In terms of pagination, this is the exact middle not only of this section but also of the poem as a whole. It is therefore appropriate that it be marked by the epigraph to the poem. Of course, Elen and her captain are living before Britannia (as we know her) was conceived; but an achronological and ahistorical view of time is key to understanding The Anathemata. DJ refers to this anticipation as ‘pre-application’ right at the very beginning of the poem.