diff --git a/exscribe-html.lisp b/exscribe-html.lisp
index 765d7cf44ecaee7c633455950ea57693ac96d13a..1069676f33460bd9fae8582f4b475543b92cc4b5 100644
--- a/exscribe-html.lisp
+++ b/exscribe-html.lisp
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@
     (dump-document)))
 
 (defun init ()
-  (setf scribble:*scribble-preprocess* t
-	scribble:*scribble-preprocessor* #'html-dumper:html-escape
+  (setf scribble:*scribble-preprocess* nil
+        ;; scribble:*scribble-preprocess* t
+	;; scribble:*scribble-preprocessor* #'html-dumper:html-escape
 	*exscribe-document-hook* 'process-document))
diff --git a/exscribe.asd b/exscribe.asd
index 387df4dc2d75ffa756f7910be012b4ceb2958692..ae5537e874548fd1950e238eeb659c455c906050 100644
--- a/exscribe.asd
+++ b/exscribe.asd
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ using a high-level syntax (Scribble) completely integrated with the CL syntax.
 It notably features proper support for footnotes, table-of-contents, bibliography."
   :depends-on (:cl-launch ;; Always put cl-launch first
                :xcvb-driver
-               :scribble :fare-matcher :fare-utils
+               :scribble :fare-matcher :fare-utils :fare-memoization
 	       #+exscribe-typeset :cl-typesetting)
   :components ((:file "packages")
 	       (:file "macros" :depends-on ("packages"))
diff --git a/html-dumper.lisp b/html-dumper.lisp
index cb3f85172072031f0b52ff48b0ab13f168d5c9da..d819d69cee0135cf6606c8b9a6cfcbefb966c464 100644
--- a/html-dumper.lisp
+++ b/html-dumper.lisp
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ As compared to the original html.lisp, here are the changes:
 
 (defun html-escape-stream (s html-string &optional test)
   (unless test (setf test 'html-reserved-p))
+  (when (characterp html-string) (setf html-string (string html-string)))
   (loop for c across html-string do
 	(if (funcall test c)
 	    (if (eql c #\Newline)
@@ -147,15 +148,22 @@ As compared to the original html.lisp, here are the changes:
     ((streamp out) (html-stream out things))
     (t (error ""))))
 
-; Fare: Here are the incompatibilities introduced by my patch
-; wrt the original function html-stream from araneida CVS.
-; * a newline is systematically inserted *before* the > in a closing tag
-;  (see function html-close-tag above)
-; * handlers like they existed in the original html function are introduced.
-;  they are in the alist of the tag symbol, key :html-stream-converter;
-;  a handler is a function that takes the output stream, tag, attr, content
-;  and does its job. Function values are handlers, too.
-; * functions in variable position are called with the output stream.
+#|
+Fare: Here are the incompatibilities introduced by my patch
+wrt the original function html-stream from araneida CVS.
+* a newline is systematically inserted *before* the > in a closing tag
+ (see function html-close-tag above)
+* handlers like they existed in the original html function are introduced.
+ they are in the alist of the tag symbol, key :html-stream-converter;
+ a handler is a function that takes the output stream, tag, attr, content
+ and does its job. Function values are handlers, too.
+* strings are escaped by default.
+* for raw, unescaped strings, use a one-element vector containing the string,
+ or use a function as below that princ's the string.
+* functions in variable position are called with the output stream.
+* anything else is an error, not a call to princ
+
+|#
 
 (defun html-stream-element (stream tag attr content &optional special)
   (let ((handler (cond
@@ -177,36 +185,43 @@ As compared to the original html.lisp, here are the changes:
 	 (html-stream stream c))
        (html-close-tag stream tag)))))
 
+(defun html-node-p (x)
+  (and (simple-vector-p x) (<= 3 (length x) 4)))
+
 (defun html-stream (stream thing)
   "Print supplied argument as HTML."
    (declare (optimize (speed 3))
 	    (type stream stream))
-   (cond
-     ((and (typep thing 'simple-vector) (<= 3 (length thing) 4))
+   (typecase thing
+     ((and simple-vector (satisfies html-node-p))
       (apply #'html-stream-element stream
 	     (svref thing 0) (svref thing 1) (svref thing 2)
 	     (if (= 4 (length thing)) (list (svref thing 3)))))
      #+araneida-compat
-     ((and (consp thing) (or (typep (car thing) '(or symbol function))
-			     (and (consp (car thing))
-				  (typep (caar thing) '(or symbol function)))))
+     ((cons (or symbol function (cons (or symbol function) *)) *)
       (let* ((tag (if (consp (car thing)) (caar thing) (car thing)))
 	     (attr (if (consp (car thing)) (cdar thing) ()))
 	     (content (cdr thing)))
 	(html-stream-element stream tag attr content)))
-     ((consp thing)
+     (cons
       #+araneida-compat
       (dolist (thing thing) (html-stream stream thing))
       #-araneida-compat #-araneida-compat
       (html-stream stream (car thing))
       (html-stream stream (cdr thing)))
-     ((keywordp thing)
+     (keyword
       (write-char #\< stream)
       (html-keyword stream thing)
       (write-char #\> stream))
      ;;((null thing)); symbol has it
-     ((symbolp thing))
-     ((functionp thing)
+     (symbol)
+     ((or string character)
+      (html-escape-stream stream thing))
+     (function
       (funcall thing stream))
+     ((vector string 1)
+      (princ (aref thing 0) stream))
+     (number
+      (princ thing stream))
      (t
-      (princ thing stream))))
+      (error "Cannot dump html for ~S" thing))))