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Mornington Crescent One One Zero Zero (MC 1100)
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Though the origins of Mornington Crescent are shrouded in the mists of antiquity, there can be yet little doubt that its introduction was established for the purpose of improving mankind: it stands preeminent in its usefulness as in its age. No historicaal records, no traditionary accounts, can with certainty point out the precise time, nor place, nor manner of its provenance. None-the-less, it is known with some certainty that the Romans were regularly engaged in this noble pursuit before the invasion of Britain (Brooke-Taylor, et al., 2000). Voltaire said that "incredulity is the foundation of history" (Life of Charles XII. of Sweden) and how right he was.
Yet modern accounts of Mornington Crescent have survived, and great matches and masterful players have been documented and biographed. I think there can be little doubt, given the state of history in our time, that it was Oliver Cromwell who advanced the game more than any other, though it should be noted that early theories place James II in the light of day for his use of it to restore the monarchy to the throne.
Records demonstrate however, that Cromwell intended to use Mornington Crescent to reconcile the various religious and political sects which prevailed in England in the reign of Charles I, such that with their support a commonwealth might be established. He first submitted his outline of a what was then thought a trifling, that is, "Morning Crefent" to several of his most intimate friends , such as Algernon Sidney, Harrington, Monk, and Fairfax, and he held with them several private meetings to work out the finer points of the game. According to Abbe' Larudan, Cromwell appointed missionaries or emissaries of the game and dispersed them over all of England, and later Scotland and Ireland. After the decapitation of Charles I, the game evolved into an institution, and its rules were later administered privately by members The Royal Society. There can be little hesitation by the well educated that Mornington Crescent became the game it is today from what it was before, and so that we have now an ancient institution, a recreational pasttime imbued with historical importance, that has evolved little, yet remains powerful and prestigious in its import.