True, George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, is guile incarnate, a Tory Talleyrand to whom Mr Cameron subcontracts his strategic thinking.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

The most recent life of Talleyrand in English was by Duff Cooper, a Conservative politician and diplomat, which was published in 1932.

ECONOMIST: Talleyrand

Talleyrand's name, to admirers, was a byword for diplomatic prowess: a brilliant political mind, a negotiator of unsurpassed skill and a tireless worker for the interests of France not to overlook a fount of worldly bons mots.

ECONOMIST: Talleyrand