No one dared tell the outcome of the [sea] battle [at Sluys in 1340] to Philip VI until his jester was thrust forward and said "Oh, the cowardly English, the cowardly English!" and on being asked why, replied "They did not jump overboard like our brave Frenchmen." The King eventually got the point ...
Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, Chapter 4.
Friday, March 03, 2006
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