"the genesis of Harold or Humphrey Chimpden's occupational agnomen"

(30.1-32.2)  As foretold in the first chapter's concluding paragraph, the second chapter of the Wake focuses on HCE.  And this introduction to HCE begins appropriately enough with the origin of Harold/Humphrey Chimpden's last name.  This christening event occurred long ago:  "in the presurnames prodromarith period."  

The narrator makes it clear that HCE doesn't spring from the Earwickers of England's southern coast or from the Vikings.  Instead, as far as anyone can tell, "in the beginning," the king took a break during a foxhunt on a road close to where HCE was working.  The king was going to ask about the potholes on the road, but, seeing HCE carrying "a high perch atop of which a flowerpot was fixed eathside hoist with care," he instead asks HCE whether there's better methods for catching lobsters.  HCE replies in his blunt manner, "Naw, yer maggers, aw war jist a cotchin on thon bluggy earwuggers."  The king, amused by this response, remarks to his hunting companions that his "red brother of Pouringrainia would audibly fume did he know that we have for surtrusty bailiwick a turnpiker [HCE approached the king while "jingling his turnpike keys"] who is by turns a pikebailer no seldomer than an earwigger!"

Of course, after telling this story, the narrator mentions that there's a question as to whether this is the true story after all.  It looks like there will be more to come on that score tomorrow . . . .

In his Reader's Guide, Tindall notes that Joyce wrote this chapter early in the Finnegans Wake drafting process, and that this might account in part for why it's less complex than other parts of the Wake.  On my first reading, today's short passage from the beginning of the second chapter came across as much clearer than most of the material from the first chapter.  We'll see how this progresses, but my first impression is almost that if someone wants to decide whether to accept the challenge of reading Finnegans Wake, this second chapter might serve as the best introduction in the same way that the fourth chapter of Ulysses serves as an "easier" way to get a quick taste of that novel.