Essays - Hilaire Belloc

INTRODUCTORY NOTE an illuminating essay printed in another volume of this series Mr Philip Guedalla has called Mr Belloc a panorama, and hinted at the same time that there are too many of him. The amazing versatility of the man certainly does much to justify this view. Poet and journalist, historian and geographer, military expert and Member of Parliament-Mr Belloc is, or has been, all these, and yet the tale of his accomplishments is far from told. And there would be no greater mistake than to suppose that the marvellous range of his achievement eives an indication of shallowness. At its best his Drose U A stands unsurpassed in our day, and he has been credited with having written one of the perfect poems in the English language. To understand Mr Belloc aright, however, one must perceive that under all this embarrassing diversity there is a consistent oneness of purpose. The many roads have a single objective. No man is more singleminded none more sure of his own convictions......