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Night Watch annotation: When Vimes fights Findthee Swing in the Cable Street torture cell, Swing says, "History needs its butchers as well as its shepherds, Sergeant." (HarperCollins edition, hardback, pp. 238); this echoes a statement Vimes thinks of in The Fifth Elephant, after Vimes interrogates Inigo Skimmer, "Didn't some philosophical bastard once say that a government needed butchers as well as shepherds?" (Doubleday edition, hardback, pp. 121). And Vimes' younger self has followed him into the torture chambers, perhaps over-hearing this discourse between Swing and "John Keel".

There are superficial similarities between Swing and Skimmer; both have quirks of speech, both are clerkish in appearance but lethal Assassins and both are given rather broad laissez faire by their Patrician to conduct their duties (for wildly different reasons, of course).

The name of the Cable Street Particulars, who appear in both Night Watch and Maskerade, is a reference to the Baker Street Irregulars from the Sherlock Holmes stories. However they may also be a reference to 'The Untouchables' from the film of the same name, as they also get referred to as The Unmentionables. The "Unmentionables", in genteel British English, is a euphemism for the male genitalia. So what were people really calling Swing and his Particulars?

More Here about Cable Street and its significance on Roundworld.

Carcer (the name) may be related to Carter in the movie 'Get Carter'- a loveable rogue, who goes to a far less sophisticated city (Newcastle) from a bustling metropolis (London), although he is there to get revenge. It is possible therefore, that Nightwatch could be subtitled 'Get Carcer' (although see the Carcer page for other possibilities).

Dr. J. "Mossy" Lawn is probably a reference to Bartholomew Mosse founder of Britain's first purpose-built maternity hospital.

Night Watch The title is a clear reference to Rembrandt's Night Watch, and the art work on the cover illustrates this connection, parodying the famous painting.

Doubleday hardback p323:-

• Avé! Duci novo, similis duci seneci!

• Avé! Bossa nova! Similis bossa seneca! - both are variants on a theme of Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss! cited by Mr. Slant in Night Watch, as the awful realisation slips in that they've only changed the Patrician - not the underlying corrupt, cynical and paranoic mind-set that goes with the office. Of course, on Roundworld, the bossa nova is also a vigorous Latin American dance style (ie, from a continent where despotic rulers and corrupt dictators are often forcibly changed and nothing seems to get better)... so Slant might also be saying that while the dancers have changed, the orchestra is still playing the same theme as before... Roundworld rock group The Who[1] wrote a very cynical hit song called We Won't Get Fooled Again[[2]]which explores these themes[3]. It tends to get played a lot during British general elections.

See here for other associations.