The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-12-14
Royal and Imperial Jokers.
from tho Do La sAlle Monthly

an .Ssvnrsd individ uals on whom high aud q
mighty princesses have been ready to smile
mad delicate task to perform. they nae .
look more than twice before tH sney ax vppy
lest false step or q too Doloiy
ventured word should cost them their head' 2
ant. after all, this perilous condition OF as, I
piring lovers was az nothing compaS
with the dangers s,o OF TOO inSnise in testing
With q king, especially OF the olden type
and of medi@val and norose temper.
When the courtiers of AMBROSE, hihe o1
little Britain, gently aweke him with inc
glee- -.-.a- sas rs-go .g55s'
Az ss;.i sy ss: 's ss Dob
bia surly. and too saddenly aroused ma
iesty descended to his tea. toast, and eggs
entered the breakfast-room WIN sne g
oet out /" King Arthur, in " Tom Thumb"
seturns homage in much the same civil hu-
NOR. These, however, are but stage HlnsS
-kinrs Of shreds and patches. The flesh
and blood, genuine, despot,c monarch was
| Testing with kings, particularly MIN
yited-why it was as If a swimmer, now
ever experienced, should venture within
the smooth but death bearing current OF
Niagara, which inevitably carries nj w1 haxa
played little teasing jokes with elephants;
and when the jokers have forgotten an
ahout IL. tho grayely majestic beast has put
| his foot upon the offender, and crushed tne
humor out of him forever. 1t has been 9 asSs
!; 40 with malice bearing monarchs ana WIN
! courtiers who thought they might joke
with them. The incarnation of all suca
moparchs existed in the person OF an ATT
:, can king named Chaka. He WAS given 70
!, Joking at others, and woe betiae Cheui II
u thew did not burst with ecstasy at the JOKE
~ hut If a " fellow of infinite humor " nap
70 pened to cap the royal joke with better
~ Cbaka broke into hilaFIty, which ne enoes
er Nv exclaimipg, "Cut off that wretch's head
in he has made me laugh" .....
e. The Cpsars must have been almost
" dreadfully dangerous men 10 JOE ~ w. q
nv became great, had no leisure for jestine
a. but was the object of some popular joke
all vhich he took with indifference. In
of quests of Augustus were afraid to "craS
Joke" in his presence. lhey wo tur
IN. male If the emperor invited them to "spea
,re ms The imperial table was as grand an
On, dull a. that OF the copper Augustus, Lou
,ss. the Fourteenth, and the emperor haa
ore course to merryandrewe, just as suS 80 IT,,
the leauins Of those days were gentlemen q
acbolars. The grim Tiberius, on the 9th
'f' hand, was remarkably fseetaeus. cais.
light was to puzzle his learned guests wi WI
unanswerable questions, So. sues s;s ns sa~a
ool and the like. Fancy half a dozen memot
he's Of ths Society OF Antiquaries dining W
cti- her majesty and being graVely ASKED W
J, n huilt the marble halls the bohemian
dreent shs dws1s in1 M Fl Mea Bow
an at what period +" Aud lang eyne had oe
~ vonn1i Nevertheless, Tiberius was
lion nicer man to deal with than Calig9la, al
san. whose tests were brutally cruel IN Wor
CEN and oftener in deeds. WHAT serious y
| hav nothing
1ara linen apron Of victim slayer, he raj
,Oiv the maIlet, and instead Of slaying the be'
.ast knocked out the brains of the sacrihc
frst priest! Claudi1s was too huge feede'
two have appetite for wit pat ne , ~o ~rscs.
had shouId have killed. Yet Ciaudius,
vsar beast himself, had o good deal o!
han, scholar in him as Nero han, who 10
each science, admired art, was mildly witty,
seas Herewith as savage ss On ns as b,s u
! ssO Ing the theatre, when he sat In an VI
Tod seSt. and found delight In htnging
Th;a down upon the bald head OF the prs
raons below. That official was a. proud OF
as gosisss Ga1Sa had
yonid the Neronio fun In him. Bot thoogh
bsvaI mirthful himself, Galba could smile v
alive he heard the populsr slang aame, In
three sion to his fat nose, Simins. hs
ether cessor, Ohio, was lase suon VIZ Sa 81
IN rch face in asses' milk. If witty mon
~ far away from him feeling dull aud heav
they was the result of their exchanging
be-. with their imperial master: He bad
dates. wit at second hand as Viteliius who
they got his } kes Lou aoSrs etc.,
rom chartoteer. An uloAS 90 ~ oIou
ahout the ring o joker that people went to
essfui to. that circus clown got his jokes, not
N W his own brains, but from the We I0 m,
Sun boys JOKES useo u Ue So r ,oh
good ster az they now are aS ' oo,oSS asch !
,nseo- ing like hot rolls. But to resarn t. t.
The ioker than any of them, but his jokes
MN Often broad aud scurrillous. T1tut
sr.cioG. than sySn o to 1H'
o0y "oSsi1S TO every suitor that HE re
ga of Sbould be granted. They went avs
how diant. Every ONE" he said, "o0t
~ ; nrince s. and then, "the delight Of
S;.taiS Kind" thought no moro Of his Pre-