Chapter Foss to Fourteen of F by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Fourteen, the name of a young man who could do the work of fourteen men, but had also the appetite of fourteen men. Like Christopherus, he carried our Lord across a stream, for which service the Saviour gave him a sack, saying, “Whatever you wish for will come into this sack, if you only say, ‘Artchila murtchila!”’ (i.e. “come (or go) into my sack”). Fourteen’s last achievement was this: He went to paradise, and being refused admission, poked his sack through the keyhole of the door; then crying out, “Artchila murtchila!” (“Get into the sack”), he found himself on the other side of the door, and, of course, in paradise.—Webster: Basque Legends, 195 (1877).

Fourteen. This number plays a very conspicuous part in French history, especially in the reigns of Henri IV. and Louis XIV. For example—

14th May, 1029, the first Henri was consecrated, and 14th May, 1610, the last Henri was assassinated.

14 letters compose the name of Henri de Bourbon, the 14th king of France and Navarre.

14th December, 1553 (14 centuries, 14 decades, and 14 years from the birth of Christ), Henri IV. was born, and 1553 added together=14.

14th May, 1554, Henri II. ordered the enlargement of the Rue de la Ferronnerie. This order was carried out, and 4 times 14 years later Henri IV. was assassinated there.

14th May, 1552, was the birth of Margaret de Valois, first wife of Henri IV.

14th May, 1588, the Parisians revolted against Henri III., under the leadership of Henri de Guise.

14th March, 1590, Henri IV. gained the battle of Ivry.

14th May, 1590, Henri IV. was repulsed from the faubourgs of Paris.

14th November, 1590, “The Sixteen” took oath to die rather than serve the huguenot king Henri IV.

14th November, 1592, the Paris parlement registered the papal bull which excluded Henri IV. from reigning.

14th December, 1599, the duke of Savoy was reconciled to Henri IV.

14th September, 1606, the dauphin (Louis III.), son of Henri IV., was baptized.

14th May, 1610, Ravaillac murdered Henri IV. in the Rue de la Ferronnerie. Henri IV. lived 4 times 14 years 14 weeks, and 4 times 14 days, i.e. 56 years and 5 months.

14th May, 1643, died Louis XIII., son of Henri IV. (the same day and month as his father). And 1643 added together=14; just as 1553 (the birth of Henri IV.)=14.

Louis XIV. mounted the throne 1643, which added together=14.

Louis XIV. died 1715, which added together=14.

Louis XIV. lived 77 years, which added together=14.

Louis XV. mounted the throne 1715, which added together=14.

Louis XV. died 1774 (the two extremes are 14, and the two means 77=14.

Louis XVI. published the edict for the convocation of the states-general in the 14th year of his reign (September 27, 1788).