"life past befoul his prime"

(210.22-212.19)  Today's reading completes the catalog of gifts handed out by ALP to her multitude of children.  There's references here to saints ("snakes in clover, picked and scotched, and a vaticanned viper catcher's visa for Patsy Presbys" is a reference to Saint Patrick), rival authors ("for Will-of-the-Wisp and Barny-the-Bark two mangolds noble to sweeden their bitters" is a reference to Nobel Prize-winning Irish authors Yeats and Shaw), and Joyce himself ("a tibertine's pile with a Congoswood cross on the back for Sunny Twimjim" -- Clongowes Wood is the school that Joyce and his literary alter ego, Stephen, attended).

We also get references to characters we've met in the Wake.  One of the major characters gets lumped in with the rest of the rabble with "a sunless map of the month, including the sword and stamps, for Shemus O'Shaun the Post."  The Earwickers' maid is featured with "a stiff steaded rake and good varians muck for Kate the Cleaner."  And ALP accounts for a whole crop of people (some of whom featured prominently in the spreading of rumors about HCE and the resulting composition of "The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly"):  

whatever you like to swilly to swash, Yuinness or Yennessy, Laagen or Niger, for Festus King and Roaring Peter and Frisky Shorty and Treacle Tom and O. B. Behan and Sully the Thug and Master Magrath and Peter Cloran and O'Delawarr Rossa and Nerone MacPacem and whoever you chance to meet knocking around.

Of personal note, I was pleased to see "a pig's bladder balloon for Selina Susquehanna Stakelum," since the I was born just near where the Susquehanna River (nice how the river name contains the word "Anna," huh?) runs through Central Pennsylvania.  Also, the last gift-receiving group accounted for is Isabel's 28 sisters, which includes one young woman named Lezba Licking (there's a Joycean lesbian joke in there) whose name accounts for the closest river reference (that I've seen to this point in the chapter) to where I live now:  the Licking River (at least, I'm counting it as a reference to the Ohio Licking).

The passage ends with the final gift, which is given to Isabel:  "So on Izzy, her shamemaid, love shone befond her tears as from Shem, her penmight, life past befoul his prime."  Thus, ALP's daughter gets the gift of love, while her son, Shem, bears the burden of falling in his father's footsteps.