The Sacramento Tales

[John Derbyshire reports: In the course of some renovation work at England's Canterbury Cathedral, a wall broke open to reveal a hollow cavity, in which was found a parchment manuscript, since dated to the later 14th century. It appears to be the work of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. However, the text is much faded and barely legible in places, so that the work of deciphering this manuscript is proceeding very slowly. The first few pages have now been transcribed, and their content is given below. Not all of the references can be understood at this distance in time, but the manuscript appears to concern a miscellaneous party of pilgrims who have come together with the common desire to reach a holy shrine at a place called "Sacramento." The front page of the manuscript, though much defaced by damp, seems to bear the title "The Sacramento Tales." ]

Whan that Septembre with his shoures sote

Summers droghte hath perced to the rote,

And bathed Napas vynes with swich licour

As maketh Gallo Brothers shayre price soare;

Whan al vacacioun tyme is used and gonne

And beaches emptye lye beneath the sonne,

Whan freeways clogge with workers offys-bounde

Whyl scole-buses mak roade rage all arounde.

Whan harlots on the Strippe crye to be payd

By Englishe heart-throbbes crusyng for rough trayd

(Whom Nature hath anon depryved of braynes!)

Than longen folk to run polityckal campaygns

And pollsters for to scanne ye publick moode

By telephoun and questionnaire intrude.

And specially, from every countys ende

Of Golden State, to Sacramento wende,

The Governour's fyn castel for to wyn

And dwel with powre and glorie ful therein.

INCUMBENT was ther, gilty (so they seye)

Of budgets fals. And he was cleped Gray.

His teethe bryght capt, his heer lyk helmet fixt

Grande master was he of lowe politycks.

Non intrest grupe had he disdaynd to schmuse,

Ne ATLA, CALPERS, Latynos, ne Jewes.

At fund-raisyng ther wiste no wight so wyse,

The governourshippe than becam his pryse,

And hem that to him had obeysance mayd

Saw al hir outlays manyfold repayd.

He seith not ones "nay" when they seith "ye."

"Do this," seith they; "al redy, sire," seith he.

Whyl worthy folk of lower midel kynd

Wyth U-Haul hytched fled east and north to fynd

Som place wherin hir litel wealth might growe

Insted of into state tax coffers flowe.

Yet even swich as staid wer ful appalled

By car-tax hyk, so Gray shal be recalled.

Among us was a TERMINATOR bold,

A player who on many a stage had strold.

Ful big he was of braun, and eke of bone

A manly man, ful wyth testosteroun.

On TV he declayrd his wille to run

His candidacie than was fayr begun.

At ones began disputes upon his lyf

Wych, ere he toke a Kennedy to wyf,

Muche marred had been with lecherye and syn,

And eke was ther some matter of his kin.

His fader, in the German empyrs warres,

Had worn that emblem evry man abhorres,

The twysted cros. To wych his frends replyd:

"Lord Kennedy was eke upon that syd!"

But natheless dispute continued hotte

To knowe was he conservatyf or not.

Of policie he vauch-saifed next to nonne

Save only: "Al for children must be donne!"

Til sore complaynd those membyrs of his factioun

That first applauded this bold Man of Actioun.

And so, to soothe hir rancorous complaynts

The Terminator call'd upon two saynts:

St. Milton and St. Warren. They both blest

His enterprys, and sanctiond thus he prest

Ahead, as al perceived, on victoryes tracke.

(Or if not, reste assured, he'll be backe.)

Latynos had hir man, with mustache speyr

High domed his hed, with fast receding heer.

LIEUTENANT to the Governour was he

And Spanish spak ful faire and fetisly,

After the scole of Ciudad Mexico

For Spanish of Castile he did not knowe.

In Englishe ones, amid a goodlie throng,

His mynde did cruellie betray his tonge

Whan he, addressyng Moorish clerks conven'd

To glorify hir history, had seem'd

To greete hem with the -- worde -- wych, wel note,

Is deeth to hem that seke the publick vote.

And folies mor lay lurking in his past.

Whan clerk at Fresno he his lotte had cast

In wyth a wilde and heretickall order

Wych ful denys oure nations southren border!

And preche vil crede, wych he refused to shunne:

"For oure race al, for other races nonne!"

The Terminators fader wolde have blushd

To say swich wordes, and spinmystres all rushd

To parse hem to som softe and gentyl sens,

But whyte and blacke alyk had toke offens.

And hard-corre gilty liberalles asyd,

No non-Latyno folk colde him abyd.

And greate as Latyn votyr count maye be

It lokes lyk: Hasta la vista, babye !

A WYF was ther, of Athenes cameth she

And eke her campaygn started on TV.

Of polles and raisyng fundes she knew perchaunce

For she coude of that art the olde daunce,

Her housbonde havyng troden paths polityckal

Before he turned to lifestyl sodomityckal

And lefte her. Yeares befor, whan she was yong