Sunday, January 20, 2013

Lyndhurst Chronicles: A Plug.


In the Year of Our Lord, 17-something-odd, amid the dissolution of the Council of Peers and the discovery that Great Britain might, after near on a century since the decease of Charles Stuart, after all have a true-born king, copies of this tract was found tacked to the doors of churches, taverns and halls throughout London.  Though the eponymous Duke was not named in the tract, everyone - including His Grace himself - knew who was the subject of its matter.

This, of course, is a plug for Barry Taylor's Lyndhurst Chronicles, a story of an anti-historical Great Britain, an alternate Great Britain, a what-if Great Britain, after a royal interregnum dating from the failure of the Stuart line after a mere two generations.   It is a wargames narrative, of course, but one with a bit of a difference.  Here's the link: http://valesoflyndhurst.blogspot.co.nz.  Enjoy.


A London 'Sans-Sabot' (shoeless poor)
posting a scurrilous tract slandering
a well known Duke.
In case readers find the above a strain to read - as I do, here it is again, pasted from the original Word File.


The bad old Duke of Romney is an evil little man;
He has no redeeming features, none at all.
His face is ugly as sin, you need a box to put it in,
And in his boots he stands just sixty inches tall.

He’s the Master of telling lies – he pulls the wings off flies –
His evildoing knows no curb nor bridle
The devil finds work for idle hands, as ev’ryone understands,
But from the Devil’s work the Duke is never idle.

He connives with the smugglers, schemes with the wreckers,
He rides with the Revenue Men as well.
Bringing contraband ashore, he takes the wreckers’ score,
Then with troopers he rides them all down into Hell.

There is no evil he will shrink at; no crime that he will blink at;
His Grace has neither conscience nor scruple:
As his accomplices swing, and dance the Hangman’s Fling,
He boasts that Beelzebub’s his willing and able pupil!

But his evillest crime of all, as seen by great and small,
Was to plot the murder of our true born King.
May his crimes lie unforgiven, his bloated corpse rot unshriven,
For the Duke has never compassed one good thing.

The lowly worm find haven; a repast for the raven;
My His Grace perform Good Works in his decease.
But his soul be sport of Devils, ‘midst diabolic revels.  
May the Duke never ever Rest in Peace.

This posting is also, of course, a bit of a plug for myself.  Every now and then I have posted pieces of verse by way of comment in others' blog spots.  This is usually due to something they have written or pictured that conjures up one of the Muses of verse (I prefer to think it's Calliope, but Erato sometimes chips in;  and Clio, the Muse of History, is always present) there It has occurred to me that they might get a better readership elsewhere - and of course, I want to be recognised as their author.  

But if the recipients of such versifications from myself like them enough to reproduce them as part of a posting, they are welcome to do so.  I would be flattered.

Meanwhile, Barry (Marshal Noailles) and I (Archduke Piccolo) fought last weekend the action that was to decide the fate of the Ulrichstein Rebellion.  The story of that battle will follow as soon as I collate the pictures and other data.  A day or so.

8 comments:

  1. It seems the Duke of Romney's infamy has reached the far and distant shores of the WRE Empire.

    I have said it before and stand by it, you should be publishing these Poems and quips your Highness.

    Thank you very much Ion for the plug and Poem, I have copied to my site as well.

    Enjoyed the game immensely, especially your rules. A lot of fun and a battle with a lot of twists.

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    1. Duke of Romney - you did say. Incidentally, the 'Sans-Sabots' of London is intended to be much the same as the Revolutionary 'Sans-Culottes' of Paris. The 'Shoeless' London mob, the 'Trouserless' Paris mob - not a lot of difference, really...
      At any rate, thanks, Barry.
      Cheers,
      Ion

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  2. Its been a long while since WW2 featured here Ion, I need a tank and infantry fix please.

    All this other guff is just confusing...For a simple soul like me anyway.

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    Replies
    1. I'll see what I can do, Paul. I have one or two ideas in mind for some border incidents between Orotina and the Pan-Andean People's Republic. You'll have to wait a posting or two, though...

      Fact is I haven't really done much on the WW2 front for quite a while - except to buy some paints for German vehicles and infantry. Still have several kits that need doing - including a Chinese kit of a Sherman that bears an astonishing array of design features not normally seen on a Sherman, but has an uncanny resemblance to a Russian SU85. A friend (and fellow blogger) flicked that one on to me...

      So far, your blog (amomg one or two others) has been doing sterling work keeping up my interesting in tanky-type stuff.
      Cheers,
      Ion

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    2. You know what Ion, I purchased a few years ago a Chinese kit of a Daimler armoured car that astonishing array of design features not normally seen on a armoured car, but has an uncanny resemblance to a Hasegawa Stuart.

      Small world!

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  3. Ion wonderful words there. Even I have not seen my grandmother create verse like that. at one point (before her marriage) some said she could have been the next beatrixe potter, though mainly due to her artwork as well.
    Though perhaps I need to read more of her books, we have very fine ones right here... written in caligraphy and with some guilding. some of my favourite books that I never read though.

    your poetry is as fine if not finner than the storied you create, an artist in this hobby and elsewhere you are. Partically the only poem I have been trying to work on then redoing is the Oronegrean national anthem in La lengua espanol... tricky to get a ryhm going in another language I must say.

    great work and it appears Barry is happy also.

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  4. You do have a fine line in flattery, Gowan, and I appreciate it! Thank you. I've been wondering about National Anthems myself, but there I think one requires the help of the lyrical Muse, and I'm not sure I'm her type.

    You might consider writing an anthem in English, and then see what can be made of it in Spanish - not necessarily a translation, withal, but a rendering of the sentiments expressed. Just a thought.
    Cheers,
    Ion

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  5. there's a thought... though I will try my best to write in spanish as I am trying to learn it and every chance to use it must be taken I guess...

    pluss one simplt thing to add is the VIVA! of coarse I will just have to and cobel together something that rhyms as I know a few terms that would work. I guess just look on the Oronegro blog to see if I come up with something.

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