October 5, 2005 01:37 PM

On the South bank of the Seine stands the La Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before her death.

Across the water, to the North, is the last Renaissance fountain in Paris - La Fountaine des Innocents, sculpted by Jean Goujon.

In 1792, access to the old quay connecting the two locations was closed. The sign posted remains to this day, observing that one couldn't be in La Conciergerie and Innocent at the same time:

AU VIEUX QUAI INTERDIT

Over the years the phrase became corrupted, which is of course how we got the old English saying ...

'ave your cake and eat it.

RIP Ronnie Barker, 1929-2005.