England Gets First National Jester for 350 Years
By Jeremy Lovell

STONELEIGH, England (Reuters) - Nigel Roder beat six rivals by public acclaim on Saturday to become England's first official jester for more than 350 years, succeeding Muckle John who lost his job when King Charles 1 was beheaded in 1649.

"This is a real job. He will have to amuse and provoke -- although failure to do so will no longer risk beheading," Tracy Borman, events director of English Heritage, told Reuters.

Unlike court jesters of old, Roder will be able to negotiate his salary, and his initial contract with English Heritage -- to divert the public from the tedious daily grind -- will run from March to October 2005.

Roder -- professional name Kester the Jester -- juggled and diaboloed his way to victory over a diverse field that included a poetry-reading Frenchwoman in the contest near Warwick in central England.


"It feels good. I am a national fool now. It is the best thing a man can be," he said after his victory.


Jesters of the past, though figures of fun at the royal court, were often highly intelligent men whose quick wit and sharp tongue both diverted the monarch and reminded him of his mortality.


Success could bring fame and fortune, but failure could result in shame, pain and even death. Two jesters, Will Somers under the quick-tempered King Henry VIII, and Tarlton under his younger daughter Elizabeth I, were household names in England during their lifetimes.


Many of William Shakespeare's plays feature fools both as buffoons and as rapier-tongued deflators of bombast -- notably in Twelfth Night and King Lear.


The role of court jester died out in Europe in the 18th century, though their roles were taken up by comedians and satirists. "It is about time we had a jester again. We could do with one," Borman said.



08/09/04 07:55


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HERE, HERE! A round for the Jesters! They didn't mention that jesters were usually insane, though. That's interesting about their ability to change the mind of the monarch or something because of a witty comment. They are kinda like the school janitor...they see and hear all, except they have a venue for expression. Does the guy have to wear the suit?

I saw one thumbnail from another site and he was in a suit juggling


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3536508.stm

put jester+england in a search engine......LOL

You know, you guys are really a bunch of sick monkeys. I love ya for it but youre really sick.
I guess I start topics in other peoples areas so thats why I shouldnt start one in the area of my own corp...
Bunch-a-butt pirates!!!

Its getting difficult to handle the entirety of the subject matter - Now I dont mean stop posting or "cool it" or anything - I mean, that things have taken off to a point that in life, Im actually sweating it out and have been - the stuff is happening and alng with the rest of lifes chaos (it would be great if i was in the middle of a stable calm right now - Oh! the Joy! Oh, everything would be so easy and I could handle it all.... yeah, but I gattta move and- ok... enough of that. Any way - wanted to say that I know that in the end we are going to have to do some serious celebration ( thats mandatory; non-compliants will be shot from the catapult) time here...

Ok. Ok. Ill calm down... Ill just leave it at " you guys are sick and I m glad that you have aquired that malady."

when we all get together, we'll either take over the world or be arrested. Your poor uncle.