In 1680, Samuel Pepys sat down with Charles II to record
how, many years before, a bold double-bluff saved the King from Cromwell’s men.
110
Better than a Play
ByKarl Philipp Moritz
During his tour of England in 1782, Karl Philipp Moritz
dropped in on the House of Commons, and thought the histrionics in the Chamber better than any play.
111
Padgett, MP
ByEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl Cromer
Lord Cromer, a former Consul-General of Egypt, expressed his
frustration at politicians who set too much store by Foreign Office briefings.
112
The Uganda Railway
ByWinston Spencer Churchill
When it opened in 1901, the Uganda Railway still wasn’t in Uganda, and
Westminster’s MPs were still debating whether or not to build it.
113
The Return of King Charles II
ByJohn Evelyn
Almost nine years after Oliver Cromwell’s army drove him from England,
King Charles II returned at their invitation, and John Evelyn was there to see it.
114
Sharp’s the Word
FromThe Musical World
On realising that he had the edge on his rivals, music
publisher John Brand moved quickly to secure one of Haydn’s peerless Quartets.
