Undring

Jeg legger merke til at det forandrer seg hva jeg synes er forunderlig. Før kunne jeg f.eks synes det var underlig at folk samler på våpen og kjøper våpenblader, eller at damer velger å gå med så vid utringning at de stadig må sjekke at rosinbollene ikke har falt ut. Nå idag undret det meg mer at så få jeg snakket med hadde hørt om Baron von Munchausen. Han har tydeligvis forsvunnet fra barnelærdommen til den oppvoksende, til tross for at Terry Gilliam og ZTV gjorde så godt de kunne igår for å holde ham i livet. Til glede for nye og gamle lesere bringer jeg herved følgende røverhistorie fra Munchausens liv:

"I made a balloon of such extensive dimensions, that an account of the silk it contained would exceed all credibility; every mercer's shop and weaver's stock in London, Westminster, and Spitalfields contributed to it: with this balloon and my sling I played many tricks, such as taking one house from its station, and placing another in its stead, without disturbing the inhabitants, who were generally asleep, or too much employed to observe the peregrinations of their habitations. When the sentinel at Windsor Castle heard St. Paul's clock strike thirteen, it was through my dexterity; I brought the buildings nearly together that night, by placing the castle in St. mGeorge's Fields, and carried it back again before daylight, without waking any of the inhabitants; notwithstanding these exploits, I should have kept my balloon, and its properties a secret, if Montgolfier had not made the art of flying so public." (from The Surprising Adventures of Baron Muchausen, 1895)