He was what I often think is a dangerous thing for a statesman to be - a student of history and like most of those who study history, he learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.
There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the Establishment - and nothing more corrupting.
In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer - the wealth, prestige and grandeur that went with the power.