This year is the two hundredth anniversary of the British victory at the battle of Trafalgar, something that has prompted the editorial writers of the Daily Telegraph to write a few words in honor of the great man (who, I should say, came from the same part of the country as I did, and is often commemorated there with pub signs decorated with his portrait and the title “local hero”):

“Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar secured Britain’s naval supremacy for 100 years. It kept a beacon of freedom burning in Europe, and made the seven seas safe for British commerce and the spread of civilisation. This son of a Norfolk parson made a mark on the world that can be seen everywhere to this day. Millions on every continent have cause to echo his dying words, and to thank God that Horatio Nelson did his duty.”

Indeed. And let’s also thank the old fellow upstairs for the fact that the Daily Telegraph can still openly (and accurately) refer to the “spread of civilization”. Splendid.

Of course, under current US regulations, Nelson’s unusual matrimonial arrangements would have probably wrecked his naval career, a state of affairs that tells us plenty about the stupidity of our era and the relative tolerance of his.