Mad dream

Charles II of Naples

I had a very strange and somewhat apocryphal dream last night. I was living in a medieval kingdom with a mad emperor. Unfortunately our ruling despot was lame and dragged a foot. 

Because of this a proclamation was made that everyone in the land should also drag a foot, so as not to embarrass the leader. Me and the rest of the gentry dutifully did our best to comply so as not to show up the great one and lose our heads.

The dream is getting fuzzy now in the waking hours but we were following the king's cortege at one point and I remember being remonstrated for walking too normally and not adopting the halting gate of the ruler. 

We had to run after the procession and I remember adopting a limp so as not to be cut down by the king's soldiers and enablers.

Later I was in a pub or tavern of some kind and was told that I could not pick anything to eat, they would tell me what to eat. Sort of Orwellian but in a baroque setting. 

I was happy to wake up. Could you imagine actually living in the time of a mad and evil king?