• The Collapse of Roman Imperialism

    From Walter Traprock@1:379/45 to All on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 22:33:40
    From: Walter Traprock <wetraprock@hotmail.com>

    Bill and Enid were coming back through Tadger's Field when suddenly, they saw the collapse of Roman Imperialism.

    "Gosh," said Bill.

    "So, a combination of factors, both economic and social, has brought down the mightiest empire the world has yet seen," murmured Enid.

    Soon they were home, and gobbling up their tea.

    Enid inclined to the theory that imperialism of any sort was a self-defeating process, and she argued her case forcefully until Mrs. Brown sent them both off
    to bed.

    "Good Heavens," she said. "It won't be the first empire that's collapsed," and
    she tucked them up and snuffed out the candle. But secretly, she was worried. What would replace the Roman hegemony? Would it mean a return to... she could hardly bring herself to think of it...

    Mr. Brown returned home late that night. He had had a bad day at work. Someone had thrown a heavy object at him and broken four of his ribs, and he had caught his leg in a plough and severed it below the knee. As if that wasn't enough, he'd broken his nose sorting turnips, and his heart had stopped beating for three minutes. He flopped down in the chair, killing the cat.

    "They're all talking about it down at the warren," he said, pulling his boots off.

    "What, dear?" said Mrs. Brown innocently.

    "You know..." he said impatiently, breaking one of his legs just below the knee, "the collapse of Roman Imperialism."

    "I know," admitted Mrs. Brown, "it worried me stiff when the children told me about it." She put some butter on the table.

    "Mmm... it's nice with butter," said Mr. Brown.

    "I suppose," said Mrs. Brown, "that what with the collapse of Roman Imperialism, it'll mean a return to... "

    "Sssh!" said Mr. Brown, wrapping a tourniquet round his arm to stop the bleeding. "The children."

    But Bill and Enid were wide awake in their beds, listening. What did the collapse of Roman Imperialism mean for the ordinary Briton? What was it a return to... ?

    They were still awake an hour later when Mr. Brown finished the table and came to bed, damaging his skull on the door jamb.

    END OF CHAPTER ONE

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  • From Snidely@1:379/45 to Walter Traprock on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 23:04:00
    From: "Snidely" <Snidely.too@gmail.com>

    Noted.

    /dps

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  • From Dilbert Firestorm@1:379/45 to Walter Traprock on Friday, April 06, 2007 04:53:54
    From: Dilbert Firestorm <scanb31@byteme.com>


    urm???

    ok, what did the collapse lead to as characters alluded to? chaos?

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