‘Sire,’ he said, ‘among Europeans, the savagery of the French is exceeded only by the cruelty of the Dutch. The English are at present a backward race, but it is my guess, though many of my countrymen would disagree with me, that they may end up being the worst of the whole bunch, and the map of half the world may be coloured pink’

— Victory City by Salman Rushdie (Page 38)