I find it amusing that everybody remembers "The Guy", but nobody remembers Thomas Catesby, the instigator of the whole thing along with his cousin and eight others. Fawkes, a mercenary who had fought in the Low Countries, was just a hired man brought in for his (supposed) expertise in blowing things up.
Fawkes basically turned King's evidence on Catesby & Co. Dear old Tom never stood trial, preferring to try to shoot it out with the authorities. When one man with a single-shot weapon takes on half-a-dozen similarly armed, the outcome is pretty much predestined.
Fawkes went to the hangman. Catesby, if he'd gotten that far, would have gone the headsman, I suppose. That might have gotten him the "recognition" he was after, more or less, as opposed to the recognition he wanted (for ending James I's oppression of Catholics by... ending James I.)
But then again, "A penny for the Tom" just doesn't scan.
5 comments:
I am always a little confused about this one.
Are we celebrating the fact that an attempt was made to blow up the Houses of Parliment and it failed?
Or . . .
Are we celebrating the fact that an attempt was made to blow up the Houses of Parliment?
;-)
Well, it was an act of terrorism meant to expedite the installation of a Catholic theocratic state.
On the other hand, there is that hilarious gag:
"Guy Fawkes: The last man to walk into Parliament with honest intentions."
Also, it makes me wonder whether there will be celebrations in a hundred or so years about the attempted Glasgow airport bombing?
Instead of burning the Guy on the bonfire, they'll tie it upright, set it on fire, and people will get a go at kicking it in the nuts.
That was yesterday?
I forgot.
Don't worry! If you live in Britain, and you missed it, then there are scads of people celebrating it again, and again, and again, for the next month.
*opens window*
STOP LAUNCHING THOSE BLASTED THINGS
I find it amusing that everybody remembers "The Guy", but nobody remembers Thomas Catesby, the instigator of the whole thing along with his cousin and eight others. Fawkes, a mercenary who had fought in the Low Countries, was just a hired man brought in for his (supposed) expertise in blowing things up.
Fawkes basically turned King's evidence on Catesby & Co. Dear old Tom never stood trial, preferring to try to shoot it out with the authorities. When one man with a single-shot weapon takes on half-a-dozen similarly armed, the outcome is pretty much predestined.
Fawkes went to the hangman. Catesby, if he'd gotten that far, would have gone the headsman, I suppose. That might have gotten him the "recognition" he was after, more or less, as opposed to the recognition he wanted (for ending James I's oppression of Catholics by... ending James I.)
But then again, "A penny for the Tom" just doesn't scan.
cheers
eon
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