“Ivy usurps the laurel’s place of growth But the gladiators’ bloody Circus stands A noble wreck in ruinous perfection!” ---The character Nigel Winterbourne entering the Colosseum, in Henry James’ s 1878 “Daisy Miller” repeating lines from Byron’s drama Manfred -- **Please remember to trim posts, as requested in the Terms of Service** To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>