“I am instructed by the Home Secretary to read out the following. . . . It is a prayer devised by the Ministry of Propaganda. . . . ‘It is conceivable that the forces of death which at present are ravaging the esculent life of this planet have intelligence, in which case we beseech them to leave off. It we have done wrong--allowing in our blindness natural impulse to overcome reason--we are, of course, heartily sorry. But we submit that we have already suffered sufficiently for this wrong and we firmly resolve never to sin again. Amen.”

“We can destroy what we have written, but we cannot unwrite it.”

“We only need to wear shoes because the British built roads which hurt our feet.”

“We were all feeling that bit shagged and fagged and fashed, it having been an evening of some small energy expenditure.”

“When we pray we admit defeat.”

“And what, brothers, I had to escape into sleep from then was the horrible and wrong feeling that it was better to get the hit than give it. If that veck had stayed I might even have like presented the other cheek.”

“Then we slooshied.”