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The equestrian statue on the Capitoline Hill has stood for nearly two thousand years. It survived because medieval Christians believed it depicted Constantine — the first Christian emperor — rather than a pagan. Had they known it was me, they would have melted it down.

I find this instructive. So much of what survives from antiquity survived by accident, or mistaken identity, or the mercy of someone who valued bronze over theology. History is not a reliable record. It is the residue left by time's indifference.

The horse is too large and too serene. Real campaign horses are nervous animals. But I will not complain. The Stoic thing to do is to accept what the bronze tells you and be grateful it was not melted.