Walter Bagehot: “He began to break up the binding polity which was what men wanted in that age, though eager and inventive minds always…”

The casual line was traced according to the strength of deceased combatants; succeeding generations fought elsewhere; and the hesitating line of a half-drawn battle was left to stand for a perpetual limit.

It is natural that those who by special and admirable culture have come to look at all things upon the artistic side, should start back from these queer peculiarities.

I cannot, therefore, join in the full cry against anomalies; in my judgment it may quickly overrun the scent, and so miss what we should be glad to find.

The lessons are good where its primitive assumptions hold, but may be false where those assumptions fail.