And then Europe — that by now famously unrobust confederation — would, in fact, meet its "historic test".
The British foreign secretary, William Hague, described the moment as a "major test, a historic test for the E.U".
With the refugee crisis of 2015, Europe, Chancellor Merkel (commonly referred to as "the Decider") said, was about to face its "historic test".
"I'm sure they'll get a great reception when they come to Scotland for the first time for this historic Test".
Appalled at the huge scale of the suffering and outraged by the narrow-mindedness of Germany's southern neighbours, she declared the moment represented "a historic test" for Europe and threw Germany's gates open.
Just as Paddy Ashdown famously asked Tony Blair, "Are you a control freak or a pluralist?", Brown would be offering Ming and his would-be successors a potentially historic test: would the Lib Dems choose progressive pluralism or purist impotence?
More than 47,000 people attended day one, and another 42,372 filed in on Saturday, ensuring a healthy attendance even if this historic Test fails to last more than three days.
Even while Old Trafford unfurls itself in new splendour and England advance confidently on an historic Test victory and step towards the 5-0 Ashes whitewash, we know well enough where the greatest drama will occur this morning.
"Today, as in the past, I am convinced that we can do it — to live up to our historic task, which is a historic test in the age of globalization," she said, in an attempt to reassure the nation after three recent violent attacks, two of them linked to the Islamic State.
