic musician and dancer who is internationally imitated is the one and only King of Pop, Michael Jackson. His legacy and essence have been perfectly captured by this Michael Jackson Tribute Act, a spectacle led by an incredible performer and lookalike that has been able to transmit the authenticity of the late icon's performances. One of the most incredible singing impressions in our roster, this talented performer is guaranteed to cause jaws to drop. Because it's better to see it than to read it, please press play and enjoy the show.
From kings to the Queen, the greatest diva of all deserves a place of honour in our list of best celebrity impressions. The best-selling female recording artist in history is also imitated by numerous artists around the world, but few catch as much attention as this Madonna Impersonator. She combines some of the diva's most iconic looks with an incredible singing impression. Her uncanny visual and vocal resemblance to the diva have allowed her to participate in various TV programs, TV adverts and be booked as a Madonna lookalike for numerous events.
And of course, in this monarchy a princess could not be absent. You're not seeing double and you're not seeing a picture of Britney Spears. This actress and singer is the spitting image of the 90s pop princess, she's sexy, talented and she knows it. She can wear replica costumes of iconic pop videos like 'Toxic', 'Baby…One More Time!' and 'I'm A Slave 4 U' and execute an incredible singing impression of the super star.
'I'll tell you what I want what I really really want, so tell me what you want what you really really want'. Do these lyrics ring a bell? If they don't, seriously, where were you hidden in the 90s? Mel B, Mel C, Victoria, Emma and Geri became worldwide famous with this catchy song. They're pop and feminism icons and as such, many artists pay them tribute nowadays. It's the case of this phenomenal Spice Girls Tribute Band, who actually knows what we really really want: to see Scary, Sporty, Ginger, Baby and Posh back together on stage!
And from one British Band to another. Despite a prominent generation gap, this band's legacy is ageless. John, Paul, George and Ringo turned the 60s upside down with their music. Known as one of the biggest rock bands of all time, The Beatles' fame only increased once they decided to embark on solo careers. Today, more than 50 years after their leap to fame, hundreds of bands and artists pay them tribute. One of the best is this Beatles Tribute Band, a group of live musicians who are passionate about their music and that can provide an authentic Beatlmania experience by wearing replica costumes of their most iconic outfits and that look so much like the fab four from Liverpool that they even have their 60s haircuts.
This Andrew Sisters Swing Show is one of the best tributes to one of the most successful harmony singing groups of the 40s. Two brunettes and one blondie, these Andrew Sisters lookalikes take care down to the smallest details. From their hairstyles and costumes to their vocals, this female vocal trio makes sure LaVerne's, Maxene's and Patty's essence and personality are reflected in their performance. Their incredible singing impression and their painstakingly designed aesthetics are so authentic that anybody who see them perform will be magically transported to the 40s.
One of the many good things Sweden has given the world is the iconic 70s group ABBA. The Swedish quartet marked an era and is probably one of the world's most emblematic pop groups. The Swedish quartet is one of those groups that impersonators love, as they had such a unique style and personality. Fans of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid will be blown away with our ABBA tribute band, four talented impersonators who not only look like them, but also sound like them (and they are Swedish!). Have you ever wondered if you would see the band reunited once again? Check below because our amazing lookalikes can make it happen!
The most famous Irish band of all time also deserves to be part of this list of best celeb impersonators, and who would be better to represent them than their lead singer. Our Bono Impersonator is any U2 fan's dream turned into reality. This amazing lookalike even wears Bono's characteristic glasses, not to mention how accurately he mimics the band's frontman mannerism and gestures. Undoubtedly, an incredible singing impression that left us speechless.
Some of the most popular current artists are also globally imitated despite their youth and sudden success. As is the case with One Direction, the X factor phenomenon and teen idols. These young artists embarked on a joint adventure after participating in this famous talent show and, since then, their rise has been meteoric. They have developed a unique and personal style that many of the best impersonators in the world have been inspired by. This One Direction Tribute Band, for instance, has been praised for being a jaw-dropping tribute band that keeps the boy band's fans up all night. You can love them or hate them, but the teen idols and their lookalikes have it all: charisma, confidence and cheekiness.
From politicians and footballers to Hollywood icons and pop stars, at Scarlett Entertainment we pride ourselves on offering some of the best impersonators in the world. From 40s stars to TV talent super stars, our lookalikes and impersonators are masters at putting themselves in other people's shoes. The above is only a short compilation of some of the best celeb impersonators and lookalikes we can offer for your event or party. We can also offer Lady Gaga, Adele, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Rolling Stones impersonators and tribute bands, among others. Check our Lookalikes, Impersonators and Tributes page and find out all the celebrities and famous artists our talented actors can impersonate.
Which of the above lookalikes and impersonators do you find more incredible? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Share your views on social media and don't forget to tag us as @ScarlettEnt.
If you would like to ask for advice on what lookalike or impersonator could fit your occasion, don't hesitate to contact us and ask for inspiration.
Call our helpful team of Entertainment Experts on 01626 572072 or complete our contact form.


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'Darkest Hour': Gary Oldman Wins WWII
An inspiring patriotic epic brings back Winston Churchill and puts Oldman at the peak of the Oscar pack
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas
Director: Joe Wright
Like dinghies at Dunkirk, Winston Churchills have been invading the screen to rescue us from our dark national mood, uplifting us with gales of eloquent inspiration: Since 2002, Albert Finney, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, John Lithgow and now Gary Oldman, 59, have won victories in the part (Finney, Gleeson and Lithgow won Emmys). Pauline Kael's former fellow New Yorker critic Michael Sragow invented Churchill Awards for the specific virtues of each: "Best Flamboyant Churchill — Finney. Best Brooding Yet Forceful Churchill — Gleeson followed by Cox. Best Likable Churchill — Simon Ward. Best Tough/Tender Churchill — Lithgow; Best Mercurial Churchill — Oldman."
After roles in Harry Potter and Batman movies and other hits that obscured his past as the most promising art-flick actor of his generation, the Oscar is the award Oldman is going for with his volatile, mumbling, bellowing, sozzled, amusing and amused, tormenting and tortured, defiantly exuberant performance as the man who beat Hitler. And every major pundit who regularly talks with Academy voters says no Oscar is likelier to happen this year than his.
What distinguishes Darkest Hour is that it's a film based on words: the three famous speeches Britain's prime minister rallied the world with in 1940, when 3 million Germans blitzed on amphetamines prepared to obliterate Brit troops at Dunkirk, France, then hop the Channel to plant the swastika forever, and Churchill roared, "We shall fight on the beaches… we shall never surrender!" Dunkirk has soldiers read Churchill's incendiary speech aloud from the newspaper, but Darkest Hour puts you in his shoes in the cramped confines of the House of Commons, a combat zone where the shouts seem less sinister than the stony silence of political enemies. It's not just rah-rah patriotic cliché — you feel the tense peril, the courage against high odds, the weight of words that changed the world by changing one desperate heart at a time.
Jack English/Focus Features
Not that the imagery isn't stirring. too — the cinematographer is four-time Oscar nominee Bruno Delbonnel (Amélie). Director Joe Wright, 45, already staged Dunkirk in 2007's Atonement at least as well as Christopher Nolan did this year, so this film concentrates on the home front: jittery citizens staring up through bombed-out buildings that frame their terror, Churchill's stricken face conveying the fear behind the public bravado. Nolan's and Wright's latest films make a perfect pair, one cerebral and visual, the other passionate and verbal — as Wright says, "Darkest Hour could be sold with Dunkirk as a boxed set."
This Churchill doesn't start out powerful. He's the despised oddball loser responsible for World War I's Gallipoli disaster, drunk and irritable at breakfast, defying the upper-class twits — Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) and the slyly reptilian Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane) — who have the upper hand and plan to surrender to Hitler. Only political deadlock accidentally causes his appointment to the most important job on earth at the seemingly washed-up age of 65. Then begins the barrage of orotund oratory. It's a war of words, dramatized with theatrical flair, and the Surrender Brits seem more menacing than the Germans. Oldman rises exhilaratingly to the occasion, while suffering in private the most soul-scarring doubt in the cause he champions with such uncanny persuasiveness.
In what should be a nothing role, Oscar nominee Kristin Scott Thomas, 57, makes Churchill's wife, Clementine, an indomitable, vivid figure in amazingly few scenes. As King George VI, Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), every inch the great actor that Oldman is, makes you forget all about Colin Firth and focus on the emotional duel that ends with the deeply self-doubting King Bertie as Churchill's vital ally.
Writer Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) is great at fitting history into heroic formula drama, and Wright (Anna Karenina) has a gift for propulsive storytelling. He also has the weakness of staginess, so he won't likely collect an Oscar himself. Yet his vices are also his virtues: The not-historically-accurate scene where Churchill descends into the Underground and chats with ordinary Britons is totally on the nose, an obvious contrivance, with Churchill quoting Macaulay's rousing poem "How can man die better / Than facing fearful odds" and patriotic citizens chiming in with the next rousing lines. What a crock of audience manipulation. And how well it works!
Still, nobody in Hollywood is raving about the movie the way they're raving about Oldman. He invested blood, toil, tears, sweat and over 220 hours in prosthetics and makeup devised by Kazuhiro Tsuji (who will likely win an Oscar on his third nomination). Oldman dld what one rival says Churchill did: "mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." And won.
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scents of soothing
Ever wondered how ants can wander all over the garden (or your kitchen!) but still find their way home? They follow the pheromones! Pheromones are chemicals that animals release to relay a message — a non-verbal form of communication. Ants leave long trails of them as they move, marking the way to and fro for other ants to follow.
Pheromones have been identified in all mammals, and while you may have heard of them in the context of human attraction, there are many different types. From those sent as a warning alarm to those that make snuggling a newborn baby even sweeter, these chemical messages guide many mammalian actions — including those of our furry friends. In pets and people alike, familiar scents can help calm fears and ease anxiety. That's why some pet-specific pheromones are now being prescribed to help treat four-legged friends.
cheek to cheek
Feline facial pheromone originates in a cat's cheek glands, and it is left on surfaces in your cat's environment when he rubs his face on them. When your cat rubs his face against the door jamb — or even your leg! — he is marking a "known" place or thing, which in turn decreases his anxiety. Feline facial pheromone is particularly useful in cases of spraying or inappropriate elimination, which is often caused by anxiety. But it can help in many anxiety-inducing situations, from helping cats adjust to a changing environment (such as moving to a new house) to calming cats during travel or making them feel more at home if they have to be hospitalized.
mother nature
Appeasing pheromone is produced by all mammals. It is excreted from glands between the mammary glands in females and is meant to have a calming, reassuring effect on offspring. Dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) has been used to help soothe behavior problems such as separation anxiety and noise phobias, but it also helps our canine friends in a variety of other situations. Whether you seek to make a new puppy's transition to your home easier or you want to calm your confused geriatric dog, pheromone therapy can help.
Synthetically made equivalents of these pheromones are available as collars (for dogs), sprays or plug-in diffusers, and are often used in conjunction with behavior modification and medications for pets who have anxiety. In some cases, pheromone therapy alone is sufficient to curb behavior problems that have anxiety as an underlying cause. Because the pheromones are inhaled rather than absorbed in the pet's body, there are no worries regarding toxicity. While it is hard to imagine that our pets have a care in the world, the unfortunate truth is that many are just as anxious as we are in some situations. Pheromones may not alleviate their every concern, but they go a long way toward providing comfort to your four-legged babies


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Do you want to enhance and accessorize your wardrobe with powerful pieces of eye-popping jewelry? Perhaps your focus is on your significant other. This article will give you all the tools you need to make the right choice no matter who you're buying for!
Your jewlery needs to be kept in a place where it is protected from air and humidity. It's best to store it in a closed box, like a jewelry box, or a drawstring bag. Air and humidity can cause the metals that the jewelry are made of to tarnish. You will be able to polish precious metals to remove tarnish, but non-precious metals may lose their coating, showing the copper metal beneath.
Know the type of gem you're buying, when you buy it. There are three different types: natural, synthetic and imitation. While natural and synthetic stones are the real deal, imitation stones are made to look like a real gemstone, but could be anything from colored glass to plastic. Natural stones are mined, and synthetic stones are created in a laboratory.
Your jewelry should be durable and long-lasting. Don't buy jewelry from less than reputable stockists if you expect your pieces to be of the highest quality. High-quality jewelry is durable and displays excellent craftsmanship. A jeweler should know about each piece he sells, including the person that made it, the origin of precious stones or other materials and other history, such as previous owners for antique or estate pieces. Take your time when selecting a high-quality piece if you want it to last you for a long time.
Do your research before settling on one diamond. Take a good look at all the pieces that you like, examining them and comparing them to each other. Be aware that some dealers will use cheap tactics to make a diamond look better than it is.
You can be confident in your choices now that you've been supplied with the tips and techniques to select the perfect piece of jewelry. Any quality jewelry piece will be an investment for the years ahead.


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Bollywood star Salman Khan Monday got a relief in the 1998 chinkara poaching case as the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court allowed him to leave the country without informing it in advance.
The court had imposed the restriction on him before granting bail in the case in 2007. Following that, the actor had to inform the court before leaving the country in connection with movie shootings abroad.
"The court while hearing our application has exempted Salman from the necessity of giving information prior to leaving the country," said Hastimal Saraswat, advocate for Salman.
Salman and seven others were accused of killing a blackbuck and chinkara in two separate incidents. One of the animals was killed at Bhawad on the outskirts of Jodhpur Sep 26, 1998, and the other at Ghoda Farms Sep 28, 1998.
At that time, they were shooting for the film "Hum Sath Sath Hain".
Salman moved the high court in August 2007 appealing against a chief judicial magistrate's order in April 2006 that sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment in connection with the poaching case.
The actor had to spend a week behind bars after he was granted bail by the high court. Before the court released him on bail, it had asked the actor to give it prior information before leaving the country.


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If you've visited my blog much at all, you know that I LOVE antiques. My husband and I have collected and inherited a houseful of beautiful wood furniture and have no problem mixing birds' eye maple
We both agreed it was a refreshing improvement!
Great redo! And color. Still trying to find a dress form that isn't crazy expensive. I'll be heading to Tongeren Market in Belgium in a week so if there is any place to find one it would be there.
-Brittany Ruth
Really pretty colour! If the wood is pristine, I can't do it, but most wood...no problem!
The colour is really pretty. I love to mix natural wood and painted wood.
I know what you mean about painting beautiful wood Laura. I recently painted my old oak Hoosier. Was reluctant, but love it! Love the color you used. Really does pop!
Perfect. One of my favorite colors. Growing up there was a bird's eye maple dresser in the house that ended up being painted the sold at a yard sale. I still think of it and hope it ended up with someone who would discover it's 'secret' and restore it to it's former glory.
I have dealt with the 'blasphemy' of painting wood for many years but I continue to do it. I LOVE the blue on the humidor!


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Óscar Iván Zuluaga, candidate for the conservative Democratic Center party of former President Álvaro Uribe, won the first round of the Colombian presidential election held on 25 May. Securing 29% of the vote, the opposition leader finished ahead of incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos, candidate for the centrist National Unity alliance, who gained 26% support. As no contender won an outright majority, the election will be decided in a second round run-off on 15 June. The outcome will hinge on how well both candidates manage to garner support among those who voted for other candidates and – even more importantly considering the dismal first-round turnout of 40% – those who did not vote at all.
Impact on country risk
With both Santos and Zuluaga advocating a continued pro-market stance, liberal economic policies and openness to international trade – that in recent years have supported strong growth and furthered significant foreign direct investment inflows – are expected to prevail in Colombia, regardless of the election outcome. The main issue of disagreement between the two remaining candidates pertains to the peace negotiations that the Colombian government and the Marxist rebels of the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) have been engaged in since November 2012. Pursuing the talks is a key point on the agenda for Santos. If re-elected, his ambition will be to reach a consensus on the two remaining topics on the negotiating agenda – victims' reparations and rebel disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (deals on rural development, political participation and narcotrafficking were struck earlier) – and to start implementation efforts by late 2014 or early 2015. This scenario offers a clear perspective of finally resolving the five-decade-old armed conflict in Colombia. Yet while peace never came closer, Zuluaga fiercely opposes to the talks and rejects any form of rebel impunity. Under his presidency, the government is likely to return to a predominantly military strategy reminiscent of the one during the Uribe presidency of 2002-10. In response, the FARC is likely to step up attacks and try to broaden their geographical scope. Considering the political risk, it is obvious that, should an encompassing peace agreement be reached, this would significantly enhance the Colombian business environment. Crucially, in the medium term, the enhanced stability would further foster investment and improve resource allocation, thus boosting growth.
Analyst: Sebastian Vanderlinden, email@example.com


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It's summer. Time for berries. Strawberries shine in this delicious quinoa salad. Mix in peaches, basil, arugula, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts, balsamic, and a strawberry-lemon pesto for extra zest. Mmm. I really do love summer…
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
- 1 pint of strawberries
- 2 small peaches or 1 large peach
- 1 cup quinoa
- handful of arugula
- large bunch of basil leaves (about 15 leaves)
- 4 tbsp of crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup walnuts
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 cups cups olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. While the quinoa is cooking, make the strawberry lemon pesto by blending (food processor is best) about 1 cup olive oil, 10 basil leaves, 5 strawberries, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of walnuts, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Let quinoa cool for 10-15 minutes after cooking. Once cooled, mix quinoa with arugula, rest of basil, rest of walnuts, and (almost all) the strawberry lemon pesto. Mix a bit.
- Finally, add the sliced strawberries, peaches, and goat cheese and toss lightly. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and remaining strawberry lemon pesto.


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|Courtesy of Pixabay
By Gates Dearen
If the eyes are the windows into the soul, then windows are the eyes of your home. Just as the human eye has evolved to precisely control and focus light, modern windows have been designed to control the intensity and wavelength of light admitted into a structure. While there are a myriad of different window styles and treatments from which to choose, today I thought I would take the time to tell you about sliding windows.


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Groom Suits
Groom suits have been one of our specialities for some time now and we have become experts in catering for the theme of the wedding whatever that may be.
As an increasing number of grooms decide against the traditional top hat and tails a middle ground was needed, something between a business suit and a tailcoat.
We believe that the best option is a standard lounge suit made in a fabric and style that suggests anything but work. Plain colours and long lapels keep the suit looking relaxed yet formal.
Please note:
Although our semi bespoke suits only take approximately 6-8 weeks to make we advise clients to order their groom suits at least 10 weeks before their wedding day as unforeseen delays can occur in tailoring, and we cannot guarantee that deadlines will always be met. Please contact us to find out our current availability.


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At Waves we know that retreats can seem a bit daunting and serious. This is why Waves retreats are designed for people looking to experience alternative therapies in a fun, informative and educational environment. Each retreat is themed and delivers new workshops and experiences that promote well- being to all ages, sizes and ages.
Discover a new well-being practice that could turn into a lifetimes passion!
February 18th: Waves One Day Retreat
Find inner peace and calm in just one day – Set in the beautiful surroundings of St Julians private members club, Sevenoaks. Close to 40 acres of woodland for you to explore.
Our instructors are masters in their field and offer fun informative wellbeing programs to suit both begginners and lovers of wellness.
Attendees will be treated to a full day of stress busting workshops – plus lunch and goody bag is included in the price!
9:30- 10:30 – Meet and Greet, Morning Meditation
10:30 – 11:45 – Beginners Yoga with Hannah Presence
12- 12:30 – Mindfulness on the Go – Quick meditations for busy people – with Sonya Russo
12:30 – 1:30 – Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 – Mindful Walking in the Grounds of Woods
2:30 – 4:00 – Sound Bath – Relaxing and Healing sounds for body and mind
4 – 5pm – Metta Meditation, Goodbyes and Goody Bags!


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Don't forget to Review!
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REVIEW OF SNOW ISLAND by Long and Short Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Age Recommendation: 16+ Heat Level: Sensual Rating:Read more
M. Y. Zeman has been interviewed by children's author Ellie Firestone. Ellie is writing her own series of books aboutRead more
Melody Klink, fellow YA paranormal author has interviewed M.Y Zeman about the series, her inspiration and more. She has alsoRead more
Arkham Reviews has written wonderful, detailed review of Snow Bunny and Snowball. You can read the whole review of SnowRead more
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Tome tender has reviewed both Snowball and Snow Bunny. Michelle Zeman has created a non-threatening fantasy for all ages, aRead more


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Michael Mathews
Corporate Member
I have cleared my on-call duty for that weekend so I will be there for sure!
JeremyI have read the post and I have everything except a mallet. I think I'll be able to make one before the workshop.
I have several flavors you can use any or allI have read the post and I have everything except a mallet. I think I'll be able to make one before the workshop.
If by chance you do not have all the tools required, no worries I have spares - I might actually have too many clamps.Looking forward to the class! I had a few of the same questions as Michael regarding the saw (dovetail or crosscut) and chisel sizes. Also, I assume by wooden clamps you are referring to the wooden screw clamps. I don't have any of these, but I have plenty of the quick release clamps as well c-clamps if those work. Otherwise, I have everything covered.
Sorry for the delay.Yes, I have read post #24. I do have the following questions/comments:
Tools to bring along:
[FONT=&]A sharp saw >>>dovetail saw or some other type?[/FONT]
[FONT=&]chisels to chop and trim >>>>any particular size? 1/4" and 1" ok?[/FONT]
[FONT=&]mallet - won't need a big one. >>>>ok, got this one covered![/FONT]
[FONT=&]marking gage to scribe lines >>>>check....[/FONT]
[FONT=&]a few clamps - maybe 3-4(wooden clamps with 3" opening will do) >>>>check....[/FONT]
[FONT=&]card scraper - optional >>>>and check....
Thanks for putting this together Dan and Phil! Looking forward to a great day![/FONT]


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© Vogue Images
If commercial appreciation of an artist's work were to gauge his success, let's call Vikram Phadnis a winner. Red carpet guests to ramp, there was unison in the sartorial tone of the evening.
Adhvan marked 25 years in the industry for Phadnis. To celebrate with the designer, who started his journey as a choreographer, were Suniel and Mana Shetty with daughter Athiya Shetty and son Ahan Shetty, Juhi Chawla, Gauri Khan, Mehr Jesia, Sushmita Sen, Malaika Arora Khan, Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan and daughter Shweta Bachchan-Nanda.
The JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar was transformed with candle-lit tables and white blooms. Over 100 festive looks were presented in tones of pale gold, blush and ivory. In a moment of technical failure, the show music stopped for a very long five minutes; but Phadnis' fans clapped and made up for the missing acoustics. Sushmita Sen's cheers could be heard above all else, and Neil Nitin Mukesh took to drumming the table.
Phadnis knows gratitude above all else. When taking the bow for the evening he thanked everyone from his assistants, to the Lemos Foundation, with whom he plans to set up a care home called Adhvan for the elderly. Overwhelmed by the standing ovation, Phadnis almost forgot to thank his showstopper, Amitabh Bachchan, only to recount another moment of being tongue-tied in his presence. When inviting the superstar to attend his show, Mr Bachchan offered to walk the ramp for Phadnis who in a state of panic declined to say just his attendance would suffice only to realise what he was just offered.
It's safe to say, the applause went on even after the lights went out. [#gallery: /galleries/5ce4696fba773d74270b88af]||| |||


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Sometimes breakfast can be as simple as a bowl of steel-cut oats with a few blueberries on top. Once in a while I just eat the blueberries by themselves. I don't always have to do much prep work to enjoy blueberries.
I'd go to a lot of trouble to make a great coffee cake! Fortunately, this recipe is not that difficult to follow, so I can have a piece of moist, melt in your mouth coffee cake in the afternoon with coffee. At only 4g of carbohydrates per piece, there is absolutely no guilt associated with eating it. That's a wonderful feeling!
Makes 16 servings, 3g carbohydrates each
1 C. almond flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. Splenda
1/8 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
Cream Cheese Layer:
6 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 C. Splenda
Cake Layer:
2 C. almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. Splenda
1/2 C. sour cream
2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C. blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×9-inch pan with PAM.


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CHRISTINE was six years old when she succeeded her father. Her armies stood scattered through foreign lands, surrounded by enemies and faithless allies. Her country was covered with glory, but in direst distress. The most remarkable aspect of her father's greatness now was to become apparent. Gustavus Adolphus had left behind men whom he had educated as statesmen, and generals capable of bringing his work to a successful end. First among the former was the state chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, the friend and adviser of the hero king. He managed to keep the Swedish allies together and to establish harmony and unity of action between the Swedish commanders, supplying funds to carry on the war and strengthening the government at home with his courage and his wisdom. Oxenstierna was a statesman of considerable power before the death of the king; after ït he grows in grandeur to carry the burden of unlimited responsibility placed on his shoulders. His coolness and. dignity were a source of constant irritation to Richelieu, who said there was "something Gothic and a good deal of Finnish" about his proceedings in diplomatic affairs, while Mazarin said that if all the statesmen of his time were to be put aboard of one vessel, Oxenstierna should be placed at the helm.
The great chancellor always upheld the dignity of his country. When French diplomatists forgot themselves thus far as to use, in correspondence, their own language, instead of Latin, the recognized language of diplomacy in that day, Axel Oxenstierna gave instructions that they should be answered in Swedish.
After the death of Gustavus Adolphus, the war in Germany lost more and more of its original aspect. The cause of Protestantism was dropped out of sight for political interests. The battles of Sweden were, to a great extent, and sometimes altogether, fought by foreign troops; but Swedish were the generals and statesmen who led the operations of the armies and the diplomatic deliberations. The success of Sweden, at first, seemed to have passed away with her great hero king. The imperialists won a great victory at Nrdlingen in 1634. The young archduke, Ferdinand, had succeeded Wallenstein as their commander-general, the latter having been murdered at the request of the emperor. Ferdinand marched on the town of Nrdlingen with an army of German and Spanish troops, the experienced Piccolomini being at his side. Duke Bernhard, who with an army had been taking possession of Franconia in his own personal interests, hastened to support the town and was joined by Gustavus Horn, who, with another army, had been stationed in Elsass. Count Horn gave the advice to await reinforcements, but the excitable Duke Bernhard opened an attack on the enemy, which necessitated an immediate battle. After eight hours of hard fighting, the imperialists, who were 30,000 strong, entirely routed the Swedish army of 18,000 men, not a single Swedish regiment being among them. Horn was made a prisoner. Duke Bernhard, who soon afterward with his troops entered French service, acknowledged his fault, saying: "I was a fool, but Horn a wise man." Sweden lost through this terrible defeat an army and two able generals. The Swedish conquests in South Germany were lost, and the German allies were scattered, the elector of Saxony joining the cause of the emperor. The armistice with Poland came to an end in 1635, and it was renewed for twenty-six years, at the cost of the Prussian seaports, with their lucrative revenues, which had paid for the expenses of the German war. Oxenstierna returned to Sweden to gather means wherewith to continue the war. The ordinary resources of Sweden were drained, and great sacrifices were needed. The Riksdag declared itself willing to "risk life, blood and means, until God grants a peace equal to the dignity of Sweden."
John Banér was the man who re-established the success of the Swedish arms. He resembled Gustavus Adolphus in greatness of mind and ability in war, paying back the execution of his father under Charles IX., by loyalty to the illustrious son of the latter. Banér was a typical soldier of the Thirty Years' War, amiable, but licentious, and cruel to his enemies. An able tactician and strategist of inexhaustible resources, he had distinguished himself in the Polish war and later held many important commands. The death of Gustavus Adolphus stirred this strong man to the very depths of his soul. He left his army in Bavaria and arrived at Wolgast, resolved to leave the army. At the sight of the body of his beloved king, he was overcome by a paroxysm of grief. Axel Oxenstierna persuaded him to resume his command in order to bring the work of their dead master to completion. He marched with his army through Silesia to Bohemia, encamping before Prague.
After the battle of Nrdlingen he retreated to Saxony, whose deceitful elector he reproached with harsh words. Intrigues by the latter to bring the German troops in Swedish service to mutiny were frustrated by Banér, who had only 2,000 Swedes and Livonians with him. The Saxon army followed Banér into Mecklenburg, but suffered a de-feat at Dmitz. Banér marched eastward and joined the Swedish force, which met him, from Prussia, commanded by Lennart Torstensson. The elector of Brandenburg also declared war on Sweden, Banér answering by invading his country. From the vicinity of Berlin, Banér continued his way through Saxony back to Mecklenburg, his German troops marauding with such cruelty that they were sharply remonstrated with by Banér, who said he found it strange that God did not instantly punish them.
Banér was followed by the united armies of Austria and Saxony, but, having received reinforcements of Swedish troops, he turned on his tracks and met the enemy at Witt-stock, in Brandenburg, September 24, 1636. The Swedish army consisted of 20,000 men, while the opposing force was much larger and occupied a favorable position on a hill. Banér won a glorious victory, thanks to a skilfully executed manuvre. It grew dark, and the right wing of the Swedes was leading an almost forlorn hope against the overwhelming forces, when their left wing, after a difficult roundabout move, attacked the enemy from behind. Of the hostile armies every man was killed except a detachment less than 1,000 strong. The baggage, artillery and banners were taken, even the table silver of the elector and the imperial generals falling into the hands of the Swedes, who by this victory had regained their supremacy on German soil.
Banér had commenced the siege of Leipsic, when, upon news of an approaching army of the imperial allies, he was forced to undertake the famous "Retreat from Torgau," which made him more celebrated than any of his great battles. He with his army was near being surrounded at the river Oder, but saved himself through a series of movements of the highest strategic skill. Cardinal Richelieu wrote that "this retreat, by means of which Banér saved 14,000 men, less a few fugitives and wounded, with cannon and baggage, against an army 60,000 strong, is to be compared to the most glorious deeds in history." The enemy prided itself on having "caught Banér in a bag." "Yes," said Banér later, "surely they had me there, but they forgot to tie the string around."
In Pomerania, Banér received the reinforcements from Sweden which he had awaited, and once more invaded Saxony, where he won a grand victory at Chemnitz, in 1639. The Swedish army invaded Bohemia, cruelly devastating the country. Banér made a daring attack upon Regensburg in order to make the emperor and the whole German diet his prisoners. Sudden thaws frustrated the plans, making it impossible for the Swedes to cross the Danube. A superior force was sent to meet Banér, who saved his army by another famous retreat back to Saxony. On the way Banér was attacked by a fever and died at Halberstadt, in 1641. When the imperialists learned of the death of the Swedish Leonidas, they thought they could easily defeat his army. The Swedes saw the approaching enemy and collected around the coffin of their dead hero, offering solemn pledges to fight for the glory of his name. They then made a sudden attack upon the imperial army, which suffered a thorough defeat at Wolfenbuttel. John Banér, triumphant in death like his great master, was buried in the Swedish Pantheon of the Riddarholm.
Banér had expressed the wish that Lennart Torstensson should succeed him as commander-general of the Swedish armies. Lennart Torstensson was a greater warrior even than John Banér; no Swedish general, Gustavus Adolphus not excepted, ever reaching higher skill or perfection in the science of war than this crippled hero. Torstensson was of a noble although not influential family. He entered the service of Gustavus Adolphus as a body page to the king, later distinguishing himself as an artillery commander. Torstensson took an honorable part in the battle of Breitenfold, but made a prisoner at Nuremberg, he lost his health, during one year's captivity, in a miserable dungeon. During his later brilliant career he suffered greatly from rheumatism, and was mostly carried around in a litter throughout the battles which covered his name with undying fame. He was a pious man of a gentle and cheerful disposition, who tried his utmost to reintroduce among his troops the excellent moral behavior and severe discipline which had been lost after the death of Gustavus Adolphus.
Torstensson with rigor suppressed the intrigues against Sweden which were secretly carried on within the army. Brandenburg received a new elector in Frederic William, who, ambitious and far-seeing, entered an alliance with the victorious power of the North. Torstensson now was enabled to invade the imperial crown lands, commencing with Silesia; but finding it necessary to force a battle he met the imperialists at Breitenfeld. October 23, 1642, the second great victory of Breitenfeld was won by Swedish arms. Archduke Leopold and Piccolomini led the imperial army, the latter general fighting as a common soldier to inspire courage by his example, but with no effect. The Swedes captured the baggage, cannon and banners of the enemy, taking 5,000 prisoners and leaving as many dead imperialists on the field. Torstensson conquered Leipsic on the following day.
Torstensson marched through Bohemia and Moravia with the rapidity which characterized all his military movements, and penetrated to the very gates of Vienna, the emperor with difficulty saving himself from being made his prisoner. But suddenly he left and marched through Silesia to North Germany. He had received an order from the state council to attack Denmark. The great chancellor was out of patience with the perfidy and intrigues of Christian IV., who stood in secret connection with every one of Sweden's enemies. No previous declaration of war was made. Torstensson captured the Danish duchies of Schleswig and Holstein before any one could prevent it, his army then taking possession of all Jutland. Gustavus Horn invaded Scania, almost completely capturing the whole province in spite of bands of freebooters among the peasants, called Snaphaner.
Denmark was in danger of its very existence, but King Christian IV. did not forget his old wish to destroy the town of Gothenburg, whose growing prosperity caused him envy. He approached Gothenburg with a fleet, and viewed the town from the overlooking mountain of the Ramberg. His demands for a surrender were refused. Patriotic Louis de Geer had ordered from Holland a fleet at his own expense, which was to go to the support of Gothenburg. It did not arrive in time, but King Christian left to meet it, and it later proved of great value in the Swedish movements at sea, joining the Swedish fleet in the Sound. The latter, consisting of twenty-two ships under the command of Clas Fleming, sailed to the Danish waters, capturing the island of Femern, supported by Torstensson. An invasion of the island of Funen was planned, but could not be effected. A great naval battle between the Swedish and Danish fleets was fought July 6th. It caused great loss on either side, without being decisive. King Christian, who commanded his naval forces, lost one eye and received over twenty different wounds. The Swedes kept the place of battle, but sought the Bay of Skiel for repairs, where they were hedged in by the Danish fleet. Clas Fleming encouraged his followers to cut through the line, in which they were successful. A month later he was killed by a shot from the coast of Holstein, where the Danes had erected a fort. The Swedes avenged the death of their valiant commander by destroying the fort and killing its defenders. Fleming was succeeded by Charles Gustavus Wrangel, who saved the fleet to Sweden, returning to Femern in the autumn, joined by the Dutch fleet of Louis de Geer. The Danish fleet was met with October 13th, and at once scattered. The swift-sailing Dutch ships went in pursuit and destroyed all the seventeen Danish ships but two, which brought the news of the disaster to Copenhagen.
King Christian, who had in vain expected support from the emperor, found himself defeated on every point, and had no other choice than to make peace. The treaty was signed August 13, 1645, at Brmsebro, Denmark ceding the provinces of Jemtland and Herjedal and the islands of Gothland and C sel. The province of Halland was to remain for thirty years in the possession of Sweden, which country was exempt from duties of toll for the traffic in the Sound. Denmark disavowed all claims of supremacy over Holstein, the duke of said country two years later formally placing himself under Swedish protection.
Lennart Torstensson had fulfilled his task in Denmark and returned to Germany. At Jueterbogk, in Brandenburg, he met the imperial army, which had been sent to cut off his retreat from Denmark, and entirely routed it. After this victory Torstensson hastened to Bohemia, resolved to "attack the emperor in his heart and force him to make peace." At Jankowitz, in Bohemia, Torstensson administered a new and crushing defeat to the imperialists, in 1645. The emperor, who himself had ordered his army to battle, had arrived in Prague to witness the defeat of the Swedes, which the Holy Virgin had promised him in a dream. He soon learned the news, which was quite different from that expected. The imperial commander-general, five generals and eight colonels were made prisoners by the Swedes, who captured the artillery and baggage of the enemy. The health of Torstensson was at that moment so good that he was able to lead the movements on horseback. He said that such a bloody battle would not be seen for a long time.
Torstensson invaded Moravia, the fortresses surrendering and the inhabitants fleeing in terror. For a second time he stood at the walls of Vienna. The very fortifications which protected the bridge across the Danube were captured by the Swedes. The enemy, whom the elector of Saxony had promised to chase out of Germany, was now knocking at the gate of the emperor, who heard the report with consternation. But Lennart Torstensson was forced to surrender to a perfidious enemy, who came to his door without knocking. His rheumatic ailment returned with such violence that he was obliged to renounce his command and return from the fields where he had led none but victorious armies. He was succeeded by Charles Gustavus Wrangel. The latter had to give up the siege of Vienna, but maintained, in connection with the French, the supremacy in Germany until an honorable peace was won. Upon his return to Sweden, Lennart Torstensson was covered with distinctions, being made a baron and a count on one and the same day. He was appointed governor-general of West Gothland, Vermland, and the lately conquered Halland, with his seat at Gothenburg, where he built him-self a palace (still the official residence of the governor of Gothenburg and Bohuslaen). Lennart Torstensson died in 1651, leaving behind the fame of one of the greatest warriors known to history, and a spotless memory.
The treaty of peace of Westphalia was signed in October, 1648. The representatives of Sweden were John Oxenstierna, a son of the great chancellor, and Adler Salvius. Sweden received, as a reward for her decisive and glorious part in the Thirty Years' War, the following possessions: West Pomerania, with the islands of Rugen and Usedom, the western part of East Pomerania, with the island of Wollin; the town of Wismar, with surrounding territory, and the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden. With these German possessions followed three votes at the German Diet. The Swedish government was to receive a sum of several millions to defray the army expenses, of which Queen Christine recklessly ceded the larger part.
Through these glorious conditions of peace Sweden rose to the rank of one of the mightiest of European empires, which held the balance of power in Northern Europe. Her possessions made the Baltic almost an "inland lake of Sweden," and efforts soon followed to make it completely so. Sweden exerted a beneficent influence throughout her large possessions, which, from a cultural point of view, hardly can be overestimated. Her methods of planting the seeds of culture, by establishing Swedish and German universities, and by abolishing serfdom in the conquered lands, are worthy of the highest respect. But with her new political grandeur Sweden acquired formidable enemies; she had not the resources to sustain or defend her great possessions, and the development of the mother country was for a time misdirected by dreams of vain glory.
The government of Sweden during Christine's minority, according to the directions left by her father, consisted of the five highest officials of the realm. Among these the chancellor, through his experience and his former intimacy with Gustavus Adolphus, was the leading spirit, king in all except the name, and deserving the honorable surname of "our greatest civilian," given him by Swedish historians. Unlike the majority of other uncrowned or crowned rulers, he did not use his power to secure wealth or distinction for himself and his family until upon his retirement. Offers to make him a ruling prince of Germany, and the young queen his son's consort, were coldly refused. While the war was going on he strengthened the foundations of the centralization of the state by the government regulations of 1634. At the side of the supreme court of Stockholm another was established at Jnkping, for Gothaland, with a state councillor as president. The system of various government departments was enlarged upon.' The most important of these was the chancery, in which all business to come before the government was prepared. Departments for commerce and for mining were established. These were not departments in the sense of bureaus, but collegia was divided into eleven administrative districts, ken, later increased to sixteen, each of these having a governor. Fin-land was divided into five districts. Count Peter Brahe the Younger, as governor-general of Finland, did more for this neglected country than was ever done before to right wrongs and foster prosperity. Livonia and Ingermanland received each their governor-general, the latter province, by repeated wars brought into a devastated condition, serving as a place of deportation. This system of administration won the admiration of the Continent and was in many instances copied as a pattern of perfection. The Swedish army was considered the finest in the world, and troops better trained or more victorious did not exist. At the end of the Thirty Years' War about 100,000 men were under Swedish command. The majority of these were foreigners, who afterward were enlisted for continual service. Their officers were raised in great numbers to the rank of nobles and endowed with dignities and estates. The army was divided into twenty regiments, seven of which were Finnish. The town and coast population regularly furnished able men for the navy. Much was done to improve the interior communications by means of new roads and canals. A postal route was established between Stockholm and Gothenburg, and others followed. A Swedish postmaster in Hamburg had charge of the foreign mails. Newspapers were published, the government shaping for itself an organ for official announcement which is yet published.
Great improvements were made in the mining industry, thanks principally to the efforts of the noble immigrant, Louis de Geer and his Walloons, who made the mines of Dannemora a source of riches. Weapons and cannon were manufactured not only for the army, but for exportation also. The brass foundries were excellent. The towns began to flourish, especially Stockholm and Gothenburg, through commerce with Holland and the Baltic States. A Swedish colony, planned by Gustavus Adolphus through the South Company, created by him in Gothenburg, was founded in North America. In 1638 two ships, "Kalmar Nyckel" and "Fogel Grip," arrived at the mouth of the Delaware River, where territory was procured through honest purchase from the Indians. The Dutch in neigh-boring colonies tried to persuade the Indians to oust the newcomers, but the Swedish governor, Peter Menuet, won their goodwill by fair dealing. The members of the colony of New Sweden were honest, upright people, who dwelt in peace with the natives. They accepted a governor appointed by the government, in the person of John Printz, but refused to tolerate among themselves criminals who later were despatched to their colony, and these had to be taken back. New Sweden after a few decades became the prey of the Dutch, but many American families point with justifiable pride to their descent from these honest and industrious Swedish settlers. A Swedish colony on the coast of African Guinea existed between 1650 and 1663, but was through treacherous dealings turned over to the Dutch.
Much was done to build up the educational system, several new colleges were established, and regulations made to instruct the peasants. Peter Brahe founded the University of Abo, in 1640, while in Finland, and the German University of Greifswald, in Swedish Pomerania, was re-established. Swedish men of learning began to attract attention, such as John Skytte, who was considered the most brilliant Latin scholar of Europe in his day, Stiernhoek, the jurist, Bureus and Messenius, the historians, and Georg Stiernhielm, poet and antiquarian. The old Icelandic literature was discovered and began to exert a strong influence on literature and science, to a great extent strengthening their chauvinistic spirit. The Swedish poets Stiernhielm, Runius, Holmstrm, Luciclor and the poetess Brenner, from the Eddie songs, which contain some of the oldest humorous poems in existence, learned how to write in a humorous vein, something entirely unknown in the German and French literatures of that day.
The excellent government, of which Axel Oxenstierna was the leading spirit, had its defects. In its perfect system of administration, which in the main features stands unshaken to this day, there appeared to be no room for the people themselves to be governed. On account of the great allowances made to the nobles it was necessary to increase the taxes of the peasants. Many had to leave their homes and farms for want of resources to pay their taxes; others were forced away from their property by the nobles. There was danger of the destruction of the free, self-dependent yeomanry. A hatred against the nobility grew up. The great lords returned from the wars laden with booty, erected fine castles, and continued the high living to which they had become accustomed while abroad. The power of the nobility was increased by lavish donations from Queen Christine and by the appropriation of other crown lands which the government was forced to sell or mortgage on account of the wars. The clergy were the spokesmen of the peasant class at the Riksdag, every year demanding with greater emphasis a restitution to the crown of its property, which was held by the nobles.
Queen Christine herself took the reins of government, in 1644, at the age of eighteen. She had inherited from her illustrious father some of his genius, and from her mother, Marie Eleonore of Brandenburg, a peculiar nervous disposition. Her mother took no interest in her until the death of Gustavus Adolphus, when a flood of exalted tenderness suddenly was let loose over her. Count Jacob de la Gardie took the lead in opposing the undesirable and unstable character of this relation, Christine being separated from her mother and educated by the Countess-Palatine Catherine, a pious and noble woman, the older sister of Gustavus Adolphus. Greatly offended, Maria Eleonore left the country never to return. Queen Christine showed a remarkable faculty of absorbing knowledge. Well versed in a great number of languages, and well read in various sciences, particularly mathematics, she soon acquired fame as the most learned woman of her time. She was of frank countenance, slept little, cared little for dress, and was passionately fond of hunting and riding on horseback. Queen Christine possessed a sharp intellect, was daring and resolute, but headstrong, fickle, extravagant, and but little particular in her choice of favorites. Her vanity and egotism knew no bounds. At the beginning of her reign she took pains to give serious attention to the affairs of state. The great chancellor had been her instructor in economics and statecraft, but she repaid him by open coldness and secret antagonism. Her ambition to surround her-self with scientists of note, particularly foreigners who flattered her vanity by blowing her fame to the four corners of the earth, killed her interest for politics. Later she was seized by the evil spirit of frivolity, abandoning herself to empty pleasures and to excesses of extravagance when her learned admirers were forgotten for unworthy favorites. Among the latter, Count Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie was for a long time all-powerful. The grandson of General Pontus and a daughter of John III., he was the son of Count Jacob de la Gardie and Ebba Brahe, and one of the most brilliant noblemen of Europe. In his youth he formed an intimate friendship with the dauphin of France, later Louis XIV., who throughout his life honored him with the title of " Mon Cousin," or "Mon cher Cousin." His ambition to become Queen Christine's consort was never satisfied, nor was he allowed to accept the rank of a prince from the German emperor, but the queen made him the richest man in her realm. Magnus de la Gardie did not possess the sterling qualities of his ancestors, but was of great patriotism and lavishly liberal toward educational institutions, in. this respect without a peer in Swedish history. In 1666 he founded the Academy of Antiquities, which was the first archaeological institution in Europe, the Swedish antiquarians of the day, principal among them Bureus and Stiernhielm, doing valuable antiquarian re-search. In 1664, Count de la Gardie donated to the University Library of Upsala a highly valuable collection of manuscripts and books, chiefly from Iceland. In the collection was also the Gothic Bible translation of Bishop Wulfila in the only copy extant. Liberal with his silver, Count de la Gardie gave to the precious book a silver binding, as he had in earlier years presented to Queen Christine a silver throne (which is still in use). This book has an interesting history of its own.
Codex Argenteus, the silver book, thus called on ac-count of its silver binding, contains fragments of the four Gospels in the Gothic language. The translation was made from the Greek original by Bishop Wulfila (b. 318-d. 388), the apostle of the Goths. The writing is done in so-called encaustum (printing with heated stamps) of gold and silver letters on vellum of scarlet color. This copy is considered to have been made toward the end of the fifth or in the beginning of the sixth century, when the East Goths still held sway in Italy. Its early fortunes are unknown, but it is supposed that the book was found in the possession of the Visigoths (or West Goths) when their empire was seized by the Franks, and donated to the monastery of Verden by some munificent Frankish chief. Here, in the Benedictine abbey of Verden, on the river Ruhr, in Westphalia, the book was discovered at least as early as 1554, when the scholars Cassander and Gualther of Cologne are known to have had copies which can have been made from no other source.
After the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, the Codex was transmitted to Prague for safety. In the year of 1648, Prague, or rather the older portion of the town, was captured by the Swedish general, Count Hans Christopher Knigsmark, who, among the vast treasures of the Bohemian capital, found also the Codex Argenteus which he presented to Queen Christine. All the books and manuscripts of the queen were in the care of her librarian, Isaac Vossius, a learned but eccentric scholar of Dutch parentage. Vossius was at first Queen Christine's teacher of Greek, not a very agreeable position, for the queen called him to the castle at three o'clock in the morning for her first hour. In 1650 he had to leave court and country on account of a quarrel with that light of learning, Claude de Saumaise (Salmasius), another one of the foreign scholars in favor with the queen. In 1653 he was called back, and again took charge of the books of the queen, but soon returned to Holland. Before his departure he gathered several costly books and manuscripts, among which Codex Argenteus, with or without the queen's private permission, taking them with him. In 1670, Vossius came to England, where he died, in 1688, as court chaplain at Windsor. King Charles II. of England said of him : "Vossius believes in anything but the Bible."
When in Holland, the Codex Argenteus passed out of the hands of Vossius after his uncle Franziskus Junius had made a complete copy of it. Junius, called the "grand-father of modern philology," published the first edition of Codex Argenteus at Dortrecht, in 1665, providing the beautiful facsimile with parallel Old English texts and a Gothic glossary. In Holland the Codex changed hands repeatedly until found in Brabant by Samuel Pufendorff, in 1661, who, in the following year, bought it for Count de la Gardie, paying a sum of something like $1,200 for it.
Once more in Sweden the Codex Argenteus was made the subject of close attention, a new edition of it being published, in 1671, by Georg Stiernhielm, the innovator of Swedish language and literature.' That Bishop Wulfila's Bible should ultimately harbor in Sweden does not seem out of place, for of all languages now spoken the Swedish comes closest to the language of the Goths as crystallized during its classical epoch. The interest taken by Swedish scholars in the book has always been great and fruitful of results, in times when it was thought to be written in the mother tongue of all the Teutonic languages, as well as later, when Gothic was found to be, not the mother, but the oldest sister in the family.
At the Riksdag of 1649 considerable dissatisfaction was directed against the nobility and the extravagance of the queen in deeding over to favorites all the possessions of the crown, in form of counties and baronies. The nobility sided against the queen, desirous of reducing her power. But Queen Christine received gracefully the complaints made, and promised to institute a reduction of taxes and payments. In the following year the commotion increased when the same taxes were asked as in time of war. The queen continued her policy of earnestly considering the requests of the lower Estates, thus gaining the controlling power. The nobility, suffering strife between its various classes, was forced to seek a shelter in the royal power it desired to crush, and humiliated itself before the queen. Christine received a joint appeal from the lower Estates for a restitution to the crown of all property illegally turned over to the nobility, but she managed to have the reform postponed upon promise of some minor privileges and a reduction of taxes. She refused the appeals of the nobility to have the clergymen and others punished who had used hard language against the aristocrats. But the discontent was spreading and turned against the queen personally. The ministers preached against the wrongs and violence of the mighty ones; the nobles and the peasants threatened each other. Peasants in Finland refused to work for aristocratic masters, and a general rebellion seemed imminent. In the meantime Queen Christine was crowned at Upsala amid great display and elaborate festivities, the count-palatine Charles Gustavus, her cousin, being installed as heir-apparent to the throne.
But Queen Christine was not able to still the storm around her. The finances of the crown were utterly ruined by her extravagance, and she dared not take by violence from the nobility what she had given by grace. In 1651 she declared it to be her intention to leave the government, but was persuaded to remain. Her cousin was placed in a very difficult position, apparently taking no interest in what was going on, but following everything with the keenest attention. The son of John Casimir, count of Palatinate-Zweibrucken, and Princess Catherine, he was born at Nykping in Sweden, in 1622, and designated as the future consort of Queen Christine. Charles Gustavus was educated in simplicity and rigor, and was, as his father before him, utterly neglected by Axel Oxenstierna and the government. He slept in a room without wallpaper, and when through with his lessons he sawed wood with his teacher, Professor Lemons. Burning with ambition, and perhaps also in love with his brilliant cousin, he proposed to her repeatedly, but in vain. After several years of extensive travel he joined Lennart Torstensson, refusing a command and working himself up through the military degrees. He took an honorable part in the victory at Jankowitz, and was appointed supreme commander of the Swedish armies shortly before the close of the German war. When the opposition against Christine reached its climax a good deal was expected from Charles Gustavus, which he, on account of his singular position, could not undertake to do. A petition replete with abusive language about the queen was sent him, asking him to take hold of the government. Charles turned the document over to the queen. Its author, the promising young Arnold Messenius, and his father, an able historian, suspected as having inspired his son, were accused of high treason, condemned to death and executed.
This act of force produced an impression, and the new taxes demanded at the next Riksdag were granted without opposition. But the queen felt that the discontent was only subdued, not suppressed, and, having no further means to keep up a luxurious court, she did the wisest act of her reign, that of resigning, at Upsala, in June, 1654, Charles Gustavus being crowned the same day. The scene of her abdication was very impressive, Queen Christine carrying herself with noble and lofty dignity, an inheritance from her father which she made use of when she saw fit. Leaving the crown and the royal emblems, one by one, to the Riksdrotset, she descended the throne, from the lowest steps of which she spoke an eloquent and touching farewell to the four Estates of the Riksdag. She suddenly left' the country after having secured for herself a princely income. At Innsbruck, the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus joined the Catholic church, thereby, and by her fame as a learned woman, creating a sensation. She died in Rome in 1689, after having made two unsuccessful attempts to regain her Swedish throne, and one equally unsuccessful to succeed the last king of the Polish line of the Vasa dynasty, and was buried in the church of St. Peter.
Among the many learned men who at one time sur-rounded Christine were Vossius, Heinsius, Salmasius, Huet, Freinshemius, Loccenius, Meibom, Bclerus, Ravius, Sohefferus, and others. The greatest of them all, the philosopher Cartesius (René Descartes), died in Stockholm, in 1650.
After the love-story of Gustavus Adolphus had come to an end, he long felt a disinclination to marry. His sister Catherine is said to have tried to rouse him to the necessity of choosing a consort. His answer was always : "Never mind, dear sister, you shall yourself bring up a son to inherit the crown and continue my work." This son of Catherine became Queen Christine's successor.