Ik heb op de universiteit ooit eens Heel Erg Goeie Punten gehaald voor het vak Geschiedenis van het Publiekrecht omdat ik dit van buiten kende.

Het ging om een mondeling examen bij prof. Van Caeneghem, en na wat standaardvragen kwam er altijd een bonusvraag. Om te polsen hoezeer men buiten de cursus ook nog gelezen had. Mijn vraag was "kunt u me iets vertellen over Oliver Cromwell?"

Ik had de weken voor het examen de CD van Monty Python zowat grijsgedraaid, en een glimlach nauwelijks onderdrukkend, begon ik: "Oliver Cromwell, geboren in 1599 en gestorven in 1658, september 1658…"

Spoken: The most interesting thing about King Charles the First is that he was 5 foot 6 inches tall at the start of his reign, but only 4 foot 8 inches tall at the end of it… becasue of…

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England PURITAN
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 SEPTEMBER
Was at first ONLY
MP for Huntingdon
BUT THEN
He led the Ironside Cavalry at Marston Moor
in 1644 and won
Then he founded the new model army
And praise be, beat the Cavaliers at Naisby
And the King fled up North, like a bat to the Scots

Spoken: But under the terms of John Pimm’s Solemn league and covenant, the Scots handed King Charles the first over to…

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England
AND HIS WARTS
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 SEPTEMBER
But alas OY VAY!
Disagreement then broke out
BETWEEN The Presbyterian Parliament
And the Military who meant
To have an independent bent.
And so …
The second Civil War broke out
And the Roundhead ranks
Faced the Cavaliers at Preston banks
And the King lost again, silly thing
STUPID GIT

Spoken: And Cromwell sent Colonel Pride to purge the House of Commons of the Presbyterian Royalists, leaving behind only the rump Parliament

Which appointed a High Court at Westminster Hall
To indict Charles the First for… tyranny
OOOHHH!
Charles was sentenced to death
Even though he refused to accept
That the court had… jurisdiction
SAY GOODBYE TO HIS HEAD.
Poor King Charles laid his head on the block
JANUARY 1649
Down came the axe, and…

Spoken: In the silence that followed, the only sound that could be heard was a solitary giggle, from…

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England OLÉ
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 SEPTEMBER
Then he smashed IRELAND
Set up the Commonwealth
AND MORE
He crushed the Scots at Worcester
And beat the Dutch at sea
In 1653 and then
He dissolved the rump Parliament
And with Lambert’s consent
Wrote the instrument of Government
Under which Oliver was Protector at last.
The end!

En wat ook wel goed is, is dat ik Chopin’s Polonaise nr. 6 nu van begin tot einde kan meezingen.