Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb - cehum - Universidade do Minho

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GEORGINA ABREU
1998: 38) that gradually fuses Majochi and the King. Th e King, referred to as
‘Th e Witness’ and once as ‘Mr. Mereamusement’, undergoes a violent crossexamination
relating his immoral and debauched life. Like Majochi, he misunderstands
questions, which is the opportunity for ludicrous punning:
How much money has been expended on you since you were born?
Non mi ricordo.
What have you done for it in return?
More less than more.
Aft er that [aft er you left your wife] what did you do?
Oh, I rambled about.
Where did you go? –
To Jersey and elsewhere [...]
How many other places did you go to?
Non mi ricordo.
Is the Marquis of C. a married man? [22]
Are you a sober man?
More no than yes.
How many bottles a day do you drink?
Non mi ricordo. [...]
Can you produce a certifi cate of good character from those who know you?
Yes, from the minister.
Pho! Pho! Don’t trifl e; can you from any respectable person?
Non mi ricordo. (197,198, 203-4).
Ridicule also originated in the demythifi cation of the rituals of legal retribution
through the parodying of the objections by the Solicitor-General,
the rulings of the Lord Chancellor, the interpositions of some Peers and
of the Interpreter. Th is was largely carried out through double meanings,
naming and nick-naming. Non Mi Ricordo is riddled with nicknames to
debase the discourse and the offi cers of Law (‘Th e Turnstile General’, ‘Th e
Lord Precedent Furthermore’, ‘Lord Muddlepool’) and double meanings,
intended at parodying trial proceedings and argumentation (the words
‘bind’, ‘binding’, and ‘Cabinet maker’, used at the beginning of the cross
examination).
Th e intimidating seriousness of court ceremony and language, through
which the self-importance of authority was staged, and through which radical
reformers were pilloried, is undermined by the levelling force of satiric
22 Jersey and C. [Conyngham] are the names of two mistresses of the Prince of Wales/Regent/
King.
Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb 174 05-01-2012 09:38:28