Victor Hugo berates the general public for crediting everything they do themselves to their supposedly wonderful Government.

Nothing seemed likely to stop Napoleon Bonaparte from conquering Europe, but one little fellow slowed him up a bit.

Guy de Maupassant reflects on the way that a statesman’s place in history has so often been defined not by deeds or character but by his one-liners.

Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, was kind to children and animals but Kings merited firmer handling.

From the grateful solitude of his library in the Dordogne, Michel de Montaigne reflects on the companionship of his cat.

When Lord Cochrane went to a fancy dress ball in Valetta, his costume nearly got him killed.