How Sir Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I Made England a Global Power
Image from article: Queen Elizabeth I knighting Francis Drake, 1581. Credit...Alamy Book Review by Nigel Cliff , The New York Times , March 10, 2021 IN SEARCH OF A KINGDOM Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire By Laurence Bergreen England is a nation divided. In one camp, nationalists decry the diabolical threat to their freedom posed by dastardly Continentals, instead throwing their hopes on a shadow empire of boundless trading opportunities. In the other, pro-Europeans bitterly protest that their country is making a cataclysmic mistake and bide their time. Sound familiar? Just kidding. It’s not Boris Johnson’s Brexit Britain but the England of the late 16th century, the subject of “In Search of a Kingdom.” In Laurence Bergreen’s colorful assessment, an unlikely alliance between Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake empowered English Protestants to see off Continental Catholics and stake out the beginnings of the British ...
I suppose the intention of recording everything is to have a record of everything, just in case there is disagreement about these things later. So then we can go back and check to see who is right. That seems to be the way it works in theory. On the other hand, we need a system to be able to find the facts we want to check on. The more complicated the world is, the harder it becomes to maintain such a system. Perhaps someday the system will no longer function as well as we think it does.
ReplyDeleteWhen and if this happens, this failure will be kept a secret. Many probably suspect that this has already happened, so they distrust what they are told. This may be what has happened in the recent election.
Maxwell -- Thank you for your wise & articulate comment. Didn't know you had a blog! Pls. keep on truckin'. Best john
ReplyDelete