Edward was every inch a king; but his notion of kingship was a lofty and a noble one.

He loved power; he believed in his sovereign rights and clung to them with a stubborn tenacity.

But his main end in clinging to them was the welfare of his people.

Nothing better proves the self-command which he drew from the purpose he set before him than his freedom from the common sin of great rulers--the lust of military glory.

He was the first of our kings since William the Conqueror who combined military genius with political capacity; but of the warrior's temper, of the temper that finds delight in war, he had little or none.