Изложенная в юмористическом ключе история Британских островов, напоминающая 'Всемирную историю, обработанную Сатириконом'. Текст стилизован под пуританские учебники истории для юношества. Уморительное чтение, в результате которого у меня второй день подряд проблемы с прямохождением. От хохота сводит мышцы.
К первичному ознакомлению с предметом не пригоден - но вот к прочтению лицам хоть мало-мальски ознакомленным рекомендую однозначно.
1066 and all that
W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman
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Caesar Invades Britain
The first date in English History is 55 B. C., in which year Julius Caesar (the memorable Roman Emperor) landed, like all other successful invaders of these islands, at Thanet. This was in the Olden Days, when the Romans were top nation on account of their classical education,
etc.
Julius Caesar advanced very energetically, throwing his cavalry several thousands of paces over the River Flumen; but the Ancient Britons, though all well over military age, painted themselves true blue, or wood, and fought as heroically under their dashing queen, Woadicea, as they did later in thin red lines under their good queen, Victoria.
Julius Caesar was therefore compelled to invade Britain again the following year (54 B. C., not 56, owing to the peculiar Roman method of counting), and having defeated the Ancient Britons by unfair means, such as battering-rams, tortoises, hippocausts, centipedes, axes, and bundles,
set the memorable Latin sentence, ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’, which the Romans, who were all very well educated, construed correctly.
The Britons, however, who of course still used the old pronunciation, understanding him to have called them ‘Weeny, Weedy, and Weaky’, lost heart and gave up the struggle, thinking that he had already divided them All into Three Parts.
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