--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 10:33:04 +1100
From: John Cain <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: re: Mapping "ERRORS"?? (TANGENT)
Sender: John Cain <[log in to unmask]>


Fred Schaff <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>        Don't know much about that story except that it follows in the best
>British tradition set by King Canute when it has been said that he stood at
>the seashore and ordered the tides not to come in and stayed until his feet
>got wet.

A somewhat tangential comment, but it is always interesting to see that the
meaning that the "general public" puts on the story of Canute -- basically
that it proves he was an idiot who really thought the royal command could
stop the tides coming in.

As I understand it, historicans put a rather different interpretation on
this story -- basically that Canute was doing precisely the opposite,
proving (to his courtiers, who had an overblown idea of his power to
command the realm) that the royal command was not all powerful.

The later seems a more likely interpretation to me.

John Cain
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