The Secret of Success

The bishop met the king in his council chamber and persisted in his refusal. He even ventured to rebuke his royal master for being unfaithful to the queen. The council was astounded, for knowing Richard’s courage and fiery temper, they expected to see Hugo crushed in a moment. Instead, he emerged the victor in this struggle of Spiritedness In Atkinson’s context, "Spiritedness" refers to a specific type of mental and spiritual dominance or willpower.. The historian says:

“The Lion Referring to King Richard I, "the Lionheart." was tamed for the moment. The King acknowledged nothing but restrained his passion, remarking afterward, ‘If all bishops were like my lord of Lincoln, not a single prince among us could lift his head against them.’”

And this was not the first time that this formidable original: "doughty" Bishop of Lincoln had defeated a king. In his earlier days, shortly after King Henry Plantagenet King Henry II of England. had appointed him bishop, he became involved in a fierce dispute with that monarch. Henry was at Woodstock Park surrounded by his courtiers when Hugo approached. The king pretended not to see the bishop, taking no notice of him at all. After a few moments of strained silence, the bishop pushed aside a powerful earl who was seated by the king’s side and took his place next to the monarch. The king continued to pretend he was busy mending his leather glove. The bishop cheerfully and lightly said: “Your Majesty reminds me of your cousin at Falaise.”

Falaise was the place where Henry’s ancestor, Duke Robert, met Arlotta, the daughter of a leather tanner; she bore him his illegitimate son who was afterward known as William the Conqueror. The Bishop’s bold original: "impudent" allusion to the king’s humble ancestry was too much for Henry. He was completely defeated original: "badly worsted" in the encounter and later agreed to the bishop's wishes.

But as Fothergill Dr. John Milner Fothergill, the physician mentioned on the previous page. truly says:

“It is a great mistake to suppose that this Will is inclined to show itself on every occasion; far from it. It often has a tendency to hide itself and is frequently found under an exterior of great pleasantness. There are men—and women, too—who present an appearance of such politeness that they seem to have no will of their own; they apparently exist merely to do what is agreeable to others. But just wait until the time comes, and then the latent willpower is revealed. We find the iron hand under this velvet glove—and there is no mistake about it. It is the secret of the diplomat. Talleyrand Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838), a famous French diplomat. possessed it to a remarkable degree and was a cool, bold, successful diplomat; Cavour Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (1810–1861), a leading figure in Italian unification. also possessed this power and used it wisely. The loudmouth and the braggart are entirely lacking in it.”

It is a subtle, delicate Power that remains hidden beneath the surface and out of sight—but when needed, it flashes forth like a dynamic electric spark, driving everything before it. It is an elemental force of irresistible power.