On Sat, 25 Dec 2004 11:13:48 +0000 (UTC), "Reg Edwards"
wrote:
Ah for the days when Britannia Ruled the Waves.
To wit: The words of W.S. Gilbert on this subject.
THE HOUSE OF PEERS
When Britain really ruled the waves--
(In good Queen Bess's time)
The House of Peers made no pretence
To intellectual eminence,
Or scholarship sublime;
Yet Britain won her proudest bays
In good Queen Bess's glorious days!
When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte,
As every child can tell,
The House of Peers, throughout the war,
Did nothing in particular,
And did it very well;
Yet Britain set the world ablaze
In good King George's glorious days!
And while the House of Peers withholds
Its legislative hand,
And noble statesmen do not itch
To interfere with matters which
They do not understand,
As bright will shine Great Britain's rays,
As in King George's glorious days!
From "Iolanthe"
For an opposing view on the beauty of "George" see the writings of
George Bernard Shaw on the subject. He hated his given name,
wrote it down phonetically [jorj] and thought that was most ugly.
I suspect he didn't use it in Morse very much. Shaw also
came up with "ghoti" for "fish"
The "gh" from "rough"
the "o" from "women"
the "ti" from any "-tion" suffix.
I suppose no one called him "Bernie."
Jon, W3JT (who literally fiddles through Sullivan's contributions to
this work)
So now for the festivities!
----
Reg.
|