Mine was no common plebeian ill,
’Twas a Pneumo-Psycho-Bronchial chill
According to my medical adviser
I caught it when I walked upon the Yser.

Nurse:

You walked!

Emperor:

I should have said I tried—
You see it was high tide
And I was much annoyed
To find the bridge destroyed.
But never at a loss
I tried to walk across.

Angrily

But by the Eternal One
I swear it can’t be done
And never was——

Stops suddenly and makes as if about to sneeze.
Nurses regard him apprehensively.
Emperor sneezes.

First Nurse: