"Madness has not impair'd your memory. Good. Keep away from harmful Substances, in particular Coffee, Tobacco and Indian Hemp. If you must use the latter, do not inhale. Keep your memory working, young man! Have a safe Voyage."
* * * * * * * * * *
Lines 67-72 Vulgarized:
"Yes, good answer. You do owe us everything. Now, when you travel to the New World, keep away from the good stuff like coffee, cigarettes, and weed. If you find yourself in a situation where you can do naught but give in to peer pressure, don't inhale the pot. It'll affect your memory and we don't want you to forget how much you owe us! Now get the fuck out of here."
Subtext:
Cherrycoke earlier pointed out how bad his memory has become which could mean a number of things. First off, unlike Bill Clinton who Pynchon is referencing here, Cherrycoke may have inhaled. A lot. Second, a "good memory" to this bureaucrat sending him off (with a "Have a safe Voyage" ending in a period and not an exclamation point which basically means "I don't fucking care if your voyage is safe or not. Just get out.") is one that remembers it owes everything to Britain and the Crown and the Aristocracy and the Law. The line "Keep your memory working" basically means "remember your debt to us." So later in his life (previously in the chapter), when Cherrycoke mentions how bad his memory has gotten, he could also be pointing out that he's absolutely abandoned all loyalty and belief that he owes his father or his country of birth anything except maybe a huge middle finger. He is explicitly stating that he has removed the shackles placed on him at birth and throughout his youth. By expressing how bad his memory has gotten, Cherrycoke is expressing his freedom from the tyranny of their authority.
Plus we already know Cherrycoke loves caffeine and coffee which means we know, as soon as he's importuned to avoid such substances, he absolutely ignores the advice.
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