# Roman history, made limerick



## Olly Buckle (Aug 23, 2010)

*Of plague poor Strabo lay dying*
*An end to his cheating and lying*
*But heavenly fire*
*Made his tent a pyre*
*Strabo’s plague was cured by frying.*

*On the sands swords put paid to Pompey*
*Making young Caesar quite grumpy*
*He took Cleo’s side*
*Tanned Ptolemey’s hide*
*And took her off for some rumpy-pumpy*

*Sulla marched into the forum*
*Established a personal Quorum*
*But in his hour*
*Gave up his power*
*Died in peace and was burnt with decorum*

*The Samanite screams reached Bellona*
*Where the senate met with their new owner*
*The message was clear*
*All men must fear*
*A republic restored by this doner*

*Marius was seven times consul*
*A general his villa was martial*
*Built to his stamp*
*Laid out like a camp*
*In proportion exceeding palatial*

*Cicero was an orator*
*A peacock, a poseur, a prater*
*But undid his coat*
*And laid bare his throat*
*When assassins caught up with him later*


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## Gumby (Aug 23, 2010)

Bravo Olly! Those are wonderful.  And together they make quite a History lesson.


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## The Backward OX (Aug 23, 2010)

*Schoolboy memories*

Julius Caesar did a beezer 
Off the coast of France
His father tried to do the same 
And did it in his pants.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 23, 2010)

What are you doing in poetry? You are following me aren't you? no use whistling and jiggling your hands in your pockets. Historically inaccurate, and no content disclaimer* there either, not that they are allowed on posts. In my day it was,

Julius Caesar, Roman geezer
Kept his wife in a lemon squeezer

Not the faintest idea why, other than you could chant it.

*The content of Dad's pants


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## Gumby (Aug 23, 2010)

I know I'm going to be sorry I asked, but what is a beezer? All I can find is prize fighter's slang for nose.


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## SilverMoon (Aug 23, 2010)

:wink: Loved the limerick, Olly. Now, is this a British saying? "rumpy-pumpy"? Absolutely charming! If I'm guessing correctly there certainly is allot of that going around, accounting for population increase. 

I especially liked the last stanza, the most important part of a poem. And the alliteration ran real smoothly! 



> *Cicero was an orator*
> *A peacock, a poseur, a prater*


 
A great piece! 


And, Ox, I'm curious, too. What is a "beezer"? Did you misspell "geezer"? :wink:

Julius Caesar did a geezer? 

I say no more!


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## Fox80 (Aug 23, 2010)

That's pretty clever, Olly! Good job!


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## TheGreySentinel (Aug 23, 2010)

That has to be one of the best sums of the Roman empire I've ever read, LOL! Thumbs up on that one, it's great.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 23, 2010)

I had not seen them as stanzas Silver Moon, only as a group of related limericks, perhaps I should arrange them in some sort of chronological order, here is another,

*The Caesar they named Augustus*
*Performed deeds noble and lustrous*
*He started Octavian*
*But Gaius was avian*
*And united the bumptious and fractious*


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## RecoverylessRecovery (Aug 23, 2010)

Elegantly smooth Olly! And so educational, we should all be getting extra college credits simply for reading it. 

We want MORE mate!


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## RecoverylessRecovery (Aug 23, 2010)

Gumby said:


> I know I'm going to be sorry I asked, but what is a beezer? All I can find is prize fighter's slang for nose.



Didn't know this one either Gumby, but I found the following definition for it. Apparently it's West Scottish/Northern Irish slang.

_beezer_ 
To mean something is or was amazing/cool/awesome
" here mate that was a f***ing beezer "


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## alanmt (Aug 23, 2010)

These are great, Olly!


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## SilverMoon (Aug 23, 2010)

> *The Caesar they named Augustus
> Performed deeds noble and lustrous*
> *He started Octavian*
> *But Gaius was avian*
> *And united the bumptious and fractious*


 
I like, Olly! If you have more in that clever head of yours, send them over!


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## The Backward OX (Aug 23, 2010)

*Memories*

Gumby, SilverMoon, Recovery....oh, and Olly....

You'll_ just_ have to forgive an old man his failing memory. It's been over 60 years since I heard that rhyme, and I may be confused.


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