Saturday, October 02, 2004
IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU TELL 'EM: In lieu of original material (it's coming, I promise), here's a few random selections from a facsimile of Joe Miller's Jests, or The Wit's Vade-mecum, the most popular of the first-wave jokebooks (published in 1739). All the flaky style issues are as they came out of the original book, so you can't pin that one on me, but it does show that the classics never die, no matter how hard we try to kill them:
AND ONE OTHER THING: Please welcome the Trackback link to my arsenal of things you're not likely to take advantage of. Haloscan kept piling it on until I had to give 'em my money, so there ya go...
I republished the entire blog so all the articles could be tracked back, and I hope that's the last time I have to do that for awhile. I live for my little sidebar comments, and it's always sad to see them go.
(Edit @ 10:30am: The upside is that all those cheerful comments from the beginning finally came back. W00T!)
- A melting Sermon being preached in a Country Church, all fell weeping but one Man, who being asked why he did not weep with the rest? O! said he, I belong to another Parish.
- A Gentlewoman growing big with Child, who had two Gallants, one of them with a wooden Leg, the Question was put, which of the two should father the Child. He who had the wooden Leg offer'd to decide it thus. If the Child, said he, comes into the World with a wooden Leg, I will father it, if not, it must be yours.
- A Gentleman happening to turn up against an House to make Water, did not see two young Ladies looking out of a Window close by him, 'till he heard them giggling, then looking towards them, he asked, what made them so merry? O! Lord, Sir, said one of them, a very little Thing will make us laugh.
- A Countryman passing along the Strand saw a Coach overturn'd, and asking what the Matter was? He was told, that three or four Members of Parliament were overturned in that Coach; Oh, says he, there let them lie, my Father always advis'd me not to meddle with State Affairs.
- A Gentleman said of a young Wench, who constantly ply'd about the Temple, that is she had as much Law in her Head, as she had had in her Tail, she would be one of the ablest Counsel in England.
AND ONE OTHER THING: Please welcome the Trackback link to my arsenal of things you're not likely to take advantage of. Haloscan kept piling it on until I had to give 'em my money, so there ya go...
I republished the entire blog so all the articles could be tracked back, and I hope that's the last time I have to do that for awhile. I live for my little sidebar comments, and it's always sad to see them go.
(Edit @ 10:30am: The upside is that all those cheerful comments from the beginning finally came back. W00T!)
|| Eric 7:33 PM#
