DOI issue:
November 8, 1862
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16870#0197
,190
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [November 8, 1862.
LATEST FROM ABROAD-POWDER AND ALL THE REST OF IT-
Old Miss Fribble. “ Hem ! Cut these Old Fashioned Minxes out—flatter myself ! ”
BOMBA AND OTHO.
King Bomba is seated, smoking, and occasionally reading the “ Garden
of the Soul." A Footman enters, announcing “ A Stranger ! ”
King Bomba (starts up). I hate strangers. Who is he ? Does he
look like a Garibaldian miscreant? Don’t let him in. Where’s the
Queen?
Footman. Still at the convent, so please yon, Sire.
King Bomba. I can’t see anybody till the Queen comes hack. Don’t
let him in.
Enter King Otho.
King Otho. I have ventured-
King B. I see you have; but you had no business to do so. What
do you want ? Go away.
King 0. 1 hear an echo from the Piraeus.
King B. Who’s the Piraeus ? I know no official of that name. Will
you go away ? The Queen attends to business, and she is not at home.
King 0. Dismiss your attendant, please your Majesty.
King B. But I will be hanged if I do ! Just what I expected, and
no sentinel within call. This is atrocious. Don’t you move.
[To Footman.
King 0. Will your Majesty look at my card ? _
King B. Keep off. Sir, I tell you ! Give it him, and don’t you
advance a step, or--
Footman [reads). “ Otho, King of Greece! ”
King B. Saint Januarius forgive me !—no, lie’s a rascally traitor, and
there’s bad blood between us—but I mean—pray pardon me, your
Majesty. Out, menial! [Exit Footman.
The Kings embrace.
King B. To what happy chance am I indebted for the pleasure of
this visit, dear brother ?
King 0. Eh ? Don’t you read the newspapers ?
King B. Bah, no, the wicked and venomous creatures—my director
tells me to let them alone.
King 0. Ah! Then you have not heard that circumstances over
which I had no control compelled me to leave Athens ?
King B. Athens ! Where’s that?
King 0. [offended). It was my capital, brother, and though I have no
longer any interest in it, I am bound to say that—yes—I think a gen-
tleman ought to know where Athens is.
King B. I beg your pardon. 1 dare say the Queen knows. But
upon my word I have so little time for anything but my spiritual duties,
that really—and so your Majesty has come away from your capital ?
King 0. Well, yes, I have come away. That is to say, my subjects,
I mean my late subjects, had a strong opinion that my continued
residence among them would not tend to my comfort, or theirs.
King B. They had an opinion ! 1 hope you gave them plenty of
cannon-shot before leaving. _
King 0. Why, no. The fact is that unless I had loaded the guns
myself, and got the Queen to fire them, there was nobody to do it.
King B. I would have done that [fiercely).
King 0. I might, brother, but then there was a further difficulty in
the fact that the people had locked up all the powder and shot. So here
I am, and my first visit is to you.
King B. A compliment at the expense of religion is painful to me,
brother. Your first visit should have been [crosses himself) to His
Holiness.
King 0. [smiles). Give me a light—thanks. As to that, there are a
few circumstances that might require consideration. You see. Pope
Pius the Ninth-
King B. Brother! don’t speak of the Holy Father [crosses himself)
in that secular way. You deserve excommunication, and I was wrong,
I fear, to have given you fire. Please to put ypur cigar out, and help
yourself to another match, that will not be my giving it to you, you know.
King 0. It’s of too good a brand to spoil, but you are in no danger,
brother. The Holy Father is nothing to me, don’t you see? I am ot
the Greek Church, or at least I was three days back.
King B. Gracious heavens, an atheist, an infidel, a heathen, a sceptic,
a blasphemer, a heretic—please, brother, go away.
King 0. Don’t be a muff, brother. I am as good a Christian as you
are, and you may ask your director whether that is the sort of language
to use to a King in distress.
King B. I wish the Queen was here. I don’t know whether I ought
to talk to you. Upon your honour, now, you are not a heretic ?
King 0. Certainly not. I’ll explain details another time, or you can
ask Her Majesty about me. Can you give me lodgings for a little
while, until we see what is going to turn up ?
King B. If the Queen sees no objection, I shall be most happy, of
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [November 8, 1862.
LATEST FROM ABROAD-POWDER AND ALL THE REST OF IT-
Old Miss Fribble. “ Hem ! Cut these Old Fashioned Minxes out—flatter myself ! ”
BOMBA AND OTHO.
King Bomba is seated, smoking, and occasionally reading the “ Garden
of the Soul." A Footman enters, announcing “ A Stranger ! ”
King Bomba (starts up). I hate strangers. Who is he ? Does he
look like a Garibaldian miscreant? Don’t let him in. Where’s the
Queen?
Footman. Still at the convent, so please yon, Sire.
King Bomba. I can’t see anybody till the Queen comes hack. Don’t
let him in.
Enter King Otho.
King Otho. I have ventured-
King B. I see you have; but you had no business to do so. What
do you want ? Go away.
King 0. 1 hear an echo from the Piraeus.
King B. Who’s the Piraeus ? I know no official of that name. Will
you go away ? The Queen attends to business, and she is not at home.
King 0. Dismiss your attendant, please your Majesty.
King B. But I will be hanged if I do ! Just what I expected, and
no sentinel within call. This is atrocious. Don’t you move.
[To Footman.
King 0. Will your Majesty look at my card ? _
King B. Keep off. Sir, I tell you ! Give it him, and don’t you
advance a step, or--
Footman [reads). “ Otho, King of Greece! ”
King B. Saint Januarius forgive me !—no, lie’s a rascally traitor, and
there’s bad blood between us—but I mean—pray pardon me, your
Majesty. Out, menial! [Exit Footman.
The Kings embrace.
King B. To what happy chance am I indebted for the pleasure of
this visit, dear brother ?
King 0. Eh ? Don’t you read the newspapers ?
King B. Bah, no, the wicked and venomous creatures—my director
tells me to let them alone.
King 0. Ah! Then you have not heard that circumstances over
which I had no control compelled me to leave Athens ?
King B. Athens ! Where’s that?
King 0. [offended). It was my capital, brother, and though I have no
longer any interest in it, I am bound to say that—yes—I think a gen-
tleman ought to know where Athens is.
King B. I beg your pardon. 1 dare say the Queen knows. But
upon my word I have so little time for anything but my spiritual duties,
that really—and so your Majesty has come away from your capital ?
King 0. Well, yes, I have come away. That is to say, my subjects,
I mean my late subjects, had a strong opinion that my continued
residence among them would not tend to my comfort, or theirs.
King B. They had an opinion ! 1 hope you gave them plenty of
cannon-shot before leaving. _
King 0. Why, no. The fact is that unless I had loaded the guns
myself, and got the Queen to fire them, there was nobody to do it.
King B. I would have done that [fiercely).
King 0. I might, brother, but then there was a further difficulty in
the fact that the people had locked up all the powder and shot. So here
I am, and my first visit is to you.
King B. A compliment at the expense of religion is painful to me,
brother. Your first visit should have been [crosses himself) to His
Holiness.
King 0. [smiles). Give me a light—thanks. As to that, there are a
few circumstances that might require consideration. You see. Pope
Pius the Ninth-
King B. Brother! don’t speak of the Holy Father [crosses himself)
in that secular way. You deserve excommunication, and I was wrong,
I fear, to have given you fire. Please to put ypur cigar out, and help
yourself to another match, that will not be my giving it to you, you know.
King 0. It’s of too good a brand to spoil, but you are in no danger,
brother. The Holy Father is nothing to me, don’t you see? I am ot
the Greek Church, or at least I was three days back.
King B. Gracious heavens, an atheist, an infidel, a heathen, a sceptic,
a blasphemer, a heretic—please, brother, go away.
King 0. Don’t be a muff, brother. I am as good a Christian as you
are, and you may ask your director whether that is the sort of language
to use to a King in distress.
King B. I wish the Queen was here. I don’t know whether I ought
to talk to you. Upon your honour, now, you are not a heretic ?
King 0. Certainly not. I’ll explain details another time, or you can
ask Her Majesty about me. Can you give me lodgings for a little
while, until we see what is going to turn up ?
King B. If the Queen sees no objection, I shall be most happy, of