Signing of The Declaration of Independence Painting

click to enlarge

As noted in the last post, I recieved an email from Mr.R.W. who suggested that the Count might have been painted into John Trumbull's The Signing of The Declaration of Independence.

The person in question is to the right of Ben Franklin's elbow, sitting against the door.  Some people might ask: How do we go about investigating this?  56 people signed the Declaration of Independence.  In this painting, there are 47 people.  That leaves 9 people unaccounted for which means that the theory is still UNVERIFIED.

I took a look at some other famous paintings of the signing, but none of them have the full 56 patrons.

New Count St.Germain Sighting?

I received an email about a new sighting of the Count.  It happened in the 1940s at Bohemian Grove, California and comes from the private journals of writer and storyteller Mr.E.B. (name abbreviated upon request).  Mr.E.B.'s grandson, Mr.R.W. sent me the following email:

"By trade my grandfather was a writer, a story teller, but in all his stories he had a sense of truth. For this story my grandfather, whose name was Mr.E.B., had written in his private journal, with receipts, lists of dates, people and places, timelines and other indications that this was more than just a story; a true tale that he was telling me.

"The story is… My grandfather said that while at Bohemian Grove (in the 1940s) he met a man who was like a man out of time. He was mysterious, kind, extremely well liked, yet other people didn’t know who he actually was.

While at the Grove, my grandfather asked the man, whom he had people call him Marcus S. Garmin (coincidence in almost an anagram?) if he would have dinner with him; to which “Marcus” replied kindly that he only eats alone. Then my grandfather asked if he would rather have a drink? Marcus agreed to that but only drank spring water, to which my grandfather said he added “flavoring” from a small glass bottle he kept in the inside breast pocket of his outdated, but still new looking jacket.

"They talked for a while about art, science, weather, politics, literature and of my grandfather’s writings. Then the man told my grandfather a story about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He said Marcus recounted the event as if he were actually there. He said that the men who were to sign this Declaration were all afraid of being punished for treason. (He stated that this took place at Carpenters Hall in August of 1775.) Upon hearing this from the cowardly men, the man (Marcus) said, a stranger stood up and revolted…. “The Gods gave America the freedom to be.”

"This story has stuck with me since my grandfather told me this in the early 90’s. It brings me to the point I am writing to you today. I have been reading into the men in black phenomena, and I have come across an entry in one of the books by Jim Keith that mirrors the man Marcus’ story. The book, Casebook on the Men in Black, has a passage in chapter 2, pages 28-29, that has the men that signed the Declaration of Independence in the State House in Philadelphia… they are afraid their lives will be forfeit for their audacity…a voice rang out… and they noticed a stranger… he cried out, “God has given America to be free.”

" I know what you’re thinking; that my grandfather or the man Marcus just read the book or heard the story before and just recounted it. But the book by Keith wasn’t written until 1997, when my grandfather was ill and shortly before his passing. I heard the tale from him in the early 90’s as well. The man Marcus could have heard the story, but why would he change the place and date of when and where the Declaration was signed?

"One last thing. I looked up the painting of The Signing of the Declaration of Independence on Google. I searched the faces, finding the most common men that we are taught in history class. But then I noticed someone… someone I believe to be the Count de St. Germain. If you are at all interested in what I have told you today, look up the famous painting on Google. The first photo, which is the largest, is the one I looked at. You can find this man to the left of Mr. Franklin, he is seated in front of a door, in an odd position."

John Trumbull's The Signing of The Declaration of Independence

Bohemian Grove, if you've never heard of it, is a men-only private club outside of San Francisco, CA that has members ranging from politicians, artists, writers, actors, business leaders, media heads, and people of considerable power.  There have been attempts in the past by regular folk to break in.

What are your thoughts?

Voltaire's Letter

I received an email from Warren, a guy who needed some help finding Voltaire's letter to Frederick of Prussia that mentions the Count, and decided to write a post about it.  Below I have the letter in French - as found- followed by a literal English translation.  You will get the gist from the literal translation.

This comes from:
 Frederick II. "Correspondance avec M. de Voltaire." Oevres Posthumes de Frederic II. Tome XIV. Amsterdam, 1789.  Pages 255 -  257.

Voltaire

French:

Lettre CCXLIII

De M. de Voltaire.

Ce 15 avril 1758

Puisque vous etes si grand maitre
Dans l’art des vers & des combats,
Et que vous aimez tant a l’etre,
Rimezdonc, bravez le trepas;
Instruisez, ravagez la terre.
J’aime les vers, je hais la guerre,
Mais je ne m’opposerai pas
A votre fureur militaire;
Chaque esprit a son caractere:
Je concois qu’on a du plaisir
A savoir comme vous saisir
L’art de tuer & l’art de plaire.

    Cependant ressouvenir vous de celui qui a dit autrefois:
Et quoiqu’ admirateur d’Alexandre & d’Alcide,
J’eusse aime mieux choisir les vertus d’Aristide.

    Cet Aristide etait un bon homme; il n’eut point propose de faire payer a l’archeveque de Maience les depens & hommages de quelque pauvre ville Grecque ruinee.  Il est clair que V.M. a encouru les censures de Rome en imaginant si plaisamment de faire payer a l’Eglise les pots que vous avez casses.  Pour vous relever de l’excommunivation majeure, je vous ai conseille, en bon citoyen, de payer vous-meme.  Je me suis souvenu que V.M. m’avait dit souvent que les peuples de *** etaient des sots.  En verite, Sire, vous etes bien bon de couloir regner sur ces gens-la.  Je crois vous proposer un tres-bon marche en vous priant de les donner a qui les voudra.

Je m’imaginais qu’on grand homme,
Qui bat le monde & qui s’en rit,
N’aimait a dominer que sur des gens d’esprit,
Et je voudrais le voir a Rome.

    Comme je suis tres-fache de payer trois vingtiemes de mon bien, & de me ruiner pour avoir l’honneur de vous faire la guerre, vous croirez peut-etre que s’est par ladrerie que je vous propose la paix: point du tout; c’est uniquement afin que vous ne risquiez pas tous les jours de vous faire tuer par des croates, des houssards & autres barbares qui ne savent pas ce que c’est qu’on beau vers.
    Vos ministres auront sans doute a Breda de plus belles vues que les miennes. M. le duc de Choiseul, M. de Kaunitz, M. Pitt ne me disent point leur secret.  On dit qu’il n’est connu que d’un M. de Saint Germain, qui a foupe` autrefois dans la ville de Trente avec les peres du concile, & qui aura probablement l’honneur de voir V.M. dans une cinquantaine d’anneess.  C’est un homme qui ne meurt point, & qui sait tout.  Pour moi, qui suis pres de finir ma carriere & qui ne sais rien, je me borne a souhaiter que vous connaissiez M. le duc de Choiseul.
    V.M. m’ecrit qu’elle va se mettre a etre un vaurien;voila une belle nouvelle qu’elle m’apprend la! & qui etes-vous donc, vous autres maitres de la terre?  Je vous ai vu aimer beaucoup ce vauriens de Trajan, de Marc-Aurele & de Julien: ressemblez-leur troujours; mais ne me brouillez pas avec M. le duc de Choiseul dans vos goguettes.
    Et sur ce, je presente a V.M. mon respect, & prie honnetement la Divinite qu’elle donna la paix a ses images.

English Literal Translation:

 CCXLIII Letter
M. de Voltaire.
This April 15, 1758
Since you are so great masterIn the art of verse & the fighting,And you love has to be,So rhyme, brave the death;Educate, ravage the land.I like to, I hate war,But I will not opposeAt your military fury;Every mind has its character:: I make it a pleasureI know as you enterArt & killing the art of pleasing.
However you recollection of one who once said:And ALTHOUGH admirer of Alexander & Alcide,I would prefer to choose Aristide virtues.
This Aristide was a good man; he had no offers to pay to the archbishop of Mentz the homage of the expense & some poor ruined Greek city. It is clear that VM has incurred the censures of Rome imagining so pleasantly to charge to the Church pots you breakages. To relieve you of the major excommunication I advise you, as a good citizen, pay yourself. I remembered that VM had told me often that *** peoples were fools. In truth, sir, you are very kind corridor reign over these people's. I believe offer a very-cheap begging you to give the who wants them.
I imagined that great man,Beating the world & that laughs,Loved to dominate as like minded people,And I'd like to see in Rome.
As I am very angry-pay three twentieths of my property, and to ruin me to have the honor to war, you perhaps believe that was by stinginess I offer you peace: not at all ; it is only so that you do not risked every day you get killed by Croatian, the Hussars & other barbarians who do not know what it is that beautiful line.

Your ministers will probably Breda has better views than mine. The Duc de Choiseul, M. Kaunitz, Pitt did not tell me their secret. It is said that it is known that a M. de Saint Germain, who formerly dined in the city of Trento with the fathers of the council, and which will likely have the honor of VM in a fifty years. This is a man who does not die, and who knows everything. For me, who am almost finish my career and who know nothing, I am merely a wish that you knew the Duke of Choiseul.

VM writes that she will begin to be a scoundrel, here is a good news that she teaches me! And who're you going, you other masters of the earth? I saw this much you love Trajan rascals, Marc-Aurele & Julien: troujours look like them; but does not scramble me with the Duke de Choiseul your singing trio.

And with that, I present a VM my respect, and pray honestly Deity she gave peace to its images.

Thinking Sideways Podcast

Count St.Germain Thinking Sideways Podcast - Feb 2015

Check out the link above to hear a podcast about Count St.Germain!