Monday 17 December 2012

Puss In Boots

You probably know the plot: Dick Whittington, poor boy from the country, goes to London to seek his fortune. Finds the street aren't paved with gold. Discouraged, he sets off to return to the farm but is called back by the city's bells which chime "Turn again Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London". With the help of the eponymously-shod feline, he makes his pile and is duly elected LM of L three times.

Richard Whittington was a historical character, a merchant in the late middle ages who made his fortune in the cloth trade with Flanders. He was indeed Lord mayor of London a number of times, although he probably had four cracks at Boris Johnson's current job rather than three. So not a bad transmission of an accurate, if obscure, historical fact via a popular dramatic medium. But why the introduction of the improbable anthropomorphised character of the pantomime title?

At the time, the Dutch used a type of sailing vessel which was of a shallow enough draft to navigate Holland's canals, but was also seaworthy enough to make the choppy channel crossing. These boats were called 'poezen'. The Dutch word for boat is 'boot'. So, how did Dick Whittington make his fortune? With Poezen Boots!

Ta-daa! Next up: Ghengis Khan's trousers.

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