Getting in a Flap with Nosey Neighbours

[A pair of diligent Orkney geese took up guard outside the Emperor's window - July 2017]

Staying in a cottage on my favoured isle of Orkney in July, the imperial household was subjected each day to some rather flagrant rubber-necking.

No one welcomes a nosey neighbour and on a recent campaign the Emperor was subjected to a couple of right busy bodies! The type who just cant help sticking their beaks in.

However, it can't be said that everyone objects to the diligent and inquisitive nature of the humble goose.  Reminded as I am by the lore of my great forefathers,  I recollect that it was indeed the geese of the Roman Capitol that were hailed as saviours of their nation when they alerted the exhausted defenders of the fortress when in mortal peril from a night Gallic night attack, back in their early history.

The historian Livy tells us it was the clamour of the sacred geese who stirred the defenders and alerted them to the deadly attackers scaling their walls.

"... they [the Gauls] accomplished the climb so quietly that the Romans on guard never heard a sound, and even the dogs - who are normally aroused by the least noise in the night - noticed nothing. It was the geese that saved them - Juno's sacred geese ..."

[Livy, Early History of Rome, V.46]

This was a legendary and revered act of service that saved the nation and secured a special place in Roman folklore for the humble goose.

So it is with reflection on past fidelity, that this Emperor feels privileged indeed to have had such a guard of honour outside his window.

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Postscript: No Gauls breached the walls of my guest cottage that week, though we did meet some random Greeks and Germans in the holiday that followed (but they were friendly). 

Mull-ing Things Over in Tobermory

In May this year the Emperor undertook a short non-punitive campaign to the Scottish Isle of Mull.

[Tobermory Bay - during a brief respite from the heavy summer rains]  

Travels in good company were enjoyed by the Imperial retinue and sat well with the Emperor. 

Tiberius on Personal Criticism

['Taking the stoical view', under the foot of public opinion - Uffizi Museum, April 2017]

On Tiberius it was said: 

"... he was self-contained and patient in the face of abuse and slander, and of lampoons on himself and his family, often asserting that in a free country there should be free speech and free thought. When the senate on one occasion demanded that cognisance be taken of such offences and those guilty of them, he said: "We have not enough spare time to warrant involving ourselves in more affairs; if you open this loophole you will find no time for any other business; it will be an excuse for laying everybody's quarrels before you." A most unassuming remark of his in the senate is also a matter of record":

"If so-and-so criticises me I shall take care to render an account of my acts and words; if he persists, our enmity will be mutual."

[Suetonius, Life of Tiberius, 28]




N.B Its worth mentioning that not all agree on the emperor Tiberius's good nature.  In some reports, he is not anything like as unassuming and liberal as described here. Other references - especially later in his reign - point towards a darker and more brooding ego, more than capable of petty spite, revenge and malevolence. It's not at all like Suetonius to miss sticking the knife in, so we need to look at a evolving personality: egalitarian and carefree in his early reign - likely before the Sejanus coup - moving to spiteful, paranoid and mean in his later years. 

How Much for an Ice cream?

Shocked by the tourist prices around the centre of Florence, the Emperor was nevertheless greatly impressed to see Caravaggio's iconic Medusa. 

A fearsome and terrible image of visceral rage.  

(The good lady herself had obviously just paid for an ice cream) 

Lucca

The massive and exquisitely complete renaissance walls of Lucca (Italy) provide a beautifully impressive backdrop to any walk around this Tuscan jewel. (Only Ferrara in the east can rival an ancient defensive circuit of this period - larger but not as complete in its surviving heritage)

 
A long-term favourite with the emperor (my 5th visit and counting), Lucca will always be the dream place for an idyllic and imagined retirement.

Guarded by emblematic lions, this ancient, sleepy old Republic, offers a true haven of great charm. Both in and out of season it has so much history and beauty to offer.

The Luchesse skyline: ancient, rustic, grand and chaotic. 

Where the Streets have No Name

A casual street-sign store at the local Council depot, central Edinburgh  ... witnessed by the Emperor on his way home from work.  

If all the names are here, is there streets out there without names? 

Crossing Ocean - The New World

[Crossing Oceans the Emperor explored new and strange lands - New York, Nov 2014]

"It is unlikely that the Atlantic Ocean is divided into two seas, thus being separated by isthmuses so narrow and that prevent the circumnavigation; it is more likely that it is one confluent and continuous sea. For those who undertook circumnavigation, and turned back without having achieved their purpose, say that they were made to turn back, not because of any continent that stood in their way and hindered their further advance, inasmuch as the sea still continued open as before, but because of their destitution and loneliness. This theory accords better, too, with the behaviour of the ocean, that, in respect of the ebb and flow of the tides; everywhere, at all events, the same principle, or else one that does not vary much, accounts for the changes both of high tide and low tide, as would be the case if there movements were produced by one sea and were the result of one cause."

Strabo, Geography, I.8 

Undertaking great personal hardship and danger (Economy Class) the Emperor recently enjoyed a personal exploration of the New World. In imperial procession on the Eastern seaboard, it was fascinating to see the great metropolis cities of Boston and New York. This history-rich part of the New World was fascinating and it was wonderful to experience a culture that is at the same time, both similar and yet so different to the Old World that I know so well. 

The only regret was that I did not have more time to explore these vast and fascinating lands. But hopefully there is always next time ...    

Small indulgences, as simple as the iconic pastrami bagel were greatly enjoyed. 

'Everything is bigger in America' and so was the Emperor after a week or so of eating great food. Kindly toured by a local guide and friend the imperial retinue was spoiled for great places to see and great food to experience. 

Back on the treadmill when I get to Blighty, but I really look forward to future visits. 

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N.B Its worth noting that the internet is sprinkled with references of Romans having reached the North Americas in ancient times. The quality of some of these theories varies greatly and ranges from the tantalising to the sheer outlandish. But they are all entertaining to read.