CS "Jack" Lewis
Okay, some of you will know I’m a fellow of faith. And I happen to read a lot of stuff from a similar guy, a Belfast-born writer known as Jack to his friends, Clive Staples Lewis. Most people identify him as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia (which is accurate), though it’s worth mentioning he is also one of the most cherished Christian writers of the 20th century. I quoted him in yesterday’s blog post, and it got me to thinking, then writing, and suddenly what was meant to be a quick reference at the end of the post, became a post. So I cut it back to a quick reference, and give you this, today:
As a professor at Oxford, and later Cambridge, Lewis was not unfamiliar with the inside of the pubs near his residence. At Oxford he was part of a group of writers called The Inklings (including JRR Tolkien) who met regularly, not just in College rooms, but also in a local pub, The Eagle and Child (or colloquially, the Bird and Baby, or just the Bird). Okay, they actually met at a few different pubs, but that makes for an awkward travel-book Lewis-themed self-guided tour of Oxford. “First off, you’ve got to go to The Bird. Order a Wadsworth XXXXXX. Tolkien raged against Santa in a Christian allegory here. Next up, The Kings Arms where you’d be a fool not to enjoy a pint of Brakspear Bitter. Some of the earliest versions of Narnia were read at the table by the fire. Now then, head over to The White Horse. Get the pork pie, unless it’s Wednesday, and a pint of their Wayland Smithy. It was here that Jack’s brother Warnie once boasted to a barmaid that, if ever he had the chance, he would punch GK Chesterton in the face. You’re not driving right?…..”
All this is to say, I know a story that I think might be a perfect reference for my life. But I can’t verify it. I’ve found one blog that talks about it, but with no reference to a source. It seems believable. Just like Ben Franklin said beer is proof God loves us, and Churchill told a woman he might be drunk, but she was ugly, and he would be sober in the morning. Unless he said that in Parliament…..
As the Irish would say, “Why let the facts (or lack thereof in this case) get in the way of a perfectly good story?”
Lewis was walking through Oxford with a friend, and a pan-handler called out, asking for change. Lewis reached into his pocket, and gave the man all the coins he had. The beggar thanked him and walked off. Lewis’ friend was outraged, suggesting the man was likely to just waste it on beer. Lewis replied that was fine, it was what he would have done with it anyways.
