Mendicancy: that of the fraudulent bankrupt with negligible assets
46th cast. page 596, line 1942.
Mendicancy: that of the fraudulent bankrupt with negligible assets paying 1/4d in the £, sandwichman, distributor of throwaways, nocturnal vagrant, insinuating sycophant, maimed sailor, blind stripling, superannuated bailiff’s man, marfeast, lickplate, spoilsport, pickthank, eccentric public laughingstock seated on bench of public park under discarded perforated umbrella.
Episode 17 proceeds in a question and answer style from beginning to end.
Mr Bloom opens the drawer and admits bank book and other assets there. This is a patr of answer to the question of what circumstances Mr Bloom is spared due to those assets.
The answer lists four progressively worse slave-like conditions.
１．Poverty
２．Mendicancy
３．Destitution
４．Nadir of misery
This is the second part of these conditions.
Mr Bloom is a ad collector belongs to the lower-middle class, but the even more disadvantaged people in his mind are enumerated.
(1) Fraudulent bankrupt
Fraudulent bankruptcy refers to fraudulently concealing property or incurring debts that are not intended to be paid back, with the intention of harming creditors. Here, the term is probably used to refer to someone who has avoided repaying debts by posing as a bankrupt and is barely getting by.
1/4 d is the British currency designation for a quarter of a penny.
It was so referred to because there was a farthing coin with a value of a quarter penny: a pound is 20 shillings, and 20 shillings is 240 pence, so a quarter penny is 1/ 960 pound.
(2) Sandwichman
Mr Bloom sees the Sandwich Man in Episode 8 (U127.123). A group of five men advertising for Wisdom Healey's shop. Silk hats with the letters H, E, L, Y and 'S, respectively. Healey's is a stationery shop where Mr Bloom used to be employed.
(3) Distributor of throwaways
At the beginning of Episode 8, Mr Bloom received a throwaway from a gloomy YMCA young man (U124.6). A throwaway for a sermon event by preacher Dr Dawie. Throwaway means leaflet or flyer, but the confusion caused by the name of the winner of today's horse race -Throwaway, is one of the most important events in the novel.
(4) Nocturnal vagrant
Who is the nocturnal vagrant? It may be Mr John Cawley, whom Stephen and Mr Bloom met at the beginning of Episode16 (U504.129).
(5) Insinuating sycophant
I cannot identify who it is.
(6) Maimed sailor
The one-legged sailor on crutches in Episode 10 (U185.228).
(7) Blind stripling
Blind young man who helped Mr Bloom cross the road at the end of Episode 8 (U148.1075).
(8) Superannuated bailiff’s man
I came across the term when writing my last 45th blog. I believe it refers to Bob Doran's father-in-law, Mr Mooney.
(9) Marfeast, (10) Lickplate, (11) Spoilsport
The meaning of “marfeast”, and “lickplate” are not clear from my searching. “spoilsport” is "a person who spoils the pleasure of other people". Perhaps, from the appearance of the words, these three words mean the same thing: "a person who ruins the place".
(12) Pickthank
Meaning is same as (5) insinuating sycophant. It is not clear from my reading who (8)―(13) refer to.
(13) Eccentric public laughingstock
This would be the person called Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmorris Tisdall Farrell, whom Mr Bloom and Mrs Breen pass over in Episode 8. He is an eccentric with one eyeglass, a small hat, a duster coat, a walking stick and a rain umbrella. (U131.1)
Postcard of London posted in 1906.
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