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What was the response of Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel when, on hearing Alfred Lord Tennyson’s majestic poem Ulysses, first published in 1842, which contained such memorable words as ‘Come my friends, ‘tis not too late to seek a newer world’?

Answer: He reportedly gave Tennyson his prime ministerial pension. In today’s currency this would have amounted to several million pounds over the life of the annuity.

Source: Sir Robert Peel: The Life And Legacy by Richard A. Gaunt; General Historical Texts

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