Job Opening

Centaur

Centaur

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Sep 16, 1999
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5603993/

Britain looking for a court jester

Requirements: Must be mirthful and work weekends

The Associated Press, Updated: 4:03 p.m. ET Aug. 4, 2004
LONDON - Wanted: court jester.

English Heritage, guardian of various historic sites in Britain, is advertising for someone to be the nation’s first court jester since 1649.

An ad appearing in Thursday’s editions of The Times laid out the qualifications:

“Must be mirthful and prepared to work summer weekends in 2005. Must have own outfit (with bells). Bladder on stick provided if required.”

Auditions will be held Saturday at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, and the winner will have to negotiate a salary, English Heritage said.

The court jester’s position died along with King Charles I, who was executed by Oliver Cromwell’s supporters in 1649. The monarchy was restored 11 years later, but the position of jester did not return.

“It is about time we had a jester again,” said Tracy Borman, the agency’s director of education, events and outreach.

“It is one of those roles that fell by the wayside when Cromwell made Britain a republic, but there is no reason not to bring it back now.”

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Can anyone here think of a good candidate or two?
 
gajinoz said:
The bells I can understand but I'm a little puzzled about what you might do with the bladder on a stick! :confused:
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I believe the standard "head on a stick" that the Jester carried was made from an inflated pig's bladder. This give it a balloon like feel, so the Jester could bop someone with it and not injure them.
 
I can imagine that, in the middle ages, bopping somebody on the head with anything would be a risky move. Lots of serious guys carrying around swords and few rules, (for the upper classes), in those days!

Sounds like a fun job though. Ring a few bells, bop a few people, tell a few jokes and get paid for it. :)
 
gajinoz said:
I can imagine that, in the middle ages, bopping somebody on the head with anything would be a risky move. Lots of serious guys carrying around swords and few rules, (for the upper classes), in those days!
Click to expand...

I'm sure that the life expectancy of a Court Jester or Fool was quite short.
 
From what history I've picked up in Shakespeare classes and Renfairs (you'll have to decide how much salt to take that'un with), jesters could say pretty much whatever they wanted, without the usual consequences. They were "fools", and therefore given a whole hell of a lot more leeway than your average head-bopper. The implication of the position is that the "fool" is either mental-stability-challenged, or so slow that he might as well be. So anything he says is just fool's talk, and not to be taken seriously. It's the same principle that stops otherwise lawsuit-happy celebrities from taking the Weekly World News to court. There may very well've been "few rules", but "don't disembowel the fool" was one of 'em.

I'm guessing they wouldn't just empty the short bus into Buckingham palace today, though. Reading that ad, the image I got was Jerry Seinfeld in motley :D
 
Grover,

Email me please.
 
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