Churchill On Death

"Churchill On Death"*

*On Winston Churchill's eightieth birthday, a
reporter encountered him as he left his Hyde
Park residence in London.

"Mr. Churchill, do you have any fear of death?"

"I am ready to meet my Maker," Churchill replied,
and then he added with a twinkle, "But whether
my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of
meeting me is another matter."

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"Diplomacy Is A Perilous Job"*

*Henry VIII, a bluff and hearty, but pathologically
tyrannical king (especially in his later years)
appointed an ambassador to France at a time
when relations between the kingdoms were poor indeed.

The ambassador was a reluctant one, particularly
because of the truculent nature of the message
he was to carry. "Your Majesty," he said diffidently,
"King Francis will be perfectly capable of removing
my head on receipt of a message so phrased."

"Fear not," said Henry. "Francis well knows that if
he were to behead my ambassador, the head of
every Frenchman in my dominions would be removed
within twenty-four hours."

"I am sure of that, sire," murmured the ambassador,
"but consider that among all those French heads,
not one will be found to fit my shoulders."
Received on Thu May 21 18:10:20 2009