Inmate Central: 'Scarlet Pimpernels' etc and 'descent' by Timbo in Oz

During 'the Terror',

3 scarlet pimpernels are captured in France by the 'sans culottes'.

A Scot, a Pom, and a Mick.

And they're all taken to Paris and before the 'committee for public safety'.

Then off in the tumbrils to 'le place de l'execution'.

It is late afternoon by this time, and what with the press of the crowds, and the reaction forces, the structure of 'madame le guillotine' is getting a bit loose.

Anyway the chief of the 'sans culottes' says to the Pom, 'ah messiuer iz mon breve Inglis gentilhomme, 'ow you wis' to dye eh! face down into Ze baskit or face up, into ze blade, non?'

I'll, ..... I'll face up into the blade' so thy put him in and the crowd surges and the blade slams into the uprights and catches peeling off splinters and sticks in the wood a few mm's above his throat.

'ze double jeopardy' rule operates, and he goes off, freed, to Calais, in a carriage. (with new trousers!).

and the Scot says "aye, ai'll look up a the blayydd laddee, aye'.

and the same thing happens! so off he goes, (but he was wearing a kilt, so they just let him wash!)

At last they get to the Irishman, one of those big thick-necked ones *, and he agrees to look up at the blade too, 'Loik dem udder fellers did'.

And they put the yoke, tightly, over his neck, and he's twisting his head a bit. The Frog leans over and says 'Allors! you are uncomfortable, messieur Irish, but not for long eh?'

'Arr well now,' he sez and, 'No it's not dat, ..... Oi t'ink oi can see what's wrong wit de blade!'

..................

* not loik me - I'm one of dem good lookin' Micks oi iz, a skinny lanky one - wiv big ears, a long nose and face, and a big silly grin!

DESCENT

I see Dubbya is claiming descent from one of the original robber barons under Henry the 8th, a Spencer, and reckons he's related to the Royal family and the Churchill's!

Well so do we all - have aristocartic forebears that is - especially if we take into account the 'Jus prima noctae', and go back that far to boot, how many other thousands of ancestors at the same level of the tree would he have, and who were they? and why aren't they telling

Thousands of course, it's basic binary maths.

Why this could be used, in a supposedly republican country, to boost this man I just don't understand.

Timbo, Too puzzled to laugh

PS and just BTW - I reckon the 'french shrug' dates from 'the terror'.
;-^)}