The Times...

"Martha Bridegam" <mabjo DeleteThis @pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:3F27ED0B.230D4A93@pacbell.net...
 >
 >
 > ROBBIE wrote:
 >
  > > ...did not print my letter. It found space to print this though:
  > >
  > > Letters to the Editor
  > >
  > > July 30, 2003
  > >
  > > Prima facie
  > > From Mr Martin Davies
  > >
  > > Sir, A pot of Roman face cream has been
unearthed in
  > > Southwark. The cream has "the finger marks of the woman who used it"
  > > (report, July 29).
  > > Would that be fact or mere (stereotypical)
  > > assumption?
  > >
  > > Yours sincerely,
  > > MARTIN DAVIES,
  > > St Keverne, Moresk Road,
  > > Truro, Cornwall TR1 IBW
  > > martindavies DeleteThis @elmada.freeserve.co.uk
  > > July 29.
  > >
  > > ( wooster accent) Oh ra ra ra ra ra ha ha ha ha ha I
say
  > > that's rather good! So, Stables, The Times don't thunder no more. Maybe
  > > Murdoch's got money in Saatchi?
  > >
  > > [Image]
  > >
  > > [Image]
 >
 > This from a letter-writer whose salutation is "Sir"?

Well spotted


 >
 > /M
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: The Times... 

"ROBBIE" <littleboyschutz.TakeThisOut@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bg85ps$lna8f$1@ID-200782.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > ...did not print my letter. It found space to print this though:
 >
 > Letters to the Editor
 >
 >
 >
 > July 30, 2003
 >
 > Prima facie
 > From Mr Martin Davies
 >
 >
 >
 > Sir, A pot of Roman face cream has been unearthed
in
 > Southwark. The cream has "the finger marks of the woman who used it"
 > (report, July 29).
 > Would that be fact or mere (stereotypical)
 > assumption?
 >
 > Yours sincerely,
 > MARTIN DAVIES,
 > St Keverne, Moresk Road,
 > Truro, Cornwall TR1 IBW
 > martindavies.TakeThisOut@elmada.freeserve.co.uk
 > July 29.
 >
 >
 >
 > ( wooster accent) Oh ra ra ra ra ra ha ha ha ha ha I say
 > that's rather good! So, Stables, The Times don't thunder no more. Maybe
 > Murdoch's got money in Saatchi?
 >
 >

Have you actually received a rejection note or is there still a chance that
it might be published at a later date? Does all hope now lie with the Daily
Torygraph?

I was wondering whether Martin Davies may have written this letter tongue in
cheek?

From my rather limited knowledge of Roman History I would say that it all
depends on the date of the said cream. If it was from the first century AD
then it probably was a lady's finger that had marked the pot. In those days
your average Roman Vir was a real man complete with all masculine attributes
and a large dose of civic and military virtue besides. In later years the
decline set in, the empire brought corruption, decadence, the Romans
wallowed in their own wealth, became soft and decadent; they neglected their
civic duties, even the defence of the empire was left to hired mercenaries.
Now if the pot dated from these years say the 4th or 5th Centuries AD then
it may well have been used by one of these effeminate Romans perhaps one
dolling himself up for a Londinium Hilarula Superbia Pompa (see
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe" target="_blank">http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe</a> for translation). In that
case of course Martin Davies would have a point.

Paul Stables<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: The Times...