Monday in London (Day 3)

[Priest]

Llewelyn watches as Drummell leaves, then, thoughtfully, scratches his chin. Still retaining a half smile he slowly surveys the assembled group.

"Well that was fun. Why do I get the feeling a threat was being made there?"

He glances over to Poole and shakes his head.

You know the way you toadied up to that oike Drummel reminded me of a nasty spotty we had at school. Hardly cricket old son"

"First does anyone care to share what is going on? Second, plan of action?

[WinstonP]

Once a moment has passed, Rev. Poole sidles up to the gathered throng, whom he gives a conspiratorial tap to the nose and a quick sideways look.


What a charming fellow. Now then Harwood, I believe we have plans to pay a visit to the Reading Room?

I should add, if there is any concern, Llewelyn, that I have no intention of providing that greasy handshake anything save for the bill for my meal. Perhaps we might arrange for someone to follow him and she where he goes afterwards? I hesitate to say this but I can probably string him along for at least another meal, I mean meeting... if fortune favors me I may also have the chance to have a look-see at the contents of his jacket. Suggestions, of course, are welcome. I do not wish to force anyone's hand here but I thought we might better plan our future course of action if we did not have a stranger in our midst. What say you chaps?

[Laraqua]

"Very true," said Grant, smiling at him. "Thank you for taking care of our little problem. We have other things on our mind."

[Tabs]

Perhaps we might arrange for someone to follow him and see where he goes afterwards?

Long John hasn't managed to follow the "ins and outs" of their predicament. He looks up, mighty cheerful, at Rev. Poole's suggestion. "Now, I can help youse all with chasing and what not. In fact, I could follow the fella right now . . . ?"



[ooc: Presuming Long John does follow Drummell he'll spend a point in "Streetwise"--is this appropriate?]

[Cearlan]

Luke steps forward. "Sorry we have not met yet." he says extending his hand "Name is Carse, Luke Carse. If you could follow that damnable fellow it would be appreciated, but be wary, he is cunning and conniving. Follow but do so cautiously if you would be so kind, like I say, it would be appreciated."

[Tabs]

Long John tugs his forelock, as he does do to all gentry--anyone who isn't living on the street, like himself. "Sir! Mr. Carse, sir. Warning to be careful taken aboard." He'll nip, despite his peg-leg, out of the shop.

[Priest]

Llewellyn smiles and shakes hi s head as the comical pirate disapears through the doorway.

"Carse old chap, I always thought the idea when following someone was to appear as inconspicuous as possible"

Still shaking his head, in a disbelieving manner, he adds,

"Hardly possible when one is sporting a peg-leg and a parrot, wouldn't you say, what?"

[Cearlan]

"Agreed," replies Luke brushing his hair back by raking his fingers through it front to back. "But it does mean that we can make our plans, like the good Reverend says without a stranger in our midst, and there is every chance that he can pull the irons out of the fire for us and follow him successfully. If not, we have lost little."

[Bookman]

Whilst Drummell made his little presentation Harwood moved unobtrusively backwards, taking his pile of notes on the Burton and the Cor book. Once he is safely out of the door he steps forward again.

Well that was...interesting. They obviously know something but not enough. I guess they interrogated Wellington...spiritually. What they can't know is where it currently is.

He sniffs with vague laughter.

Or of course directly accuse us, they would have to admit how they came by the knowledge.

He snorts again and continues, quieter and faster, half to himself as if he is running ideas round and round.

Sorry, anyway, we need some sort of bargaining chips to deal with all these people. Looking at the various annotations and so on, it almost seems that they think the Cor book is that taken from the cave by the Arabian Philosopher. Now the Philosopher says something about finding it in a pyramid I think. Here they suggest it goes the other way round to reach our Hidden Popes. So it seems like whatever recipes they want are only preserved in the book they seek. It passed to the Hidden Popes and may have been taken from the tower. I cannot believe this is the actual book so perhaps Cor copied from the original? Maybe when the monastery was destroyed the original book was destroyed? Whatever the reality of this all, we do at least know why they want Irving memorabilia. They hope to create an eidolon from impressions. Presumably they want Irving from this period because the eidolon would be linked intrinsically to the writing of the Alhambra. Hmmm, that makes sense actually. If they could get the man himself, they could be sure of all his knowledge but they can't with an impression. They need things from this era to get the best chance of capturing the spirit of the Alhambra. Maybe.

Ok. So. Notes on the manuscript seem to confirm that some of the information to write the tale of the Philosopher at least came from a pendulum source. It seems that Irving got some of his information in a similar fashion. Or could he have done? Hmm. The Don seems linked. Could it be him who did the translation they all seem driven by? He completes the inversion. So the book goes from the tower to the place it was found? Spain to Pyramid. So the pyramid of the Philosopher? The book goes from the Tower to the Pyramid and somehow to the Popes. Thence to Cor? He is their servant. This is the only place the recipes are saved. So why do they want access to the Tower? Or what else is it they want from Irving.

The Don...the Don wants to do something about the brewing civil war. What is the information he needs or wants? OK, so the Contessa wants the desk. The Collegium would probably make do with the pen that wrote the mansucript. They don't necessarily need the manuscript if they can ask Irving personally. So that leaves the Don. He may well just need the manuscript. What does he want? What might be in the Tower, or the Pyramid, or Spain, or Scotland? Or Hungary of course!

He throws his hands up.

Dah. Circles. Circles. Circles. I have all the pieces, I cannot quite connect them.

He sighs and relaxes.

I'll lay you money the Scott in the Irving notes is the first Baronet Scott. He was good friends with Irving, helped him out a lot. Quite a big influence in Spain as well. Quel suprise. Another aristocratic Scot with Spanish links who connects to Irving's work. You know Scott got his baronetcy for finding treasure. The missing Crown Jewels of Scotland to be precise. Wonder if he used a confidential annexe?

[Tabs]

"Hardly possible when one is sporting a peg-leg and a parrot, wouldn't you say, what?"

Once the book shop door shuts, Long John comes to his senses, he quickly nips back inside, same as he nipped outside.

"Hope no one minds." He perches Marmaduke, the parrot, on to a chair-back. "She'll want a saucer of water and one of those luvlee biscuits." Again, Long John nips outside to pursue Drummell.

[Priest]

Llewellyn is about to say something to Harwood when the door reopens to readmit the wooden legged one, who simply deposits the parrott mutters something about saucers, water and biscuits and promptly leaves again.

"Well Harwood, as I have no idea what your talking about I'll be off to see a man about a horse, what".

With a brief touch of his fedoras brim to the occupants of the shop, Llewellyn follows the peg-legged fellow out into the street pausing momentarily to pull his kid-leather gloves over his neatly manicured hands.

[Spoiler-Button]Llewellyn sets off to visit a local bookies to make enquiries about any gambler flashing huge winnings lately.[/Spoiler-Button]

[WinstonP]

Rev. Poole cranes his neck looking for a clock.


I say, Harwood. Perhaps we should table such musings for after we have had a chance to review the collection at the Museum? Perhaps some answers we find there will clear up at least some of that Gordian Knot, my friend? With my tête-à-tête this evening with our dear new friend perhaps we might want to depart separately and rendezvous at the Reading Room? Who knows what eyes may be upon us? Time, as well as a segment of the criminal fraternity and an untold number of Spaniards, are not on our side.

[Taavi]

"Look here, Harwood" interjects Jory "know your enemy first, then find his motivations. He must be someone at Kings", tapping the list of medical staff. "Once we've got a name we can get an address, then carry the fight to him, before we end up in the wine rack next to old Wellington. Or hanging from the ceiling like Luke here nearly went. By all means find this Glencoe inversion or whatnot, but we must keep our eyes on the threat."

[Cearlan]

Luke looked down with a frown on his forehead. "You know Laura said something yesterday about the movements of that cove Don Alejandro she followed to Seven Dials. Something about him constantly spiralling round and doubling back on himself like a kind of game ... what was it she called it dammit!" After a few moments he remembered; "A Troy game ... something based on a maze or some kind of labyrinth. Now I am sure I read somewhere that these things are useful for helping people to meditate and have symbolic significance or somesuch rot connected to magic squares. Bear with me a moment ... What if the Don has somehow managed to tap into this to cover his tracks. Let's see if we have anything on the shelves that may shed some light on this." Luke turns to the shelves and starts to rummage through the stacks mumbling under his breath. "All I know for sure is that I will not be beaten not by anyone nor any thing"

[Taavi]

Luke's scan of the shelves turns up a few volumes of relevance, including a shelf-worn copy of W.H. Matthews' Mazes and Labyrinths, which devotes a chapter to The Dance or Game of Troy, and a bound volume of History of Religions with an article on
The Hidden Significance of the Cretan Labyrinth, which elucidates the link with magic squares. Both seem to indicate that the Troy dance or similar labyrinthine turnings have a sacred and initiatory function, linked to shamanic states, descent to and rebirth from the underworld, and other such Golden Bough-like themes.

[Bookman]

RIght yes, ok. You're absolutely right Captain. Ok.

He turns to Reverend Poole.

Give me a few moments, I just need to gather my things. First though I shall have a quick confab with the Captain. See if we can find any names on the list of quacks which might be our mystery man. That way he can be looking into that whilst we pursue Andalusian towers and Scottish Baronets.

He walks over to where Jory is standing.

Mind if I have a quick look at that list? Oh, and Luke, Chartres has quite a famous labyrinth, we're bound to have something on cathedrals of France and that neo-druidism rubbish the Victorians were so into.

[Cearlan]

"Hmmm What's that you say Harwood? Chartres has a labyrinth as well - ok I'll look into that as well. I'll see if it cross references anything I find in these books I have here. This one for instance..." indicating The Hidden Significance of the Cretan Labyrinth "...goes straight into a link to magic squares from Crete and even China then onto astronomy. It ll seems to have more importance if there is either a 5 or 8 in the centre of the square."

edit - typo corrected

[Taavi]

Looking over the list of Doctors, the name "Dr P. Caslett" jumps out at Harwood. What was it Reverend Poole said yesterday?

Some time later, welcomingly sipping on Harwood's Madeira, Poole reports a little progress:

Unfortunately, after our Friar Cor, the writers do not refer to themselves by name. They do sometimes initial their work, or refer to earlier generations. The most recent writer seems to have the initials 'P.C.'

Looking in Forsythe's Bibliographical Dictionary of Great Britain - that edition is a bit foxy, just so you know - I see the name Cor and its variants Cors, Coe... yes, as in 'Glen Coe'. It means 'Marshy Valley'... where was I? Oh yes... It is old welsh for 'bog or swamp or marsh' and since the seventeenth century, has usually been modernised, either Anglicised as "Marsh" or "Moor", or Frankified as "Coslett" or some variant thereof.

.

It may also occur to many of those present that according to legend London, like Rome, was founded by refugees from the fall of Troy as a "Novum Illium", a new Troy.

[Cearlan]

Luke exclaims "Ah, this is more akin to what happened yesterday with Laura when she followed that cove to Seven Dials. Here's another clue, this time in part of the Aeneid by Virgil. As we know the poet immortalised the legends from his time for us, in this case, over the wanderings of Aeneas, supposed son of Anchises and Venus, after the fall of the city of Troy, which he had fought hard to defend.

"It appears that Aeneas, who escaped from the city carrying his father on his shoulders, led forth also his little son Iulus. It is this boy whom, in the fifth book of the poem, Virgil pictures as taking part with his companions in a sport called the Ludus Trojae or Lusus Trojae (Game of Troy), sometimes simply Troja. According to the Roman tradition it was introduced into Italy by Aeneas, and his son Ascanius imparted it to the Alban kings and through them to the Romans.

"Oh! and listen to this everyone ... from a translation from Trapp in the early 18th century, 1718 or thereabouts

"As when in lofty Crete (so fame reports)
The Labyrinth of old, in winding walls
A mazy way inclos’d, a thousand paths
Ambiguous and perplexed, by which the steps
Should by an error intricate, untrac’d
Be still deluded."

Luke rubs his chin between his forefinger and thumb. seemingly resolved to take some form of action he stands and says;

"So perhaps there is something to this after all. Can someone help me with the map me and Laura had yesterday ... see if I can reproduce the path she followed, or rather that her quarry had followed. Perhaps if I can get back there without getting ensnared ..." Luke shudders involuntarily despite himself "... then we may find out where he went to"

[Bookman]

Bingo, there we are Captain, Caslett. Sure of it, the good Reverend gave us the clue with his bibliographical musings. The Cor name becomes Caslett, and he spotted that the most recent annotator was a 'PC'. Nicely done Father, that's your man.

He turns back to Luke,

We can have a swift look before we depart. Y'know the Troy myth is a fascinating one in terms of medieval perception. Everyone claimed a part of it, there's a French manuscript with a picture of four ships heading off in different directions to found everywhere that claimed it. One of those being Geoffrey of Monmouth's Brutus, who is our winner today. One of the accusations against Sir Nicholas Bembre was that he wanted to change the name of London to Troynovaunt. People wanted Troy to be a symbol of ancient wisdom, but it was always brought down by a background of sexual immorality and political treachery. Read Chaucer's take on Troilus and Crysede, he may be writing about Troy, but he's talking about his London. Same with Shakespeare really. Interesting really, by allowing all the different nations' and groups' claims you set up opposing options for the perfect Troy, allowing what appears a symbol of unity to conceal antagonistic and conflic...

He stops, waves his hands, visibly reigning himself back in, and breaks off from lecture mode.

Sorry, back to London and the Labyrinth. Part of the significance is representing the wandering which Aeneas undertook before reaching his final destination. He travels to the Underworld as well, with the aid of the Sybil, using the Golden Bough.

He thinks for a moment,

portitor has horrendus aquas et flumina servat terribili squalore Charon, cui plurima mento canities inculta iacet, stant lumina flamma, sordidus ex umeris nodo dependet amictus.

Ah, the benefits of a classical education.

Perhaps a similar token is needed? Or a guide? Apparently the Forgotten know how to tattoo a man so that he can walk the labyrinth and still remember himself, but good luck finding a priestess without some bloody good connections.

Hmmm, the labyrinth in initiation is a metaphysical thing, representing the searching after wisdom. In terms of the Chatres one, and other ones similar theologically, it is about replacing a different journey. Walk the labyrinth and you don't need to go to Jerusalem. So it might also be less about knowing the turns and more about how to take them. Anthony Barkley was supposedly trying to re-draw London with his Taroticum experiment, don't what happened to that after Sandburn burned though.

The game as transmitted wisdom is a classic idea. The survival of an old ritual through a debased form. See also the Morris Men or the Mummers. An old English teacher of mine had a very convincing argument that the Hokey Cokey was a remembrance of the Catholic Mass. Perhaps it is something similar here, a set of ritualistic steps, perhaps copied over a metaphysical understanding of the route, and with the way opened by a symbolic key or token. Hmmm, Laura mentioned a sign of a blind man with an unlit lantern. That positively reeks of Tiresias.

He pauses, and dramatically declaims:

I stand a shadow across the door of doom,
Athwart the lintel of death’s house, and wait;
Nor quick nor dead, nor flexible by fate,
Nor quite of earth nor wholly of the tomb;
A voice, a vision, light as fire or air,
Driven between days that shall be and that were.

Yes, anyway, the labyrinth must be walked almost unknowing, following the footsteps by instinct, not by sight. Or perhaps you do need an unlit lantern? As the blind have no need of a lantern by which they cannot see, the walker of the labyrinth needs a similarly paradoxical sign to navigate its symbolic pathways. Maybe I'm thinking about this too literally. Maybe it is about a state of mind, or a piece of knowledge seemingly useless.

Heh, whatever we find do watch out though. Any good labyrinth has at its centre a beast. There's a strange rumour amongst the denizens of the night that's there's a Great Beast under London but I wouldn't put too much credence in that, gravediggers see some odd things...

Right, let's have a look at that map.