E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Charles I.
When Bernini’s bust of Charles I. was brought home, the King was sitting in the garden of Chelsea Palace. He ordered the bust to be uncovered, and at the moment a hawk with a bird in its beak flew by, and a drop of the blood fell on the throat of the bust. The bust was ultimately destroyed when the palace was burnt down.
