But let us return to the Chief Hogs. In the first book of Samuel, in the 8th chapter, beginning at the fifth verse, we read how the swine of Israel prayed for a king; how the prophet Samuel warned them of the consequence; how he told them a king would appoint their sons for his charios and his footmen; to ear his corn, to till his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of chariots; how he would take their daughters for cooks, and confectioners, and bakers; how he would seize their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants and his officers; how he would take their men-servants, their maid-servants, and their goodliest young men, and their asses, and put them to his work; how we would take the tenth of their seed, and their sheep, and their vineyards, and they would ALL be his servants; how they would cry out in the day of trouble because of the king they had chosen, and the Lord would not hear them on that day : nevertheless, the HOGS of Israel persisted in their prayer, and said, Nay, but we will have a king over us; and, behold, all that the prophet foretold, literally came to pass.

chief hogs of

The Chronicle of the Kings of England (1821) Sovereign Swine! For your instruction and amusement, to improve your grovelling propensities, by teaching a due respect for yourselves, and a just estimate of your superiors, this history of your chief drivers, from the first mighty hog of Normandy to the present great and glorious hog of Hanover, is now dedicated.

1 Samuel 8
1 Samuel 8:5
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 1 Samuel 8:5 KJV
They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 1 Samuel 8:5 NIV

Alphecca (stars.astro.illinois.edu) ALPHECCA or GEMMA (Alpha Coronae Borealis). One of the very few stars with two commonly used names, Alphecca is the dominant (mid- second magnitude, 2.23) Alpha star of the delightful constellation Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a semicircle of stars to the east of Arcturus that truly reminds the viewer of a heavenly crown, the constellation representing the crown of Ariadne.