“That on you is fallen the shadow,
And not upon the Name;
That though we
scatter and though we fly,
And you hang over us like the sky,
You are more
tired of victory,
Than we are tired of shame.
“That though you hunt
the Christian man
Like a hare on the hill-side,
The hare has still more
heart to run
Than you have heart to ride.
“That though all lances
split on you,
All swords be heaved in vain,
We have more lust again to
lose
Than you to win again.”
King Alfred, G.K. Chesterton, Ballad of the White Horse
We discern across the centuries a commanding and versatile intelligence, wielding with equal force the sword of war and of justice; using in defence arms and policy; cherishing religion, learning, and art in the midst of adversity and danger; welding together a nation, and seeking always across the feuds and hatreds of the age a peace which would smile upon the land.
Winston Churchill on Alfred the Great
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The Last kingdom is a Netflix/BBC series based loosely on Alfred the Great. It is worth watching. Human nature has not changed and politics is no different today than in the past.
The sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve always remain the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve, down through the whirling centuries.
Alfred is one of my heroes–one of the most astonishing men of all time.