Saturday Good Reads

One thing we’ve learned about Britain – the British love celebrating anniversaries. (For whatever reason or reasons, the U.S. tends to be anti-historical.) Or perhaps they’re just better at marketing. This year is not only the 200^th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, but also the 600^th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. The Spectator published an article on Agincourt – noting that Shakespeare got it mostly right in Henry V.

Good photography and art this week, some good poetry. And a warning from The Jerusalem Post about what may happen as political correctness paralyzes Western governments.

And the ninth Planned Parenthood video was released by the Center for Medical Progress. Planned Parenthood says it doesn’t accept fees or payments for fetal parts procured from abortions. So what do you call “$60 per tissue specimen,” or does it depend upon your definition of the word “payment?”

Culture and History

The West Re-Imagined...Again – Loren Paulsson at World Narratives.

The drama of St. Crispian’s Day – Shakespeare got it right – Allan Massie at The Spectator.

Amazon and the Limits of Consent – Charlie Clark at Fare Foreward.

Our World: Losing the War of Ideas – The Jerusalem Post.

Photography and Art

Holy, the Lesser Saints – Jack Baumgartner at The School for the Transfer of Energy.

American Images: Swamp Shack – F.C. Etier at Venture Galleries.

A last hurrah – Diane Walker at Contemplative Photography.

From the Roster: Yanina Shevchenko – Rebecca Locke at Curator Magazine.

Aerial Maneuvers – Tim Good at Photography by Tiwago.

Poetry

Calvin Miller – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

The magnitude of an apology – Chris Galford at The Waking Den.

The Secret to a Happy Marriage – Shawn Smucker.

New Haiku – Maureen Doallas at Writing Without Paper.

Andrew Wyeth's "Runaway" - Ann Kroeker.

Music

Death and Desire in the Shadows – Chris Yokel at The Rabbit Room.

Faith

Good Ol’ Words – Winn Collier.

Exchanging Letters 3 – Jerry Barrett at Gerald the Writer.

How One Man’s Recovery from a Tragedy Revitalized a City – Chris Chancey at Faith, Work & Economics.

The Surprising Nature of Grief – Diana Trautwein at Just Wondering.

Writing

The 100 Best Novels Written in English – The Guardian.

5 Writing Tips from C.S. Lewis – Jeremy Myers at Redeeming God.

Meet the Kindlepreneurs – India Sturgis at The Telegraph.

Thick Skin – The Key to a Writer’s Survival – Rachelle Gardner.

The Mysterious Origins of Punctuation - Keith Houston at BBC (Hat tip: J of India).

Planned Parenthood

The Ninth Planned Parenthood Video – Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition.

The Power of Pro-Life Women - Katelyn Beatty at Christianity Today.

Crime and Punishment - Sean Curnym at The Cinch Review.

We Few, We Happy Few

Kenneth Branagh, in the movie Henry V, speaking before the Battle of Agincourt.

Painting (top): The Morning of the Battle of Agincourt: The English Army at Prayer, by Sir John Gilbert (1884).

25 October1415: Agincourt

Almost 600 years after the event, it’s rather amazing that we still remember, talk about, wonder at the Battle of Agincourt. I think we may have William Shakespeare to thank, with a little help from actor Kenneth Branagh in the 1989 movie Henry V.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother.

The story of the Battle of Agincourt (Oct. 25, 1415 old calendar; Nov. 3, 1415 new calendar) can still stir the blood, and Decisive Days has created an excellent short ebook that does exactly that. 25 October 1415: Agincourt tells the story of the battle that actually wasn’t supposed to happen, or that the English hoped wouldn’t happen.

It is the Hundred Years War between England and France. Henry V is determined to claim the throne of France; he ardently believes it is his and he equally ardently believes God is on his side. He and his army sail for France and lay siege to Harfleur. The city eventually surrenders, but the cost has been high and winter is approaching. Henry decides to march to Calais, only 30 miles away, and return home. The English almost make it.

The French army, however, is standing in the way, and the English are going to have to fight. They’re tired, sick (dysentery is so bad that some of the soldiers have no pants, having thrown away the soiled garments), and hopelessly outnumbered. The French expect an easy victory and all the ransom that will have to be paid for the rich Englishmen they capture. They spend the night before the battle eating, drinking and celebrating. The English spend the night in tense silence.

What the French did not count on was the inspirational leadership of Henry V and the devastating effect of the English longbow, and the longbowmen themselves, throwing down their bows to fight in hand-to-hand combat, some using the hammers they used to erect the wooden pikes facing the enemy.

It is a gripping story, and the Decisive Days account effectively places the reader at the scene. The slaughter is almost gruesome; some men reportedly suffocate under the weight the bodies atop them. The French attack in three waves, and each wave is effectively destroyed. At the end, The English count about 100 of their own dead. The French count thousands.

And each English soldier could lay claim to being part of that we few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Related: My review of The Battle of Stirling Bridge