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Internation Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19


LongRider

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Jeremiah Dixon debating beer with American pirates, 1766:

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"Tho' rear'd a Friend," Dixon feels he must clarify, "I was expos'd at a receptive Age to a Rush of Deistick thoughts, aye very Deistick indeed...?-- all in a great tumble, by the way of Mr. Emerson of Hurworth,-- so I've a Sentimental Foot in each, as tha'd say...?"

"As a Quaker, you'd surely rather see us independent of Britain?" inqures Mr. Dimdown.

"'Tis not how British treat Americans," Dixon amiably rubescent, "'tis how both of You treat the African Slaves, and the Indians Native here, that engages the Friends more closely,-- an old and melancholy History.... My allegiance, as a Quaker born, would lie, above all Tribes, with Christ,-- withal, as a Geordie, for reasons unarguably Tribal, I can have no sympathy for any British King,-- not even one who's paid my Wages, bless'im.  Call me an ungrateful Cur, go ahead, I've been call'd worse,-- Eeh, lo, thye Jack's empty...? Cant have thah', allow me, all who're dry, no problem, Mr. Mclean shall enter each into his Ledger, and in the fullness of Time will all be repaid,-- aye then, here they come: how canny, with those greaaht Foahm Tops on 'em, what do tha call thah'?"

"That is a 'Head,'" Blackie quizzickal.  "They don't have that, back wherever you're from?  What kind o' Ale-drinker are you then, Sir?"

"Shall we quarell, after all?"

"Innocent question," Blackie looking about for support.

"Very well, as tha did ask,-- I'm a faithful and traditional Ale-Drinker, Sir, who does thee a courtesy in even swallowing this pale, hopp'd-up, water'd-down imitation of Small Beer."

"Far preferable," replies Blackie,"--even if slanderously and vilely untrue,--to that black, sluggish, treacly substitute for Naval Tar, Sir, no offense meant, that they swill down over in England?" with a look that would have been meaningful, could it get much beyond a common Glower.

Dixon sighs.  Ale Loyalty is important to him, as part of a pact with the Youth he wish'd to remain connected to.  He lifts and drinks, as calmly as possible, the entire Pint of American Ale, without pausing for any Breath, Having then taken one last , "O Error!" he cries, "How could I've so misjudg'd this?"

Blackie is as short of Time as anyone here.  This thing that is no taking shape has an Inertia that may yet bear all before it...he can no longer indulge himself what once, not long ago, would have prov'd a lively Contest,-- nowadays, all energy, all attention, is claim'd by Futurity, unwritten as unscryable, the Door wide open.

Thus, "I once took Joy, 's a matter of fact, in many a British Pint," recalls Blackie, "and go ever in the Faith that so I shall again, some day.  Meanwhile, as with our Tea, we brew American."

"Believe I'll have another of those...?" replies Dixon.  "Would tha join me?"

 

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1 hour ago, Larry of the Lake said:

It's from Pynchon's Mason & Dixon, it's fiction but there are a couple of other good pirate scenes with anachronistic dialogue as well. 

@Larry of the Lake  how is that to read? I’ve seen it and have wondered how readable it is?  What did you think about it?

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20 hours ago, LongRider said:

@Larry of the Lake  how is that to read? I’ve seen it and have wondered how readable it is?  What did you think about it?

I really enjoyed it, but most people I know who have read or started it did not.  I laughed out loud in more chapters than not and the storytelling can be pretty magical.  On the other hand, the Peculiar Capitalisation and punctuation was pretty annoying at first.  I listened to the audiobook after reading it and it was absolutely wonderful.  

Eta: it was really fun checking out what was and wasn't historically true, some of the stuff that I would have thought was authorial license turned out to have actually happened.  I ended up reading a book about the technical aspects of marking and making the Mason Dixon line and the instruments and math, astronomy, spherical trigonometry used to do it.  Was fascinating.  Was devastated to learn that the next Transit of Venus (when Venus passes in front of the sun, which happens twice in the novel) won't happen again for about 90 years so I am unlikely to witness this event.  There was one the early 2000's and one in 2012.  Didn't even know that was a thing.  Was actually kind of sad when I realized that.  

 

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