I got to see Boris Johnson in full, unscripted flow last night. I'm glad I am not one of his political minders, because it must be scary every time he opens his mouth. Not even he knows where he is going.

So, somehow, he got onto the topic of Sappho. He presumably quoted her in the original Greek – it was a rapid babble of something I bet absolutely none of the audience could understand – and continued "the ancient Greeks regarded her as the tenth Muse alongside… alongside… does anyone know who the other Muses were?"