Hilaire-ious

One of my favorite anecdotes about one of my favorite authors:

When Belloc was running for Parliament, a heckler asked him during a campaign speech whether or not he was a "papist." Taking out his rosary beads, Belloc retorted, "Sir, so far as possible I hear Mass each day and I go to my knees and tell these beads each night. If that offends you, then I pray God may spare me the indignity of representing you in Parliament."

The crowd erupted in applause and Belloc won a seat.

On a tangent, I've come to the conclusion that Stephen Fry (of Jeeves & Wooster fame) is a physical composite of Belloc and my old parish priest, a lovely and unassuming gentleman and former member of the F.S.S.P.