Saturday 4 July 2009

“What have the Romans...”

Posted by speedygeoff on Saturday, July 04, 2009 with


What have the Romans ever given us in return?
The aqueduct.
Oh yeah, yeah they gave us that. Yeah. That's true.
And the sanitation!
Oh yes... sanitation, Reg, you remember what the city used to be like.
All right, I'll grant you that the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done...
And the roads...
Well yes obviously the roads... the roads go without saying. But apart from the aqueduct, the sanitation and the roads...
Irrigation...
Medicine... Education... Health...
Yes... all right, fair enough...
And the wine...
Oh yes! True!
Yeah. That's something we'd really miss if the Romans left, Reg.
Public baths!
And it's safe to walk in the streets at night now.
Yes, they certainly know how to keep order... (general nodding)... let's face it, they're the only ones who could in a place like this.
(more general murmurs of agreement)
All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?
Brought peace!
(very angry, he's not having a good meeting at all) What!? Oh... (scornfully) Peace, yes... shut up!