Churchill's HESP Vol 1
Timothy McCarthy (popeye@tiac.net)
Sun, 19 May 1996 13:38:19 -0400
Interestingly enough, this is the book that I am reading (rather than =
listening to) and I just wanted to make a few observations. First, I =
started to read this collection because I wanted to know more about the =
English (or rather British) history from a pretty good authority. =
Churchill qualifies on many counts here. Also, he does have a knack for =
telling a tale well. In the first volumne he deals with the early =
history of the British Isle and I have been continuously struck by the =
assertion that the island people remained intact when it seemed to me =
that the history shows the complete opposite. It seemed to me that the =
peoples that remained inteact the most were the Scots, who are a =
continuous source of irritation. But the British seem to get lost in the =
French, with many of the English Kings being not only born in France, =
growing up in France, but actually being French Royalty! Their make =
claims on English soil in order to enhance their French position. I was =
most surprized to discover Richard the Lionhearted was born in France, =
lived most of his life there (excepting the Crusades) and only went to =
England twice in his life, and then only to raise money for a Crusade or =
a war in France. My point is that from what I have read of the English =
monarchy it seems to me that it is extremely shaky to think of it as an =
unbroken line. And the underlying theme that the British remained =
British seems very far from the truth. At the same time it is truly =
remarkable that the history of the British Isle goes as far back as it =
does! And while I may disagree with the viewpoint Churchill uses, his =
grasp of the history is extraordinary and his text is significantly =
clearer than his WW2 books.
Tim McCarthy