From: Peter Cash <cash@rsn.hp.com>
Subject: (urth) Re: Digest urth.v014.n007
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 12:07:26 

I've been poring over 5th head lately (after getting out of a lengthy
stay in sick bay), and my attention was caught by the following words,
uttered by one of Marsch's interrogators:

"I have examined your papers, and letters follow your name. I shall call
you:

'A Polish Count, a Knight Grand Cross,
	Rx. and Q.E.D.;
Grand Master of the Blood Red Dirk,
	and R.O.G.U.E.' 

You seem to me very young."

This is a real head-banger. What _does_ it mean? First of all, it's in
quotes. Does that mean it _is_ a quote from somewhere? If so, can anyone
identify it?

I can only make vague guesses about the meaning of this doggerel.
"Knight Grand Cross" is in fact a rank in various orders of
knighthood--and in Masonic orders. "Grand Master" is certainly a Masonic
title. But what means the reference to "A Polish Count"? I had first
thought of "Count" Cagliostro, who was a Mason--and one of the greatest
mountebanks of all time. But...my brief research could turn up no
reference that the infamous "Count" ever made pretensions to being
anything but Italian.

Any ideas welcome.

Sgt. Rock

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/