,,blackwood',s ,,edinburgh ,,magazine4  
,,no4 ,,ccclv4   ,,may1 #ahde4   ,,vol4 
,,lvii4     ,,contents4     ,,sismondi1 
#ebi    ,,my ,,first ,,spec ,,in ,,the  
,,biggleswades1                         
#edi    ,,german-,,american ,,romances4 
,,part ,,the ,,third1                   
#efa    ,,the ,,rector',s ,,daughter1   
#ehj    ,a ,,glance ,,at ,,the          
,,peninsula1                            
#eie    ,,aesthetics ,,of ,,dress4 ,,no4
 ,,iii41                                
#fjh    ,,north',s ,,specimens ,,of     
,,the ,,british ,,critics4 ,,no4        
,,iv4--,,dryden   ,,on ,,chaucer1       
#fag    ,,maynooth1                     
#fdg      ,,edinburgh3   ,,william      
,,blackwood ,,and ,,sons1 #de1 ,,george 
,,street2   ,,and #bb1 ,,pall-,,mall1   
,,london4   ,to whom all ,communications
 7post paid7 must be addressed4   ,,sold
 ,,by ,,all ,,the ,,booksellers ,,in    
,,the ,,united ,,kingdom4    ,,printed  
,,by ,,ballantyne ,,and ,,hughes1       
,,edinburgh4       ,,blackwood',s       

,,edinburgh ,,magazine4    ,,no4        
,,ccclv4   ,,may1 #ahde4   ,,vol4       
,,lvii4     ,,sismondi4#a   ,never was  
there a juster observation1 than that1  
in ordinary times1 in the same state1   
genius moves in a circle2 originality is
 lost amidst imitation2 we breathe      
thought not less than vital air4 ,this  
is more especially the case in all those
 branches of opinion or philosophy which
 relate to internal economy1 or the     
social concerns of men4 ,there1 it is   
not merely abstract principle1 or       
disinterested reasoning1 which have     
struck their roots into the human mind2 
interest1 prejudice1 passion1 have moved
 it yet more deeply1 and rendered the   
change from one set of opinions to      
another still more difficult4           
,universally it will be found1 that in  
regard to the social concerns of men1   
which are so closely interwoven with our
 habits1 interests1 and affections1 the 
transition from error to truth can      
rarely be accomplished by any intellect1

 how powerful soever1 which has not     
imbibed1 in part at least1 the maxims of
 foreign states4 ,new ideas1 like       
lightning1 are produced by the blending 
of two streams of thought1 wafted from  
different ages or parts of the world4   
,the ,french political revolution was   
brought about by the meeting of new-born
 ,french fervour with long-established  
,english ideas3 the ,anglomania which   
immediately preceded that convulsion is 
the proof of it4 ,the ,english social   
revolution has proceeded from the same  
cause3 it is the junction of ,british   
practical habits with ,french           
speculative views which has produced the
 political economy of modern times3 and 
the whole doctrines of free-trade which 
,adam ,smith matured1 and recent times  
have reduced to practice1 are to be     
found in the ,physiocratie of ,dupont de
 ,nemours1 and the political pamphlets  
of ,turgot4  ,it was in the year #agge  
that these doctrines1 imported from     
,france1 were first broached in this    

country by the publication of the       
,wealth of ,nations2 and it took half a 
century for them to pass from the       
solitary meditation of the recluse into 
the cabinets of statesmen and the       
hustings of the populace4 ,now1 however1
 this transformation of thought is      
general1 at least in a considerable part
 of the mercantile and manufacturing    
portions of the community4 ,few in the  
great cities of the empire think of     
doubting the doctrines of free-trade3   
fewer still1 if they doubt them1 venture
 to give publicity to their opinions4   
,the reason of this general concurrence 
among commercial men1 and of this1 in   
social matters1 rapid conversion of     
general thought1 is to be found in the  
circumstance1 that the new opinions fell
 in with the interests1 or at least the 
immediate interests1 of the leaders and 
influential men among the mercantile    
classes4 ,the remainder1 not            
understanding the subject1 yielded by   
degrees to what they were told1 by their

 superiors in wealth and intelligence1  
were incontrovertible propositions4     
,manufacturers who enjoyed the          
advantages of coal1 ironstone1 canals1  
railroads1 and harbours at their doors1 
very readily embraced the doctrine1 that
 all restrictions on commercial         
intercourse were contrary to reason2 and
 that all mankind1 how destitute soever 
of these advantages themselves1 could do
 nothing so wise as to admit all their  
goods without any protective duties     
whatever4 ,merchants widely engaged in  
mercantile speculations1 who were buying
 and selling in all parts of the world1 
and whose interest it was to purchase as
 largely and as cheaply as possible1 and
 to sell as extensively and as dearly as
 was consistent with that extent1 had no
 difficulty in arriving at the          
conclusion1 that commerce should be left
 perfectly free1 that all protective    
duties for the shelter of native        
industry should be abolished1 and that  
the only charges on the transport of    

goods should be the cost of transit and 
their own profits4 ,every shilling taken
 from the import duties was so much put 
in their pockets1 either directly by    
their gaining the remitted duty1 or by  
their indirectly feeling the benefit of 
it1 in the reduction of price and the   
widening of the market4 ,capitalists and
 bankers1 who had vast sums to lend1    
found nothing so reasonable as that they
 should be permitted1 without restraint1
 to exact any amount of usury they chose
 from the necessities1 the folly1 or the
 cupidity of their debtors4 ,the opinion
 became general1 that a nation could    
only be made rich by the same means as  
an individual manufacturer1 and that the
 excess of the price obtained for the   
produce of national labour above the    
cost of production1 was the measure of  
national wealth4  ,under the influence  
of these opinions1 prohibitions1        
restrictions1 and import duties gave way
 on all sides4 ,to the huge mass of the 
ignorant vulgar1 the very sound of      

abolition of restrictions was           
delightful4 ,restraint was what they    
hated1 exclusive privilege was their    
abomination1 liberty of thought and     
action their supposed elysium4 ,to      
abolish monopolies1 incorporations1     
crafts1 guildries1 and statutes of      
apprenticeship1 seemed a mighty step in 
the emancipation of the human race4     
,thus they cordially and universally    
joined in the cry for liberation from   
every sort of restriction1 alike in     
thought1 commerce1 industry1 and action1
 which had been first raised by the     
philosophers1 and afterwards generally  
embraced by the capitalists and         
merchants4 ,amidst a chorus of          
congratulations1 mutual applauses1 and  
sanguine anticipations1 with the cordial
 approbation of the political           
economists1 the general concurrence of  
the merchants1 and the loud shouts of   
the multitude1 the doctrines of         
free-trade were progressively applied to
 every part of the social body4 ,taxes  

upon imports have been diminished1 till1
 on all save a few articles1 they are   
now entirely removed2 native industry   
has been exposed1 with a very slender   
protection1 to the competition of       
foreign states2 the restraints on the   
exportation of machinery has been       
removed1 to allow foreign nations every 
advantage in competing with us2         
punishment has been alleviated1 till the
 penalty of death1 save in cases of     
wilful murder1 has become practically   
abolished2 the liberty of the press     
pushed the length of allowing without   
control its utmost licentiousness2      
unbounded toleration permitted in       
matters of opinion1 even so far as      
generally to proclaim impunity to the   
worst ,chartist or ,socialist doctrines2
 combinations among workmen to raise    
their wages declared legal1 and carried 
into practice on the greatest scale in  
all the manufacturing districts2 a great
 organic change introduced into the     
constitution1 to render ,government more

 thoroughly dependent on public opinion2
 taxes to the amount of above thirty    
millions sterling1 on articles of       
consumption1 repealed in less than      
thirty years2 a vast monetary change1 to
 lower prices by raising the value of   
money1 introduced1 and steadily         
enforced1 in spite of unbounded         
consequent distress2 and the principle  
of free competition introduced generally
 as the basis of the social union1 the  
only sure guarantee of national         
prosperity4  ,experience1 says ,dr      
,johnson1 is the great test of truth1   
and is perpetually contradicting the    
theories of men4 ,never1 since the      
beginning of the world1 had the         
doctrines of philosophers been so       
generally embraced by ,government1 or   
measures really intended for the public 
good so extensively carried into effect 
by the ,legislature4 ,unbounded were the
 anticipations of prosperity and        
happiness in which men generally        
indulged on the adoption of this system2

 inflexible has been the steadiness with
 which it has been adhered to1 amidst an
 amount of suffering which would long   
ago have proved fatal to any set of     
measures among men1 except those        
dictated by their own opinions4 ,but    
amidst all these anticipations1 and this
 steadiness in carrying out the         
doctrines of free-trade in every        
department of thought and action1       
various unpleasant indications began to 
manifest themselves in every part of    
society2 and it became evident to all   
that the fruits of the tree of knowledge
 were not1 in this generation at least1 
destined to be different from what they 
had proved to our ,first ,parents4      
,while wealth was increasing to an      
unparalleled extent among the commercial
 classes1 suffering and distress as     
generally ensued among the rural        
inhabitants2 and the multitude of ruined
 fortunes among them rendered it        
certain1 that at no distant period the  
old race of landed proprietors would1   

with the exception of a few magnates1 be
 all rooted out1 and their place        
supplied by a new set of purchasers from
 the commercial towns4 ,while population
 was advancing with unparalleled strides
 in the manufacturing districts1        
pauperism even more than kept pace with 
it in all2 and the extraordinary fact   
has now been revealed by statistical    
researches1 that1 in an age of          
unparalleled wealth and general and     
long-continued peace1 a seventh part of 
the whole inhabitants of the ,british   
islands are in a state of destitution1  
or painfully supported by legal         
relief4#b  ,while all attempts1 even1 to
 pay off the national debt have been    
abandoned by ,government1 and the       
principle openly proclaimed by the      
,prime ,minister1 that any surplus of   
revenue above expenditure must1 to      
relieve the necessities of the country1 
be applied to the reduction of taxation1
 without a thought to the reduction of  
the debt2 the ,home ,secretary has      

announced the not less alarming fact1   
that1 since the peace1 above two hundred
 millions sterling1 or a fourth of the  
national debt1 has been raised for the  
relief of the poor in ,england alone4   
,while the returns of the income-tax    
have demonstrated that seventy thousand 
persons in ,great ,britain possess among
 them an annual revenue of two hundred  
millions a-year1 or about ,l4#bcjj each 
on an average1 the melancholy fact has  
been revealed1 by the result of attempts
 to increase the national revenue by    
means of indirect taxation1 that that   
source of income can no longer be relied
 on2 and in a time of profound1 and at  
the close of a period of long-continued 
peace1 it has become indispensable to   
recur to an assessment on property and  
direct taxation1 as it was in ,rome in  
the decaying periods of the empire4 ,the
 blue folios of the ,houses of          
,parliament teem with authentic and     
decisive evidence of the vast increase1 
during the last thirty years1 of crime  

and frequent destitution among the      
working classes in all parts of the     
empire2 every four or five years1 a     
brief feverish period of gambling1      
extravagance1 and commercial prosperity1
 is succeeded by a long and dreary      
season of anxiety1 distress1 and        
depression2 frightful strikes among the 
workmen1 attended with boundless        
distress among1 and hideous democratic  
tyranny over them1 invariably succeed in
 the close of those periods of          
suffering1 as pestilence stalks in the  
rear of famine2 and popular insurrection
 has become so common1 that it is a rare
 thing to see two years pass over       
without martial law being of necessity  
practically enforced in some part of the
 empire4 ,efforts unheard-of have been  
made to extend the religious            
establishments of the state1 or augment 
the means of moral and intellectual     
instruction among the people2 but       
hitherto with no perceptible effect in  
checking the habits of sensuality1      

improvidence1 and intemperance1 which   
prevail amongst them2 and in an age and 
a country abounding1 beyond any other   
that ever existed1 with declamations in 
favour of the blessings of knowledge1   
and the elements of happiness and moral 
improvement1 which free-trade and a     
general liberation from restraint were  
to procure for society1 the scandal has 
been exhibited of serious crime having1 
during the last forty years1 increased  
,,ten ,,times as fast as the number of  
the people4#c  ,we are so accustomed in 
this country to those things1 that they 
have ceased to make any impression upon 
us4 ,the great majority of men1 actively
 engaged in the business of life1 pay no
 attention to them whatever1 but go on  
labouring to make money1 or keep        
themselves afloat in the world1 without 
bestowing even a passing thought of     
whither that world on which they are so 
intent is tending4 ,philosophers and    
political economists1 confounded at     
beholding such results flowing from the 

adoption and practical application of   
their favourite principles1 quietly pass
 by on the other side2 and1 without     
denying the facts1 content themselves   
with disregarding them altogether1 and  
continuing to prophesy unbounded        
national prosperity and moral elevation 
from the ultimate effect of the further 
abolition of restraint on thought and   
action4 ,the religious portion of the   
community--and they form a large and    
highly respectable body--consider these 
alarming symptoms as the judgment of    
,heaven upon us for our sins1 and the   
natural and well-deserved consequence of
 our neglect of the means of salvation1 
which have been so mercifully put into  
our hands4 ,the merchants and           
manufacturers1 who are rapidly making   
fortunes under the new system1 maintain 
that it is founded on pure and tried    
reason1 and that in no other way can the
 national resources be fully developed4 
,the landowners1 who are as rapidly     
losing them1 are1 in part1 so paralysed 

by their individual embarrassments1 in  
part so perplexed with the intricacy of 
the subject1 that they are incapable of 
making any efforts1 except on particular
 occasions1 in their own defence1 but   
resign themselves quietly to the stroke 
of fate1 as the ,moslem does to the     
bowstring of the ,sultaun4 ,the working 
classes are quiet during the brief      
periods of prosperity2 but nourish in   
their hearts at all times a profound    
jealousy and hatred of the monied       
interest4 ,the opinion is almost        
universally diffused among them1 that   
the gains of their employers are        
scandalously great1 and wrung out of    
their heart's blood--that they and their
 masters are naturally at war with each 
other--and that whatever is gained by   
the one is lost by the other4 ,meanwhile
 ,government1 obeying the new1 and1 as  
matters stand1 irresistible impulse let 
in upon the monarchy by the ,reform     
,bill1 quietly1 slide into the          
principles and measures dictated to them

 by the dominant1 most active1 and most 
influential class in the state2 and1    
shutting their eyes to the consequences 
in future times1 content themselves with
 getting through the present with as    
much practical support and as little    
obloquy as possible4  ,but although this
 is1 generally speaking1 the state of   
opinion on all social questions in the  
,british islands1 it may well be        
imagined that they are looked upon with 
very different eyes by men of           
intelligence out of the whirl of passing
 events1 and beyond the reach of the    
passions or interests which mislead so  
many in this country4 ,the civilization 
of ,great ,britain2 the social questions
 at issue amongst us2 the experiment    
making1 on so extended a scale1 of the  
effect of the new doctrines on the      
happiness of the people in the ,british 
islands2 the prodigious wealth which has
 been accumulated in this country of    
late years2 the magnitude and long      
duration of our political power2 and the

 celebrity in arts1 in arms1 and in     
literature we have long enjoyed1 have   
struck all surrounding nations with     
astonishment1 which1 so far from        
diminishing1 is hourly on the increase4 
,this effect appears variously1         
according to the temper and previous    
prepossessions of those among whom it   
has taken place4 ,in the ,french1 our   
ancient rivals1 our persevering         
antagonists in the revolutionary war1 it
 has produced no other effect1 generally
 speaking1 but envy1 hatred1 and malice4
 ,in the ,americans1 it has engendered a
 mingled feeling of respect1 admiration1
 and jealousy1 which appears in the     
strenuous efforts they are making to    
augment their wealth1 power1 and        
territory1 by every possible means1 and 
in every possible direction4 ,but in    
reflecting minds on the ,continent1 on  
the really great in all countries1 it   
has produced the effect of deep         
reflection1 and anxious investigation4  
,they have already begun to contemplate 

the astonishing and long-continued      
empire of ,great ,britain as we1 and all
 subsequent ages1 have so long done the 
corresponding1 and only parallel1       
dominion reared by the arms of the      
,roman legions4 ,in the causes of the   
greatness1 and seeds of ruin1 in both1  
there is a striking1 and to us          
portentous1 resemblance4 ,the analogy   
has been already traced by more than one
 master-hand on the ,continent4 ,but    
none was better qualified to do justice 
to the subject1 or has treated it in a  
more luminous or philosophic spirit1    
than ,,sismondi2 and it is to his       
observations on the present social state
 of the ,british empire that we have now
 to direct our readers' attention4  ,as 
the views of this great philosopher and 
historian are almost entirely at        
variance with those which now generally 
prevail amongst us1 and to which the    
liberal party in every part of the      
country have in an especial manner      
pinned their faith1 and1 at the same    

time1 seem to be deserving of very great
 attention from their novelty and       
importance1 and direct bearing on the   
dearest interests of the society with   
which we are surrounded--we hasten to   
premise that1 in forming them1 ,sismondi
 has at least not been blinded by any   
political partiality for the side to    
which1 in social questions1 he inclines4
 ,he is1 as all persons acquainted with 
foreign literature well know1 a decided 
liberal1 indeed republican1 in his      
political opinions4 ,born and educated  
in the democratic canton of ,geneva1 a  
,protestant both by birth and connexion1
 the decided opponent of tyranny in all 
its forms1 of ,romish domination in all 
its guises1 he first matured his        
powerful mind in writing the history of 
the ,italian republics1 and afterwards  
had his opinions confirmed by tracing   
the long annuals of the ,french         
monarchy4 ,the brilliant episodes in the
 history of the former1 contrasted with 
the hideous catalogue of persecutions   

and crimes which stain the latter1 have 
confirmed in his mind1 to a degree      
which1 considering the extent of his    
information1 and candour of his         
thoughts1 appears surprising--the       
original prepossessions he had imbibed  
in favour of republican institutions4   
,he even carries this so far as to      
advocate in his ,essays1 which form the 
immediate subject of this paper1 an     
elective in preference to an hereditary 
monarchy4 ,he is as ardent an enthusiast
 in the cause of civil and religious    
liberty as ,russell or ,sidney1 though  
his views are modified as to time1 by   
observation and experience4 ,he yields  
to none of the optimist school of more  
recent times in sanguine expectations of
 the benefits which may be expected from
 training the people to the duties of   
self-government1 and ultimately         
entrusting them with its powers4 ,he is 
adverse to an hereditary aristocracy1   
and strongly advocates the division of  
landed property1 by adopting in all     

countries the law of equal succession1  
which has given its powers their        
deathblow both in ,france and ,america4 
,his life has been spent in painting the
 bright efflorescence of freedom and    
genius in the modern ,italian republics1
 and their long blight under the        
combined powers of feudal power and     
,romish superstition in the ,french     
monarchy4 ,the perfection of society1 in
 his estimation1 would be an aggregate  
of little republics1 like those of      
,greece or southern ,italy in ancient1  
or of ,holland1 ,florence1 ,pisa1 or    
,genoa1 in modern times--in which       
supreme power was vested in the hands of
 magistrates1 named by the heads of     
trades1 who had been themselves elected 
by the general suffrage of their        
respective bodies4 ,many readers will   
probably be surprised at finding such   
political opinions entertained by a man 
of such acquirements1 and class it with 
the numerous instances which history    
affords1 of the inability of the        

greatest minds entirely to throw off the
 sway of early impressions and          
hereditary prepossessions4 ,but we are  
not concerned1 in this place1 with      
,sismondi's political opinions2 it is   
his views on social questions that      
appear peculiarly important1 and which  
we are desirous of making known to our  
readers4 ,and we mention his political  
opinions in order to show1 that he at   
least cannot be accused of a prejudice  
in favour of the monarchical1 or        
aristocratic1 side of the question4  ,it
 is from a leaning to1 and sympathy     
with1 the opposite class in society1    
that his strong and important views on  
the tendency of social change in        
,europe1 and especially in ,great       
,britain and ,france1 are directed4 ,he 
is decidedly of opinion1 that this      
tendency is1 to the last degree1        
disastrous2 that it is it which is the  
cause of the continued depression of    
industry1 degradation of character1 and 
increase of depravity and crime1 among  

the people2 and that1 so great and      
alarming are these causes of evil1 that1
 unless they are arrested by a change of
 opinion among the influential classes  
of society1 or the good providence of   
,god1 they will infallibly destroy the  
whole fabric of ,european civilization1 
as they did that of the ancient world4  
,they are1 in his own opinion1 the more 
alarming1 that they have sprung1 not    
from the blighting1 but the triumph1 of 
what we call civilization2 not from the 
retention of men in ignorance1 but their
 advance in knowledge2 not from the     
upholding of restraint1 but its removal4
 ,all these1 the former evils with which
 mankind had to contend1 will1 in his   
opinion1 yield to the growth of industry
 and the progress of knowledge2 but in  
their stead a new set of evils--more    
serious1 more wide-spread1 more         
irremediable--will rise up1 which1 to   
all appearance1 must in the end destroy 
all the states of modern ,europe4       
,england and ,france he considers1 and  

probably with reason1 as the states most
 likely to be the first victims of those
 social evils1 far more serious and     
irremediable than any of the political  
which attract so much attention1 and are
 the objects of such vehement contention
 between parties into which society is  
divided4 ,england and ,france are not   
alone exposed to the danger2 all the    
other ,european states are advancing in 
the same career1 and are threatened1 in 
the end1 with the same calamities4      
,england and ,france have been the first
 to be reached1 and are now most        
endangered1 by them1 only because they  
are in advance of the others in the     
career of knowledge1 freedom1 and       
civilization1 and have attained more    
rapidly than their neighbours the power 
and energy by which modern society is   
distinguished1 and the perils by which  
it is menaced4 ,in the social evils1    
therefore1 with which ,great ,britain is
 now environed1 he sees the precursor of
 those which are certainly1 at one      

period or another1 to afflict all       
,europe2 and in the overthrow of our    
empire1 from the corroding effect of the
 calamities they will induce1 the       
ultimate destiny of all the states of   
modern times4  ,that these views are    
melancholy1 all will admit2 that they   
are important if true1 none will deny2  
that they are new1 at least in this     
country1 will be conceded by the best   
informed4 ,they come1 however1          
recommended to us1 not merely by the    
powerful arguments and copious facts by 
which they are supported1 but by the    
peculiar turn of mind1 and varied       
qualifications1 of the author by whom   
they are supported4 ,we have long been  
of opinion1 that it is the separation of
 political economy from history which is
 the chief cause of the numerous errors 
into which1 since the days of ,adam     
,smith1 its professors have been        
betrayed1 and the general discredit into
 which the science itself has fallen    
with a large portion of the thinking men

 in the community4 ,this effect has     
taken place1 as it was very natural it  
should in the infancy of a science1 from
 the habit into which philosophers and  
men of abstract thought were led1 of    
reasoning on human affairs as if they   
were the movement of inanimate bodies1  
and considering only their own          
arguments1 not the illustration of their
 truth or falsehood which experience has
 afforded4 ,this habit is peculiarly    
conspicuous in the advocates of         
free-trade1 the reciprocity system1 and 
,mr ,malthus's doctrines on pauperism   
and the poor-laws2 they rest on abstract
 arguments1 and are perfectly           
indifferent to the refutation of their  
principles which every day's experience 
is affording4 ,probably the whole       
present generation of political         
economists must go to their graves      
before this general error is eradicated 
from the human mind4 ,it is an error1   
however1 of the most fatal kind1 and    
which1 while it is persevered in1 must  

render political economy one of the     
greatest of the many curses1 which the  
eating of the fruit of the tree of      
knowledge has let loose upon mankind4   
,it is like a system of medicine1       
formed1 as such systems are in every    
age1 not on experience or observation1  
but on the theories of certain          
physicians on the structure of the human
 body1 and the proper way of developing 
its various functions4  ,many a patient 
in every age has been killed1 before the
 absurdity of such theories has been put
 down by the experience and common-sense
 of mankind4 ,and many a nation1 in     
,sismondi's opinion1 will perish1 before
 the nostrums of its state physicians   
have been expelled from the general     
opinion of man4  ,it is his profound and
 varied historical information1 which   
has given ,sismondi his deep distrust of
 nearly all the conclusions of modern   
political economy1 and inspired him with
 the gloomy presentiments with which he 
is filled1 in regard to the tendency of 

society under the practical application 
of its principles4 ,he has fixed his    
eyes1 not on abstract principles1 but   
actual nations1 and traced the result1  
not of theoretical views on the best    
regulations for society1 but of such as 
have actually been established1 and had 
their tendency tested by the experience 
of centuries in different ages and      
countries of the world4 ,he sees with   
dismay1 in the state of society in      
modern ,europe1 under the combined      
influence of free-trade1 increasing     
knowledge1 popular institutions1 vast   
wealth1 and long-established            
civilization1 a mere repetition1 under  
different names1 of those dreadful      
social evils which corroded the ,roman  
empire1 and in the end overturned the   
vast physical dominion of the legions4  
,he sees in that state of rural society 
which is nearly extinct in the ,british 
islands1 and fast wearing out in        
,france1 ,belgium1 and other parts of   
,europe1 where civilization is most     

advanced1 the only solid foundation for 
general happiness1 the only durable     
bulwark of public morality1 the only    
permanent security for national         
existence4 ,this state of society is    
disappearing1 and a new condition of men
 coming on1 from causes which seem      
beyond the power of human control1 but  
the fatal effect of which is as apparent
 as the sun at noonday4 ,and thence the 
gloomy views with which he is inspired  
on the future prospects of ,europe1 and 
his profound hostility to the principles
 of political economy1 from which he    
considers them as having mainly arisen4 
,political economy1 as a science1 dates 
its origin1 by the common consent of    
men1 from the famous work ,on the       
,nature and ,causes of the ,wealth of   
,nations4 ,but a greater authority than 
,adam ,smith has told us1 that he that  
,,hasteneth ,,to ,,be ,,rich ,,shall    
,,not ,,be ,,innocent4 ,sismondi's      
doctrines on political economy are a    
commentary on these words1 applied to   

the management of nations and the social
 concerns of man4 ,it is in the fatal   
thirst for wealth1 and the application  
of all the powers of knowledge1 and all 
the resources of art1 to that single    
object1 that he sees the all-powerful   
cause1 both of the present degradation  
of so many of the working classes1 of   
the false direction of political        
philosophy1 and of the spread of social 
evils1 which will to all appearance1 in 
the end prove fatal to the existence of 
the ,british empire1 and of all the     
,european communities4 ,but it is not   
any general or vague declamation on the 
progress of corruption1 and the growing 
evils of society1 which he has brought  
forward2 he has given a close and cogent
 chain of reasoning1 supported by a     
formidable array of historical facts1   
and shown how it is that the evils have 
arisen--how they bear upon the condition
 of the great bulk of the people1 how   
they degrade their character1 how their 
habits corrupt their morals and destroy 

their happiness2 and how irremediable1  
under the prevailing ideas of the       
influential classes in society1 these   
evils have become4 ,the social injustice
 and political delusions which1 history 
has now clearly ascertained1 were the   
causes of the ruin of the ,roman empire1
 he sees re-appearing amidst us under   
different names1 but in still more      
aggravated forms1 and with more hopeless
 influences on society4 ,all this he    
traces mainly to the ruinous pursuit of 
wealth1 which has seized alike upon our 
philosophers1 our statesmen1 and our    
practical men2 which has too fatally    
verified the saying of ,scripture1 that 
the love of money is the root of all    
evil2 and converted the noble science of
 political economy1 the end of which is 
ut homines feliciter vivant1 into the   
degrading handmaid of wealth4  ,so      
strongly is he impressed with this idea1
 and so convinced of the ruinous        
direction which the social sciences are 
taking1 under the combined influence of 

philosophic error and monied ambition1  
that he thinks it indispensable1 that   
language should mark the lasting and    
indelible crisis of distinction between 
the philosophy of general happiness and 
the means by which national wealth may  
be augmented4 ,the first he calls       
,economie ,politique1 or ,les ,sciences 
,sociales2 the last ,chrematistique1 or 
the art of accumulating riches in a     
state4#d ,it is in the conversion of    
political economy1 or the science of    
making men happy1 which of course can   
only be done by rendering them orderly1 
moral1 and religious1 into              
,chrematistique1 or the mere pursuit of 
the means by which we may augment the   
sum of national riches1 that the        
unobserved source of by far the greatest
 social evils of the present day is to  
be found4 ,these evils are greater than 
either the slavery of the ,romans or the
 bondage of serfs in modern times2 for  
they have induced the ruinous effects of
 both these degrading systems1 without  

the alleviating and counteracting       
advantages with which either was        
attended4 ,and the way in which this    
effect flows from the social doctrines  
of modern times1 is this4  ,an          
augmentation of production is generally 
considered as an addition to national   
wealth2 and it is on this ground that   
all nations1 under the guidance of the  
,chrematists1 are making such strenuous 
efforts to increase their agricultural  
and manufactured produce4 ,such an      
augmentation1 however1 says ,sismondi1  
is not only by no means in every case an
 addition to national wealth1 but it is 
often a useless and pernicious addition 
to national suffering4 ,if the supply of
 any article exceeds what can be        
consumed in the early and simple ages of
 society1 or disposed of to advantage in
 the later1 it is not only no advantage1
 but a positive loss4 ,what avails it   
that the yards of cotton cloth          
manufactured1 or the quarters of wheat  
raised1 are increased in a country from 

#ej1jjj1jjj to #ajj1jjj1jjj1 if1 in     
consequence of the increased supply1 the
 price is lowered one-half8 ,the        
producers get their trouble for their   
pains--they gain nothing--the consumers 
get more than they require--great part  
of the superfluity is wasted or sent    
abroad at a ruinous loss4 ,augmentation 
of production1 therefore1 is not in     
every case a sign of increased national 
wealth2 it is the maintenance of a due  
proportion between production and       
consumption which is the real           
desideratum1 and forms the only real    
basis of lasting national opulence4     
,according to the ,chrematists1 the     
wealth of a nation1 as of an individual 
producer1 is to be measured by the      
excess of the value of production over  
its cost4 ,this1 says ,sismondi1 is the 
most fatal of all errors1 and the grand 
source of the misery of the working     
classes1 and instability of society1 in 
all the manufacturing states of ,europe4
 ,it is true1 the wealth of a           

master-manufacturer is to be measured by
 the excess of the price he obtains for 
his produce over the cost of its        
production2 but a master-manufacturer is
 not a nation4 ,a nation consists not   
only of masters but of workmen2 not only
 of consumers but producers4 ,the latter
 class is by far the most numerous1 the 
most important1 the most likely to      
increase4 ,if they are reduced to misery
 in consequence of the reduction of     
their wages by the introduction of      
machinery1 the employment of juvenile or
 female labour1 the immigration of      
foreign labourers1 or any other cause1  
it is a poor compensation to say1 that  
the profits of their employers have been
 greatly augmented at their expense4 ,if
 the excess of the value of production  
above its cost1 were either the measure1
 or even an important element in        
national wealth1 ,ireland1 where the    
wages of field labour are #f;d4 a-day1  
and ,poland1 where they are #c;d41      
should be the richest nations in the    

world1 whereas they are notoriously the 
poorest4 ,the real measure of national  
wealth is to be found1 not in the excess
 of production above the consumption    
employed in it1 but in the means of     
comfortable livelihood which their      
industry affords to the whole classes of
 the community2 and that is only to be  
attained where wealth is very generally 
distributed4  ,the mere increase of     
national wealth is far from being1 in   
every instance1 an addition either to   
national strength1 national security1 or
 national happiness4 ,on the contrary1  
it is often the greatest possible       
diminution to the whole three4 ,it is   
not the increase of wealth1 but its     
distribution1 which is the great thing  
to be desired4 ,it is on that that the  
welfare and happiness of society depend4
 ,when wealth1 whether in capital or    
revenue1 runs into a few hands--when    
landed property accumulates in the      
persons of a knot of territorial        
magnates1 and commerce centres in the   

warehouse of a limited number of        
merchant princes1 and manufactures in   
the workshop of a small body of colossal
 companies or individual                
master-employers1 it is absolutely      
certain that the great bulk of the      
people will be in a state of degradation
 and distress4 ,the reason is1 that     
these huge fortunes have been made by   
diminishing the cost of production--that
 is1 the wages of labour--to such an    
extent1 as to have enormously and       
unjustly increased the profits of the   
stock employed in conducting it4        
,society1 in such circumstances1 is in  
the unstable equilibrium3 it rests on   
the colossal wealth1 territorial or     
commercial1 of a few2 but it has no hold
 on the affections or interests of the  
great majority of the community4 ,it is 
liable to be overturned by the first    
shock of adverse fortune4 ,any serious  
external disaster1 any considerable     
internal suffering1 may at once overturn
 the whole fabric of society1 and expose

 the wealth of the magnates only as a   
tempting plunder to the cupidity and    
recklessness of the destitute classes of
 society4 ,there is as much true        
philosophy as poetry1 says ,sismondi1 in
 the well-known lines of ,goldsmith--   
',ill fares the land1 to hastening ills 
a prey1   ,where wealth accumulates and 
men decay6   ,princes and lords may     
flourish or may fade--   ,a breath may  
make them as a breath has made2   ,but a
 bold peasantry1 their country's pride1 
,when once destroy'd1 can never be      
supplied4'  ,the ,chrematists always    
represent an increase of national wealth
 as necessarily flowing from an         
augmentation of the riches of the       
individuals who compose it4 ,but this is
 the greatest possible mistake4 ,great  
part of the riches obtained by          
individuals in a state1 so far from     
being an addition to the national       
wealth1 is an abstraction from it4 ,the 
reason is1 that it is made at the       
expense of others in the same community2

 it is a transference of riches from one
 hand to another1 not an addition to    
their total amount4 ,every one sees that
 the gains of the gamester1 the         
opera-dancer1 the lawyer1 are of this   
description2 what they take is taken    
from others in the same community4 ,but 
the magnitude of the gains of merchants 
and manufacturers blinds the world to   
the real nature of their profits1 which1
 in great part at least1 are made at the
 expense of others in the state4 ,if the
 importing merchant makes extravagant   
gains1 he indeed is enriched2 but how is
 he enriched8 ,in part1 at least1 he is 
so1 by impoverishing such of his        
countrymen as purchase his goods at the 
exorbitant price which constitute his   
profits4 ,if the exporting merchant or  
manufacturer drives a gainful trade1 it 
is in part1 without doubt1 derived from 
the industry of foreign nations to whom 
the export goods are sold2 but it is too
 often earned at the expense also of the
 workmen he employs1 who have been      

compelled by competition1 or            
destitution1 to sell their labour to him
 at a rate barely sufficient for the    
support of existence4 ,we are not to    
flatter ourselves that the nation is    
becoming rich1 because the exporters of 
,irish grain1 ,paisley shawls1 or       
,manchester cotton goods1 are making    
fortunes1 when the labourers they employ
 are earning from sixpence to eightpence
 a-day only4 ,on the contrary1 the      
magnitude of the gains of the former is 
too often only a measure of the         
destitution and degradation of the      
latter4  ,it is usually considered that 
it is a sufficient answer to this to    
observe1 that if riches are thus1 from  
the direction which national industry   
has taken1 drawn to a distressing extent
 from one class of the community to     
concentrate them in another1 a          
corresponding benefit is conferred upon 
other classes1 by the increased         
expenditure which takes place on the    
part of those1 in whose hands the wealth

 has accumulated4 ,there can be no doubt
 that a certain compensation does take  
place in this way2 and it is the        
existence of that compensation1 which   
alone renders society tolerable under   
such circumstances4 ,but the benefit    
accruing is no adequate set-off1 if     
society be viewed as a whole1 to the    
evil incurred4 ,if two millions of      
,irish labourers are working at sixpence
 a-day each1 and two millions more of   
human beings1 in the ,emerald ,isle1 are
 in a state of destitution1 it is a poor
 compensation for such a dreadful state 
of things to observe1 that some hundred 
,irish noblemen1 or absentee            
proprietors1 are spending ten or twenty 
thousand a-year each amidst the luxuries
 of ,london1 ,paris1 or ,naples2 and    
that they sometimes extract five or six 
guineas an acre from their starving     
tenants4 ,if weavers in ,renfrewshire1  
and cotton operatives in ,lancashire1   
are making cotton cloths at eightpence  
a-day of wages1 we are not to be deluded

 into the belief that society is        
prosperous1 because every year six or   
eight cotton lords buy estates for a    
hundred thousand pounds a-piece2 and    
one-half of the railways in the kingdom 
are constructed with the wealth of      
,manchester and ,glasgow4 ,there are no 
two things more different than national 
riches and the wealth of the rich in a  
nation4  ,it is the fatal and ruinous   
effect of wealth1 thus accumulated in   
the hands of a few1 at the expense of   
the great bulk of the industrious       
classes in a state1 that it tends to    
perpetuate and increase the diseased and
 perilous state of society from which it
 sprang4 ,the common observations1 that 
money makes money1 and that poverty     
breeds poverty1 show how universally the
 experience of mankind has felt that    
capital1 in the long run1 gives an      
overwhelming advantage in the race for  
riches to the rich1 and that poverty as 
uniformly1 erelong1 gives the vast      
superiority in numbers to the poor4 ,we 

often hear of an earl or a              
merchant-prince mourning the want of an 
heir1 but scarcely ever of a ,highland  
couple or an ,irish hovel wanting their 
overflowing brood of little half-naked  
savages4 ,we occasionally hear of a poor
 man raising himself by talent and      
industry to fortune2 but in general he  
does so only by associating his skill   
with some existing capital1 and giving  
its owner thus the extraordinary        
advantage of uniting old wealth with a  
new discovery4 ,to get on in the world  
without capital is daily becoming more  
difficult to the great bulk of men3 it  
is1 in trade or commerce1 at least1     
wholly impossible4 ,thus1 as wealth     
accumulates in the capital and great    
cities of the empire1 destitution1      
poverty1 and1 of course1 crime and      
immorality1 multiply around the seats   
where that wealth was originally        
created4 ,and this evil1 so far from    
abating with the lapse of time1 daily   
increases1 and must increase till some  

dreadful convulsion takes place1 and    
restores the subverted balance of       
society2 because the power of capital1  
like that of a lever which is           
continually lengthened1 is daily        
augmenting in the centres of wealth2 and
 the power of numbers in the centres of 
destitution is hourly on the increase1  
from the reckless and improvident habits
 which that destitution has engendered4 
,the happiness of a nation1 its         
morality1 order1 and security1 are      
mainly1 if not entirely1 dependent on   
the extent to which property with its   
attendant blessings1 and habits of      
reflection1 regularity1 and industry1   
are diffused among the people4 ,but the 
doctrines of the ,chrematists1 and of   
nearly the whole school of modern       
political economists1 go almost entirely
 to uproot this inestimable blessing4   
,the principle being once fixed in men's
 minds1 and acted upon by individual men
 and the legislature1 that the great    
thing is to diminish the cost of        

production1 it follows1 as a very       
natural consequence1 that the main thing
 is to diminish the wages of the        
producers4 ,every thing which can       
conduce to that object is vigorously    
pursued1 without the slightest regard to
 the effect the changes must have on the
 fortunes1 and ultimate fate in life1 of
 whole classes in society4 ,it is thus  
that1 in agriculture1 the engrossing of 
farms takes place--an evil so sorely    
felt in ,england during the seventeenth1
 and in ,scotland in the eighteenth and 
nineteenth centuries--and that hundreds 
and thousands of happy families are     
dispossessed from their hereditary      
possessions1 to make room for that      
devourer of the human race1 as the old  
writers called it1 the sheep4 ,it is    
thus that1 in our own times1 the small  
tenants and cotters have been so        
generally dispossessed in ,scotland and 
,ireland1 to make room for the large    
cultivator or store farmer4 ,it is thus 
that the race of hand-loom weavers1 who 

carry on their trade in their own       
houses1 and with the advantages of rural
 residence1 gardens1 fields1 and country
 air1 is every where becoming extinct1  
or their wages have fallen so low as    
barely to support existence in the very 
humblest rank of life4 ,in the room of  
these sturdy old children of the soil1  
has sprung up a race of puny operatives 
or labourers1 living by wages1 and      
having no durable connexion either with 
the land1 or even with the capitalist   
who employs them4 ,employed at weekly   
wages1 they are constantly on the verge 
of famine if turned out of their        
employment4 ,every thing now is         
concentrated in huge mills1             
manufacturing districts1 and great      
towns1 where the labour of men is too   
often supplanted by women1 that of women
 by children1 that of children almost   
entirely by machinery1 on which they    
attend4 ,the cost of production1 indeed1
 is prodigiously diminished1 by the     
substitute of these feeble or tiny      

labourers for that of full-grown men2   
and with it the profits of the masters1 
and the circle of the export sale1 are  
proportionally augmented2 but at what   
expense is this profit to a few gained8 
,at the expense1 in some degree1 at     
least1 it is to be feared1 of the       
independence1 the comfort1 the morals1  
the lives1 of whole classes of the      
labouring portions of the community4    
,the application of knowledge to the    
arts1 of science to manufactures1 so far
 from diminishing1 has1 hitherto at     
least1 had the most ruinous possible    
effect in increasing this fatal tendency
 of great capital and extensive         
manufactured industry upon mankind4     
,watt1 ,arkwright1 ,crompton--those     
giants of intellectual power1 whose     
discoveries have augmented tenfold1     
often an hundredfold1 the productive    
powers of manufacturing labour--have    
been the worst enemies that the         
happiness and morals of the working     
manufacturers ever knew4 ,for what is it

 that1 by means of great capital1       
working with the powers which their     
immortal discoveries have conferred1    
manufacturing industry has become8 ,why1
 it has all1 or nearly all1 run into    
huge mills1 or other establishments1 in 
which machinery1 at a cost of thirty1   
forty1 or fifty thousand pounds1 is     
erected1 and a crown of needy women and 
children are employed1 in ordinary      
times1 at the lowest wages which can    
support existence1 with a few men at a  
guinea or twenty-five shillings a-week1 
to direct and superintend their labours4
 ,it need not be told what the habits of
 such a crowd of young women1 most of   
them from fourteen to twenty1 must in   
general be4 ,these evils in             
manufacturing districts are universally 
felt and complained of2 but it is not   
equally generally admitted1 that they   
arise invariably1 and1 as matters at    
present stand1 inevitably1 from that    
very extension of science and mechanical
 power to the arts1 which is1 in the    

view of the increase of national wealth1
 so just a subject of exultation1 and   
which it is so much the object1 both of 
legislative enactment and of individual 
ingenuity1 to augment and extend4 ,yet1 
is not the crushing effect of these     
great discoveries on the welfare of the 
labouring classes1 as manifest as their 
elevating influence on the fortunes of  
their employers1 and the sum total of   
the produce of national manufactured    
industry8 ,on no other principle is it  
possible to explain the prodigious      
accumulation of wealth in one class of  
the ,british empire1 and of degradation1
 misery1 crime and destitution in the   
other1 and far more numerous classes4   
,the division of labour and the         
confining of each workman1 or workchild1
 to one limited sphere of employment1   
while it is productive of a very great  
increase in the skill which each exerts 
in his own department1 and in           
consequence augments1 in a similar      
proportion1 the net produce of          

manufactured industry1 is still more    
fatal to the morals1 habits1 and        
independence of the manufacturing       
classes4 ,variety of occupation is      
indispensable to vigour of mind or      
independence of character4 ,the         
exclusive chaining of the human mind to 
one employment1 even though that        
employment is of the most intellectual  
kind1 as the duties of the lawyer1 the  
statesman1 the physician1 or the divine1
 speedily contracts the understanding1  
narrows the interest1 circumscribes the 
field of enjoyment1 and often hardens   
the heart4 ,if this is the case1 as     
undoubtedly it is1 with those who are   
exclusively immersed even in the learned
 professions1 which require an exercise 
of thought1 and can be founded only on a
 long and cultivated education1 how much
 more must it be the case with those    
whose occupation is purely mechanical1  
and so trivial that it may be learned in
 a few days--as twirling a film1        
twisting a cotton1 dabbing a plate1 or  

drawing a cloth out of a vat8 ,such     
operatives are exposed1 at every period 
of their lives1 to the greatest evils   
which can debase humanity--uncertainty  
of subsistence and monotony of          
occupation4 ,their work is so simple1   
that any one can learn it in a few      
days--therefore they are exposed to     
competition with the whole labouring    
classes of the community2--it is so     
uniform1 that it neither requires1 nor  
is compatible with1 intellectual        
elevation--therefore it is speedily     
made1 by the effect of competition for  
such simple employment1 to engross their
 whole time4 ,mental improvement1 moral 
or religious cultivation1 are scarcely  
possible to any but the strongest minds 
united to the strongest bodies1 in the  
circumstances to which the working      
classes1 under such a system1 are       
speedily reduced4 ,if any one doubts    
this1 let him dig1 or hoe1 or walk along
 the road1 or trundle a hoop1 or bear a 
fowling-piece for twelve hours a-day    

without intermission1 save at breakfast 
and dinner1 and then see with what      
appetite he can take to moral or        
intellectual improvement when he comes  
in at night4  ,it is the deplorable     
effect of such a state of things1 that  
it tends not merely to perpetuate1 but  
increase1 the very evils from which it  
has arisen1 and reduce the working      
classes to that state1 wherein          
extrication from them is next to        
impossible4 ,under the pressure of the  
ceaseless desire to cheapen production  
and diminish the cost of manufacture1   
young persons of both sexes are huddled 
together into mills and factories1 at so
 early a period of life that they are   
scarcely fit to leave the nursery4 ,it  
has recently been found necessary to    
introduce a special statute to prohibit 
children being employed in print-fields 
in ,england under eight years of age4   
,they are so because they can at once   
earn sixpence or eightpence a-day by    
standing beside a wheel1 or watching a  

film of cotton which is discharged out  
of a machine2 and this cheap and        
infantine labour is equally attractive  
to the parents1 who thus discover in    
their offspring a source of income      
instead of a burden--and the            
manufacturer1 who finds his work done by
 little docile labourers1 too weak to   
engage in a strike1 and yet strong      
enough to do the work4 ,no exertion of  
strength is required1 at least none at  
any one moment1 in many of these        
occupations--though the work1 when long 
continued1 is to the last degree        
exhausting2 the steam-engine lifts all  
the weights and furnishes all the power4
 ,thus there is1 from the necessities   
and interests of all concerned1 a       
constant demand for juvenile labour2 and
 this demand speedily produces its own  
supply1 by promoting early marriages1 or
 fostering a swarm of bastards among    
persons thus thrown together1 at the    
period of life when the passions are the
 strongest1 with a total separation at  

all times1 save bed-time1 from that only
 school of virtue1 the parental home4   
,moral and intellectual cultivation is1 
,god be praised1 not rendered impossible
 in the more superior and industrious of
 the manufacturing operatives2 but it   
may be doubted whether the species of   
literature which is in general presented
 to them1 and unhappily proves most     
attractive1 either strengthens their    
minds1 or improves their happiness4     
,exciting novels1 such as those of      
,victor ,hugo1 ,janin1 ,sue1 and others 
of the class2 highly wrought pictures of
 the manners and vices of high life2    
horrible stories of seduction1 murder1  
and suicide1 such as compose so large a 
part of the modern romance school of    
,france2--are most sure of circulation  
among the working classes of great      
towns1 because they at once interest and
 excite the imagination4 ,they are read 
to the extent1 and for the reason1 that 
novels are so generally devoured by the 
young1 the imaginative1 and the indolent

 of both sexes in the higher ranks4 ,the
 poor operatives1 however1 have an      
excuse for the exclusive reading of such
 exciting inanities1 which does not     
belong to their higher fellow-citizens2 
they are so worn out by long-continued  
toil1 that they are unable to bear the  
fatigue of any kind of reading which    
requires application or reflection4     
,some1 no doubt1 are improved by works  
of a more elevated class1 which they    
contrive to purchase out of their       
savings1 and to devour during the brief 
period allowed them between labour and  
repose4 ,but their number is very small 
in comparison of the whole1 as is       
decisively proved by the limited number 
of booksellers' shops in the            
manufacturing towns1 compared to those  
which supply the means of sensual       
enjoyment4 ,it is seldom in such cities 
you will find one bookseller's shop for 
an hundred where beer or spirits are    
retailed4 ,many even of those who read  
are rather injured than improved1 both  

in their habits and their happiness1 by 
the mental cultivation they receive4    
,they contract exaggerated ideas of the 
enjoyment of riches1 and the avenues to 
distinction1 which may be opened by     
intellectual effort2 they become        
dissatisfied with the station in the    
world which ,providence has assigned    
them2 they strive to exchange bodily for
 intellectual toil2 and in the vain     
attempt to exchange their lot for a     
better one1 numbers are precipitated    
into difficulties1 crimes1 and ruin4    
,the social organization of trades in   
all the ,european cities during the     
middle ages1 was eminently favourable to
 the working classes2 and it was perhaps
 the greatest calamity that ever befell 
them1 that1 in the madness of democratic
 ambition1 they united with the master  
employers to pull down these            
institutions4 ,when each craft was      
organized in a little republic of its   
own1 with its office-bearers1 stated    
meetings1 funds for the indigent1 and   

exclusive privileges1 a gradation of    
ranks was created amidst the poor--a    
little aristocracy of industry1 which   
often proved itself capable of          
contending with the proudest aristocracy
 of land or riches4 ,the poor were not  
left alone2 the wrongs of individuals   
were taken up by their craft2 joint     
measures for the common behoof were     
pursued2 the dreadful feeling of        
isolation in the midst of a crowd was   
unknown2 all were enrolled under some   
banner1 or entered with some craft4     
,thus every one felt himself in a fixed 
and definite place in society2 he had   
privileges and advantages of a tangible 
kind to forfeit by losing it4 ,but when 
exclusive privileges1 crafts1 and       
incorporations1 were abolished1 amidst  
cries of joy and shouts of triumph from 
the whole popular party all over the    
world1 these inestimable blessings were 
lost4 ,the poor became a mixed          
indiscriminate multitude1 having no more
 coherence or power of resistance than a

 rope of sand4 ,they degenerated into a 
huge assembly of private soldiers       
without officers1 incapable either of   
organizing any thing for their own      
durable benefit1 or of resisting the    
progressive encroachments of capital1   
machinery1 and competition1 on the sole 
domain left them--the wages of their    
labour4 ,universally it has been found1 
that1 upon the abolition of             
incorporations and crafts1 the condition
 of the working classes has rapidly and 
fearfully changed for the worse4 ,the   
principle of free competition--of       
breaking down all barriers--allowing    
every one to elbow his neighbour out of 
employment1 and bringing every thing    
down to the lowest and cheapest         
level--has tended only to lower the     
wages of labour1 and aggravate the      
insecurity of the poor4 ,no one has a   
fixed or permanent station2 every thing 
is done for days' or weeks' wages2 and  
the penalty of dismissal is destitution1
 famine1 and a lingering death4 ,hence  

the constant complaint now on the part  
of the poor1 that they cannot get work2 
and the prodigious multitude of the     
lowest class who are constantly moving  
about1 seeking in one situation that    
employment they have lost in another4   
,this1 however1 is of all things the    
most fatal to their habits1 character1  
and prospects2 they get among people to 
whom they are total strangers1 who      
regard them with aversion as intruders1 
and are neither inclined to relieve     
their distresses1 nor to facilitate     
their advance in the world4 ,the most   
powerful check1 next to religion1 on    
human conduct--the opinion of           
friends--is lost on the very class who  
stand most in need of its control4      
,obscurity screens immorality from      
detection2 numbers shelter crime from   
punishment4 ,the temptations to vice    
multiply1 while the barriers against it 
are cut away4 ,the really good poor are 
invariably stationary2 moving about is  
as fatal to their habits as it is to    

those of children4 ,the free circulation
 of labour1 of which we hear so much    
from master employers and the           
,chrematists1 is often an advantage with
 a view to the creation of wealth1 or   
the sudden completion of great          
undertakings3 considered with reference 
to national morals1 happiness1 and      
ultimate safety1 it is one of the       
greatest curses which can befall a      
people4  ,it is a sense of the evils    
arising from this feeling of isolation  
amidst multitudes1 and the experienced  
inability of the poor1 all struggling   
against each other for subsistence1 to  
resist the progressive decline of their 
wages till they reach the lowest point  
consistent with the support of          
existence1 which has made the working   
classes in ,france and ,england of late 
years so generally embrace1 and make    
such incredible efforts to support1     
trades'-unions4 ,they have endeavoured1 
in so doing1 to regain that organization
 of crafts in separate classes and      

bodies1 which was overturned amidst the 
shouts of triumph consequent on the     
,french ,revolution4 ,but this attempt1 
so far from palliating the existing     
evils1 has had the greatest possible    
tendency to aggravate them2 for it has  
too often vested irresponsible power in 
hands wholly unfit to wield it4 ,perhaps
 the greatest1 the most wide-spread1 the
 most acute suffering endured by the    
labouring poor in ,great ,britain during
 the last thirty years1 has arisen from 
strikes4 ,nothing has tended so strongly
 to shake society to its centre2 to     
array the working classes against their 
employers2 to spread habits of          
recklessness1 violence1 and improvidence
 among them1 and alienate their natural 
supporters from them by the frightful   
crimes to which they have given rise4   
,foresight1 industry1 regularity of     
conduct1 frugality1 saving habits--those
 prime guardians of humble virtue--are  
out of the question when men are        
subjected to the tyranny of these       

dreadful1 popularly elected despots4    
,the last and only possession left to   
the poor--their own labour--is liable to
 be reft from them by the imperious     
commands of an unknown and irresponsible
 committee2 which1 elevated to          
importance by the public distress1 uses 
every means to prolong it1 by preventing
 a return to habits of regular industry4
 ,the suffering produced by the         
compulsory cessation from labour which  
these committees command1 often for an  
incredibly long period1 never could be  
borne but by men inflamed by the spirit 
of party1 and contending for what they  
ignorantly deem their best interests4   
,it equals all that we read of in heroic
 besieged towns1 enduring the           
extremities of famine before they submit
 to the besiegers4 ,the ,committee of   
,public ,salvation was often shaken by a
 scarcity of provisions in the capital1 
and never failed to tremble at the      
forests of pikes which1 when want became
 severe1 issued from the ,faubourg ,st  

,antoine2 but a trades'-union committee 
succeeds in compelling men1 by threats  
of the torch and the dagger1 to remain  
in idleness for months together1 and    
surrender their birthright and          
inheritance1 the support of themselves1 
the food of their children1 to the      
commands of an unknown power1 which     
retains them in the agonies of want till
 suffering nature can no longer endure4 
,the actual suffering resulting from    
this unparalleled tyranny1 while it     
continues1 is the least of its evils4 ,a
 far greater1 because more durable and  
irremediable calamity1 is to be found in
 the demoralizing of the poor1 by       
depriving them of occupation1 and       
dividing society1 by arraying whole     
classes against each other4  ,industry1 
during the feudal ages1 was often       
exposed to the most ruthless violence   
from the hand of power1 and men         
possessed scarce any security against   
the occasional oppression of arbitrary  
monarchs1 or the savage devastation of  

martial incursions4 ,but great as these 
political evils were1 it may be doubted 
whether they occasioned1 in the long    
run1 so serious an invasion on human    
happiness and the springs of human      
virtue1 as the social evils1 which1 on  
the cessation of these political        
disorders1 have1 unobserved1 insinuated 
themselves through society4 ,the annals 
of the middle ages are filled with the  
most heart-rending accounts of the      
outbreaks of savage violence to which   
the people were subjected2 and it       
appears impossible that society could   
ever have recovered the dreadful        
devastation to which it was frequently  
exposed4 ,yet it invariably did recover1
 and that1 too1 in an incredibly short  
space of time4 ,the ,crusades were the  
overflow of the full nations of ,europe1
 after two centuries of that apparently 
withering hostility4 ,we read of no such
 resurrection of national strength in   
,rome under the emperors after the      
devastations of the barbarians began2   

nor do we hear of any such after the    
oppression of the pachas and ages in    
,turkey and ,persia at this time4       
,superficial writers explain this by    
saying1 these nations are in their      
decline1 and the ,gothic nations1 during
 the feudal ages1 were in their youth4  
,but the human race is1 in all ages1    
equally young2 there are an equal number
 of young men in proportion to the      
population in every country and in every
 age4 ,the reason of the difference is1 
that social evils have arisen in the one
 case which were unknown in the         
other--they have spread and diffused    
their baneful influence4  ,the feudal   
institutions1 amidst all their want of  
protection against political violence or
 external oppression1 had one admirable 
quality1 which enabled society to bear  
up and advance under all these          
accumulated evils4 ,they conferred power
 and influence at home on those only who
 were interested in the welfare of the  
people4 ,the feudal baron1 at the head  

of his armed followers1 was doubtless   
always ready1 at the summons of his     
sovereign1 to perform his fifty days'   
military service1 or1 at the call of an 
injured clansman1 to make an inroad into
 the territories of a neighbouring but  
hostile feudatory2 but when he did so1  
he had nothing to depend upon but his   
own retainers1 serfs1 or followers4 ,if 
they were depressed1 starving1          
alienated1 or lukewarm1 he was lost2 he 
was defeated in the field1 and speedily 
besieged in his last stronghold4 ,thus1 
the most valuable element was           
universally diffused over society2 viz4 
a sense of mutual dependence1 and of the
 benefit each derived from the          
prosperity of his neighbours4 ,if the   
baron was weak or unsupported1 his      
vassals were liable to be plundered1 his
 serfs found themselves without bread4  
,if the vassals were oppressed1 the     
baron was undone3 instead of a          
formidable array of stout men-at-arms1  
sturdy archers1 and gallant spearmen1 to

 defend his domains1 he found himself   
followed only by a weak and feeble      
array1 giving awful evidence1 in the    
decisive moment1 of the ruinous effects 
of his disorderly or tyrannical         
government4 ,even the serfs were bound  
up with the prosperity of the little    
community4 ,if they were weakened by bad
 usage1 or driven from the domain by    
cruelty1 the fields were untilled1 the  
swine unherded1 the baron and vassals   
without bread4 ,thus it was the interest
 of all to stand by1 protect1 and spare 
each other4 ,each felt the consequences 
of the neglect of these social duties1  
in immediate1 and often irreparable     
injury to himself4 ,it was this         
experienced necessity of mutual         
forbearance and support1 which was the  
mainspring of social improvement during 
the feudal ages1 and enabled society so 
quickly to repair the chasm produced by 
the dreadful political evils to which it
 was occasionally exposed4 ,its spring  
of improvement and happiness was        

within--its evils were without4 ,we     
often read1 in the annals of those      
times1 of the unbounded plunder and     
devastation exercised by armed violence 
upon pacific industry1 and the great    
fortunes sometimes amassed by the robber
 chivalry1 by such predatory            
incursions4--,that is the most decisive 
proof of the presence of political1 and 
the absence of social evils4 ,the people
 must have been previously protected and
 prosperous1 or they could not have been
 worth plundering4 ,the annals of these 
times will transmit no account of       
fortunes made by pillaging or taxing the
 cotters of ,ireland1 the weavers of    
,paisley1 or the cotton-piecers of      
,manchester4  ,what rendered the feudal 
system in the end insupportable1 was the
 change of manners1 strengthening of    
government1 and cessation of private    
wars1 which left its evils1 and took    
away its blessings4 ,when the baron     
lived in rude plenty on his estate1     
surrounded by his followers1 respected  

by his vassals1 feared by his           
neighbours1 his presence was a benefit1 
his protection a blessing4 ,but when the
 central government had acquired such   
strength as to have stopped private     
warfare2 when standing armies had come  
to supersede the tumultuary feudal      
array1 and the thirst for luxury or     
office had attracted the nobles to the  
capital1 these blessings were at an end4
 ,the advantages of the feudal system   
had ceased with the removal of the evils
 it went so far to alleviate2 its       
burdens and restrictions remained1 and  
were felt as an insupportable restraint1
 without any corresponding benefit on   
the rising industry of the people4 ,the 
seigneur no longer was seen either at   
the chateau or in the village4 ,in his  
stead the bailiff made half-yearly      
visits to exact the rent or feudal      
services from vassals1 whose prosperity 
had ceased to be any object either of   
interest or solicitude to their lord4   
,whether they were rich or poor1 happy  

or miserable1 contented or repining1 was
 immaterial to him after he had ceased  
to reside in his castle1 and to be      
protected by his armed vassals4 ,the one
 thing needful was to pay their rents1  
or perform their services1 to maintain  
his extravagances2 and these were       
accordingly exacted with merciless      
severity4 ,thence the general oppression
 of the poor1 and universal outcry      
against the system1 which produced the  
,french ,revolution4  ,the powerful     
central government1 regular taxation1   
and large standing armies of modern     
,europe1 have removed the chief         
political evils which were at times felt
 with such dreadful severity during the 
middle ages2 but have they not          
introduced social evils of a still more 
pernicious and irretrievable character8 
,private wars have disappeared2 we no   
longer hear of chateaux burnt1 fields   
ravaged1 or serfs massacred1 in         
pursuance of the deadly feuds of hostile
 barons4 ,war has become a separate     

profession2 military service is no      
longer required from the rural tenants2 
the undivided attention of industry is  
permitted to be directed to pacific     
pursuits4 ,the ravages of hostility1 and
 the destruction of conquest1 have been 
diminished in amount1 and greatly       
alleviated in severity4 ,taxes levied on
 the whole community1 have superseded   
the necessity1 save in extreme cases1 of
 ruinous exactions from individuals2 war
 is often felt rather as a stimulus to  
industry by its expenditure1 than a     
blight to it from its contributions4 ,it
 is the influence of these              
circumstances1 joined to the protection 
of a regular government1 and the        
unbounded stimulus of general freedom1  
which have given so marvellous an       
impulse to the prosperity of modern     
,europe and rendered the ,british       
,empire in particular1 where their      
fostering tendency has been most        
strongly felt1 the admiration1 the      
terror1 and the envy of the world4  ,but

 in lieu of the political oppression and
 military exactions which1 in former    
days1 were felt as so disastrous1 a host
 of social evils have sprung up1 and are
 rapidly spreading their baneful        
influence through every class of        
society1 to such an extent as to render 
it doubtful whether their effect will   
not ultimately be to uproot society1 and
 destroy the whole states of modern     
,europe4 ,these effects have taken place
 amidst general peace and apparent      
general prosperity2 at a time when      
wealth was accumulating with unheard-of 
rapidity1 and knowledge was diffused to 
an unprecedented extent4 ,law was       
regularly administered2 illegal acts    
generally checked2 foreign hostility    
averted2 domestic oppression removed1 or
 softened4 ,the ,chrematists were in    
exultation2 production was every day    
becoming cheaper2 exports and imports in
 consequence increasing2 and all the    
external symptoms of the highest        
prosperity1 according to the doctrine of

 the wealth of nations1 in the most     
flourishing state4 ,but all these       
blessings have been neutralized1 and a  
large portion of the community          
precipitated into the most woful        
degradation1 by the operation of the    
very causes which have produced this    
vast increase of wealth1 and its        
astonishing accumulation in the hands of
 the commercial community4 ,the         
incessant efforts to lessen the cost of 
production have beat down the wages of  
labour1 in many departments1 to the     
lowest point2 the strenuous exertions   
made to facilitate cheaper importation1 
have reduced the remuneration of        
domestic industry to the lowest point   
consistent with its existence4          
,incredible have been the efforts made  
by all classes to counterbalance by     
additional industry this disastrous     
progress2 but the only effect of these  
efforts has been to augment the evil    
complained of1 by increasing the        
necessity for exertion1 and augmenting  

the mass of productions with which      
society is flooded4 ,production in every
 line has come1 in ordinary times1 to   
outstrip consumption4 ,machinery has    
quadrupled its power2 gorged markets are
 constantly complained of as depriving  
industry of its just1 and often of any  
reward at all4 ,society has become a    
great gambling-house1 in which colossal 
fortunes are made by a few1 and the     
great majority are turned adrift        
penniless1 friendless1 to destitution1  
ruin1 or suicide4 ,the condition of a   
considerable portion of the             
working-classes has1 in this terrible   
strife1 generally been wofully changed  
for the worse4 ,brief periods of high   
prices1 which induce habits of          
extravagance among them1 are succeeded  
by long seasons of distress1 which      
spread the reality of woe4 ,in the      
desperate effort made to extend the     
foreign market1 by cheapening           
production1 nearly all the kindly       
relations of life have been snapped     

asunder4 ,the operative is unknown to   
the master-employer2 he is turned off at
 a moment's warning into a cold world1  
in which he can find no other           
employment4 ,the tenant is too often    
unknown to the landlord2 or1 at least1  
strangers are constantly brought on the 
land4 ,the labourer1 even1 is unknown to
 the farmer2 his place can always be    
supplied by a stranger1 ready1 probably1
 to work for less wages1 because in     
greater distress4 ,every thing is put up
 to auction1 and sold to the highest    
bidder4 ,labour only is awarded to the  
lowest4  ,a nation which has surrendered
 its government to the commercial       
classes1 and at the same time has a     
large population and considerable       
territorial possessions1 cannot fail to 
incur ruin if their rule is long        
continued4 ,the reason is1 that their   
interest is adverse to that of the most 
numerous1 important1 and valuable       
classes of society2 and they never cease
 to prosecute that interest till they   

have destroyed them4 ,to import largely 
is for their interest2 therefore1 they  
promote all measures tending to favour  
the introduction of foreign productions1
 though their effect must be to depress1
 and in the end extinguish1 native      
industry4 ,they would have the people   
pay for these imports by enlarged       
exports2 in other words1 they would     
convert society into a mere appendage of
 the trading classes4 ,to enlarge these 
exports1 they make the most strenuous   
effort in every possible way to cheapen 
production--that is1 to lower the wages 
of labour4 ,their idea of a perfect     
society is one in which the labouring   
classes are reduced to the rank of mere 
attendants on machines1 because that is 
the cheapest form of production4 ,they  
would have them attend on these machines
 at sixpence or ninepence a-day1 live   
chiefly on potatoes1 and eat no bread   
but what is imported in foreign vessels1
 and from foreign countries1 because    
they are cheaper than their own4 ,in    

this way both exports and imports would 
be elevated to the highest pitch2 for   
the main part of the national food would
 figure in the imports1 and the main    
part of national labour in the exports4 
,mercantile business would come to      
supersede every other--it alone would be
 attended with any profit4 ,meanwhile1  
domestic industry would languish and    
decline--the home market would be       
destroyed--the rural population1 the    
main stay of a nation1 gradually        
withered away and wasted4 ,poverty and  
misery would weaken and alienate the    
working classes2 and1 amidst a constant 
increase of exports and imports1 and    
growth of commercial wealth1 the nation 
would be destroyed4  ,this is no        
imaginary picture4 ,the ruin of the     
,roman empire in ancient1 the desolation
 of the ,campagna of ,rome in modern    
times1 are permanent proofs of its      
reality4  ,it is generally said that    
slavery was the devouring cancer which  
destroyed the ,roman ,empire1 and thence

 it is concluded by the ,chrematists    
that1 as we have no slaves1 we can never
 be ruined like them4 ,they forget that 
the reality of slavery may exist1 and   
its evils remain1 although its name has 
been expunged from the statute book4 ,it
 is always to be recollected that       
slavery existed to just as great an     
extent in the most flourishing as in the
 decaying periods of the ,roman         
dominion--in the days of ,scipio and    
,caesar1 as in those of ,constantine or 
,honorius4 ,cato was a great dealer in  
slaves4 ,he was especially careful to   
sell his slaves when they became old1   
lest1 when worn out1 they should become 
chargeable4 ,the republic was brought to
 the brink of ruin an hundred years     
before the birth of ,christ by the      
,servile ,war2 yet1 with that devouring 
cancer in its intestines1 it afterwards 
conquered the world4 ,it was not        
slavery1 but the combination of slavery 
with free-trade and vast patrician and  
commercial wealth1 which really brought 

ruin on the ancient world4 ,verumque    
confitentibus1 says ,pliny1 latifundia  
perdidere ,italiam3 jam vero et         
provincias4 ,it was the accumulation of 
patrician revenue and commercial wealth 
in the capital1 when the provinces were 
cultivated only by slaves1 and the      
gradual extinction of ,italian          
agriculture by the introduction of      
,egyptian and ,lybian grain1 where it   
could be raised cheaper than in the     
,italian fields1 because money was less 
plentiful in the impoverished           
extremities than in the gorged centre of
 the ,empire1 which was the real cause  
of its ruin4 ,the free race of ,italian 
cultivators1 the strength of the        
legions1 disappeared before the fleets  
which wafted cheap grain from the banks 
of the ,nile and the shores of ,africa  
to the ,tiber4 ,thence the impoverishing
 of the small freeholders--the buying up
 of all small freeholds by the great    
families--the extinction of grain       
culture in ,italy--the managing of the  

huge estates into which the country was 
parcelled1 in pasture cultivation1 by   
means of slaves--the disappearance of   
,italian free-husbandmen--and the ruin  
of the ,empire4 ,so rich was the capital
 when it fell1 that ,ammianus           
,marcellinus has recorded1 that when    
,alaric appeared before ,rome1 it       
contained within its walls seventeen    
hundred and fifty great families1 many  
of whom had estates1 almost entirely in 
pasturage1 which yielded them what was  
equivalent1 in ,english money1 to one   
hundred and sixty thousand pounds       
sterling of yearly rent4  ,to the same  
cause is to be ascribed the continued   
desolation of the ,campagna of ,rome in 
modern times4 ,slavery has disappeared2 
but the curse of an unlimited and       
extraordinary supply of foreign grain to
 the ,tiber still continues1 and chains 
the proprietors of the ,agro ,romano to 
pasturage as the only means of          
profitable cultivation4 ,travellers are 
never weary of expressing their         

astonishment at the desolation which    
comes up to the very gates of ,rome1 as 
of ,constantinople2 but a very simple   
cause explains it in both4 ,it is more  
profitable to keep the land in pasturage
 than to lay it out in grain            
cultivation1 by reason of the deluge of 
foreign grain raised in semi-barbarous  
countries1 with which the capital is    
flooded4 ,from official documents laid  
before the ,papal ,government1 which    
made the most anxious and minute        
enquiries into this subject1 it appears 
that #hjjj crowns laid out in           
agriculture in the ,campagna of ,rome1  
at the prices of ,rome1 would bring in a
 profit of only #cj crowns a-year2 while
 the same sum laid out on pasturage of  
sheep on the same land1 would bring in  
#aigb crowns4 ,it is not surprising1 in 
these circumstances1 that the ,campagna 
remains in grass4#e  ,the cause of this 
extraordinary state of things is to be  
found1 not in any peculiar adaptation of
 the ,campagna to grass cultivation2 for

 the land is1 generally1 of the most    
extraordinary fertility1 and in former  
times1 in the infancy of ,rome1         
literally speaking every rood had its   
man4 ,the cause1 and the sole cause1 is 
to be found in the constant low price of
 grain in the capital1 and the purchase 
of the whole of its supply from foreign 
states4 ,the ,papal ,government         
inherited from its ,imperial predecessor
 the habit1 and the necessity1 of making
 periodical distributions of grain1 at a
 cheap rate1 to the people4 ,the people 
inherited1 from the lazy successors of  
the conquerors of the world1 the habit  
of looking to the public stores for     
cheap distributions of food1 as those of
 ,paris did during the ,revolution4     
,government1 elective1 weak1 without any
 armed force1 and in the hands of       
priests1 had not courage to incur the   
present hazard consequent on a departure
 from this ruinous system2 and they     
bought their grain1 of course1 where    
they could get it cheapest--in ,egypt1  

,odessa1 and the ,levant4 ,the banks of 
the ,volga are to modern1 what those of 
the ,nile were to ancient ,rome4 ,the   
,campagna has been chained to sterility 
and desolation by the same cause in     
modern as in ancient times--under the   
,popes as the ,emperors4 ,so far has    
this evil gone1 that in #agig1 when the 
,papal ,government was overturned by the
 ,french1 the ,casa ,annonaria of the   
,apostolic ,chamber1 or ,board of       
,public ,subsistence1 exhibited a       
deficit of #c1bic1jjj crowns1           
7,l#fde1jjj17 incurred in retailing     
bread to the people cheaper than they   
could purchase it even in the cheapest  
foreign markets4#f  ,the ,campagna of   
,rome is the great type of the state to 
which the doctrine of the ,chrematists  
would reduce the states of modern       
,europe4 ,agriculture1 ruined by the    
perpetual curse of foreign importation2 
urban industry alone flourishing by the 
stimulus of foreign export2 vast        
fortunes accumulated in the hands of a  

few merchants and great proprietors2    
constant distress among the labouring   
poor2 all the symptoms of prosperity in 
the cities--all the marks of decay in   
the country2 luxury the most unbounded1 
side by side with penury the most       
pinching2 an overflow of wealth which   
cannot find employment1 in one class of 
society2 a mass of destitution that     
seeks in vain for work1 in another2 a   
middle class daily diminishing in number
 and declining in importance1 between   
the two extremes2 and government1 under 
the influence of popular institutions1  
yielding to all the demands of the      
opulent class1 because it gives money3  
and deaf to all the cries of the        
impoverished1 because they can only ask 
for bread4 ,the name of slavery is      
indeed abolished in ,western ,europe1   
but is its reality1 are its evils1 not  
present8 ,have we not retained its      
fetters1 its restraints1 its            
degradations1 without its obligation to 
support8 ,are not the ,english factory  

children often practically in a worse   
servitude than in the ,eastern harem8   
,if the men are not ascripti glebae1 are
 they not ascripti molinis ac           
carbonariis8 ,what trade can a factory  
girl or coal-mine child take to1 if     
thrown out of employment8 ,the master   
cannot flog them1 or bring then back by 
force to his workshop4 ,mighty          
difference6 ,he can starve them if they 
leave it3 he chains them to their mills 
by the invincible bond of necessity4    
,they have the evils of slavery without 
its advantages4 ,can1 or ought1 such a  
state of things long continue8 ,whether 
this is descriptive of the state of     
society in ,france and ,england1 let    
those determine who are familiar with   
the people of either of these countries4
  ,such are ,sismondi's political views1
 which are enforced in the volumes      
before us by a vast array of historical 
and statistical facts1 which1 as well as
 the deservedly acknowledged talent and 
character of the writer1 entitle them to

 the highest respect1 and render then of
 the deepest interest4 ,that they are   
important if true1 as the ,americans    
say1 no one will deny3 that they are of 
immediate and pressing application to   
the state of society in the ,british    
islands1 none acquainted with it1       
especially in the manufacturing         
districts1 will be so bold as to        
dispute4 ,we have deemed it best to give
 an abstract of his opinions and        
principles in a condensed form1 in      
preference to quoting individual        
passages1 because he expands his ideas  
so much1 that the latter course would   
have enabled us to give only a limited  
number of his views4 ,those who will    
take the trouble to turn to the original
 volumes1 will find every sentence in   
the preceding abstract enforced and     
illustrated at least a dozen times in   
this most able and original work4 ,that 
we consider his ideas as in the main    
just1 and his anticipations too likely  
to prove well-founded1 may be inferred  

from the pains we have taken to form a  
digest of them in the preceding pages4  
,we only hope that1 though he possibly  
has not much exaggerated the social     
evils which now threaten society1 he has
 not given their due weight to the many 
alleviating or corrective causes which1 
in a free1 religious1 and moral         
community1 are constantly called into   
activity when society has come to       
require their operation4 ,sismondi says1
 though he has been enforcing these     
principles for twenty years1 he has     
found few converts to his opinion in    
,france2 and that he does not think he  
would have found one1 if the ,english   
,parliamentary ,reports had not afforded
 decisive evidence of the existence of  
many of these social evils amidst       
unbounded commercial prosperity and the 
highest political power in ,great       
,britain4 ,the social evils which       
destroyed ,rome1 he reminds us1 were in 
full activity during the eighty years of
 the splendid1 pacific1 and wise rule of

 the ,antonines2 the most happy1 to     
external appearance1 which the world    
ever knew4 ,their baneful influence     
appeared at once1 when political dangers
 commenced with the accession of        
,commodus4 ,these doctrines are not the 
less likely to be true that they are    
contrary to general opinion1 that they  
run counter to many important interests1
 that they are incapable of present     
application1 that they are adverse to   
the policy of the rulers of the state4  
,government rules men1 but ,providence  
rules government1 and will in the end   
assert its supremacy1 and right the     
moral evils of mankind1 or punish the   
sins of nations4     ,,my ,,first ,,spec
 ,,in ,,the ,,biggleswades4   ,my uncle1
 ,scipio ,dodger1 was one of the most   
extraordinary men of the age4 ,figure to
 yourself a short1 stout1 and rather    
pot-bellied individual1 with keen eyes  
moving in a perpetual twinkle1 a mouth  
marked at the corners with innumerable  
tiny wrinkles1 hair of the shortest and 

most furzy white1 scant at the front1   
but gathered behind into a pig-tail     
about the size of a cigar2 and you have 
a fair full-length portrait of my       
avuncular relative4 ,my father1 in early
 years1 had married an ,american        
lady--,i must own it--a ,pennsylvanian1 
and uncle ,scipio was her brother4 ,i   
was the only fruit of that union1 and at
 an early age was left an orphan in     
circumstances of sufficient             
embarrassment4 ,a mere accident saved me
 from being shipped off to ,america like
 a parcel of cotton goods4 ,uncle ,scip1
 who was left my guardian1 had some     
transaction which required his personal 
attendance at ,liverpool4 ,he set foot  
for the first time on the old           
country--calculated that it was an      
almighty fine location--guessed that a  
spry hand might do a good streak of     
business there2 and1 in short1 finally  
repudiated ,america1 as coolly as       
,america has since repudiated her       
engagements4 ,he would settle down to no

 fixed trade or profession2 but1 as he  
possessed a considerable capital1 he    
entered into the field of speculation4  
,never1 perhaps1 was there a man better 
qualified by nature for success in that 
usually dangerous game4 ,his powers and 
readiness of calculation were           
unequalled--his information quite       
startling1 from its extent and          
accuracy--his fore-sight1 a gift like   
prophecy4 ,i verily believe he never    
lost a single shilling in any one of the
 numerous schemes in which he was       
engaged2 what he made1 ,i have private  
reasons for keeping to myself4 ,if the  
apostolic order against taking scrip is 
to be considered in a literal sense1    
,scipio was a frightful defaulter4 ,he  
scampered out of one railway into       
another like a rabbit perambulating a   
warren1 and was the wonder of the       
brokers and the glory of the ,stock     
,exchange4 ,men perverted his ,roman    
prefix1 and knew him solely by the      
endearing appellation of old ,scripio4  

,to me1 who was his only living         
relative1 ,mr ,dodger supplied the place
 of a parent4 ,he placed me at school   
and college1 gave me as good an         
education and liberal allowance as ,i   
required1 and came down regularly once  
a-year to ,scotland1 to see how ,i was  
getting on4 ,scripio1 though he never   
failed to taunt the ,scotch with their  
poverty1 was1 in reality1 very partial  
to that nation2 he had a high opinion of
 their 'cuteness and reputation for     
driving a good bargain1 and--somewhat   
incongruously1 for he was a thorough    
democrat--piqued himself on his         
connexion with my family1 which was old 
enough in all conscience1 but as poor1  
in my particular case1 as if ,i had been
 the lineal descendant of ,lazarus4 ,in 
fact1 all my patrimony was the sum of a 
thousand pounds1 firmly secured over    
land1 and not available until ,i came of
 age--a circumstance which frequently   
elicited tornadoes of wrath from uncle  
,dodger1 who swore that1 if he had got  

the management of it1 he could have     
multiplied it tenfold4 ,subsequent      
events have convinced me that he was    
perfectly right4  ,be that as it may1 ,i
 was ultimately called to the ,scottish 
bar1 and entered upon my profession with
 the same zeal1 promptitude1 and        
success1 which are exhibited by1 and    
attend three-fourths of the unhappy     
young gentlemen who select that school  
of jurisprudence4 ,i appeared punctually
 in the ,parliament ,house at nine1     
cravatted1 wigged1 and gowned1 to a     
nicety2 took my prescribed exercise1 of 
at least ten miles per diem1 on the     
boards2 talked scandal with my brethren1
 7when we could get it17 and invented   
execrable jokes2 lounged at stove and   
library2 wrote lampoons against the     
seniors2 and1 in short1 went through the
 whole curriculum expected from a rising
 votary of ,themis4 ,i followed the law 
diligently2 but1 somehow or other1 ,i   
could never overtake it4 ,the agents in 
,edinburgh must be a remarkably slow    

set1 for they never would appreciate my 
merits4 ,at the close of two years1 a   
decree in absence1 and a claim in a     
multiplepoinding1 remained the sole     
trophies of my legal renown4  ,one day  
,i was surprised in my study by a visit 
from uncle ,scripio1 who had just       
arrived from ,liverpool4 ,i was reading 
a novel 7none of ,justinian's7 at the   
moment1 and hastily shoved it into my   
desk4 ,after the usual congratulations  
were over1 the aged file took a rapid   
survey of the apartment1 which          
fortunately was in tolerable order1     
glanced curiously at a pile of legal    
papers1 procured--shall ,i confess      
it8--from my friend ,cotton1 the eminent
 tobacconist of ,prince's ,street1      
uttered a hem1 in which incredulity     
seemed mingled with satisfaction1 and   
then1 having been supplied with a       
tumbler of sherry and ginger-beer--a    
compound which he particularly          
affected--he commenced the work of      
inquisition4  ,well1 ,fred1 my boy1 how 

goes it8 ,slick1 eh8 ,lots of clients   
coming in1 ,i suppose8 ,you must be     
driving a pretty smart trade to judge by
 them 'ere bundles4  ,pretty well2 ,i   
replied1 when my standing at the bar is 
considered1 ,i have no great reason to  
complain4  ,the old fellow looked at me 
with so quizzical an expression1 that ,i
 could hardly play the hypocrite longer4
  ,i'll trouble you for that packet1 he 
said2 and1 remorselessly clutching a    
bundle made up with red tape to resemble
 a process1 he took out a written       
pleading1 to which the signature of a   
counsel1 now ten years in the grave1 was
 appended4  ,what a devil of a time     
these lawsuits last6 remarked ,mr       
,dodger1 unfolding another document4    
,worse and worse6 ,it was the juvenile  
production of a judge in the            
,inner-,house4 ,i had nothing for it but
 to make a clean breast4  ,the fact is1 
my dear uncle1 said ,i1 these papers are
 just part of the furniture of a        
lawyer's room4 ,it would never do1 you  

know1 to have an empty table1 if an     
agent should happen to come in2 but the 
real truth of the matter is1 that the   
only agents ,i know are lads with as    
little business as myself1 who sometimes
 look in of an evening to solace        
themselves with a cigar4  ,i knew it1   
,fred--,i knew it6 said ,scripio1       
rubbing his hands1 as if he thought it a
 remarkably good joke2 there are tricks 
in all trades1 my boy1 and the ,american
 blood will break out4 ,but you can't do
 for me1 though1 you cunning young      
villain4 ,oh no6 though you wanted to   
try it on4 ,and he chuckled as heartily 
as any of ,mr ,dickens' characters in   
the ,christmas ,carol4  ,so you ar'n't  
making a farthing1 ,freddy8 he resumed2 
,i'm glad of it4 ,you'll never grease   
your coach-wheels here4 ,where's the    
thousand pounds that were lent over the 
,invertumblers estate8  ,mr ,constat1   
the agent of old ,m',alcohol1 paid it to
 me about three months ago1 replied ,i1 
rather astonished at the question1 which

 seemed to have no connexion with the   
former subject4 ,i have put it into the 
,national ,bank4  ,two per cent8        
,pshaw--trash6 said my uncle4 ,here1    
look at this2 and he shoved a printed   
paper into my hands4  ,it was headed1   
,prospectus of the ,grand ,union        
,biggleswade1 ,puddockfield1 and        
,pedlington ,railway1 in #ej1jjj shares 
of ,l#bj each4 ,deposit ,l#a on each    
share4 ,if the line had run through the 
garden of ,eden1 supposing that place to
 have furnished a large passenger       
traffic besides agricultural produce1   
with ,london at one terminus and ,pekin 
at the other1 the description could not 
have been more flattering than that     
which ,i perused4 ,nature seemed to have
 lavished all her blessings upon        
,biggleswade1 ,puddockfield1 and the    
country thereunto adjacent2 in short1 ,i
 never recollect so flattering a        
picture1 with one solitary exception    
drawn by my friend ,frizzle1 who had    
stuck twenty pounds into some railway in

 a mineral district4 ,when we recollect1
 said ,bob in a burst of poetical       
frenzy1 the enormous population of the  
district1 the softness and geniality of 
the climate1 and the fairy aspect of its
 scenery--when we think of the varied   
traffic which now chokes up the ordinary
 avenues of industry--when we estimate  
the inexhaustible beds of ore and       
minerals1 absolutely heaving themselves 
from the ground1 as though to entreat   
the aid of man in adapting them to their
 proper destination2--when we consider  
all these things1 ,i say1 and finally   
combine them together1 fancy closes her 
astonished eyes1 and even imagination   
swoons6 ,i will not say that the writer 
of the ,biggleswade prospectus was as   
soaring a genius as ,bob2 but he was    
quite enough of a ,claude to seduce the 
investing public4 ,i forget what amount 
of return he promised1 but it was       
something hitherto unheard of1 and my   
mouth watered as ,i read4  ,that's the  
spec6 said my uncle ,dodger4 ,sit down  

and write me an order for your thousand4
  ,eh1 uncle--for the whole8 said ,i    
somewhat aghast4  ,every sixpence4      
,there--that will do1 and ,mr ,dodger   
disappeared with the cheque4  ,to say   
the truth1 ,i was not quite pleased with
 this proceeding2 for although ,i had   
confidence in my uncle's sagacity1 it   
was decidedly a serious thing to hazard 
one's whole patrimony on a speculation  
which might1 so far as ,i knew1 be as   
visionary as the ,aerial ,machine4      
,however1 my constitutional carelessness
 very speedily relieved me of all       
anxiety4 ,i went out to balls and       
steeple-chases as formerly1 attended the
 ,house pro forma in the mornings1 and  
messed three times a-week with the      
cavalry at ,piershill4 ,the pace1       
indeed1 was rather rapid1 but then ,i   
had a strong constitution4  ,for three  
or four weeks ,i saw little of my       
respected uncle4 ,he had--heaven knows  
how--got himself affiliated to one of   
the clubs1 and sat half the day in the  

reading-room1 poring over the ,railway  
,journals and the ,money-market article 
in the ,times4 ,he played whist of an   
evening on a system peculiar to himself1
 and levied a very fair contribution    
from the pockets of certain country     
gentlemen1 who piqued themselves on     
understanding the antiquated tactics of 
,major ,a42 but never had the fortune   
before to measure trumps with an        
,american4 ,on the whole1 he appeared   
remarkably comfortable and contented4   
,one morning ,i was honoured with an    
early domiciliary visit4 ,fred1 said my 
uncle1 put up half-a-dozen shirts and a 
tooth-brush4 ,we start for ,liverpool   
this evening4  ,this evening6 said ,i in
 amazement4 ,impossible1 my dear sir6   
,only reflect--the ,session is not over 
yet1 and what would become of my        
business if ,i were to levant without   
notice8  ,i'll insure all your losses   
for a pound-note4 ,tell them you've got 
business elsewhere3 ,i daresay a good   
many of the old hands are up to that    

trick already4  ,but my                 
engagements--persisted ,i4 ,there's ,mrs
 ,m',crinoline's ball on ,tuesday1 and  
,lady ,m',loup's the week after--really1
 uncle1 ,i don't see how ,i can possibly
 get away4  ,do you wish to make your   
fortune1 sir8  ,undoubtedly4  ,then do  
as ,i bid you4 ,get up and shave1 and in
 the mean time ,i'll look after         
breakfast4  ,there was nothing for it   
but obedience1 so ,i rose and polished  
my outer man4 ,mr ,scripio was          
apparently in high feather and          
digestion4 ,he put the finishing stroke 
to what had once been a prize mutton    
ham1 and dug as diligently into a pot of
 marmalade as though he expected to find
 a layer of doubloons at the bottom4 ,to
 my amazement1 he dedicated his last cup
 of coffee as a special bumper to the   
health of the ,noble ,president of the  
,board of ,trade4  ,what's in the wind  
now8 thought ,i4 ,uncle1 have you any   
thing dependent before ,parliament8     
,perhaps you want a junior counsel for a

 bill4  ,confound ,parliament6 said the 
irreverent ,columbian2 ,i don't care a  
cent more for it than ,i do for         
,congress4 ,the ,board of ,trade's the  
thing for my money6 ,that's your        
constitutional tribunal--close-fitting  
boxes and ,bramah locks--no humbug      
there6 ',zooks1 won't we smash old      
,jobson after all6 and ,scripio neighed 
like a ,shetland pony at its first      
introduction to oats--all the while     
helping himself to a caulker of genuine 
,glenlivat4  ,we set off in the         
afternoon accordingly1 and next morning 
arrived at ,liverpool4 ,our stay there  
was very short4 ,i was led captive to   
the ,exchange1 and hurried into a       
stockbroker's office in an obscure alley
 behind4 ,the ,plutus of this den1 an   
old bald-pated gentleman1 in a blue coat
 and drab terminations1 started up from 
his seat as we entered1 with more       
manifestations of respect than would    
have welcomed the avatar of the ,cham of
 ,tartary4 ,two consumptive clerks      

looked up with awe as they heard their  
master pronounce the venerated name of  
,dodger4 ,it was clear that my uncle was
 well-known and appreciated here--his   
mere patronymic acted as a species of   
talisman4  ,we were conducted into an   
inner sanctum1 where1 having nothing    
else to do1 ,i betook myself to the     
study of a map of ,england1 where lines 
of railway already laid down in black1  
and projected ones in red1 intersected  
the surface as closely as veins and     
arteries in an anatomical preparation4  
,mean time1 the two seniors entered into
 a deep1 and apparently interesting     
conversation1 the purport of which ,i   
did not very clearly understand4  ,how's
 ,dovers8 asked my uncle4  ,up4 ,forty  
to forty-two ex div41 replied the       
broker4  ,sell sixty4 ,bumpton          
,watfords8  ,rather better this morning4
  ,good6 said ,scripio1 evidently       
gratified by the amendment of the       
interesting convalescent4 ,what's doing 
in the ,slushpool ,docks8  ,heavy1      

replied the broker4 ,there's been a     
forced sale or two1 but they won't go   
up4  ,i should think not1 said ,scripio4
 ,have you bought me these forty        
,jamaicas8  ,i started at the           
prodigality of the order4 ,heaven and   
earth6 thought ,i1 can this uncle of    
mine be a kind of occidental ,aladdin8  
,after this1 ,i should not be surprised 
to hear him bid for ,texas and the      
,oregon territory6  ,i've got them1 said
 the broker quietly2 they are going up  
without steam4 ,have you got any        
,biggleswades8  ,yes1 said my uncle1    
what about them8 ,no screw loose1 eh8   
,sure to pass the standing orders1 ,i   
hope8  ,all right1 said the broker1 hold
 for the bill1 and you'll make a good   
thing of it4  ,well1 then1 said my      
uncle1 that's all1 and we're off4 ,i'll 
write you from ,london about other      
matters4 ,good-day1--and we sallied into
 the street4  ,fred1 you dog6 said ,mr  
,dodger in high glee1 you've put your   
teeth into it this time4  ,into what1   

sir8 asked ,i1 very innocently4 ,if you 
mean luncheon1 ,i'm sure ,i should have 
no objections4  ,oh come6 none of that  
humbug4 ,i mean the ,biggleswades4      
,there hasn't been such a catch in      
,britain since the opening of the       
,coal-hill ,junction4  ,i'm devilish    
glad to hear it1 said ,i1 with a vague  
kind of general impression that ,i was  
going to make money1 though ,i could not
 well tell how1 and a fixed             
determination1 since ,i had got my teeth
 in1 to take as large a bite as         
possible1 though1 with regard to the    
process of mastication1 ,i was just as  
ignorant as a baby4 ,that afternoon we  
set off for ,wales1 and next day arrived
 at one of the most extraordinary       
households1 in the southern extremity of
 the principality1 which it ever was my 
fortune to visit4  ,the house was large 
and spacious1 indeed a masterpiece of   
architecture1 and probably had been     
built in the time of ,charles the       
,second4 ,it stood upon the slope of a  

hill1 and immediately below were a      
succession of terraces1 with walks of   
smooth green turf1 and exotic shrubs1   
which in summer must be most luxuriant4 
,it was winter when ,i visited at       
,mervyn ,hall1 but1 even then1 the      
terraces were beautiful4 ,every tree and
 spray was coated with armour of clear  
crystalline ice1 except the thick old   
yew-hedge at the bottom1 which kept its 
coat of dark perennial green4 ,the ,hall
 commanded the prospect of a large and  
fertile valley1 diversified by wood and 
domain1 tower and village spire2 and in 
more than one place1 a pillar of smoke1 
curling lazily upwards1 marked the      
situation of a famous forge1 or         
foundery4 ,it was1 in fact1 one of the  
great iron districts1 though you        
scarcely could have believed so by day2 
but at night1 fire after fire seemed to 
burst out all down the reach of the     
valley2 and probably years had gone by  
since the smallest of these was         
quenched4 ,it is not often that nature  

lavishes her beauty and her wealth so   
prodigally upon the selfsame spot4      
,uncle ,scripio strode into the house   
with the air of a proprietor4 ,i am not 
sure that he had not some interest in   
the concern1 for ,mervyn ,hall was a    
kind of mystery to the neighbours4 ,we  
were shown into a handsome apartment    
lined with black oak1 where a regiment  
of cavaliers might have dined with both 
credit and satisfaction2 but times had  
altered1 and the banqueting-hall was now
 put to different uses4 ,on two sofas   
and a table lay a pile of maps and      
plans1 sufficient1 according to my      
limited comprehension1 for a survey of  
the whole world4 ,then there was an     
ingenious model of a suspension bridge1 
where a railway of white-painted cord   
spanned a valley of undulating putty1   
with a stream in the centre1 which bore 
evident marks of being ravished from a  
fractured looking-glass4 ,bundles of    
thick clumsy sticks--they might be      
instruments--with brass knobs at the    

top1 like the morgenstern of a          
,norwegian watchman1 were huddled into  
the corners4 ,there was a grievous hole 
in the centre of the carpet2 and several
 but-ends of cigars scattered on the    
mantelpiece1 showed me very clearly that
 female domination was not acknowledged 
by the inhabitants of ,mervyn ,hall4    
,our host1 ,mr ,ginger1 received us with
 great cordiality1 and a flagon of      
superior ale4 ,there are worse things   
under the skirts of ,plinlimmon than the
 ancient cwrw of the ,cymry4 ,in five   
minutes the two gentlemen were deep in  
the discussion of certain disputed      
gradients1 and my jaws were on the very 
verge of dislocation1 when uncle        
,scripio1 good-naturedly suggested that 
,i might retire to another apartment4   
,how many of the lads have you here just
 now1 ,ginger8 ,i think ,freddy had     
better step in and make their           
acquaintance4  ,mr ,ginger looked rather
 sour4 ,there's ,gordon and ,mackinnon  
working at the estimates1 and ,william  

,cutts writing out the notices4 ,i'm    
afraid they'll be disturbed4  ,no fear  
of that1 said ,i1 too glad to make my   
escape on any terms2 and accordingly1   
without further ceremony1 ,i entered the
 adjoining study4  ,mr ,gordon1 the     
senior engineer1 as a sinewy-limbed     
fellow of some three-and-thirty1 whose  
countenance and complexion bore         
satisfactory evidence of a pure         
,caledonian extraction4 ,he was         
considered by his scientific brethren as
 a kind of engineering ,robert the      
,devil1 having performed various feats  
with the theodolite which were the      
marvel of the whole fraternity4 ,if any 
old gentleman was foolish enough to     
object to a proposed line on account of 
its traversing his garden or preserve1  
or invading the sanctity of his         
pig-stys1 ,gordon was instantly sent    
for4 ,no sooner were the stars out1 as  
also the lights in the mansion-house1   
than1 on the verge of the disputed      
territory1 an accurate observer might   

have described something like the       
glimmer of a glow-worm advancing        
stealthily forwards4 ,that was ,master  
,gordon1 with his lantern1 staff1 and   
chain2 and before the grey dawn of      
morning1 the whole gradients were booked
 and ready for the most searching       
inspection of a committee of the ,house 
of ,commons4 ,it is even alleged that1  
despite the enmity of a northern thane1 
this ,protean ,archimedes surveyed a    
,highland line with nothing but his     
leister1 or salmon-spear1 and actually  
killed three fish whilst ascertaining   
the practicability of a cutting through 
a tremendous ,pass4 ,be this as it may1 
he was certainly a clever fellow1 and as
 ugly a customer as a keeper could cope 
withal before the dew had vanished from 
the clover4 ,mackinnon was a            
quiet-looking lad1 with a latent dash of
 the dare-devil2 proud of his name and  
of his genealogy1 and maintaining some  
show of a ,highland gentleman's dignity1
 in a following of three ragged ,skye   

terriers1 who yelped incessantly at his 
heels4 ,cutts was a grand specimen of   
the ,londoner1 redolent of the ,fives'  
,court and ,evans's2 one of those       
fellows whom it is very desirable to    
have on your side in a row1 and very    
unpleasant to encounter if you happen to
 be particular about the colour and     
symmetry of your eyes4 ,with these      
gentlemen ,i speedily became hand in    
glove1 and the afternoon passed rapidly 
away4 ,it may be questionable1 however1 
whether the accuracy of the estimates   
was improved by the introduction of     
cigars1 and a pitcher of the ,welsh     
home-brewed4  ,after dinner1 we all got 
remarkably merry4 ,mr ,dodger related1  
in his happiest manner1 several         
anecdotes of the way in which he had    
flummox'd old ,jobson1 his arch-enemy   
and railway rival2 ,mr ,ginger favoured 
us with an imitation of a locomotive    
train1 perfect even to the painful      
intensity of the whistle2 and ,gordon   
told1 with great gusto1 various         

miraculous adventures1 which might have 
done honour to a ,borderer in the good  
old days of lifting4 ,somehow or other1 
as the evening got on1 we became        
confoundedly national4 ,the ,scotch1 of 
course1 being the majority1 had         
decidedly the best of it2 and the       
,american ,scripio and ,cambrian ,ginger
 having joined our ranks1 we all fell   
foul of the unfortunate ,cutts1 and     
abused everything ,anglican as heartily 
as ,o',connell upon the hill of ,tara4  
,we soon succeeded in extorting an      
admission1 that the ,scots1 upon the    
whole1 had rather the best of it at     
,flodden2 and thereupon1 and ever       
thereafter1 ,mr ,cutts was accosted by  
the endearing epithet of ,saxon1        
presently abbreviated1 for the sake of  
euphony1 into ,sacks4 ,i don't exactly  
recollect at what hour we retired to    
bed4  ,freddy1 said my uncle next       
morning1 ,i am going off to ,london with
 ,mr ,ginger2 and ,i don't think you    
could do better than remain where you   

are4 ,you'd be sure to get into no end  
of scrapes in town2 and ,i haven't time 
to be continually bailing you out of    
,bow ,street4  ,very well1 sir2 just as 
you please4 ,i dare say1 ,i shall manage
 to make myself quite comfortable here4 
,i say1 though1 remonstrated ,mr        
,ginger1 he'll keep the whole of the    
lads from their work4 ,gordon is too    
fond of fun at any time2 and the moment 
our backs are turned1 they'll be after  
some devilry or other4 ,couldn't your   
nephew carry a theodolite1 and take a   
few practical lessons in surveying8     
,lord help you6 said my uncle1 he's as  
innocent of mensuration as an infant4   
,can't you spare ,cutts8  ,better than  
the other two1 certainly4  ,well1 then1 
we'll hand over ,freddy to him2 and let 
them amuse themselves the best way they 
can4 ,cutts1 you may do what you like   
for the next ten days2 but1 remember1   
,gordon and ,mackinnon are not to be    
disturbed on any account4 ,now1 good-by1
 and take care of yourselves4  ,the     

,saxon and ,i made ample use of the     
permission4 ,we established our         
headquarters at the ,saracen in         
,shrewsbury1 and went the pace for some 
days at a hand-gallop4 ,i can't help    
laughing1 even now1 at the consternation
 into which ,south ,wales was thrown by 
the re-appearance of ,rebecca and her   
daughters1 who carried off1 in one      
night1 seven turnpike-gates4 ,it was a  
pity that the ,london journals should   
have been at the expense of sending down
 special correspondents on that         
occasion2 for ,i can bear personal      
testimony to the fact1 that no country  
could possibly be quieter4 ,even the    
tollkeepers appeared to slumber with a  
tenfold torpedo power4 ,a little        
incident1 however1 soon occurred1 which 
completely changed the nature of my     
occupations4  ,i went1 one day1 to call 
upon a family who resided some miles    
from ,shrewsbury4 ,it was a visit of    
ceremony2 and ,i therefore considered it
 a bore4 ,cutts1 who was no lady's man1 

preferred waiting for me at a           
neighbouring public-house2 so ,i        
effected my entree alone4 ,i went in a  
free-man2 and came out1 two hours       
afterwards1 as complete a bond-slave as 
ever hoed the sugar-canes of ,cupid4 ,a 
pair of laughing blue eyes1 and the     
prettiest lips in the universe1 had     
undone me4 ,sweet ,mary ,morgan6 yours  
was a rapid conquest6 and--you need not 
pinch my ears4  ,i went down to the inn 
in that state of pleasing bewilderment  
which characterises the first stage of  
the amatory complaint4 ,cutts had got   
tired in my absence2 and1 being rather  
in a pensive mood1 had gone to the      
church-yard with a quart of beer1 where 
,i found him copying the inscriptions on
 the tombstones4  ,what the devil kept  
you so long8 said the ,saxon4  ,hold    
your tongue1 ,sacks6 ,i have just seen  
the prettiest angel6 ,who on earth can  
she be8 ,no relation1 ,i dare be sworn1 
of that fat old rascal ,owenson4  ,whew6
 that's the sort of thing1 is it8 quoth 

,cutts4 ,what may be the name of the    
divinity8  ,mary ,morgan4  ,what8 little
 ,mary6 ,oh yes6 ,i know her very well1 
said the ,saxon4 ,she's the daughter of 
the principal medical man in            
,shrewsbury2 a pompous old blockhead1   
with twenty thousand pounds and a       
pigtail4 ,mary is a sweet little        
creature2 and1 between you and me1 ,i   
rather flatter myself ,i have made an   
impression in that quarter4 ,you have no
 idea how she laughed when ,i danced the
 fetter hornpipe at the ,jones's4       
,sacks1 said ,i quietly1 if you dare to 
mention that young lady's name in       
connexion with yourself again1 ,i shall 
knock out your brains on the nearest    
monument4 ,i am perfectly serious4 ,now 
listen--how can ,i get an introduction  
to the doctor8  ,it won't do1 old       
fellow1 if you have a complaint of the  
chest4  ,how so8  ,the phlebotomizing   
,jew swears he won't marry his daughter 
to any man who is not as rich as        
himself4 ,but ,i'll tell you what it is1

 ,fred4--,you are a confoundedly good   
fellow1 though you are a descendant of  
,william the ,lion1 which ,i consider to
 be utter gammon1 and ,i don't care if  
,i lend you a helping hand4 ,miss       
,morgan is very intimate with ,letty    
,jones1 who is a nice larking girl1 and 
understands how to manage her mamma4    
,i'll arrange a quiet tea-party there   
to-morrow evening1 and you may make love
 as long as you like1 provided you don't
 interfere with supper4  ,no arrangement
 could possibly have pleased me better4 
,the ,saxon was as good as his word2 and
 after an early dinner1 at which ,i     
tyrannously curtailed my friend of his  
usual allowance of liquor1 we made our  
way to the ,jonesian habitation4        
,cutts1 very good-naturedly1 took the   
whole task of amusing the company upon  
himself4 ,he gave pantomimic            
representations of ,t4 ,p4 ,cooke and   
,taglioni1 sang half-a-dozen songs that 
are nightly encored at the ,surrey side1
 and finally performed a series of      

antique statues in his shirt-sleeves4   
,for myself1 ,i was far too agreeably   
occupied to pay much attention to his   
masterpiece of ,ajax defying the        
,lightning4 ,mary ,morgan was prettier  
and more fascinating than ever1 and     
before supper was announced1 ,i had made
 considerable progress4 ,i saw her home1
 and made an appointment for next day to
 visit a ruin in the neighbourhood4     
,cutts was rewarded for his good        
behaviour by three extra tumblers of    
brandy and water at the ,saracen1 and   
became so affectionate that ,i had much 
difficulty in making my escape to bed4  
,i shall pass over1 without             
condescending upon minute particulars1  
the history of the ensuing week4        
,love-making is always pleasant2        
certainly more so in summer than in     
winter1 but there is a strange alchemy  
in the tender passion1 which1 despite of
 frost and snow1 can endow all nature   
with the hues and odours of spring4 ,so1
 at least1 it was with me4 ,i met my    

charmer every day1 and at length        
succeeded in extorting from her lips the
 only confession1 to obtain which the   
labour of years is but a trifling       
sacrifice4 ,what a pleasant thing it    
would be1 if1 in those matters1 there   
was nothing more to consult than the    
inclinations of the parties who are     
principally concerned6 ,what1 in the    
name of cross-purposes1 have parents to 
do with controlling the affections of   
their children8 ,thirty years ago1 there
 is not one of them who would have      
submitted patiently to the dictation    
which they now exercise without scruple4
 ,i sometimes wonder whether1 twenty    
years after this1 ,i shall continue of  
the same opinion2 but1 thank heaven1    
there is ample time for                 
consideration--,poor dear little ,jemima
 is only cutting her teeth4  ,mary was  
quite alive to the difficulties which   
stood in her way4 ,old ,morgan loved    
her1 it is true2 but it was that sort of
 love which antiquarians and            

coin-collectors have for their rarest   
specimens--they cannot bear to see them 
for a moment in the hands of others4    
,wealth alone could bribe the doctor to 
part with his child1 and1 alas6 of that 
,i had little or nothing4 ,true1 ,i     
might be considered as uncle ,dodger's  
prospective heir2 but that esteemed     
gentleman was as tough as ,india-rubber1
 and very nearly as good a life as my   
own4 ,professional                      
prospects--ahem6--they might do to talk 
about in ,wales2 certainly not in       
,edinburgh1 where few lawyers are       
accounted prophets4  ,in this dilemma1  
,i resolved to take sweet counsel with  
the ,saxon1 having no one else to apply 
to4 ,as ,i had neglected him horribly   
for the last few days1 he was rather    
sulky1 until ,i gave him to understand  
that ,i was in downright earnest4 ,then 
you may be sure he brightened up        
amazingly4 ,there was mischief evidently
 in the wind4  ,that comes of your      
confounded ,scotch education1 said      

,cutts1 interrupting a very pretty      
speech of mine about honourable conduct 
and disinterested motives4 ,who doubts  
that you are perfectly disinterested8   
,of course it's the girl1 and not the   
money you want4 ,she does happen to have
 twenty thousand1 but you don't care    
about that--you would marry her without 
a shilling1 wouldn't you8  ,by the bones
 of ,king ,david the ,first----  ,that's
 enough4 ,don't disturb the repose of   
the respectable old gentleman--he might 
not be over happy if he saw his         
descendant in breeches4 ,the case seems 
clear enough2 ,i wonder you have a doubt
 about it4 ,old ,morgan won't give his  
consent1 so there is absolute necessity 
for a bolt4 ,leave it all to me4 ,i'll  
provide a chaise and four1 and if the   
lady has no objection1 we can start     
to-morrow evening4 ,i'll sit behind on  
the rumble1 and shoot the leader if     
there should be any pursuit4 ,only mind 
this1 ,i don't go unless there is a     
lady's maid4 ,every thing must be done  

with strict regard to decorum4  ,is the 
lady's maid also to occupy the rumble8  
,of course4 ,you wouldn't have her      
inside1 would you8 ,come now1 set about 
it1 like a good fellow4 ,it will be a   
first-rate lark1 and you may command me 
at an hour's notice4  ,i confess that ,i
 felt very much inclined to adopt the   
suggestion of the ,saxon4 ,most men1 ,i 
believe1 are averse to elopements as a  
general principle2 but there are always 
exceptions1 as every one discovers when 
his own wishes are thwarted4 ,i was not 
destined1 however1 to offer my hymeneal 
sacrifice at the shrine of the ,gretna  
,pluto4 ,a letter of mine to ,mary1     
rather amorously worded1 found its way  
into the hands of ,doctor ,morgan4 ,the 
usual consequences followed--an         
explosion of paternal wrath1 filial     
incarceration1 and the polite message to
 myself1 that if ,i ventured to approach
 the house1 it would be at the risk of  
appropriating the contents of a         
blunderbuss4 ,my feelings may be easily 

imagined4  ,if you amuse yourself that  
way with your hair1 said my friend and  
consoler ,cutts1 you'll have to buy a   
wig1 and that costs money4 ,hang it1    
man1 cheer up6 ,we'll do the old boy    
yet4 ,mackinnon will be here to-night1  
and the deuce is in it if three clever  
fellows like us can't outwit a ,welsh   
apothecary4  ,i assisted at that        
evening's conference1 which was         
conducted with due solemnity4 ,we smoked
 a great deal1 after the manner of an   
,indian war-council1 and circulated the 
fire-water of the pale-face rather      
rapidly4 ,both my friends were clearly  
of opinion that our honour was at stake4
 ,they vowed that1 having gone so far1  
it was imperative to carry off the lady1
 and pledged their professional         
reputation upon a successful issue4     
,cutts had learned that on the following
 ,friday there was to be a great ball in
 ,shrewsbury2 and1 through the medium of
 ,letty ,jones1 he understood that ,mary
 ,morgan and her father were to be      

there4 ,this seemed a golden            
opportunity4 ,it was finally arranged   
that ,i should withdraw myself from the 
neighbourhood in the mean time1 but     
return on the evening of the ball1 and  
conceal myself in a private apartment of
 the ,saracen1 where the ball was to be 
held4 ,mackinnon was to attend the ball1
 and lead ,mary to the supper-room1 from
 which the retreat could be easily      
effected4 ,cutts was to remain below1   
look after the horses1 and act as       
general spy4 ,nothing more seemed       
necessary than to make ,miss ,morgan    
aware of our plans2 which the ,saxon    
undertook to do by agency of his fair   
and larking friend1 who was in perfect  
ecstasies at the prospect of this coming
 elopement4  ,the eventful ,friday      
arrived2 and from a solitary bed-room in
 the third floor of the ,saracen1 ,i    
heard the caterwauling of fiddles       
announce the opening of the ball4 ,i had
 asked ,cutts to take a quiet chop with 
me up-stairs1 but that mercurial        

gentleman positively refused1 upon the  
ground of expediency4 ,nothing on earth 
could induce him to leave his post4 ,he 
was to act the spy1 and therefore it was
 absolutely necessary that he should    
remain below4 ,all my remonstrances     
could not prevent him from dining with  
,mackinnon in the coffee-room2 so ,i was
 compelled to give him his own way1     
merely extracting a pledge that for this
 once he would abstain from unbounded   
potations4 ,down went the two gentlemen1
 and ,i was left alone to my solitary   
meditations4  ,i have read ,victor      
,hugo's ,dernier ,jour d'un ,condamne1  
but ,i do not recollect1 in the course  
of my literary researches1 having met   
with any accurate journal of a          
gentleman's sensations before           
perpetrating an elopement4 ,it is a     
thing that could easily be done at a    
moment's notice1 but the case seems very
 different after the calm contemplation 
of a week4 ,you begin1 then1 to         
calculate the results4 ,fancy takes a   

leap beyond the honeymoon1 and dim      
apparitions of bakers' bills1 and the   
skeletons of cheap furniture1 obtrude   
themselves involuntarily on your view4  
,i lay down on the bed1 and tried to    
sleep until ,i should receive the       
appointed signal4 ,for some time it     
would not do4 ,the nightmare1 in the    
form of a nurse with ponderous twins1   
sat deliberately down upon my chest1 and
 requested one of them1 a hideous       
red-haired little imp1 to kiss its dear 
,papa6 ,at last1 however1 ,i succeeded4 
,in the mean time ,messrs ,cutts and    
,mackinnon sat down to their frugal     
banquet in the coffee-room4 ,a glass of 
sherry after soup is allowed to the     
merest anchorite1 therefore my friends  
opined that they could not do less than 
order a bottle4 ,after fish1 ,mackinnon 
discovered that he was in very low      
spirits--a dismal foreboding had haunted
 him all forenoon2 and as it would not  
do to betray any depression in the      
ball-room1 he rather thought that a     

flask of champagne would alleviate his  
melancholy symptoms4 ,the ,saxon loved  
his ally too much to interpose any      
objections1 so the cork of the ,sillery 
was started4 ,a jug of ale during       
dinner1 and a pint of port after cheese1
 were fair and legitimate indulgences2  
and these being discussed1 ,cutts       
proceeded to the stable to look after   
the horses4 ,all was right2 and after an
 affecting exhortation to the postilions
 to keep themselves rigidly sober1 the  
,saxon rejoined his friend4  ,it is a   
great relief to my mind1 ,mackinnon1    
said ,cutts1 throwing himself back in   
his chair1 and exposing his feet to the 
comfortable radiance of the fire1 to    
think that matters are likely to go on  
swimmingly4 ,it's a fine frosty         
starlight night--just the sort of       
weather you would select for a bolt2 and
 ,freddy and his dove will be as        
comfortable inside the chaise as if they
 were in cotton4  ,rather cold1 though1 
on the rumble1 replied ,mackinnon4      

,gad1 you're right1 said the ,saxon4 ,i 
say1 don't you think1 since ,i'm        
good-natured enough to expose myself in 
that way1 we might have a bottle of     
mulled port just by way of fortifier8   
,you're a devilish sensible fellow1     
,cutts1 said ,mackinnon2 and he rang the
 bell4  ,won't it be rare fun6 said     
,sacks1 helping himself to a rummer of  
the reeking fluid4 ,think what a jolly  
scamper we shall have4 ,the horses' feet
 ringing like metal as they tear full   
gallop along the road1 and old ,morgan  
in a buggy behind1 swearing like an     
incarnate demon6 ,mac1 here's your good 
health2 you're a capital fellow4 ,give  
us a song1 old chap6 ,i won't see you   
again for three weeks at the soonest4   
,my eyes6 what a rage ,ginger will be   
in6  ,mackinnon was of a ,jacobite      
family who had rather burned their      
fingers in the ,forty-five1 and being   
also somewhat of a sentimental turn1 he 
invariably became lachrymose over his   
liquor1 and poured out the passion of   

his soul in lamentations over the fall  
of the ,stuarts4 ,instead1 therefore1 of
 favouring ,cutts with any congenial    
ditty from the ,coal-hole or            
,cider-cellar1 he struck up ,drummossie 
muir1 ,drummossie day1 in a style that  
would have drawn tears from an          
,edinburgh ticket-porter4 ,sacks1       
without having any distinct idea of the 
period of history to which the ballad   
referred1 pronounced it to be deuced    
touching2 whereupon ,mackinnon commenced
 a eulogy on the clans in general1 and  
his own sept in particular4  ,ay1 that  
must have been a pleasant fellow1 said  
,cutts1 in response to a legend of      
,mackinnon's1 concerning a remote       
progenitor known by the sobriquet of    
,angus with the bloody whiskers2 a      
little too ready with his knife perhaps1
 but a lively companion1 ,i daresay1    
over a joint of his neighbour's beef4   
',pon my soul1 it's quite delightful to 
hear you talk1 ,mackinnon2 as good as   
reading one of ,burns's novels4 ,just   

ring the bell1 will you1 for another    
jug2 and then tell me the story of your 
great ancestor who killed the ,earl of  
,northumberland4  ,this adroit stroke of
 the ,saxon1 whose thirst in reality was
 for liquor1 not for lore1 proved       
perfectly irresistible4 ,mackinnon went 
on lying like a ,sennachie1 and by the  
time the second jug was emptied1 both   
gentlemen were just tottering on the    
verge of inebriation4 ,the sound of the 
music in the apartment above first      
recalled ,mackinnon to the sense of his 
duties4  ,i say though1 ,cutts1 ,i must 
be off now4 ,i'll bring the girl down to
 supper1 and ,freddy will take her off  
my hands at the door2 isn't that the    
agreement8 ,faith1 though1 ,i'll have a 
waltz with her first4 ,i hope there's no
 smell of port-wine about me4 ,it won't 
do for a ball-room4  ,try a glass of    
brandy1 said ,cutts1 and he administered
 the potation4 ,now you be off1 and     
,i'll keep a sharp look-out below4  ,the
 ,saxon's ideas of a look-out were      

rather original4 ,in the first place he 
paid a visit to the bar1 where the niece
 of the landlady--a perfect little      
,hebe--presided1 and varied the charms  
of a flirtation with a modicum of brandy
 and water4 ,he then returned to the    
coffee-room1 in which were two gentlemen
 who had seceded for a moment from the  
ball4 ,they were both very accurately   
dressed1 proud of ,french polish1 white 
cravats1 and lemon-coloured gloves1 and 
altogether seemed to consider themselves
 as the finished ,d',orsays1 of         
,shrewsbury4 ,a few supercilious looks1 
which they vouchsafed upon ,cutts1 who1 
to say the truth1 was no beauty in his  
shooting-jacket1 roused the ,saxon lion4
 ,some complimentary expressions passed 
between the parties1 which ended in an  
offer from ,cutts to fight both         
gentlemen for a five-pound note2 or1 if 
they had not so much ready cash1 to     
accommodate them with a thrashing on    
credit4 ,this proposal was magnanimously
 declined by the strangers1 who edged   

gradually towards the door2 however1    
nothing1 but the arrival of several     
waiters1 who recognised1 from frequent  
practice1 the incipient symptoms of a   
row1 could have prevented some little   
display of pugilistic science4 ,the     
temper of ,cutts was1 of course1 a      
little ruffled by the encounter1 and1 in
 order to restore his mind to its usual 
equilibrium1 he treated himself to      
another soother1 and then ascended the  
stairs to see what ,i was doing4 ,by    
that time it was late in the evening4   
,a tremendous slap on the shoulder      
roused me from my dreams4 ,i started up1
 and there1 to my amazement1 was ,cutts 
sitting upon the bed with a             
fresh-lighted cigar in his mouth1       
puffing as vigorously as an engine4     
,good heavens1 ,cutts6 cried ,i1 what is
 the matter8 ,i hope nothing has gone   
wrong8 ,where's ,mary8  ,all right1 old 
fellow1 said the ,saxon with a          
mysterious smile4 ,we've plenty time yet
 for another glass of brandy and water4 

,surely1 ,cutts1 you can't have been    
making a beast of yourself6 and ,i      
seized a candle4 ,there could be no     
doubt of the fact3 he was very fearfully
 disguised4  ,that ,i should have       
trusted myself in the hands of such a   
jackass6 was my first exclamation4      
,leave the room this moment1 sir1 or ,i 
shall knock you down with a chair2 and  
never let me see your disgusting        
countenance again4  ,did you apply those
 epi--epitaphs to me1 sir8 said the     
,saxon1 with an abortive attempt to look
 dignified4 ,you shall hear from me in  
the morning4 ,this is an ungrateful     
world--very6 ,i've been doing all ,i can
 for him1 keeping all the liquor out of 
the postilions--and that is my reward6  
,i can't help it1 continued ,cutts1     
lapsing into a melodramatic reminiscence
 of the ,adelphi--so ,i'll just belay my
 pipe4 ,bless my dear eyes--how came the
 salt-water here8 ,hold hard1 old       
boy1--no snivelling6 and he drew the    
back of his hand across his eyes1 as if 

he was parting from a messmate upon the 
eve of execution4  ,this is intolerable6
 ,i cried4 ,get out1 sir1 or ,i shall   
throw you over the window6  ,like to see
 you try it1 said ,cutts with a         
,coriolanus air of defiance4 ,i had just
 enough command over myself to see that 
a row with the ,saxon was worse than    
useless1 as it would effectually destroy
 my last remaining chance4 ,i therefore 
changed my plans4  ,mark me1 sir4 ,i am 
going to ring the bell for the waiters1 
and if you don't choose to relieve me of
 your presence at once1 they shall have 
my orders to carry you down stairs4     
,will you go1 sir8 ,no6 then take the   
consequences2 and ,i rang the bell like 
a demoniac4  ,the music stopped in the  
room below4 ,cutts1 drunk as he was1    
observed the circumstance2 and no sooner
 were steps heard upon the stairs1 in   
obedience to the tocsin1 than he took   
his departure with the candle4 ,i lay   
down again till the tumult should       
subside1 when ,i intended to apprise    

,mackinnon of the present state of      
matters4  ,my appeal to the bell1 which 
was a vigorous one1 had produced a      
marked effect4 ,several of the company  
had come to the door of the ball-room1  
in order to learn the true nature of the
 alarm2 and ,cutts on his descent was   
assailed by vehement enquiries4  ,oh1   
don't ask me--don't ask me6 said the    
villain1 wringing his hands like a male 
,antigone4 ,my poor friend6 he's just   
going6 ,oh1 gentlemen1 is there no      
medical man here to save him8  ,doctor  
,morgan6 ,doctor ,morgan6 shouted twenty
 voices4  ,bless my soul1 what's the    
matter here8 said the doctor1 emerging  
from the ball-room4 ,any body taken     
suddenly ill1 eh8  ,oh1 my poor friend6 
groaned the traitor4  ,mercy on me6 is  
it so bad as that8 said the ,doctor1 ,i 
must see him immediately4 ,my dear sir1 
what is the matter with your friend8    
,his head1 sir--his head6 said ,cutts   
with a sob--he is quite mad at the      
present moment4 ,if you go up-stairs to 

,no4 #c1 you'll find him biting the     
bed-posts6  ,this must be looked to     
instantly1 said the ,doctor4 ,gentlemen1
 if ,i want assistance ,i shall call for
 you2 but we must use gentle means if   
possible4 ,poor young man6 ,no4 #c did  
you say1 sir8 and the doctor ascended   
the staircase4  ,this is an awful thing1
 ,mr ,cutts6 said ,mrs ,hickson1 the    
comely mistress of the house2 is there  
nothing that would do the poor gentleman
 any good8  ,i think he'd be a great    
deal the better of a little brandy and  
water1 said ,cutts--the doctor hinted as
 much just now2 and1 my dear madam1 you 
had better make two glasses of it1      
rather stiff1 and send them up-stairs by
 the ,boots4  ,i was startled by the    
entry of a stranger with a light1 who   
approached the bed with all the         
stealthiness of a cat4  ',zounds1 sir1  
what do you want here8 cried ,i1        
springing up4  ,hush1 my dear sir1 hush6
 we must be calm--really we must4 ,it   
will never do to allow ourselves to be  

agitated in this way4  ,confound you1   
sir6 what do you mean8  ,oh1 my dear    
sir6 merely a friendly visit1 that's    
all4 ,i would like to have a little     
quiet chat with you4 ,how is our pulse8 
,do we feel any pain about the temples8 
,i'll very soon make you feel pain      
enough somewhere1 cried ,i1 in towering 
passion4 ,if you don't quit my room this
 moment1 you old idiot1 by the bones of 
the ,bruce ,i'll toss you over the      
stairs6  ,oh1 if that be the case1 the  
sooner we send for a straight jacket the
 better6 said the doctor4 ,but1 eh6     
what6 by ,jove1 it's the young ,scotch  
rascal who was making love to my        
daughter6  ,dr ,morgan6 ,i cried4 ,upon 
my honour1 sir1 ,i am quite annoyed---- 
,hallo6 what's this8 ,we are calm enough
 now4 ,answer me directly1 sir2 are you 
delirious or not8  ,no more than        
yourself1 doctor4  ,this1 then1 was a   
concerted trick to make a fool of me6   
sputtered the ,welsh ,esculapius4 ,but  
,i'll be revenged4 ,i'll have you before

 a magistrate for this1 you villain6    
,upon my honour1 sir1 ,i am perfectly   
innocent4 ,if you'll only hear me for a 
single moment----  ,to be exposed before
 the whole town of ,shrewsbury1 too6    
,i'll never forgive it6 and the doctor  
banged out of the room4 ,to his dismay  
he found himself face to face with      
,cutts1 who1 along with the ,boots1 had 
been a delighted auditor of the scene4  
,how is our patient1 doctor8 said the   
,saxon1 ,is our pulse good to-night8    
,did we take a look at our tongue8      
,sir1 you're a ruffian6 roared the      
doctor4  ,oh1 come--we must be calm2 it 
will never do to discompose ourselves4  
,take a glass of brandy and water1      
doctor1 and we'll drink success to the  
profession4 ,what6 you won't1 eh8 ,well 
then1 ,boots1 you take one and ,i'll    
finish the other4 ,here is ,doctor      
,morgan's very good health1 cried       
,cutts1 advancing to the head of the    
stairs1 and may he long continue to be  
an ornament to his profession6  ,low    

scoundrel6 cried one of the young       
gentlemen in lemon-coloured gloves1     
recognising his former antagonist4      
,there's the rest of it for you1 my fine
 fellow1 retorted ,cutts1 and the       
tumbler whizzed within an inch of ,young
 ,shrewsbury's maccassared locks4  ,a   
rush was made up the staircase by       
several of the aggravated natives2 but  
,cutts stood at bay like a lion1 and    
threatened instant death to the first   
person who should approach him4 ,the    
commotion was at its height when ,i     
recognised the voice of ,mr ,ginger4    
,cutts1 is that you8 come down this     
instant1 sir6 and the crestfallen ,saxon
 obeyed4  ,freddy1 where are you8 cried 
my uncle4  ,here6  ,a pretty business   
you two fellows have been making of it6 
said ,scripio1 with wonderful mildness4 
,but never mind2 let them laugh who win4
 ,we've done the trick for you6         
,indeed1 uncle6 how so8  ,the           
,biggleswade bill has passed1 and ,i've 
sold your shares at nineteen premium4   

,then ,i have----  ,exactly twenty      
thousand pounds4  ,i felt as if my head 
were turning round4 ,at that moment ,i  
caught a glimpse of ,mary leaning on her
 father's arm4 ,she looked prettier than
 ever4  ,doctor ,morgan1 ,i said1 there 
has been a mistake here--will you suffer
 me to explain it8  ,certainly1 said the
 doctor1 in a very mollified tone2 if   
you will breakfast with me to-morrow    
morning4 ,twenty thousand pounds do make
 a difference in a man's position4  ,may
 ,i come too1 doctor8 hiccuped ,cutts4  
,no1 sir2 and1 if you do not wish to be 
prosecuted1 you had better send me a fee
 to-morrow morning4  ,oh1 come6 said old
 ,scripio4 ,i daresay it was merely a   
bit of fun4 ,i'll settle the fees1      
doctor4 ,put ,cutts to bed1 and let the 
rest of us have a bit of supper4  ,on   
that day three weeks ,i married ,mary   
,morgan1 and have never taken another   
share in any railway since4 ,if the     
reader wishes to know the reason1 he may
 consult the list of present prices4    

,,german-,,american ,,romances4  ,,the  
,,viceroy ,,and ,,the ,,aristocracy1    
,,or ,,mexico ,,in #ahab4  ,,part ,,the 
,,third4   ,in commencing a brief final 
notice of ,the ,viceroy and the         
,aristocracy1 we regret much to inform  
our readers that it is1 in a manner1 a  
story without an end4 ,one of the most  
striking peculiarities of this anonymous
 author1 consists in his singular and   
unaccountable habit of leaving every    
thing unfinished4 ,despising the rule   
generally observed by romance writers1  
of bringing their works to some sort of 
climax or denouement1 he in no one      
instance takes the trouble to dispose   
satisfactorily of his characters2 but1  
after strongly interesting the reader in
 their fate1 abandons them in the middle
 of their career1 as if he intended1    
some day or other1 to complete their    
history in another volume4 ,the         
inventive and descriptive powers        
displayed in his writings1 render it    
impossible to attribute this peculiarity

 to lack of ability4 ,a chapter or two  
would frequently be sufficient to       
terminate every thing in one way or the 
other2 but these chapters1 owing to some
 whim of the author1 are denied us4     
,manifold are the eccentricities of     
genius1 and our unknown friend has      
evidently no small share of them4 ,we   
are compelled1 therefore1 to look upon  
his books less as regular novels1 than  
as a series of sketches1 scenes1 and    
adventures1 with slight connecting      
links2 and resembling1 by their vivid   
colouring1 and graphic and              
characteristic details1 some admirably  
painted and gorgeous panorama1 of which 
the materials exhibit infinite variety  
and the most striking contrasts4  ,we   
cannot hope1 in our translation1 to do  
full justice to so able an original2 and
 the less so as1 in the extracts given1 
we are compelled to take considerable   
liberties in the way of abridgement4 ,we
 are1 nevertheless1 desirous of         
following the fortunes of ,don ,manuel  

as far as the author acquaints us with  
them2 previously to which1 however1 we  
will lay before our readers one or two  
fragments1 having little connexion with 
the plot of the book1 but highly        
illustrative of the singular state of   
,mexican society and manners at the     
period referred to4 ,we commence with a 
striking sketch of the ,leperos1 as they
 appeared when assembled outside the    
city of ,mexico1 awaiting the arrival of
 ,vicente ,guerero and the patriot army4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the morning of the ninth of        
,february #ahab1 had scarcely dawned1   
when the entire multitude of those      
wretched beings1 known by the name of   
,leperos1 left the city of ,mexico1 and 
advanced along the ,ajotla road as far  
as the chain of volcanic hills already  
alluded to4  ,the road in question      
forms1 with the land adjacent to it1 one
 of the most dreary portions of the rich
 valley of ,mexico or ,tenochtitlan2 and
 the swampy ground through which it     

passes1 and which is only exchanged1    
beyond the hillocks1 for a stratum of   
lava1 exhibited1 even in the most palmy 
days of ,mexican splendour1 the same    
gloomy and desert character as at the   
period here referred to4 ,wretched huts1
 inhabited by half-naked ,indians1 who  
either worked at the desague1#g or      
gained a scanty existence by fishing1   
and here and there a spot of ground     
planted with vegetables1 were the most  
agreeable objects to be met with2 while 
the low grounds lay entirely waste1 even
 the obtuse ,indians being deterred by  
their poisonous exhalations from        
attempting their cultivation4  ,it was  
along this road1 early upon the         
above-named morning1 that hordes of     
brown1 squalid1 sullen-looking beings1  
equally debased in mind and body1 were  
seen advancing2 dragging themselves     
listlessly along1 now slowly1 then more 
rapidly1 in the direction of the hills4 
,it was a disgusting1 and at the same   
time a lamentable sight1 to behold this 

mass of filth1 misery1 and degradation1 
which came crawling and limping along1  
scarcely human in aught except the form 
of those who composed it4 ,the majority 
of the ,leperos were completely naked1  
unless the fragments of tattered        
blankets that hung in shreds over their 
shoulders could be reckoned as clothing4
 ,here and there might be seen a        
thread-bare jacket or manga1 or a pair  
of ragged calico trousers2 while the    
sombrero de petate1 or straw-hat1 was   
worn by nearly all of them4 ,the women  
had their long lank hair hanging loose  
about their persons1 forming their chief
 covering1 with the exception of some   
scanty rags fastened round their hips4  
,in groups of twenty to a hundred1 some 
of several hundreds1 on they came1 all  
wearing that vacant look which is the   
attribute of the degraded and           
cretin-like ,indian of the ,tenochtitlan
 valley2 but which was now modified by  
an uneasy restlessness that seemed to   
impel them irresistibly towards the ,rio

 ,frio mountains4 ,there was something  
strange and mysterious in the deportment
 of this sombre-looking mob2 no shout1  
no laugh--none of those boisterous      
outbreaks commonly witnessed amongst    
numerous assemblages of the lower       
classes4 ,on most of their callous1 but 
naturally by no means stupid1           
physiognomies1 the expression was one of
 spite and cunning1 combined with       
indications of a secret and anxious     
expectation4 ,over the whole column1    
which was at least a mile in extent1    
hung clouds of smoke1 more or less thick
 according to the greater or less       
density of the crowd4 ,destitute and    
wretchedly poor as the ,leperos were1   
they had1 nevertheless1 managed to      
provide themselves1 almost without      
exception1 with one article of luxury2  
men1 women1 and children1 all had       
cigars1 and the smoke of the tobacco was
 by far the most endurable of the odours
 emitted by this rank multitude4  ,upon 
reaching the rising ground1 the squalid 

throng distributed itself in groups over
 the road1 or on and around the         
hillocks1 as if intending to take up its
 position there4 ,in all imaginable     
postures1 lying1 standing1 sitting1 and 
squatting down1 they waited2 why1 and   
for whom1 it would have been hard to    
say1 since they themselves had only an  
indistinct perception of their object4  
,hours passed away1 and there they still
 were1 sunk in the lazy apathy which is 
a characteristic of the ,mexican        
,indians1 and of all much-oppressed     
nations--a natural consequence of the   
despotism that crushes them1 and causes 
them at last to look upon the unseen    
power by which they are oppressed as the
 decree of an iron fate which it would  
be impossible to resist or evade4 ,for a
 long time profound silence reigned     
among these thousands and tens of       
thousands--a silence broken only by an  
occasional indistinct murmur or sigh1   
which found1 however1 neither reply nor 
echo4  ,a group that had stationed      

itself on a projection of the hillock   
over which winds the road from ,mexico  
to ,ajotla1 at last had its attention   
attracted by a party of horsemen        
approaching from the direction of ,buen 
,vista4 ,this sight1 although by no     
means unusual on that frequented road1  
appeared to interest the ,leperos4 ,they
 raised their heads1 gazed a while at   
the riders1 gave a kind of growl1 like  
dogs who perceive something strange or  
suspicious1 and then for the most part  
stretched themselves out again4 ,some1  
however1 continued to mutter and        
grumble1 and at last began to utter     
audible curses4  ,ahuitzote6 exclaimed  
one of the ,guachinangos1 rising to his 
feet1 and fixing the oblique gaze of his
 eyes1 which were set wide apart1 upon  
the distant horsemen4  ,ahuitzote6      
repeated his companions--the last       
syllable of the word seeming to stick in
 their throats4  ,i was lying yesterday 
under the portales1 murmured an ,indian1
 when ,agostino ,iturbide came by----   

,he was too indolent to finish what he  
would have said2 but a glance at his    
legs and shoulders1 which were bloody   
and scarred with sabre cuts1 completed  
his meaning4  ,the earth belongs to     
,tonantzin1#h the heavens to the ,virgin
 of ,guadalupe1 and the portales to the 
red men1 said another ,indian4 ,the day 
will come when no ,gachupin shall drive 
us out of them4  ,and when the sons of  
,tenochtitlan shall have pulque for     
their drink1 muttered a third4  ,and    
tortillas with fat chili for their food1
 chimed in a fourth4 ,maldito ,don      
,agostino6 ,he is more the ,ahuitzote of
 the children of ,tenochtitlan than the 
,gachupins themselves4  ,during this    
dialogue1 an old ,indian of powerful    
frame had ascended the hillock1 and     
squatted himself down on one of the     
blocks of lava with which the ground was
 strewed4 ,the other ,leperos seemed to 
regard him with a certain degree of     
respect and attention1 and1 after       
muttering the name of ,tatli ,ixtla1#i  

they remained silent1 as if expecting   
him to speak4 ,as this1 however1 did not
 immediately follow1 they let their     
heads sink again1 and relapsed into     
their previous state of brooding apathy4
  ,the ,indian gazed mysteriously around
 him1 lit a cigar1 and1 after a few     
puffs1 broke silence in the low         
murmuring tones peculiar to the ,indian 
race4  ,ixtla has heard the discourse of
 the ,cura ,hippolito of ,tlascala4 ,it 
was no cuento de fraile4#aj ,ixtla has  
often heard the same from the priests of
 his own race4 ,will my brothers hear   
the words of the ,cura ,hippolito8      
,there was an unanimous sign of assent  
from the ,indians4  ,he who hath ears to
 hear1 let him hear6 ,so said the ,cura 
,hippolito1 and so saith ,ixtla4 ,when  
,don ,abraham1 a most excellent         
caballero1 greatly esteemed both by the 
,holy ,virgin of ,guadalupe and by      
,mexicotl----  ,the speaker paused1 for 
his cigar was going out4 ,we take       
advantage of the pause1 to inform our   

readers that the ,don ,abraham who was  
thus strangely1 and1 according to the   
custom of the ,mexican ,indian priests1 
brought into the society of ,mexicotl   
and the ,virgin of ,guadalupe1 was no   
other than the ,jewish patriarch4  ,when
 ,don ,abraham1 continued the ,indian1  
felt his end approaching1 he called his 
son1 ,don ,isaac1 and bequeathed to him 
all his possessions2 after which he died
 in the ,lord4 ,this ,don ,isaac was1 as
 the senores have perhaps heard1 a      
,god-fearing man1 who had two sons1 ,don
 ,esau and ,don ,jago4 ,of these1 your  
worships must understand1 ,don ,esau was
 the elder1 or first-born1 and ,don     
,jago the younger4 ,and when ,don ,jago 
was twenty years old1 he had a dream1 in
 which he was told to go to the ,madre  
,patria1 where great good fortune       
awaited him4  ,the man paused at the    
words ,madre ,patria1 by which the      
reader will always understand ,spain4 ,a
 number of ,leperos had ascended the    
hillock1 and collected round the        

speaker4  ,as ,senor ,don ,jago1 resumed
 ,tatli ,ixtla1 as younger son1 had less
 claim upon the inheritance of his      
father than ,don ,esau1 he did according
 to his dream1 and betook himself to the
 ,madre ,patria1 where1 by his pleasant 
discourse1 he won the favour of the     
,king of the ,moors1 who bestowed on him
 his daughter1 the ,princesa ,dona ,lea1
 in marriage1 and also1 after two years1
 his second daughter1 the ,princesa     
,dona ,rachel4 ,by these two wives he   
had twelve sons and daughters1 who were 
all kings and queens in the ,madre      
,patria1 as well as their father1 to    
whom the ,gachupins still pray1 under   
the name of ,sant ,jago de ,compostella4
  ,the ,indians and ,metises1 of whom   
the crowd of ,leperos consisted1 nodded 
with that air of quiet conviction which 
may be frequently remarked amongst the  
lower classes in certain ,european      
countries1 when they hear histories     
related which are supported by the      
authority of great names1 and to doubt  

the truth of which might endanger both  
body and soul4  ,when ,don ,jago had    
established his kingdom1 continued the  
old ,indian1 the wish came over him to  
visit his own land again2 so he set out 
with his servants1 and1 after many days1
 came to his father's house4 ,and now   
listen1 ,senores1 said the ,indian1     
raising his voice4 ,don ,esau was1 as   
you know1 the first-born1 and as such   
would have possessed his father's land1 
had not the traitor1 ,don ,jago1 or1 as 
the ,gachupins call him1 ,san ,jago1    
cheated him out of it4 ,through this it 
was that the sons of ,tenochtitlan      
became the slaves of the ,gachupins1 who
 are the sons of ,jago4  ,the           
countenances of the ,leperos began to   
express increased interest in the       
narration4  ,it was in the estio1#aa    
resumed the ,indian1 that ,jago returned
 to his father's house1 where a great   
entertainment was given to him4 ,don    
,esau was away at the hunting-grounds1  
while ,don ,jago was feasting on the    

best of tortillas and the finest        
,tacotitlan pulque1 better no ,count    
could have4  ,at the mention of the     
pulque1 there was a strong sensation    
amongst the listeners4  ,don ,esau came 
home hungry from the chase1 and found   
his brother with a dish of frijolos     
before him1 the best that ever were     
grown upon the ,chinampas of the        
,chalco4#ab ,now1 what think you the    
traitor ,jago did8  ,io se6 ,io se6 ,we 
know6 cried several ,indians eagerly4   
,the senores1 said the old man gravely1 
will hear that ,ixtla speaks no lies4   
,jago drew back his dish of frijolos1 as
 if from a dog2 and when ,don ,esau     
begged for a mouthful1 he promised him  
the whole dish if he would give up his  
birthright2 but if he would not do so1  
then ,jago swore that not a single      
frijolo should pass ,don ,esau's lips4  
,and ,don ,esau8 cried the ,leperos4    
,what would my brothers have done had   
they been thirsty and a-hungered1 and   
had seen before them the skin of pulque1

 and the dish of tortillas and frijolos8
  ,this argumentum ad hominem elicited  
sundry greedy looks from the surrounding
 crowd2 and cries of ,ah1 tortillas6 ah1
 pulque6 burst from the craving lips of 
the ,leperos4  ,in short1 continued the 
old ,indian1 ,don ,esau gave what his   
hunger forced him to give1 and ,don     
,jago gave in return the dish of        
frijolos and a fine large skin full of  
,tacotitlan pulque4  ,maldito gavacho6  
growled the ,leperos1 who1 in spite of  
their longings1 could not help finding  
the exchange an unfair one4  ,hush6 said
 the ,indian4 ,don ,esau1 as you shall  
now hear1 was the father of the sons of 
,tenochtitlan4  ,at this new piece of   
intelligence1 the crowd opened their    
eyes wider than before4  ,well1 senores1
 continued the ,indian1 ,don ,esau had  
his dish of frijolos1 and ,don ,jago the
 inheritance which he had long coveted4 
,then ,jago went back to the ,madre     
,patria1 and ,esau1 having lost his     
birthright1 wandered out into the wide  

world4 ,you all know1 senores1 that     
,mexico is the world1 for ,tenochtitlan 
is the capital of the world4#ac  ,the   
,leperos nodded4  ,to ,tenochtitlan1    
then1 did ,esau betake himself1 with his
 wives and his sons1 and built the great
 city on the lake1 and made the         
,chinampas2 and soon the city became    
greater than any one in ,mexico4 ,for   
many hundred years did the sons of ,don 
,esau rule in ,tenochtitlan and         
,anahuac1 and his younger sons in       
,mechoacan and ,cholula2 and the        
children of his concubines lived as     
freemen in ,tlascala4  ,es verdad1      
murmured one of the ,leperos4  ,es      
verdad1 they all repeated4  ,well1      
continued the narrator1 the sons of ,don
 ,esau throve and multiplied1 and had   
dollars and tortillas in plenty1 when of
 a sudden it came into the heads of ,don
 ,jago's children's children that their 
father had had the share of the         
first-born1 and that they1 as his       
descendants1 inherited the right over   

the whole world2 that is to say1 over   
,mexico1 and that the sons of ,esau owed
 them a tribute4 ,thereupon1 as they    
were a daring and knavish race1 they got
 upon their ships and landed in ,yucatan
 and ,vera ,cruz1 and ascended the      
heights of ,xalappa and ,tlascala1 and  
by sweet words enticed the men of       
,tlascala into their nets1 and with     
their help got through the barrancas and
 over the mountains of ,tenochtitlan4   
,then they besieged and destroyed the   
city1 put to death all those who bore   
spears and machetes1 and made slaves of 
the rest4  ,malditos hereges6 muttered  
the ,leperos4  ,and when they had taken 
,tenochtitlan1 continued the ,indian1   
they said1 ',see1 here it is good to    
dwell4 ,here let us build our ranchos1  
and the sons of ,esau shall plant our   
maize and sow our chili1 dig our        
gardens1 and tap our agave-trees2 and   
their daughters shall spin our cotton1  
their wives bake our tortillas1 their   
children seek for gold in the rivers1   

and their men1 instead of warriors1     
shall be caballitos and tenatores4' ,and
 so it came to pass4  ,the ,indian who  
had given this resume of ,father        
,hippolito's sermon1 now paused1 either 
because he had nothing further to say1  
or because he was reflecting what would 
be the best application he could make to
 his hearers of these various wanderings
 and sufferings of the children of      
,esau4 ,the pause that ensued1 however1 
was sufficiently long for the ,leperos  
entirely to forget all they had heard4  
,their look of stupid vacancy returned1 
and they relapsed1 like so many swine1  
into their various postures of lazy     
repose1 quite oblivious of the orator   
who had so skilfully transferred to     
,mexico the heroes of the ,old          
,testament4 ,some of them continued     
gazing down the road at the horsemen1   
who were now drawing near4  ,ahuitzote6 
grumbled an ,indian4 ,son ,gachupinos4  
,don ,agostino1 though a ,creole1 is a  
worse ,ahuitzote than the ,gachupins1   

murmured another ,lepero4  ,the         
,creoles1 screamed a ,zambo1 are the    
piques' eggs1#ad the ,gachupins the     
piques themselves4 ,the ,creoles are the
 sons of the ,marquis1 and of his       
conquistadores and camerados1 who made  
the ,tlascalans help them against       
,anahuac1 and when they had won it1 made
 slaves of their allies4 ,larifari6     
,viva la libertad6  ,viva la libertad6  
cried another of the same negro-,indian 
race1 who was standing with his arms    
a-kimbo1 and looking down with sovereign
 contempt upon the mob of ,leperos4     
,viva la libertad6 ,viva6 ,viva6 ,see   
there1 the house of ,conde ,san ,jago1  
the richest caballero in ,mexico1 who   
made netto six million dollars out of a 
single bonanza4#ae ,netto1 senores4     
,viva la libertad6 ,d'ye know1 senores1 
what liberty is8 ,we have been where it 
flourished1 in ,guanaxato1 where we     
brought the dollars out of the          
,alhondega by baskets-full4 ,si1        
senorias1 the most beautiful1 milkwhite1

 silver dollars1 to be had for the      
taking2 that is liberty4  ,viva la      
libertad6 exclaimed the knot of         
,leperos4 ,the cry was repeated by the  
next group1 and by the next1 till it was
 taken up by thousands of voices4       
,todos diablos6 cried the ,zambo1 a     
hurra for liberty1 that ,cassio may take
 what he likes1 and where he likes4 ,i  
will have the condesa ,ruhl's donzella  
to pour out my pulque1 and the condesa  
herself--by the virgin of ,guadalupe1   
she shall be our tortillera6#af  ,santa 
,brigida1 santa ,agata1 santa ,marta1   
santa ,ursula1 con todas sus diez mil   
virgenes1 pray for the senses of the    
senor ,chino6 cried the ,leperos1 beyond
 measure astonished and angry at the    
presumption of the ,zambo4 ,chino6      
screamed the negro-,indian furiously1 do
 you take me for a ,chino8 ,es posible8 
,is it possible8 cried he1 tearing open 
his jacket1 and producing from a small  
silver case a dirty bit of paper1 which 
he held up in triumph4 ,see1 here1      

senorias1 ',que se tenga por blanco6'#ag
  ,que se tenga por blanco6 yelled a    
hundred1 and soon a thousand1 ,leperos1 
roaring with laughter4 ,and then dancing
 round him in a circle1 they again      
vociferated1 ,que se tenga por blanco6  
,the ragged ,zambo1 who1 in his         
day-dream of ambition1 had selected a   
countess for his cupbearer1 did not seem
 disposed easily to give up his claims  
to a white skin4 ,he gazed for a moment 
at the mad antics and grimaces of the   
filthy and ugly mob by which he was     
surrounded1 and then again vociferated1 
,io soy blanco1 y todo blanco es        
caballero6  ,a rascally thief from ,vera
 ,cruz1 that is what you are1 was the   
retort2 a sand-fly that would fain creep
 in and make its nest amongst us4  ,i   
will show you who has the most power1   
your ,vicente ,guerero1 or ,cassio      
,isidro1 cried the ,zambo4 ,i will let  
you know it1 added he1 his hands stuck  
in his sides as if in defiance1 and     
before ten months are past1 ,i will have

 ,vicente ,guerero for my muleteer4     
,the ,zambo's cup was filled to         
overflowing by this last piece of       
presumption1 and a thousand ,indians1   
forgetting their sloth and apathy1      
sprang forward to seize and punish the  
man who had dared to speak lightly of   
one of the greatest heroes of the       
,revolution1 the representative of the  
interests of the coloured races4 ,but   
the ,zambo was far more nimble than the 
sluggish ,leperos1 and his speed of     
foot1 and active bounds over the heaps  
of lava1 enabled him to laugh at the    
pursuit and menaces of those zealous    
partisans of the illustrious ,vicente   
,guerero4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,this kind of familiar1 not
 to say profane1 adaptation of the      
,scriptures to the comprehension of the 
lowest and most ignorant classes1 for   
the furtherance of a political or other 
temporal object1 is not altogether      
without example amongst the priesthood  
of some ,european countries4  ,we pass  

on to a midday scene in the city of     
,mexico4 ,there had been a disturbance1 
followed by some menacing demonstrations
 on the part of the authorities2 and the
 streets1 instead of being silent and   
entirely deserted1 as is usually the    
case in ,mexico during the first three  
hours of the afternoon1 were traversed  
by numerous passengers4 ,the following  
picture of a ,spanish-,american         
interior1 is peculiarly characteristic4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,it was one of those delightful         
,february afternoons1 when the freshness
 of the ,mexican winter blends with the 
approaching summer heat which is so soon
 to succeed it1 when the sun begins to  
resume its power1 and the heavens appear
 so pure and deep1 and so transparent in
 the brilliancy of their golden-tinted  
azure1 that the eye seems to penetrate  
beyond them into infinite space4 ,from  
the mirador1 or balcony1 of the house of
 ,st ,simon ,stilitta1 whence they      
commanded a view of the cathedral1 of   

several palaces1 and for nearly a mile  
down the long ,tacuba street1 three     
pairs of dark eyes were flashing bright 
glances through the gilt trellis-work4  
,it was a stately and right             
,catholic-looking mansion1 that ,casa de
 ,san ,simon--which was so called       
because its front was adorned with the  
image of the aforesaid patron4 ,an image
 of ,st4 ,francisco was his companion1  
and between the two was the balcony1    
occupied by three young girls1 whose    
blooming beauty contrasted strongly with
 the harsh-featured and indifferently   
carved and painted effigies of the two  
holy men4  ,although none of the three  
damsels were more than half through     
their teens1 they had not the less      
attained the full perfection and        
ripeness of ,mexican womanhood4 ,first1 
there was the ,senorita ,dona           
,celestina1 daughter of the intendant of
 ,valladolid1 a little round-faced      
beauty1 with some tendency to           
embonpoint1 lips rather too full1 eyes  

black and brilliant1 although somewhat  
prominent1 a well-turned waist1 and a   
healthy ,spanish complexion--that is to 
say1 bordering on the yellow--of which  
hue her teeth1 thanks to the filthy     
cigar1 also participated4 ,dona ,ximene1
 daughter of ,senor ,vivar1 one of the  
oidores of the ,audiencia1 was of more  
slender form than her above-named       
companion1 her lips also rather too     
thick--a defect modified1 however1 by   
the grace with which they occasionally  
parted1 and disclosed a symmetrical row 
of teeth4 ,her eyes1 although not       
sufficiently deep-set1 sparkled like    
diamonds1 and she smoked her pajita with
 an elegance that was quite enchanting4 
,laura1 a round-chinned1 plump-cheeked  
damsel1 youngest daughter of the        
vice-president of the ,hacienda ,real1  
made up the trio4 ,all three had the    
smallest possible feet1 the most        
fairy-like hands1 the blackest eyes1 and
 the best ,woodville cigars2 and all    
three were suffering from a most        

extravagant fit of ennui4 ,it was to get
 rid of this last1 that the poor girls1 
who lived in the ,calle de ,aguila1 the 
fashionable ,spanish street1 and had    
been awakened from their siesta by the  
grito and disturbance1 had come1        
attended by their negro waiting-maids1  
to pay a visit to their friend ,isidra1 
whom they had found giving herself up to
 all the delights of ,mexican farniente4
  ,the mirador on which the three girls 
were lounging and smoking1 was connected
 with the sala1 or drawing-room1 by     
lofty folding-doors1 which stood open4  
,at the further end of this sala was the
 estrada1 a kind of raised platform2 on 
the estrada a large low ottoman1 and on 
the ottoman two figures1 of which the   
one sat upright1 and the other was in a 
reclining posture4 ,the girdle of the   
latter was loosened1 and the upper part 
of the body bare of all covering1 except
 a profusion of glossy black hair1 which
 was spread out over the bosom and      
shoulders2 answering1 however1 less the 

purpose of a veil1 than that of making  
more evident the whiteness of the       
owner's skin4 ,the lady thus            
unceremoniously disapparelled was       
apparently very young2 but no inference 
could be drawn from her face1 which was 
concealed in the lap of her companion1 a
 mulatto girl1 whose fingers and eyes   
were alike busy in an investigation of  
her mistress's head2 a search so eager1 
active1 and absorbing1 that she         
resembled a huntress1 forgetting1 in the
 ardour of the chase1 all surrounding   
objects4  ,the saloon occupied by these 
two damsels was furnished in the usual  
manner of ,spanish houses of the better 
class2 the floor spread with esteras1 or
 mats1 a large table in the centre1 and 
two smaller ones at the sides1 the      
latter supporting images of the ,virgen 
de los ,remedios1 and of ,san ,jago de  
,compostella4 ,a dozen or two           
high-backed chairs1 dating probably from
 the time of ,philip the ,fourth1 made  
up the furniture4 ,the walls were       

covered with square tiles of blue       
earthenware1 the hangings were of green 
,cordovan leather1 and instead of the   
chandelier1 which hung in one corner of 
the extensive apartment1 six silken     
cords were suspended from the large gilt
 hook in the centre of the ceiling4 ,on 
the table in the middle of the room lay 
several musical instruments1 amongst    
them a ,spanish guitar and a ,mexican   
teponatzli or lute--the latter a hollow 
wooden cylinder1 with two parallel holes
 cut in the centre1 and played upon by  
means of sticks tipped with caoutchouc4 
,a cloister-like stillness reigned in   
the saloon as well as on the balcony1   
and not a syllable was uttered1 although
 fully a quarter of an hour had elapsed 
since the arrival of the young ladies   
and their donzellas4 ,nor was there more
 vivacity of movement than of tongue4   
,from time to time1 one or other of the 
three girls would push aside her        
mantilla1 and dart a flashing glance    
into the street1 and then1 meeting no   

return1 relapse into her former languor4
  ,a ellos6 a ellos6 ,go on6 at length  
cried a voice out of the lap of the     
mulatto girl4  ,que quiere8 ,what do you
 want8 replied the latter1 as she       
discontinued her diligent search amongst
 the raven locks1 and raising the head  
from her knees1 exposed to view a       
youthful and charming countenance4      
,basta6 enough6 added she1 in a decided 
tone4 ,the lady gave her an angry look4 
,porque8 she asked ,porque acabar8 ,why 
leave off8  ,que quiere vmd8 returned   
the waiting-maid2 matar los todos8 ,a   
ninguna senora de calidad se los mata   
todos4 ,no lady of quality has them all 
killed4  ,mentira6 ',tis a lie6 screamed
 her mistress peevishly4  ,es verdad6   
',tis true6 interposed ,donas ,ximene1  
,celestina1 and ,laura1 putting their   
hands into their hair1 and after a short
 search producing manifest proofs of the
 truth of the waiting-maid's assertion1 
and of their own powers of endurance4   
,thereupon the head sank once more into 

the lap of the mulatto maiden1 who began
 to disentangle and arrange the hair4   
,again all was still4 ,the three        
senoritas gazed out into the street1 and
 smoked and yawned2 the attendant       
twisted and plaited her mistress's      
abundant tresses2 all was apathy leaden1
 ,mexican apathy4  ,in a side chamber1  
of which the door stood half open1 a    
voice was suddenly heard1 uttering      
sundry ,oh's6 and ,ah's6 in such a      
strange1 half-groaning1 half-screaming  
tone1 that the four young ladies burst  
into a loud fit of laughter4 ,the       
chamber was much smaller than the       
saloon1 but yet far larger and higher   
than an ordinary ,european bedroom1 and1
 like the sala1 was lined with blue     
china tiles4 ,in one part of it there   
hung a hammock1 the occupant of which1  
judging from his or her loud and regular
 snore1 was soundly sleeping4 ,on the   
right hand stood a sort of hybrid       
machine1 between a bed and an ottoman1  
which might have been cleaner1 and on   

which1 besides other articles of dress1 
lay a blue cloak1 richly embroidered    
with gold4 ,hats crushed out of shape1  
dusty trowsers1 dirty linen1 and        
implements of the toilet1 were scattered
 about the apartment1 side by side with 
costly articles of apparel1 the value of
 one of which would have sufficed to    
cleanse the whole house1 and keep it    
clean for half a year to come4 ,below   
the hammock sat an ,indian girl1 with a 
fan of feathers upon her lap2 her head  
was inclined upon her breast1 and sleep 
had overtaken her in the midst of the   
monotonous occupation of fanning the    
inmate of the hammock4 ,near the bed or 
sofa stood a mulatto1 holding a box of  
cigars and a light4  ,oh6 ,ah6 ,ih6     
again groaned the occupant of the bed1  
from which a nightcap now emerged4 ,a   
meagre grimy hand next appeared1 pulled 
off the nightcap1 and disclosed a dry1  
brown physiognomy1 of which the cheeks1 
temples1 and hollows round the eyes1    
were puckered into innumerable dark     

olive-green wrinkles4  ,this lamentable 
interjection1 which was somewhat louder 
than the preceding one1 caused a        
commotion in the hammock1 from which    
there now appeared another tawny        
countenance1 ornamented with a few warts
 as large as peas1 and with a beard     
which would have been a fitting         
decoration for a grenadier4 ,all effort 
was made to raise the body as well as   
the head1 but the weight of the former  
made the attempt abortive1 and the whole
 figure again disappeared in the hollow 
of its hanging couch4 ,a second1 and    
more vigorous trial was successful1 and 
there came into view the head1 neck1    
shoulders1 and other component parts of 
a female bust1 the more minute          
description of which we will spare our  
readers4 ,the lady of the house1 for it 
was no less a person1 did not seem in   
the least embarrassed by the presence of
 the mulatto1 but sat upright n her     
hammock4  ,manca6 cried she1 in a voice 
like an ill-conditioned trumpet1 and    

gazing around her as she spoke4 ,manca6 
she repeated in a yet harsher tone2 and 
then throwing her right foot and leg    
over the side of the hammock1 she1 by a 
tremendous kick1 knocked the drowsy     
,manca off her perch4 ,by this exertion 
there was communicated to the hammock a 
swinging motion which seemed highly     
pleasing to the ,spanish lady1 who      
allowed her left foot to follow her     
right1 neither of them being protected  
by stockings or any other covering2 and 
then1 holding on with both hands to the 
cords of the hammock1 she rocked herself
 to and from with infinite satisfaction1
 her sole garment being her chemise4    
,for the third time did the ,spaniard   
utter his lamentable ,oh6 ,ah6  ,don    
,matanzas6 screamed the senora1 it is   
impossible to shut one's eye for your   
groans4 ,can one have no quiet2 not even
 for the siesta8 ,c--jo6  ,and again she
 jerked herself into her hammock1 which 
,manca now kept in a state of vibration1
 creating a cool breeze in the room1 but

 at the same time raising clouds of     
dust4 ,about two minutes elapsed1 during
 which not a word was spoken2 the       
,spaniard had lighted a cigar1 and was  
puffing forth volumes of smoke4 ,on a   
sudden he took the cigar from his mouth1
 apparently in a great rage4  ,muerte y 
infiernos6 he exclaimed4 ,a twinge      
interrupted him1 and he relapsed into   
his groanings1 while his greenish-brown 
physiognomy was horribly distorted4     
,muerte y infiernos6 he resumed1 as the 
pangs diminished in violence4 ,no quiet1
 say you8 ,and whose fault is it8 ,who  
brought us up here from ,acapulco8      
,would you have stopped there to be made
 minced meat of by the rebels8 retorted 
his wife4  ,maldito mal pais1 growled   
the ,spaniard4 ,would that ,i had       
remained in the ,madre ,patria6  ,the   
lady cast a glance of the most supreme  
contempt upon her shadow of a husband1  
took a cigar from the ,indian girl1 and 
beckoned the mulatto to bring her a     
light4 ,it was only when her cigar was  

in full puff that she vouchsafed a      
reply4  ,remain in the ,madre ,patria1  
say you8 ,to dine with ,st ,antonio1#ah 
,i suppose4 ,to feast upon garlic soup1 
with six-and-thirty garbanzos in it1 and
 as many drops of oil swimming on the   
hot water4 ,porquerias6 ,no hablas como 
,cristiano4  ,not speak like a          
,christian1 say you8 cried the ,spaniard
 with a sort of comical shudder4 ,jesus1
 ,maria1 y ,jose6 ,nosotros6 ,we1 who   
descend from the oldest ,christians of  
whom ,castile can boast--we1 whose      
ancestors were at the fight by          
,roncesvalles----  ,pshaw6 the man talks
 nonsense4 ,did we not come all the way 
from ,acapulco to get him cured of his  
consumption8 ,and now we are here1 the  
fool will not see the doctor1 because he
 would be obliged to call the ,zambo    
,don1 or ,senor4 ,cursed folly6  ,folly6
 returned her better half               
furiously--,folly1 do you say8 ,you may 
call it so2 you who have not a drop of  
the blood of the ,matanzas in your      

veins4 ,folly1 quotha6 continued he with
 a fresh outburst of indignation2 the   
heroism of a ,matanzas1 whose three     
hundred forefathers must look down on   
him from heaven with pride and          
exultation1 especially the great        
,matanzas who in the fight by           
,roncesvalles----  ,roncesvalles or no  
,roncesvalles6 interrupted his spouse1  
my ancestors were members of the        
,seville ,consulado1 ,senor6 remember   
that2 and it was through them that you  
got your present place1 and became what 
you now are1 a richer man than all your 
three hundred ancestors put together2   
three hundred beggars1 indeed1 who had  
only three cloaks amongst them all1 and 
as many soup-dishes1 in which they      
begged their olla4  ,the ,spaniard threw
 a scornful glance at his wife4  ,we    
have1 said he1 in mighty dudgeon----,oh6
 ah6 groaned the poor devil1 his        
features twisted up with pain4 ,we have1
 he continued after a moment1 a pedigree
 as long as the ,tacuba ,street1        

,senora1 while yours--pshaw6 it would   
not make a mat for this room4  ,the man 
had raised himself up1 and spoke in a   
sharp screaming voice1 but the last     
words he uttered were half stifled by   
pain4  ,folly6 continued he1 after a    
pause--folly1 do you call it6 because we
 refuse to indulge an insolent ,zambo1  
who dares to expect that a descendant of
 the great ,matanzas1 a viejo           
,cristiano1 should style him ,senor--a  
,matanzas1 whose nobility is older than 
that of the king himself6  ,and so      
saying1 the shrivelled anatomy of a     
creature placed upon his head an        
enormous three-cornered cocked hat1 with
 a red cockade and waving plume of      
feathers4  ,folly6 d'ye call it8 he     
repeated4  ,yes1 folly1 laughed his     
wife2 ,i would style the ,zambo 'your   
majesty1' if ,i wanted him4 ,and she    
went on with her smoking and swinging4  
,the ,spaniard took a fresh cigar out of
 the mulatto's box1 lit it1 and soon    
enveloped himself and his cocked hat in 

a cloud of vapour4  ,the truce between  
the contending parties lasted several   
minutes1 during which the ,spaniard sat 
up in his bed without any other clothing
 than a flannel shirt and the cocked hat
 aforesaid1 and his lady lay quiescent  
in her hammock4 ,she was the first to   
break silence4  ,matanzas1 you are an   
old fool1 cried she1 and if ,i were ,don
 ,toro----  ,don him no ,dons6          
interrupted her husband4 ,he has no     
right to them4 ,ah6 oh6 groaned the     
suffering wretch4 ,no1 never will we    
give to a miserable ,zambo the title of 
,senor2 we1 whose ancestors were at the 
fight of ,roncesvalles4 ,and the dog    
expects that we should stand up on his  
entrance1 as before a viejo ,cristiano1 
and greet him as ,senor6  ,the standing 
up might be dispensed with1 rejoined the
 lady1 seeing that you are not able to  
do it4  ,we call the ,zambo ,don6       
reiterated the ,spaniard1 and stand up  
on his entrance6 ,madre de ,dios1 what  
insolence6 ,no1 ,senora1 that shall     

never be1 continued he with much        
solemnity4 ,by the ,virgen de los       
,remedios1 and the most excellent ,sant 
,jago1 that shall never be6 ,were we a  
thousand times as ill1 and this ,zambo  
could cure us by the mere touch of his  
staff1 as ,senor ,don ,moses did the    
,israelites--,dona ,anna1 said the man1 
with an assumption of immense dignity1  
we would rather die a thousand deaths   
that call the ,zambo ,senor1 or stand up
 before him4 ,we are a viejo ,cristiano1
 y basta6 ,enough6 ,i have spoken4      
,during this declaration of his         
principles1 the ,spaniard's cigar had   
gone out2 he lit another1 pressed down  
his huge cocked hat deeper upon his     
forehead1 took a long cross-hilted      
dagger from the wall1 with the words1   
,ven1 mi querida ,virgen6 and kissing   
the sacred emblem1 laid it before him4  
,husband and wife had quarrelled        
themselves weary1 and now remained      
silent4  ,the dispute seemed to have    
excited no interest in the saloon and   

mirador1 where the young ladies were    
still lounging1 yawning1 and smoking2   
their features wearing that disagreeable
 relaxed expression which is frequently 
to be observed in the countenances of   
,mexican women4 ,a moment1 however1 was 
sufficient to change the scene4 ,the    
,senorita ,ximene had gazed awhile1 with
 the drooping underlip and careless     
glance of indifference1 upon a number of
 persons who were coming up the ,tacuba 
,street1 and who1 to judge from their   
garb1 were for the most part members of 
the cinco gremios1 the five guilds or   
handicrafts4 ,on a sudden1 however1 her 
eyes lost their vague and languid look1 
and became fixed and sparkling2 her lips
 were protruded as if inviting a kiss2  
her hand was extended1 her mantilla     
fell1 as of itself1 into graceful       
folds--it was but an instant1 and the   
damsel was completely transformed4 ,her 
two companions had scarcely remarked    
this change1 when they in their turn    
underwent a like metamorphosis2 their   

countenance became all animation1 their 
manner fascination itself2 they were no 
longer the same beings4  ,don ,pinto y  
un superbo hombre6 whispered ,ximene4   
,quien es8 ,who is it8 asked ,celestine4
  ,no se1 replied the other two4  ,the  
whispering and commotion in the balcony 
had roused ,dona ,isidra from her state 
of indolent apathy4 ,her hair was       
already tressed and knotted2 she now    
hastily slipped on a gown1 darted       
through the folding-doors out upon the  
mirador1 and clapped her hands together1
 uttering the words1 ,venid1 venid1     
querido6 ,then tripping back into the   
saloon with her three companions1 they  
all four seized the cords of variegated 
silk that hung down1 as already         
mentioned1 from the centre of the       
ceiling1 which was full fifteen feet    
high4 ,the waiting-maid had just had    
time to slip on ,dona ,isidra's         
basquina1 and fasten her mantilla on the
 crown of her head1 when the door       
opened1 and ,don ,pinto1 accompanied by 

another cavalier1 entered the room4     
,the damsels were now picturesquely     
beautiful4 ,no trace was visible of the 
dull apathy which1 but two minutes      
before1 had seemed to weigh them down4  
,the yellow tint of their cheeks had    
become a glowing carnation2 the         
thick-lipped1 half-open mouth was closed
 with an arch expression1 the eyes      
flashed fire2 all was grace and         
seduction4 ,the fascinating basquina1   
embellishing the full round form1 and   
reaching down to the knees2 beneath it  
the petticoat of light blue silk2 the   
elegant folds of both garments1 and the 
indescribable play of the mantilla1 now 
half veiling1 then revealing1 the       
speaking1 love-glancing eyes4 ,it was an
 enchanting group1 which acquired       
additional grace when joined by the two 
cavaliers1 in their characteristic      
,mexican costume1 embroidered jackets1  
and short cloaks4 ,the girls bounded    
forward to welcome ,don ,pinto and his  
companion1 a handsome young ,creole2 and

 with a ,venid1 venid1 senores6 offered 
them the two remaining cords4 ,a hasty  
pressure of the hand1 an ardent glance1 
and the dancers stood ready to begin4   
,the ,chica of ,yucatan1 whispered ,don 
,pinto4  ,the maidens were all fire1    
glowing with eagerness4 ,an ,indian girl
 took up the guitar1 and began to play  
the dance that had been asked for1      
accompanied by another on the ,mexican  
instrument already described1 which     
yielded tones hollow and tremulous1 but 
yet melodious1 somewhat resembling those
 of an harmonica4 ,the dance commenced  
with a slow gliding step1 the dancers   
holding the ropes with one hand1 while  
with the other the ladies coquetted     
their mantillas4 ,it was impossible to  
behold any thing more fascinating than  
their movements1 as they glided past    
each other1 their eyes flashing1        
mantillas waving1 their full and        
graceful forms exhibiting the most      
enchanting contours4 ,presently the step
 changed1 the movements became quicker1 

ladies and cavaliers more animated1     
crossing1 circling1 winding1 quite      
unembarrassed by the cords1 which they  
still held1 and which1 as they trode the
 complicated mazes of the dance1        
gradually formed themselves into a sort 
of network4 ,as the ropes grew shorter1 
the movements of the dancers became     
necessarily more circumscribed1 until at
 length the completion of the net       
brought them together into one panting1 
glowing1 voluptuous group4 ,for an      
instant they remained motionless1 and   
the music ceased2 but then again        
commencing1 they retraced their steps   
through the complicated mazes of this   
most singular of dances1 until the      
network they had so skilfully           
interwoven1 was as skilfully and        
gracefully disentwined4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,y basta6
 as ,don ,matanzas says2 for we cannot  
allow ourselves to follow our author any
 further in his somewhat glowing        
description of ,mexican dances1 the     

license of which appears to be in       
accordance with the unrestrained morals 
and manners of the people4 ,we return   
then to ,don ,manuel1 who cannot get    
over his remorse at having1 under the   
influence of a generous but fleeting    
impulse1 assisted the rebels against the
 troops of his rightful sovereign2 and  
as his free-agency is in no way         
restrained by ,guerero1 he leaves the   
patriot army and repairs to ,mexico4    
,whilst endeavouring to obtain an       
interview with the viceroy's sister1    
,dona ,isabella1 he is discovered1      
apprehended1 and thrown into one of the 
subterranean dungeons which extend under
 a considerable portion of the viceregal
 palace4 ,on discovering the name of the
 prisoner1 the viceroy1 in pursuance of 
his designs on the immense wealth of the
 ,conde de ,san ,jago1 resolves to make 
away with this1 his nephew and heir4    
,the great power and influence of the   
count1 his popularity in ,mexico1 a     
popularity which is in some degree      

shared by his nephew1 compel the viceroy
 to proceed with extreme caution in     
carrying out his design4 ,while         
deliberating as to the best means to be 
employed1 one of ,don ,manuel's         
servants1 named ,cosmo ,blanco1 is      
brought in a prisoner1 and this         
circumstance suggests a plan to the     
plotting viceroy and his secretary and  
creature1 ,don ,ruy ,gomez4 ,the servant
 is put out of the way in a dungeon1 and
 his arrest not registered1 while ,don  
,manuel1 under the name of ,cosmo       
,blanco1 is brought before a sort of    
arbitrary tribunal1 which sits in the   
vaults adjoining the prison4 ,despairing
 and half frantic1 the unfortunate young
 nobleman takes no note of the name     
under which he is arraigned1 confesses  
all the charges brought against him1 and
 implores that the punishment1 which he 
acknowledges himself to have merited1   
may be immediate4 ,he is condemned to   
death2 but1 before the sentence can be  
executed1 his real name gets wind1 and  

great alarm is excited even amongst the 
very judges and officials who have had  
to do with his capture and condemnation1
 as to what the consequences of his     
death may be4 ,already have two of the  
alguazils who apprehended him1 been     
stabbed in the open street2 there is a  
rumour and a murmur throughout the city 
of ,mexico1 which bodes no good4        
,nevertheless the viceroy holds firm1   
trusting to his ,spanish bayonets to    
keep down rebellious demonstrations1 and
 to his assumed ignorance of ,don       
,manuel's identity to bear him harmless 
with ,count ,san ,jago4 ,it is a        
critical time2 the hour appointed for   
,manuel's death draws near2 the ,count1 
apparently unaware of his nephew's      
peril1 has made no visible effort to    
rescue him2 when1 by a boldly devised   
and rapidly executed scheme1 which      
several ,spanish officials are induced  
by their fears either to aid or connive 
at1 the viceroy's secretary1 who has    
been commissioned to witness the secret 

execution of ,don ,manuel1 is deceived1 
and the young ,creole's life saved4 ,we 
will extract the chapter in which this  
occurs1 and the one that precedes it4   
,the action of them both passes in the  
prisons beneath the viceregal palace4   
,,chapter ,,the ,,forty-,,first4        
,i'll see if his head will stand        
steadier on a pole or no3--,take him    
away1 and behead him4--,king ,henry     
,,vi4  ,don ,penafil1 alcalde of the    
right worshipful cabildo or town-council
 of ,mexico1 was in the act of raising a
 glass of sangaree to his lips1 when the
 chief alguazil entered the vault and   
informed him that his excellency the    
,oidor of the ,audiencia wished to speak
 with him4 ,setting down his glass1 he  
looked searchingly at the messenger4    
,his excellency wishes to speak with us8
 ,shall be at his service as soon as we 
have finished with this rabble4 ,will   
cut it short2 ,don ,ferro1 added he to  
his coadjutor1 who was busily writing1  
how far have we got8  ,no4 #d1 answered 

the escribano4  ,bring up ,no4 #d1      
growled a voice at the further end of   
the vault1 and a hoarse laugh was heard1
 although the person who uttered it     
still remained invisible4 ,the lower    
part of the vault was gloomy1 being only
 lighted by glimmering lamps that hung  
on either side of a pillar1 and shed a  
misty imperfect gleam over surrounding  
objects4 ,in various recesses1 dark     
figures might be seen lurking in the    
gloom1 as if they shrank from           
observation4 ,some of them were lying   
stretched upon stone benches1 wrapped in
 sheep-skin garments1 and snoring       
loudly4 ,here and there1 iron hooks     
protruded from the massive walls1 over  
which the damp was trickling in thick   
heavy drops4 ,the whole aspect of the   
place was dismal and terrible4 ,on the  
upper portion of the vault1 which was   
raised a couple of steps above the lower
 part1 from which it was separated by a 
bar1 more care had been expended4 ,it   
was wainscoted1 the floor was covered   

with mats1 and furnished with cushioned 
chairs4 ,its appearance1 however1 was   
still rude enough1 but by no means out  
of keeping with that of the two         
hard-featured and surly officials by    
whom it was occupied4  ,during the pause
 that ensued after ,no4 #d had been     
called out1 the chief alguazil held a   
brief conversation with the alcalde1 the
 effect of which seemed to be greatly to
 increase the impatience of the latter4 
,muerte y infiernos6 exclaimed he       
violently4  ,vengo6 vengo6 replied a    
voice1 accompanied by the rattle of     
chains1 and then1 supported between two 
grim-looking executioner's aids1 an     
enfeebled and wretched object was       
dragged forward1 and placed at the bar4 
,your name is ,andres ,pachuca8 asked   
the alcalde sharply4  ,the prisoner1 a  
youth some twenty years of age1 gave no 
answer4  ,is it so1 or have you lost    
your tongue1 perchance8 demanded the    
alcalde in an angry tone4  ,he had      
tongue enough in the fonda of ,trespana1

 snarled a voice from the background1   
when he proposed the health of the      
accursed ,morellos4  ,you hear the      
charge1 said the alcalde1 too lazy to   
repeat it himself1 and converting the   
words of the police spy into a formal   
accusation4  ,senor1 for the sake of    
,god's mother1 have mercy6 cried the    
culprit beseechingly4 ,i was misled4    
,so were eighty thousand others1 was the
 surly answer4 ,write down his          
confession1 and away with him to the    
,acordada4  ,above or under ground8     
asked the escribano4  ,wherever the     
maestro has room1 replied the alcalde4  
,no4 #e4  ,the knees of the unfortunate 
youth smote together1 and he fell down  
as if he had received a sudden and      
stunning blow4  ,do not be a fool1      
growled one of the executioner's        
assistants with a horrid laugh4 ,you    
drank ,morellos' health in sherry and   
sangaree2 you can drink it now1 for a   
change1 in fresh ,tezcuco water2 it is a
 trifle saltish as you know1 but there  

is soft lying in it1 at least if the    
snakes and lizards will leave you alone4
 ,that is to say1 if you get into one of
 the lower cells1 where many people have
 lasted half a year4 ,if you give the   
maestro fair words--gold and silver     
words1 mind ye--he will only put you the
 fifty pound chains on1 and it will be  
nearly a fortnight before they begin to 
cut into your flesh4  ,with such        
consolations was the wretched prisoner  
dragged out of the vault1 while another1
 designated as ,no4 #e1 took his place4 
,he was also a young man1 apparently not
 much over twenty4  ,elmo ,hernandez1   
resumed the alcalde1 you are accused of 
having cursed his excellency the        
viceroy1 and of having uttered cries of 
',maldito ,gobierno1' and ',maldito     
,gachupin1' and of ',mueran los         
,gachupinos1' in the quarter of the     
,trespana4 ,you also shouted1 ',abajo   
con la ,virgen de los ,remedios4'#ai    
,crimes both against the state and the  
holy ,catholic church4 ,what can you say

 in reply to these accusations8  ,senor1
 replied the prisoner1 who was violently
 agitated1 ,i have seen my own sister   
forcibly compelled to wed the           
sub-lieutenant ,garcia1 my estate       
wrested from me1 my sister's health and 
happiness ruined by the ill-treatment   
and excesses of her husband4            
,lieutenant ,garcia is a ,spaniard1 a   
viejo ,cristiano2 and if your           
sister--but enough1 you are a ,creole   
and a malecontent4  ,the young man      
ground his teeth1 but said nothing4     
,you are a malecontent1 repeated the    
alcalde4 ,a malecontent has a           
discontented disposition1 and a         
discontented disposition is a rebellious
 one1 and he who has a rebellious       
disposition is a rebel4 ,write it down1 
,don ,ferro4  ,after coming to this just
 and logical conclusion1 the alcalde    
took a draught of sangaree1 and then    
again turned to the escribano4  ,in the 
,cordelada--under ground--chains of the 
second class4  ,you have thirty pounds  

more to carry1 whispered a jailer to    
this new victim4 ,eighty pounds at the  
least4 ,you may say your prayers1 for an
 inferniello will be your portion4  ,the
 prisoner gnashed his teeth1 and shook  
his fetters with impotent rage4 ,he was 
instantly led away4  ,cursed rebel6     
growled the alcalde after him4  ,the    
rest are all gente irracionale1 observed
 the escribano4  ,so much the           
better--,nos4 #ab to #ba1 cried the     
alcalde4  ,for about a minute there was 
a deep silence1 only broken by the      
scratch of ,don ,ferro's pen1 and the   
snoring of the sleepers2 then a rattle  
of chains was heard approaching1        
accompanied by a hollow murmur1 that    
resounded strangely through the         
extensive vault2 and at last several    
dark figures emerged from the gloom1    
their coal-black and fiery eyes         
glittering out of the darkness like     
ignes fatui4 ,they were ten in number2  
desperate-looking men1 who appeared     
neither bowed down by the sufferings    

they had already endured1 nor concerned 
about their future fate4 ,some were of  
gigantic frame1 and the form and        
materials of the rags which clothed them
 betokened ,indians from the ,baxio4    
,with indomitable resolution and        
defiance depicted on their countenances1
 and an expression of desperate cunning 
in their widely parted eyes1 they       
approached the bar4  ,accused of causing
 disturbances1 and exciting the ,leperos
 to rebellion1 said the escribano4 ,one1
 also1 of having torn down the          
proclamation issued by the ,audiencia4  
,which is he8 enquired the alcalde4     
,that one1 replied a voice1 and the     
,zambo called ,cassio ,isidro stepped   
forward1 and pointed to the old ,indian 
whose acquaintance we have already made 
under the name of ,tatli ,ixtla4  ,so   
the ,gachupins are the piques that have 
laid their eggs in the flesh of ,mexico8
 asked the judge1 reading from the      
police-spy's report1 which he held in   
his hand4  ,ixtla did not say that1     

replied the old ,indian4 ,this dog of a 
negro said that4  ,you lie1 screamed the
 ,zambo furiously4  ,and the ,gachupins1
 who are the sons of ,jago1 have        
despoiled the sons of ,esau1 that is to 
say1 the gente irracionale1 of their    
birthright8 continued the alcalde4  ,the
 ,indian made no answer4 ,the judge was 
silent for a moment1 and then uttered   
the word ,verdugo4  ,a man of lofty     
stature and great strength1 with a bushy
 beard of an iron-grey colour1 and in a 
dress consisting entirely of white and  
blue patchwork1#bj stepped forward1 and 
gazed for a moment expectantly at the   
alcalde4 ,on a nod from the latter1 he  
cast a noose round the ,indian's neck1  
and dragged him away1 as the hunter does
 the buffalo he has caught in his lasso4
  ,nos4 #ac to #ba1 cried the alcalde4  
,accused of gritos1 and of stirring up  
the ,leperos1 and being in              
correspondence with the ,gavecillas4    
,they are from ,zitacuaco and           
,guanaxato1 and therefore rebels4  ,the 

nine ,indians1 who were of various ages1
 were now standing in a row at the bar4 
,the alcalde addressed them4  ,what if  
you were to say1 just once1 and for the 
joke's sake1 ',death to the traitor     
,vicente ,guerero6'  ,the prisoners     
gazed at their interlocutor with a fixed
 and stolid look4  ,are ye all          
tongue-tied8 resumed the judge4 ,we will
 put it in another shape4 ,cry ',muera  
el traidor ,morellos6' ,perhaps that    
will suit ye better4  ,none of the      
,indians made any reply4  ,would you    
object to cry1 ',viva el ,rey8' asked   
the alcalde with a sneer4 ,they will not
 answer1 he added1 shaking his head4    
,away with them all4  ,and at the word1 
half a dozen familiars sprang from the  
stone benches and out of the recesses1  
passed lassos through the iron collars  
of the prisoners' fetters1 and dragged  
them away1 like calves to the slaughter4
  ,cut it short1 ,don ,ferro1 said the  
alcalde abruptly4 ,the shorter the      
better2 his excellency is waiting for   

us4 ,you know they do not pay much      
attention to the writing part of the    
business1 and right enough too1 seeing  
that the sentence is generally executed 
before it is signed4  ,the escribano    
took the hint1 and handed the paper to  
the ,alcalde1 who signed it1 as did also
 the chief alguazil4  ,caramba6         
exclaimed the magistrate1 yawning and   
stretching himself4 ,we have done for   
to-night1 but it is only to begin again 
to-morrow4 ,well--oremos1 ,senores6     
,and so saying1 the man rose from his   
seat1 approached a sideboard1 on which  
was a basin and can of water1 and after 
he and his two companions had washed    
their hands1 they took from the table   
the candles1 a crucifix1 and an image of
 the ,virgin de los ,remedios1 placed   
them upon a stool that stood against the
 wall1 knelt down1 and prayed audibly1  
,ave ,maria1 regina coeli1 audi nos     
peccatores6 ,those of the verdugos and  
jailers who still remained in the vault1
 joined in the supplication with that   

solemn fervor which ,spaniards are wont 
to blend with their devotions4 ,when the
 prayer was ended1 the alcalde rose1    
took up his papers1 and left the vault1 
accompanied by the escribano and chief  
alguazil1 and followed by the inferior  
officials1 with the exception of one1   
whose blue and white dress indicated an 
executioner4 ,to this man the alguazil1 
in going out1 had whispered something   
which made him start4 ,recovering1      
however1 from his surprise1 he          
extinguished the candles1 wrapped       
himself in a sheep-skin1 and lay down   
upon one of the benches4   ,,chapter    
,,the ,,forty-,,second4    ,per me si va
 nella citta dolente1   ,per me si va   
nell' eterno dolore1   ,per me si va tra
 la perduta gente4                      
,,dante4  ,all was now still in the     
spacious vault1 with the exception of a 
distant clank of chains and murmur of   
voices1 which echoed dismally along the 
massive walls and under the gloomy      
arches4 ,suddenly1 rapid but cautious   

footsteps were heard1 and three persons1
 the foremost of whom was the chief     
alguazil1 entered1 looked cautiously    
around them1 and then beckoned to the   
executioner1 who rose from his hard     
couch1 and preceded them into a narrow  
gloomy corridor4 ,this led them into    
another vault1 of dismal and dreary     
aspect4 ,it was lighted by a single     
lamp1 of which the light fell so pale   
and dim upon the grey and gloomy walls1 
that it seemed as if the intention had  
been to give those who entered only a   
gradual acquaintance with the horrors of
 the place4 ,the roof was supported by  
pillars of enormous thickness2 along the
 walls were fixed tables and benches of 
various construction1 some resembling   
chests1 others grates1 and some like    
small carts2 but all of iron4 ,chains1  
thick as a man's arm1 hung upon the     
walls and pillars1 which were running   
with moisture1 and in these fetters were
 figures1 in sitting1 standing1 and     
kneeling postures1 of which the outline 

was that of human beings1 but1 whether  
living or dead1 the imperfect lamp-light
 rendered it impossible to distinguish4 
,they gave1 however1 no sign of         
vitality4 ,there were also numerous low 
doors1 or rather iron gratings1 closing 
narrow holes in the wall4 ,the aspect of
 the whole place was that of a          
subterranean slaughter-house1 with dens 
around it for wild beasts4  ,upon       
entering this vault1 two of the four    
persons1 who were wrapped in ample      
cloaks1 paused behind one of the        
pillars1 while the other two hastened to
 a cell and crept into it4 ,it was one  
of those dungeons devised by the        
ingenious cruelty of ,mexico's          
tyrannical rulers1 and which had        
received the appropriate name of        
inferniellos--five feet high1 six feet  
long1 and as many broad4 ,no superfluity
 of furniture--a stone bench1 rings and 
chains4 ,upon the former a young man now
 sat1 or rather hung1 his neck encircled
 by a massive iron ring1 his hands      

stretched out and maintained by chains  
in the attitude of one upon the cross1  
his head drooping forward over the iron 
collar4 ,a cap that covered his head was
 drawn down over eyes and face1 allowing
 little more than the mouth and chin to 
be visible4 ,from time to time the      
unfortunate captive uttered deep moans1 
like those of some vanquished and       
expiring lion1 and which for an instant 
startled his two visitors4 ,recovering  
himself1 however1 the chief alguazil1   
for he was one of them1 approached the  
prisoner1 and endeavoured to open the   
neck-iron4 ,his companion1 the          
executioner1 hastily seized his arm4    
,beware1 ,senor1 cried he2 if you touch 
a wrong spring1 his neck is snapped as  
though it were a maize stalk2 and1 by   
,san ,lorenzo6 ,i think it would almost 
be a kindness to do it4 ,the caballero  
is the first whom ever heard beg for    
death1 and call upon ,god and devil to  
send it him4 ,but1 nevertheless1 may the
 lowermost hell catch me1 if ,i had not 

a notion that this manga would never see
 the inside of old ,lorenzo's wallet4   
,while thus discoursing1 this wild      
executer of the laws had unfettered the 
prisoner4  ,silencio6 said the alguazil4
 ,you were mistaken4 ,the manga shall be
 yours4  ,he is to change his clothes   
then8 ,will your worship be pleased to  
give a helping hand1 for it will be a   
full hour before he gets the use of his 
limbs4 ,a damnable shower-bath it is1   
this inferniello2 and for that matter1  
so are they all4  ,it was with no small 
difficulty that the alguazil            
accomplished his task of undressing the 
prisoner1 who seemed more dead than     
alive1 and lay passive and motionless   
while he was stripped1 first of his     
manga1 then of his embroidered jacket1  
and finally of his hose4 ,he seemed to  
have lost nearly all sensation2 only at 
times an agonized sigh burst from his   
over-charged breast1 and was accompanied
 by a convulsive quivering of the whole 
body4 ,his sufferings had evidently been

 dreadful4  ,we will leave him his under
 garments1 said the alcalde1 who had    
experienced1 on trying to remove them1  
that kind of unconscious resistance     
which even persons in a swoon will      
sometimes make when their instinctive   
sense of modesty is wounded4 ,then1     
throwing his cloak round the prisoner1  
he took him in his arms1 and partly     
bore1 partly dragged him out of the     
inferniello4  ,is it he8 asked one of   
the two figures who had remained near   
the pillar1 raising the cap a little as 
he spoke4  ,it is1 muttered the other4  
,it is1 repeated the alguazil4  ,de     
pregonero a verdugo1 muttered the       
executioner2 so says the proverb1 but   
here things are reversed4 ,follow me1   
,senorias--,i will lead you to a place  
where he shall sleep safely2 that is to 
say if the rats1 whom he will have for  
companions1 will allow him4  ,the party 
now disappeared in the windings of a    
corridor1 whence1 after a short absence1
 the executioner and alguazil again     

emerged1 bringing with them a young man 
whose stature1 hair1 and general        
appearance1 coincided strongly with     
those of the prisoner they had just     
carried away4 ,like the latter1 the     
newcomer had a cap drawn over his face1 
but he appeared much less exhausted and 
suffering4  ,jesus ,maria6 ,where am ,i1
 ,senores8 ,for the mother of ,god's    
sake1 where am ,i8  ,silencio6 growled  
the hangman1 placing him against the    
wall1 and beginning to undress him4 ,the
 manga as soon stripped off1 and the    
jacket followed4  ,lift your foot1 said 
the executioner1 pulling at his         
trousers4 ,now the other6 ,so4 ,the     
shirt is not worth much--you can take   
that with you4 ,the botines and shoes   
tolerable4 ,but don't be frightened1    
,senoria2 it is only an exchange4       
,jesus ,maria6 ,mercy1 gracious ,senor6 
stammered the unfortunate wretch4 ,ah6  
if my poor mother1 who lives at the     
corner of the ,plateria1 could----  ,we 
will tell her of it1 ,senoria1          

interrupted the hangman1 in almost a    
feeling tone2 and she will perhaps be   
able to get you an indulgencia          
plenaria--for we have no confessors     
here4 ,it is short work with us1        
particularly since the rack is done away
 with4 ,but for twenty dollars she can  
get the best of indulgencias4 ,they are 
cheap since the rebellion4  ,the poor   
fellow listened to this speech1 his head
 bent towards the speaker in an attitude
 of attention2 but he did not seem to   
understand4 ,he slivered like an aspen  
leaf2 for he now stood nearly naked upon
 the cold1 damp stones4  ,jesus ,maria6 
whimpered the lad1 what is it you want  
with me8 ,i only went to accompany my   
young master4 ,how could poor ,cosmo    
help it8 ,we begged and prayed of       
him--,maestro ,alonzo1 ,pedro1 and      
,i--that he would not interfere when    
,major ,ulloa charged the gente         
irracionale4 ,jesus6 how cold it is6    
,you will soon be warm1 ,senor1 quoth   
the executioner4 ,in our hands1 the     

coldest grows warm4 ,there--take that6  
,and he handed him1 one after the other1
 the garments which the alguazil had    
taken off the other prisoner4 ,the      
unfortunate creature caught at them1 and
 slipped them on with a haste that had  
something shocking in it4 ,on a sudden1 
he left off dressing himself1 passed his
 hands over the fur trimmings and gold  
embroidery of the jacket1 and exclaimed1
 in a trembling voice--,holy ,virgin6   
they are my master's clothes6 ,for a    
moment he stood shivering1 with the     
jacket in his hand4  ,quick1 ,senor6    
cried the executioner2 time is short4   
,the prisoner put his arm mechanically  
into the sleeve of the jacket4 ,the     
hangman helped him on with it1 threw the
 short cloak over him1 and placed him   
hastily in the cell which had been so   
recently vacated4 ,he had scarcely done 
so1 when the sound of a bell was heard  
from the adjacent vault4 ,alguazil and  
executioner listened for a moment1 and  
then hurried through a corridor1 in the 

direction whence the summons proceeded4 
,after a couple of minutes1 they        
returned1 accompanied by the alcalde1   
and by a person muffled in a blue       
cloak4#ba ,the two latter carried dark  
lanterns4  ,executioner1 do your duty6  
said the alcalde4 ,no4 #c4  ,the        
executioner disappeared in the          
inferniello2 the clank of chains was    
heard1 and he again emerged from the    
den1 bringing with him the unfortunate  
prisoner4  ,por el amor de ,dios6       
implored the latter4 ,cosmo will do any 
thing1 confess every thing--  ,he raves1
 interrupted the alcalde4  ,jesus       
,maria1 groaned ,cosmo again4 ,we       
begged1 we entreated him not to fire at 
,major ,ulloa4 ,never in my life will ,i
 again take a trabuco in my hand4  ,that
 voice6----exclaimed the cloaked        
figure--  ,is altered1 hastily          
interposed the alcalde4 ,the poor fellow
 has lost voice1 reason1 and courage4   
,but it is always so4  ,there1 muttered 
the hangman2 these bracelets might have 

been made for your ,excellency2 they    
just fit on over the fur cuffs4 ,and so 
saying1 he pushed the prisoner against  
the wall1 and placed both his arms in   
rings4  ,santissima ,madre1 ora pro     
nobis6 prayed poor ,cosmo between his   
teeth1 which chattered as he spoke4     
,then suddenly he raised his voice1 and 
broke out into the beautiful hymn1      
,madre dolorosa1 dulcissima y hermosa1  
which he sang1 in this his moment of    
extreme anguish1 with such expression   
and melody1 that even the executioner   
suspended his proceedings1 and listened 
for a moment1 visibly moved4 ,a sign    
from the alguazil recalled him to his   
duty4  ,a little farther back1 ,senoria4
 ,the legs asunder1 on either side of   
this stone4 ,we want you to sit         
comfortably4  ,it is cold1 bitter cold6 
whined the poor fellow4 ,oh1 my poor    
mother6  ,the head higher1 resumed the  
hangman1 or the springs might catch your
 skull4 ,so--that is right4 ,don't be   
afraid4 ,we are not going to hurt you4  

,the prisoner now stood with his legs   
straddled out1 a large stone1 that      
projected from the wall1 between them1  
his neck in a huge iron collar1 his arms
 spread out and hanging in the rings4   
,remain standing1 ,senoria1 till we have
 fastened your cravat4 ,don't tremble4  
,we are doing nothing to you4 ,in two   
minutes you will be as you should be4   
,while uttering these words of          
consolation1 the executioner had        
fastened a thinner chain1 of which the  
end was secured to the stone above      
mentioned1 round the neck of the victim1
 who stood shaking and trembling1 and   
allowing himself to be thus dealt with  
as unresistingly as a lamb4 ,the poor   
fellow had left off sobbing1 and was now
 repeating ,ave ,marias in a low hurried
 voice1 with all the agonized eagerness 
of one who in his last moments would    
fain make up for former omissions4      
,would you1 ,senoria1 wish to have the  
sentence read8 enquired the alcalde of  
the man in the blue cloak1 who stood    

observing the proceedings in deep       
silence1 and now made no answer to the  
question4  ,would ,don ,ruy ,gomez be   
pleased to hear the sentence read8      
repeated the alcalde in a hoarse        
whisper4  ,still no reply4  ,the        
alguazil made a sign to the executioner4
 ,the latter pressed the prisoner down  
upon the stone--the snap of a spring was
 heard--the stone fell out of the wall4 
,jesus ,maria6 ,todos ,santos6 shrieked 
,cosmo4 ,madre mi----  ,the last        
syllable was not uttered2 in its place  
there was the noise of crushed and      
breaking bones2 and then the tongue     
protruded from the mouth1 and the eyes  
from their sockets1 the face became of a
 deep purple colour1 and the victim hung
 a corpse in his manacles4  ,el ultimo  
suspiro6 said the executioner1 in an    
unusually solemn tone4  ,the viceroy's  
secretary shuddered1 and gazed fixedly  
and in silence upon the corpse4  ,the   
finest youth in ,mexico6 he murmured4   
,and then1 as if devils had been goading

 him1 he hurried to the door4  ,show his
 ,senoria a light1 cried the alguazil   
gravely2 and may his dying hour be as   
easy as that of this unfortunate4 ,by my
 soul1 continued he to the alcalde1     
these great men are delicate4 ,they take
 us for tongs1 made to pull their       
chestnuts out of the fire4  ,the alcalde
 nodded4  ,do not forget the prisoner1  
said he4 ,and with an abrupt ,adios1 he 
left the vault4  ,come1 and that        
quickly1 cried the alguazil anxiously2  
in a quarter of an hour it might be too 
late4 ,an alcalde and an alguazil cannot
 be always blind4  ,his summons1 which  
had been uttered in a loud tone1 was    
replied to by the appearance of the     
original occupant of the ,no4 #c cell1  
who now re-entered the vault1 supported 
by the two strangers with whom he had   
quitted it a short time previously4     
,where am ,i8 he exclaimed4  ,in a place
 which few ever leave alive1 ,don       
,manuel1 was the answer2 but he that has
 the ,pope for his cousin1 as the       

proverb says1 need not fear hell-fire4  
,nevertheless1 let your ,senoria beware6
 ,another time it might not be so easy  
to rob the tiger of his prey4  ,and with
 these words the chief alguazil led the 
way out of the vault4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,with    
this rescue of ,don ,manuel1 and        
sacrifice of his unfortunate servant1   
the plot of the book may in great       
measure be said to terminate1 although  
there are still several lively and      
interesting chapters4 ,count ,san ,jago 
next comes upon the scene1 and has an   
interview with the viceroy1 who at first
 is disposed to carry matters with a    
high hand2 but the count exhibits such  
an accurate and dangerous knowledge of  
the viceroy's secrets1 and1 amongst     
others1 of some treasonable negotiations
 the latter had been carrying on with   
the ,french--proofs of which1 the count 
assures him1 are deposited out of the   
country in the hands of friends of his  
own1 ready to be used should aught      

happen to him--that the satrap is       
completely cowed4 ,the count has no wish
 to have ,vanegas deposed1 considering  
his continuance on the viceregal throne 
more favourable to the prospects of     
,mexican freedom1 than would be his     
replacement by ,calleja1 who has a      
strong party in his favour amongst the  
,spaniards4 ,the matter is therefore    
compromised2 ,don ,manuel receives a    
passport for ,england or the ,united    
,states2 the ,conde ,carlos is promoted 
to an important command in the army2 and
 in return ,count ,san ,jago gives the  
viceroy his support against the cabal   
that is for pulling him down and        
elevating ,calleja4 ,the book1 to be    
complete1 should have a continuation    
dated ten or twelve years later1 showing
 the successful issue of the struggle of
 which these volumes narrate the        
commencement1 and terminating the       
various intrigues1 both private and     
political1 which are here commenced1 but
 not carried to a close4  ,our limits   

have prevented us from giving more than 
brief glimpses of work which1 if        
translated as a whole1 would fill three 
or four comely post octavos4 ,we trust  
that it will be worthily done into      
,english1 without greater abridgement   
than may be rendered indispensable by   
the epithets and expletives so abundant 
in the ,german language2 many of which  
are unnecessary1 and some without       
equivalent in ours3--done1 however1 not 
as translations usually are1 but in a   
manner worthy of the admirable original4
 ,out of the numerous translations of   
clever ,german books that have recently 
appeared1 it is lamentable to observe   
how few have been done1 we will not say 
well1 but decently1 and how little      
justice has been rendered to the talent 
of the authors2 the translators having  
been for the most part incompetent      
drudges1 working by the square foot1 or 
persons of some ability1 who apparently 
deemed it beneath them to bestow upon   
translations even a small portion of the

 pains they devote to original          
productions4 ,we are aware of very few  
instances where this description of     
labour1 which to do well is not         
altogether so easy as is usually        
supposed1 has fallen into hands alike   
competent and conscientious4 ,we trust  
that whenever the works of our ,german  
,unknown are translated1 they will be   
undertaken by persons at once sensible  
of their merits1 and able to do them    
justice4     ,,the ,,rector',s          
,,daughter4   ,,chapter ,i4  ,the rapid 
shade of an ,october evening1 borrowing 
deeper gloom from the wildness of the   
adjacent ,tipperary mountains1 was      
falling over the lonely town of         
,clogheen1 within whose classic         
precincts took place that important     
meeting between ,sergeant ,snap and     
,paddy ,carey1 which has been recorded  
immortally in song4 ,forty years ago1   
7of which period we are about to write17
 when roads were not as good1 travellers
 as adventurous1 and markets as abundant

 as at present1 ,clogheen was a smart1  
or1 as the ,itinerary of that day has   
it1 a thriving place with a decent      
church1 boasting a comfortable inn and  
several hucksters' shops1 where every   
variety of merchandise1 from brandy and 
bandle-linen to hand-saws and halfpenny 
whistles1 was procurable4  ,in a        
double-countered shop 7for the          
appliances for the inward creature were 
sold at one side1 and those for the     
outward man at another7 in one of the   
handsomest houses of the town--where a  
double-story1 slated roof1 and a        
sign-board with a red splash in the     
middle1 and the characters1 ,general    
,hutchinson1 underneath1 was the        
standard of excellence--on the evening  
in question stood ,curly ,cahill1#bb    
spirit retailer1 and1 according to the  
signboard just quoted1 dealer in soft   
goods1 butter1 leather1 iron1 eggs1 and 
tobacco1 busily engaged in serving a    
customer4  ,beautyful baffety1 ,miss1   
said ,curly1 a dapper middle-aged       

worthy1 his short black hair combed     
sleek over his low forehead1 with a face
 half smooth1 half smirking1 and--for   
the little fellow pretended to no small 
degree of sanctimony--his person dressed
 neatly in black1 as closely as possible
 to resemble the fashion just imported  
by the new ,co'juther from ,maynooth4   
,beautyful baffety1 ,miss ,katey1 fit   
for any lady from this to ,knocklofty1  
let alone for servants' wear1 an' only  
tenpence-halfpenny a yard4 ,it's giving 
it away ,i am4  ,it does not seem a very
 good colour1 said the purchaser in a   
musical voice4  ,is it the colour6 ,take
 your hand ov it1 take your hand ov it1 
astore1 cried the dextrous merchant2 a  
bleachground would look yallow an' that 
purty hand to the fore4 ,an' here1      
,padeen1 bring a candle--an' turn out   
them pigs1 you sir1 an' boult the       
half-dure1 till ,miss ,tyrrel sees the  
goods4--,now1 ,miss1 he said1 when the  
light was brought and his behests       
obeyed1 slapping his hand in fond       

emphasis on the bale as he unrolled it  
wider along the counter1 there's an     
article6--that ,i may be happy if ,i'd  
wish finer for my windin' sheet2 only1  
to be sure1 a body would like that to be
 linnen1 an' go to the grave decent4    
,yeh6 what need you be so very          
particular for servants8  ,i really do  
not like the calico1 ,mr ,cahill1       
hesitated the lady1 and1 papa----  ,you 
don't see it1 ,miss1 interrupted ,curly2
 push back them darlin' locks o' yours  
that's sweepin' the counther1 an' ,i'll 
be bound the goods 'll be at the ,glebe 
afore an hour2 and as he spoke he       
playfully1 but with great respect and   
tender fingers1 lifted aside some of the
 masses of golden hair that drooped     
above1 and1 as he truly insinuated1 in  
some measure overshadowed the good      
qualities of his merchandise4  ,curly1  
you are a sad old flatterer1 said the   
young lady1 and she impatiently raised  
her head1 and shaking back its weight of
 ringlets1 exposed a fair high forehead 

and beautifully oval face to view4 ,i   
find it always difficult to deal with   
you2 however1 she added with a smile1   
the better way1 perhaps1 is to send up  
the whole piece to the ,glebe to-morrow1
 and ,i shall then be able to judge of  
it4  ,ah1 then1 that ,i may be soon     
sellin' you the weddin' sheets1 ,miss   
,katey1 said the successful shop-keeper1
 as he rolled up the bale and pushed it 
to the end of the counter2 and1 he      
added1 in a very different tone1        
modulated to the lowest key of          
suppleness and deference1 shure that    
'ould be to-morrow1 if you take my      
advice1 an' were kind en' thrue-hearted 
to the one you know----  ,yes1 indeed6  
half ironically half regretfully        
murmured the young lady1 as she drew    
down her veil and prepared to depart1   
but was stayed by a prognostication from
 ,curly1 who pledged nothing less than  
his hand an' word to her1 that she'd    
break the heart of the anonymous        
individual alluded to1 afore long1 if   

she didn't take care6  ',twas when the  
men wor goin' to work at broad daylight 
this mornin'1 ,miss1 ,i hear him in the 
next room to me1 stealin' to bed afther 
sittin' up the night readin' them books1
 an' songs1 an' things1 that you're     
deludin' the poor fellow's senses       
with--ach----  ,oh6 that reminds me1    
said the listener1 producing a small    
volume from the folds of her cloak2 ,i  
will just leave this book with my       
compliments4 ,he is1 of course1 she     
carelessly observed1 not now at home8   
,jest took a short stick in his hand and
 went out for a solithary walk2 by      
himself1 poor fellow1 down by the       
,shuire4 ',tis the only time o' the day 
he likes for walkin'4  ,the time of the 
night1 you mean1 ,curly1 said the girl  
with a laugh1 glad to shake off a       
certain air of embarrassment she felt1  
by affected gaiety4 ,tell him he should 
keep better hours2 though1 upon my word1
 as she prepared to face the darkening  
twilight1 ,i don't set him a very good  

example myself4 ,good evening4  ,the    
best of evenin's to you1 a cushla1 said 
,mr ,cahill1 as he bolted the shop-door 
after her4 ,the bloody tithe-devourin'  
parson's daughter1 he muttered1 as he   
turned in and prepared to roll up his   
goods to be forwarded to the ,glebe next
 morning2 an' for all1 she's a darlin'  
herself1 an' a blessin' to every one    
that's about her--but her murdherin'    
father6 ,here1 ,padeen6--,padeen1 ,i    
say6         99       99       99       
99       99  ,katey ,tyrrel was the     
spoiled child of an indulgent parent4   
,her father1 the ,reverend ,edward      
,tyrrel1 was rector of the parish in    
which our story lies4 ,a man whose      
disposition1 naturally soft and         
affectionate1 had1 in the course of     
years1 become sharp and irritable1 from 
the long series of petty vexations he   
had been subjected to in his efforts to 
collect the unsatisfactory revenues of  
his incumbency1 from as                 
ingeniously-obstinate a set of          

parishioners as were to be found in the 
most litigation-loving island in the    
world4 ,the district of country1 too1 in
 which ,mr ,tyrrel's lot had fallen1    
although sufficiently fertile and       
wealthy1 was1 of all others1 from its   
situation at the foot of the high and   
sterile tract of the ,kilworth          
mountains1 7then the favourite resort of
 highwaymen and fugitives from the law17
 with the gloomy range of the ,gaultees 
to the north1 and on its southern edge  
the long and lonely ,commeragh hills1   
that divided it from ,waterford1 the    
most unfavourable to passing a life of  
quiet plenty and security4 ,when to this
 it is added1 that from the scanty      
number of gentry the ,government of the 
day deemed it prudent to entrust with   
the commission of the peace1 in         
self-defence he was obliged to be a     
magistrate1 an office which not         
unfrequently compelled him to be        
complainant1 counsel1 and convicting    
justice in his own cause1 some idea may 

be formed of the difficulties and       
vexations the ,vicar of ,clogheen had to
 encounter in the collection of those   
tithes from which his income was        
principally derived4 ,notwithstanding1  
during the twenty or five-and-twenty    
years of his incumbency1 if his temper  
did not progress towards improvement1   
his fortune did4 ,by an ample dowery    
received with his wife1 and exact       
economy and prudence1 he had been       
enabled1 from time to time1 to make     
considerable purchases in land2 until at
 length ,mr ,tyrrel was accounted1 if   
not the most popular1 at least one of   
the most prosperous clergymen from      
,dunmanway to the ,devil's ,bit4 ,he had
 become a widower early in life1 and    
around his daughter ,katey1 the sole    
offspring of his marriage1 those        
sympathies and affections which were    
denied vent in every other quarter1 were
 concentrated in a lavish and           
inexhaustible flood4 ,a few short years 
of a mother's superintendence--some     

attempts at home-education1 7for he     
would not trust her from his sight17 in 
the shape of a little petticoated rebel1
 who would be taught nothing1 and a     
sickly governess who had nothing to     
teach--a girlhood of romance-reading1   
riding rough colts with her cousin      
,lysaght ,osborne1 and rambling among   
the peasantry--and we have the result of
 the clergyman's fondness and folly in  
the wild1 lively blue-eyed maiden of    
nineteen1 now wending her way along the 
dim and elm-darkened road leading from  
the town of ,clogheen to her father's   
mansion1 nearly a mile away4 ,even in   
the early part of an autumn evening few 
persons were desirous of travelling     
alone in that neighbourhood2 but ,katey 
trod her path in perfect security4 ,she 
was known to every body1 and by the     
surrounding peasantry 7to whom she ever 
came1 with her purse or prescriptions of
 pots of jam1 warm jackets and flannel  
bed-gowns1 a living and lovely ,replevin
 for many of her sire's exactions7 she  

was treated with a fond regard1 which   
can only be estimated by those who know 
how largely the smallest loan of        
kindness--of real disinterested         
kindness--is repaid by that people4     
,wayward and innocent1 however1 as she  
was1 ,katey1 on the evening in question1
 had not1 without a motive1 dispensed   
with the companionship of the staid     
female domestic who usually attends     
young ladies in ,ireland1 when they are 
necessitated to go out shopping after   
dinner by themselves4 ,it might be for  
this reason1 that she hastened homeward 
with more anxiety than usual1 although  
her step was neither as elastic1 nor her
 brow as unclouded1 as they were wont to
 be4 ,but she did not pursue her way    
uninterrupted4   ,,chapter ,,ii4        
,half-way upon the road1 where a stile  
opened into the adjacent fields1 a man  
suddenly appeared1 and1 coming forward1 
walked for some paces in silence by her 
side1 as though awaiting some           
recognition before he ventured to       

address her4 ,he was of middle          
stature--his figure was entirely        
concealed in the thick and ample        
wrappings of a long1 dark riding-coat1  
7or bang-up1 as it was called17 common  
to that country2 his step was firm1 and 
its very sound1 quick and decided1 so   
different from the shambling pace of the
 peasant1 told that1 whatever he might  
be1 he did not belong to that condition4
 ,as ,miss ,tyrrel showed no symptom of 
surprise or alarm1 it is possible his   
appearance was not entirely unlooked    
for4 ,she likewise1 however1 forbore to 
speak1 and the stranger at length was   
obliged to commence the                 
conversation--turning back1 at the same 
time1 the high collar by which his face 
was muffled1 and exhibiting features so 
extremely dark that they would have been
 deemed repulsive1 had they not been    
finely formed1 and enlivened by the full
 light of manhood1 which1 however1 some 
feeling of deep interest1 or passion1   
seemed at the present to overcloud4     

,the hour is come that we have so often 
talked of1 he said1 in a low tone4 ,i   
have no time to waste1 ,katey--are you  
ready8  ,then you were right in your    
conjecture1 said ,miss ,tyrrel1 with an 
unembarrassed air2 your retreat is      
discovered8  ,at least it can no longer 
shelter me4 ,news arrived to-day that   
the soul of this ill-starred            
enterprize--,emmett--has perished by    
legal murder in ,dublin4 ,the gibbet    
awaits all those of his followers who   
may be arrested4 ,certain intelligence  
has reached me that my assumed name and 
character are no longer of avail--the   
local authorities are aware of my real  
offences4 ,if ,i do not instantly       
escape1 before the coming midnight ,i   
shall be a prisoner4  ,i expected this1 
said ,katey1 half musingly2 it could not
 be otherwise2 you yourself anticipated 
it4 ,and yet ,i have been to ,cahill's1 
she added1 looking down1 to--to--leave a
 book1 for ,i was anxious1 and he seems 
to know nothing of your danger4  ,i have

 only just learned it myself1 and have  
hastened to seek you2 the mine at our   
feet is about to be sprung1 and----  ,so
 ends your life of ignoble disguise and 
mine of duplicity4 ,we should both be   
thankful4  ,one of us at least--thankful
 as the wrecked seaman1 when the plank  
he clings to splits and sinks him within
 sight of shore4 ,but time presses2 ,i  
have come to test the truth of your     
character4 ,once more--are you ready8   
,i am indeed--ready to part this        
instant4 ,i knew it should be so2 it was
 a pleasure to have known you1 but ,i am
 resigned--ready4 ,fly6 ,o lose not a   
single moment2 the moon is rising4      
,farewell1 and fly6  ,not without you6  
,girl1 you affect to misunderstand me2  
or have you forgotten those promises of 
friendship and faith1 even to death1    
that you have made me so often and so   
lately8  ,promises--faith8 cried his    
startled companion2 even admitting those
 playful assurances of a wild1 country  
girl's friendship1 were a compact1 could

 you be cruel enough to insist upon my  
fulfilling it in this desperate hour8   
,then all the interest you have         
expressed hitherto in my fate1 pursued  
the stranger2 the sympathy you have led 
me to think you felt for one1 suffering 
as ,i have suffered in the cause of my  
unhappy country--the hopes excited in   
this heart when1 as ,i pictured a       
delighted life passed with you1 and     
love1 and freedom1 beyond the ,atlantic1
 you listened on1 with a consenting     
smile--all this was but pastime for your
 vacant hours8  ,it was wrong1 ,i know1 
replied ,katey yieldingly2 yet ,heaven  
knows it was no pastime4 ,i found you in
 concealment--a fugitive--hunted1 you   
told me1 by the laws for your exertions 
in the cause of a country ,i have been  
taught by you to deem misgoverned2 ,i   
saw you superior to all those around    
you2 you complained of cheerlessness and
 solitude1 of ill health--,i brought you
 books1 music1 all that ,i could judge  
likely to lighten your hours1 and dearly

 am ,i punished for it4  ,but think---- 
,think6 cried the girl1 passionately    
interrupting him1 for the chord had     
jarred1 ,i never thought--till now--when
 all my giddy1 imprudent conduct crowds 
on my mind as if to crush me4 ,a few    
months back1 and we were ignorant of    
each other's existence4  ,would that it 
had continued so1 he said1 in a voice of
 sadness2 a few months more1 and my     
memory will be to you as the nameless   
gravestone1 telling alone that it hides 
the dead4 ,cruel1 but beloved1 farewell6
 and he turned to depart4  ,yet stay1   
said ,katey1 hurriedly4 ,why not let me 
tell my father of this business--,i mean
 of your story--that ,i know it all1 and
 entreat of him1 as ,i have often urged 
you to let me do1 to interest himself   
with ,government and procure your       
pardon1 which he can readily obtain8 ,i 
will go this instant4  ,and give me up  
to justice--for such1 ,i assure you1    
will be the result of an appeal to your 
father4  ,you wrong him1 believe me4 ,he

 is perhaps stern and vindictive in his 
feelings towards those whom he considers
 instrumental in keeping alive a spirit 
of animosity and disturbance among the  
people2 but you know not1 she said with 
a smile1 how all-powerful is my         
influence with him4 ,yes1 even at the   
risk of his displeasure--for he little  
dreams ,i am acquainted with you1 ,i    
will tell him your sad story--there is  
nothing in it a brave or noble man      
should be afraid of4 ,i will go to him  
this moment1 and she moved on4          
,impossible6-you are mad4 ,the very fact
 of your having known and befriended me 
in this clandestine way1 will incense   
your friends4 ,i shall be arrested1 and 
you will accuse yourself for life as my 
destroyer4 ,no1 dear girl1 he continued1
 in a softer yet not less eager tone1 as
 he placed his arm round her1 why not   
yield to the impulses of your own high1 
disinterested spirit1 and fly with me1  
as ,i have so often implored you8 ,be   
mine first in the sight of man and      

heaven1 and then plead for me afterwards
 with your father8  ,i dare not--it     
would break his heart--my own is        
breaking fast already1 and she trembled 
from head to foot in her attempts to    
subdue the sobbing of her bosom4  ,and  
this is the energy1 the firm-mindedness1
 you have so often boasted of6 ,you have
 it in your power this instant to raise 
me to happiness1 wealth1 and safety2    
and1 forgetful it was the charm you     
threw across my path which has kept me  
near you until the bloodhounds have run 
me to bay1 you doom me to despair and   
death4 ,i see you have made your        
decision--hear mine4 ,life since ,i knew
 you has no value in my eyes if unshared
 by you4 ,exile from you would be worse 
than death4 ,here1 then1 ,i still await 
the pursuers4 ,never will ,i leave1 with
 life1 the mountains that surround you4 
,oh--no--no6 ,heaven forbid your blood  
should be shed on my account6 ,fly1 ,i  
implore you1 before it is too late4     
,never6 ,i will sell my life dearly1 but

 my grave at least shall be where you   
can sometimes visit it and remember---- 
,unkind1 dark1 inhuman man6 was it all  
my fault8 ,my poor father1 what will he 
say8 give me at least a day or two to   
think----  ,it is now of no use1 the    
night has half past1 my doom is fixed4  
,no6 again no6 you will drive me mad6   
,oh fly1 fly1 but this once1 and ,i     
will1 at least ,i promise--,i must see  
him--my father--before--fly now and     
return1 and ,i will do all you          
desire--only1 only1 save your life at   
once4  ,the man replied not for some    
minutes1 he then resumed--,i have here  
that copy of the ,gospels you gave      
me--will you swear on that gift that    
when we next meet you will be prepared  
to share life1 be it happiness or       
horror1 with me8  ,yes1 ,i do--,i       
will--any thing2 but fly and save       
yourself4  ,swear then1 he said1 as with
 one arm around her he prepared with the
 other to place the sacred ,book upon   
her lips1 when at that very moment an   

aspersion of cold water was dashed with 
such ample profusion in the impassioned 
faces of the pair as to cause them to   
spring asunder with a start that had    
very nearly as much the character of    
discomfort as alarm4  ,hell             
and----half-exclaimed the man1 as he    
tore open his coat and grasped one of   
several pistols it now appeared he was  
armed with4  ,dhieu1 a's ,marudha1 a's  
,phaidhrig1 a's#bc----said a voice1     
following up the lustration with a      
blessing1 cut short1 however1 by the    
,stranger's clutching the throat of the 
pious intruder1 and dragging forward    
from beneath the trees which had        
hitherto overshadowed their way a little
 ,bundle of some dark coloured cloth1   
surmounted by a straw bonnet1 so        
battered in its outlines that to fix it 
there it must have been flattened down  
with no ordinary emphasis1 and from     
beneath which guttural shrieks now      
arose1 whose extent of volume was out of
 all proportion to the diminutive object

 from which they proceeded4  ,hold6 let 
go1 for goodness sake6 cried ,miss      
,tyrrel1 it is only poor ,sally-the-tin1
 the ,holy-,water woman4  ,a--a--a6 my  
windpipe6 cried the ,bundle1 as soon as 
that interesting organ had been         
extricated4 ,a--a--,miss ,katey1 take   
the bushblunder out ov his hand 'fore he
 blows my brains out1 and the shrieks   
were renewed with more vociferation than
 before4  ,she will raise the country4  
,i must stop her1 were ,i to kill her1  
said the stranger furiously4  ,no1 no1  
dear friend1 she is a deaf harmless     
thing--hush6 ,i hear steps4 ,oh1 in     
mercy fly6  ,not without your promise1  
he said doggedly4  ,i am ready1 ,i      
promise--next time we meet2 now farewell
 and away1 said ,katey1 while she waved 
one hand to the departing fugitive as he
 dashed through the thicket1 and placed 
the other on the roaring mouth of the   
creature at her side1 whose terrors     
seemed under considerable self-control1 
for they at once subsided4  ,mother o'  

,grace1 pray for us now an' at the hour 
ov our death1 amen6 mumbled the ,bundle1
 as it righted itself1 and assumed the  
appearance of a withered and ancient    
little ,woman1 who1 in flinging back her
 dark blue cloak to adjust herself1     
exhibited a small scarecrow frame1 round
 which was hung1 until its shape became 
orbicular1 every variety of feminine    
attire1 from the petticoats1 under1     
upper1 and quilted1 through the higher  
gradations of gown1 apron1 spencer1     
jacket1 pelerine1 handkerchief1 and     
shawl4 ,a broad leathern strap was      
buckled round her waist1 from which on  
one side hung a rosary or string of     
large beads1 to the other was fastened a
 canteen or tin can without a cover1    
containing a large supply of holy water1
 procured from the neighbouring chapels 
on ,sundays4 ,she bore in her hand      
literally nothing but 7as they would say
 in ,ireland7 her fist1 which was of    
immense size1 and of whose convenience  
for the purposes of aspergation ,katey  

and her friend had just been afforded   
such convincing proof4  ,footsteps now  
approached rapidly1 and ,miss ,tyrrel1  
holding ,sally-the-tin by the arm1      
turned towards home4 ,she was shortly   
encountered by a lively-voiced          
gentlemanly young man1 who saluted her  
in an affectionate tone with ,katey1    
pet1 what on earth has kept you out so  
late4 ,hallo6 ,sally1 ,i bar that6 he   
exclaimed1 adroitly slipping aside1 and 
escaping the showery blessing which1    
despite the lesson just bestowed on her1
 this incorrigible lady of the ,tin had 
7as was her wont with all she met7      
discharged at him4 ,but did ,i not hear 
some one1 he continued1 screeching      
violently as ,i came up8  ,yes1         
,lysaght1 said ,miss ,tyrrel1 this      
stupid1 deaf1 old creature here1 who is 
a torment to all who meet her1 with her 
benedictions and holy water1 suddenly   
threw some of the contents of her tin   
7as she always does when saluting a     
person7 on a ,stranger1 a man she       

happened to be passing close to1 which  
so irritated him that he has given her a
 proper fright4  ,i could chide you     
soundly1 dear ,katey1 for such late     
scampers as these2 but you take my      
hints----well1 don't be cross1 and have 
it all your own way if you like1 said   
the young man1 interrupting himself1    
dejectedly4  ,i am very cross to-night1 
,lysaght1 so don't talk4 ,but here we   
are1 and ,i am glad of it1 and ,katey   
knocked impatiently and loudly at the   
door of their home4 ,now don't go away  
sulky1 there's a good boy1 she cried    
after her cousin1 who turned towards the
 stables2 and1 ,lysaght1 ,i have done   
the rosettes for ,lightfoot's headstall1
 which you asked me to make1 though ,i  
said ,i wouldn't--you shall have them in
 the morning4 ,and now to give this     
silly old woman her supper and a night's
 lodging1 and followed by ,sally-the-tin
 still groaning heavily1 she entered the
 house4   ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,sleepless  
and miserable to ,katey ,tyrrel was the 

night that followed her interview with  
the ,stranger4 ,the fearful and critical
 position in which she was placed caused
 her1 for the first time in her life1 to
 go through a rigid course of           
self-examination1 the result of which   
but added to her alarm and anxiety4 ,for
 some months past the person she had    
just parted from had been a sojourner in
 lodgings at ,cahill's under            
circumstances of great privacy--rarely  
venturing out during the day1 and in the
 evening only with secresy and caution4 
,as that remote country1 ill-supplied at
 the period with police1 7and even those
 of the most ancient and quiet          
description17 and wholly inaccessible to
 bailiffs and all other functionaries   
attendant on county sheriffs1 was deemed
 peculiarly favourable as quarters for  
that class of magnanimous men whose     
expenditure happens to exceed their     
incomes1 to the detriment of their      
tailors and their own personal          
inconvenience1 it was soon whispered1   

and as quickly believed1 that the       
resident at ,cahill's was one of that   
generous brotherhood1 or in other words1
 was a gentleman on his keeping4#bd ,in 
her visits to the shop1 which1 from her 
idle though innocent life1 were         
frequent1 ,katey had several times      
encountered him as he sauntered in and  
out4 ,an intimacy sprang up4 ,there was 
a frankness and a half-military air in  
his deportment that interested her4 ,he 
had evidently seen much of the world and
 society1 his conversation was lively   
and varied1 his knowledge and           
accomplishments1 to the secluded country
 girl1 seemed extensive1 and round all  
circled a halo of mystery1 not the least
 of those attractions for ,katey1 whose 
passion for riding to the ,kilfane      
hounds had just been succeeded by a     
stronger one for ,mrs ,radcliffe and    
romances4 ,time flew on4 ,their daily   
interviews improved to evening rambles1 
the interchange of notes1 supplies of   
books and flowers upon one side1 an     

avowal of love and tale of lofty but    
luckless patriotism on the other4 ,to   
the object of his passion alone did the 
stranger confide his story4 ,fascinated 
by the principles of freedom with which 
,france had lately inoculated mankind1  
and maddened by the miseries of         
ill-government under which his own green
 ,island groaned1 he had engaged1 full  
of hope and high aspirations1 in that   
enterprise for the recovery of her      
national independence1 which terminated 
in the martyrdom of as noble and        
pure-spirited a being as sleeps buried  
and unhonoured in the cross ways of     
fame--,,robert ,,emmett4 ,the ,stranger 
had been dispatched1 he said1 to the    
south to forward the movement of his    
party in that quarter1 when their       
central ,power in the capital           
prematurely exploded1 carrying dismay   
and destruction to every remoter organ  
of the confederacy4 ,his name--the name 
of ,fergus ,hewitt1 citizen of the new  
,western ,republic1 and major of        

brigade--was one of the first upon the  
list of the proscribed2 a reward was    
offered for his head2 and it was while  
lurking a hunted man1 amid the          
fastnesses of ,tipperary1 that he wooed 
and ventured to win the heart and hand  
of the heiress of ,clogheen4  ,such was 
the tale along whose vicissitudes the   
fair girl to whom it was imparted now   
glanced with a bewildered mind4 ,the    
interview just terminated will have     
given the reader some idea of the       
unsettled state of her feelings2 but it 
was in the solitude of her chamber1 when
 she found herself called on to part for
 ever1 or for ever to be united with    
this interesting stranger1 that she     
seemed to discover1 not without         
consternation1 how necessary to her     
happiness he had become4 ,the waste     
vacancy of her time and thoughts before 
she had met him--broken only by dull and
 distant visits to duller and more      
distant aunts1 vapid rides through rude 
and solitary scenes1 and incessant feud 

and amnesty between her cousin ,lysaght 
and herself--was this once more to be   
her portion8 or would she fly with ,him 
who had relieved her from them all1 and 
relinquish her father and her home8     
,how1 she continued to ask herself1     
would that beloved parent1 so stern to  
all else1 so blindly indulgent to her1  
endure her loss8 ,would he proscribe her
 for ever8 ,she felt not--assuredly not4
 ,no1 her father would once more receive
 her into his grace and affection2 but  
,lysaght1 who had been reared with her1 
who loved her so well1 so all the more  
deeply1 she knew1 that he had never told
 her so--what would he feel8 ,how would 
he look the first morning after her     
flight1 when he came in to breakfast and
 found the room solitary1 the urn cold1 
her little spanniel1 ,lapwing1 moaning  
about the hearth1 and ,katey away over  
the mountains in the dead of night with 
a nameless and lawless man8 ,yes1 poor  
,lysaght1 she felt1 would then be to be 
pitied3 her father might once more be   

hers2 but her cousin--even her little   
quarrels with him had something pleasant
 to her recollection1 and on this       
portion of the picture1 much as she     
desired to banish it from her mind1 she 
again and again returned to dwell2 nor  
did she succeed in overlaying it by     
painting her reconciliation with        
,lysaght on her return1 and her         
reparation in the shape of a large      
present of real and personal estate     
which her father should be induced to   
make to him1 and thereby enable ,lysaght
 to settle in life4 ,and then his       
wife--which of all her surrounding      
country friends would she choose for    
him8 ,the sketch was still unfinished1  
when the bell announced the morning's   
repast2 and ,katey1 sleepless1 agitated1
 and undecided1 descended to breakfast4 
,there was nothing in that meal         
calculated to allay her anxiety4 ,she   
found her father and cousin 7the latter 
having just come in from his matutinal  
tour through the farm1 and laden1 of    

course1 with the news of the            
neighbourhood7 busily engaged with cold 
beef and conjectures upon the sudden    
flight of the gentleman resident at     
,curly ,cahill's1 which had taken place 
during the night1 half-an-hour previous 
to a domiciliary visit from three       
peace-officers who came from ,clonmel1  
and departed as they came1 in profound  
silence regarding the object of their   
expedition1 upon discovering the        
stranger had left4 ,as ,mr ,tyrrel had  
not been consulted by the authorities on
 this occasion1 the reverend magistrate 
testified no very poignant regret at the
 disappointment of the officers2 but as 
his curiosity was commensurately        
excited1 he hazarded several ingenious  
solutions of the ,problem that had been 
paying eighteen-pence a-week for        
dry-lodgings at ,cahill's1 the last four
 months4 ,lysaght was loud in his       
decision that the fellow was some coiner
 or poaching blackguard2 while his uncle
 rather inclined to the arson and       

agrarian-outrage line4 ,poor ,katey sat 
behind the coffee-stand stifling her    
feelings in the manner she best might1  
until she heard her father propose      
sheep-stealing as an emendation of the  
probable offence of her banished friend1
 when she could support it no longer4   
,little accustomed at any time to hide  
her emotions1 the high-spirited girl    
burst into tears1 upbraided her         
respectable parent and thick-headed     
cousin for their hardheartedness and    
want of charity1 ventured at first to   
disbelieve every sentence they had      
uttered1 proceeded to confess that she  
had had the pleasure of the stranger's  
acquaintance1 and ended by proudly      
introducing him 7in an imaginary way7 to
 her astonished friends as ,major       
,fergus ,hewitt of the ,second          
,republican ,brigade of ,artillery1 and 
,commissioner to ,mononia from the      
,provisional ,government4  ,had a petard
 from the ,major's own brigade been     
projected into the centre of the little 

breakfast table1 it could not have      
played the mischief more effectually    
than did this stunning explosion4       
,lysaght ,osborne1 after remaining      
speechless for some minutes1 having     
helped himself to a cup of scalding     
water from the urn1 was compelled to    
retreat upon the pump outside4 ,his     
uncle1 who had received so large a      
portion of the shell1 necessarily1 too1 
exhibited much suffering1 which his     
daughter at length attempted in vain to 
alleviate4 ,but the spoiled and petted  
,katey had for once overcounted4 ,there 
are in certain minds bursts of passion1 
which1 like the tempests of tropical    
islands1 are all the more violent and   
unsparing from the halcyon seasons that 
precede them4 ,such was the storm of    
wrath that now for the first time       
descended from ,tyrrel's lips upon his  
daughter's head4 ,he raved and stamped  
at her like a maniac1 terrified her into
 an acknowledgment that she had listened
 even to amatory communications from the

 unhappy ,hewitt1 commanded her from his
 presence1 then recalled her to be      
reprimanded for retiring so hastily1 and
 again expelling her1 pursued her with  
all but palpable fire and sword to her  
own territory1 where1 locking her in her
 bed-chamber1 he deposited the key in   
his pocket1 and set out on foot to      
finish the work of disaster by          
annihilating the dealer in soft goods1  
who had1 he felt assured1 been a        
proximate agent in nearly ridding him of
 his child4 ,his first intention was to 
hold no terms whatever in his approaches
 upon ,curly's fortalice1 or1 in other  
words1 to make an open show of him2 but 
a mile's walk of a muddy day has a      
sedative effect1 and by the time he     
arrived at ,cahill's ,mr ,tyrrel had    
seen the impolicy of giving any         
publicity to what he considered the     
folly of his daughter4 ,his interview1  
therefore1 with ,curly took place in    
private1 and for any satisfaction that  
resulted from it he might as well have  

placed himself in communication with the
 intelligent milestone1 ,clonmel ,,xii41
 which he had passed as he entered the  
town4 ,cahill1 on his part1 received the
 first discharge of the clergyman's     
indignation with a look of stolid       
surprise1 to which one ,liston1 a       
player1 could alone have done justice4  
,for some time he seemed at a loss to   
comprehend whether the remarks had      
reference to his last year's arrear of  
tithes1 or the projected invasion from  
,boulogne2 and when at length their real
 purport did overtake him1 the shock was
 overwhelming4 ,well it was for the     
,fugitive that he was at the moment out 
of reach of his estimable host's        
indignation4 ,to be skivered1 to have   
every bone in his body smashed to       
smithers1 or to be torn asunder as one  
would tear a lark1 was the mildest of   
the horrible fates he had escaped for   
attempting to inveigle the affections of
 the darlin' young lady4 ,as to ,cahill 
himself having ever perceived the       

remotest approach to any intimacy       
between the parties1 he declared to his 
heart he never saw them together in his 
life2 if he had1 his instant duty would 
have propelled him to inform the rector 
of it in a shake2 so that as ,mr ,tyrrel
 saw his interview was likely to be a   
fruitless one1 he cut it short and      
departed1 while ,curly was concluding a 
declaration1 that if he could go on his 
hands an' knees to ,clo'mel for his     
rav'rence1 he'd be proud to do it4      
,during the rest of the day1 the        
discomfited parent had full occupation  
in his own self-upbraidings4 ,in his    
boundless indulgence1 he had permitted  
his daughter to be perfectly mistress of
 her time and actions2 and the          
conviction now pressed upon him1 that he
 had done so to a very culpable and     
unfortunate degree4 ,in order to remedy 
one false step1 however1 he now took    
another in a contrary direction2 and    
,katey1 so long the sole object of his  
tenderness and love1 was henceforth to  

experience a share of that hardness in  
his character1 which the rest of the    
world had so largely felt4 ,although he 
did not persist in keeping her locked up
 in one apartment1 he forbade her for   
the present to appear in his presence1  
and strictly commanded that she should  
not1 on any account1 stir from the      
house4  ,this was the step to the       
opposite extreme1 and it had the effect 
that might be expected4 ,his daughter's 
sensibilities revolted at such          
severity--her prepossessions in favour  
of the hapless person on whose account  
she was subjected to it1 became more    
confirmed2 she was determined she would 
not be thwarted1 that1 at least1 she    
would attempt to learn some intelligence
 of ,hewitt's fate1 and1 if possible1   
see him once more before they parted for
 ever4 ,while1 however1 she awaited an  
opportunity of communicating with a     
faithful messenger1 who had sometimes   
conveyed notes from him when accident   
prevented their meeting1 she was        

attacked with illness1 a smart febrile  
indisposition--the result1 no doubt1 of 
the mental disquietude she had          
undergone--and several weeks elapsed    
before she was again able to reach the  
little conservatory1 which1 opening on  
the lower apartments of the mansion1    
constituted the utmost limits of that   
domestic boundary beyond which she was  
not permitted to proceed4   ,,chapter   
,,iv4  ,it was late in a dreary night of
 ,november4 ,the wind blew a perfect    
hurricane1 rushing up the thick avenue  
which led to the ,glebe house of        
,clogheen1 driving before it in its fury
 vast clouds of withered leaves it had  
collected on its way1 and showering them
 in impotent wrath against the doors and
 windows of the house1 which shook and  
clattered as if each had its own        
separate assailant4 ,midnight--black    
midnight had passed1 and the faint light
 of a rising moon was beginning to      
mingle with the disturbed and dismal    
air4 ,it was no night for mortals to    

forsake quiet and comfortable beds1 and1
 least of all1 delicate female invalids2
 yet ,katey ,tyrrel1 shadowy and wan as 
a ghost1 was standing at this hour      
watching the roaring tempest from the   
windows of the conservatory1 that looked
 upon the front lawn of the dwelling4   
,she had not1 however1 been long        
stationed there1 when the darkness of   
the spot in which she stood 7for there  
was no candle7 was made still murkier by
 the shadow of a man who appeared       
outside4 ,katey softly undid the        
,venetian door1 and ,hewitt stood before
 her4  ,dear1 dear girl6 how am ,i to   
thank you8 he murmured as he pressed    
with impassioned eagerness the hand she 
extended to him4  ,speak low--low--low6 
whispered the confused and trembling    
maiden4 ,oh1 what a night--what an hour 
to meet in6  ,any where--every where--no
 where--no matter--with you it is       
paradise to me6 ejaculated her lover    
with a random delight4 ,how did you     
manage the dogs though8  ,oh--,i--locked

 ,buffer in the stables1 ever so far    
off--and ,bang--indeed he is so savage  
,i was obliged to take him a field away1
 to the potatoe-house2 and ,katey felt  
her cheek blush1 until she feared it    
would light the gloom4  ,high-souled1   
devoted being6 how am ,i rewarded for   
all ,i have gone through6 ,you are      
indeed worthy to share the existence of 
one like me1 whose hopes have been      
ruined in the holiest cause that----but 
there is not a single minute to lose--,i
 have horses ready beyond the avenue    
gate--oh1 come1 my ,katey--'fly from a  
world'--etcetera4 ,you know the song4   
,fly6--dear friend--you rave--do you not
 know how ill ,i have been8 ,can you not
 see what a wretched thin fright ,i have
 become4  ,nonsense1 my love1 you       
look--7for dark as it is ,i can see     
that7--a thousand times more interesting
 with that pale sweet face4 ,my own     
life1 this is no time to trifle--who    
could suppose you were so undecided1 you
 so lofty-spirited1 so                  

heroine-like4--,oh1 ,katey----  ,believe
 me1 ,hewitt1 ,i have not strength even 
to mount1 much less to sit a horse at   
present4  ,then1 why this meeting1 my   
love8  ,why--why--,i scarce can tell2   
surely it is a pleasure to meet for     
once1 even in this way1 after all we    
have suffered4  ,decidedly--said her    
lover with an abstracted air4 ,i'll tell
 you what1 he added eagerly1 as if      
struck by some sudden thought1 there is 
fearful danger of our being separated if
 we do not act quickly1 and for ever4   
,suppose--suppose1 my beloved one--you  
now here1 in this blest spot1 give me a 
legal claim to your hand1 we may not    
again have such an opportunity8         
,what--how do you mean8 asked ,katey    
bewilderingly4  ,why1 you see the truth 
is this--,i did dread your health might 
have interfered with active             
flight--might not have been such as     
seconded our wishes--and ,i came        
prepared--the fact is1 ,i have brought a
 ,reverend ,friend with me--you         

understand8--he is now not far          
away--indeed1 he is just outside4       
,hewitt6--are you mad6 exclaimed the    
overwhelmed girl1 shrinking away4 ,i    
cannot--indeed1 ,i cannot1 think of such
 a thing4  ,folly--stuff6 ,i see1 my    
beloved one1 ,i must act for you in this
 matter----  ,to go to the window--give 
a gentle tap--summon a low corpulent    
little man before it--to seize him by   
the neck and drag him softly into the   
room1 as though the unwieldy individual 
were unable to accomplish the feat      
himself--was but the work of an instant2
 the next1 ,hewitt had caught the       
half-swooning ,katey's hand and led her 
forward4  ',d-d-dom-dominus             
adimp-p-p-lea bened-d-dic 7hic67        
benedictionem suam in v-v-v-obis6 7hic67
 stutteringly whispered the new-comer1  
while the powerful smell of             
whisky-punch1 which began to pervade the
 apartment1 bore far less testimony to  
his piety than to his potations4  ,douce
 your lingo6 muttered ,hewitt4 ,keep it 

till 'tis called for4----,now1 my own   
dear ,katey1 he said in his most        
persuasive tone1 let this moment make   
you mine--mine indissolubly4 ,come1     
,father ,larr1#be there is not an       
instant to spare--do your office2 and   
supporting ,katey1 and half-forcibly1   
half-entreatingly1 bringing her forward1
 he stood with her before the priest--if
 indeed it is right to profane that name
 by conferring it on the drunken and    
dissolute creature1 who1 long since     
expelled from the altar1 was forced to  
depend for a livelihood on his services 
in such desperate hours of need as the  
present4  ,oh1 ,hewitt1 give me a       
moment--my father--,lysaght--,i did not 
look for this--murmured the agitated    
bride4  ,then such is your faith after  
all8 whispered ,hewitt2 but as you      
please--even here--at this moment ,i    
give you up for ever1 since you desire  
it4  ,no--it is ,god's will--there is no
 use in struggling against my fate--,i  
am ready1 she answered1 endeavouring to 

rouse her stupified faculties4  ,go on1 
then1 whispered her lover to the priest1
 be quick6  ,co--co--conjungo vos1 began
 ,father ,larr as he joined their hands1
 in nom--nom--7hic67--nomine            
,p--p--patris 7hic67 et                 
,f--f--f--fil--7hic67--  ,the rest of   
his articulation was effectually stopped
 by his receiving1 full in the face1 the
 contents of what he felt to be a basin 
of cold water1 conferred1 it appeared to
 him1 by the hands of the timid bride2  
while1 at the same time1 a voice that   
split the very room like thunder saluted
 the group with a blessing from the     
,virgin and ,st ,patrick1 and           
,sally-the-tin stood beside them1 who1  
however1 no sooner recognised ,hewitt1  
with whose grasp she had before now been
 familiar1 than she set up a shriek in  
which entreaty1 benediction1 curse1     
complaint1 and consternation1 were so   
vociferously blended that it would have 
alarmed ,erebus4 ,the next instant the  
whole house above and around them was   

heard in commotion2 bells rung1 and were
 instantly answered by the noise of     
heavy bodies jumping out of bed2 windows
 raising2 servant-women squalling2 and  
grooms rushing madly down-stairs4 ,miss 
,tyrrel sank fainting on the spot2 and  
,hewitt had but time to treat           
,sally-the-tin to a parting kick1 which 
conveyed her in a state of collapse to a
 small bower of pelargoniums at the     
further end of the green-house1 drag his
 reverend friend through the window1 and
 disappear1 when the whole effective    
force of the household burst into the   
apartment4   ,,chapter ,v4  ,we have    
long been persuaded1 not less by the    
impartial assurances of respected       
friends than by our own internal        
convictions1 that1 if we possess any one
 excellence beyond another--and our     
talents are varied and extraordinary--it
 is a tendency to dramatic perfection4  
,and albeit the narrative ,arimanes too 
often mars the beneficent desires of the
 dramatic ,oromasdes2 yet at all times  

we endeavour as much as in us lies to   
adhere to those venerable observances   
the ,unities1 so long and no doubt so   
justly objects of respect and           
admiration4 ,in the present tale1       
although compelled to violate the unity 
of ,time1 we have hitherto pretty       
closely adhered to that of ,place1 our  
characters having1 for the course of    
some pages1 hovered within and around   
the precincts of the celebrated village 
where the scene opened1 which 7although 
a hall1 or some spacious chamber1 might 
be a little nearer to those rules the   
classic stage so strictly enforces7 we  
flatter ourselves will be found         
sufficiently limited for present        
exigencies4 ,we are now1 however1 about 
to take a liberty with the second unity 
by transporting the reader 7may we hope 
in more senses than one87 to a spot     
distant from our former scene some six  
or eight miles1 on the high and solitary
 summit of ,kilworth mountain1 in that  
place where the great southern road from

 ,dublin to ,cork winds over the        
acclivity4  ,the peculiar character of  
the landscape in question may best be   
conveyed in the words of a friend whom  
we once1 in an hour of juvenile         
arrogance and self-exaltation1 induced  
to accompany us thither in order to     
astonish him with what we conceived to  
be the boundless impressiveness and     
glory of the scene4 ,it happened to be  
rather a breezy day towards the fall of 
the leaf1 and after a pretty sharp and  
tedious journey1 enlivened1 however1 by 
our friend's various and interesting    
converse--for he had been a marvellous  
traveller1 and had crossed the globe    
from ,spitzbergen to ,caffraria in one  
direction1 and circled it from ,pekin to
 ,peru1 via ,paris1 in another--we      
arrived at our point d'appui4 ,having   
allowed him time to recover from what we
 felt must be his stupendous wonder and 
delight1 we ventured to enquire what he 
thought of that8 ,whereupon1 sinking his
 arms to the elbows in the pockets of   

his ,petersham1 and doubling himself in 
two1 as if seized with a cramp in the   
stomach1 he1 after a short altercation  
with himself1 replied in a tone that    
made our very teeth to chatter--,no1 ,i 
never--yes--now ,i think on't--there    
is--there is one slip of wilderness in  
,crim ,tartary as bad1 as to howl at    
least1 but this beats it out in the     
whinstone4  ,over this howling desert1  
then1 we beg to present to our readers  
,mr ,curly ,cahill travelling slowly1   
about dusk1 a month or two after the    
occurrence which took place in the      
preceding chapter4 ,he was warmly       
muffled in his great-coat or loody1 and 
mounted on a very high-boned horse1     
whose hoofs1 with many interjections of 
stumble1 made the only noise that broke 
the dismal stillness around4 ,the summit
 of the mountain passed1 the traveller  
began to descend the southern side1     
when1 after proceeding a few hundred    
yards1 his steed toed1 and tumbled the  
rider over its head as softly as if it  

were his favourite mode of alighting4   
,mr ,cahill1 having taken a few minutes'
 time for reflection1 on his face and   
hands1 quietly arose1 threw the bridle  
over his arm1 and proceeded to walk the 
very short remnant of the journey4      
,turning aside to a miserable hovel on  
the road1 he unbolted the half-door1    
fastened his rein to the latch1 and with
 a ,dhieu-a-uth1 or ,god save you1      
entered the hut4 ,it was in darkness1   
save where around a large fire that was 
flickering half-smothered in its own    
ashes1 sat three men1 at a little table1
 sharing between them a mug of poteen   
whisky1 the only vessel on the table1 or
 probably in the house4  ,how long you  
wor entirely6 said one of the men 7who  
did not move7 knocking the ashes out of 
his pipe1 as the traveller entered4     
,the baste thravelled badly1 replied    
,curly2 besides1 ,i waited for the fall 
of the evenin1' as ,i was loth to be    
seen comin' the road4  ,well1 an' what's
 on8 asked another4 ,be quick--we're not

 easy here so close to the road1 and    
it'll be pitch-dark with us across the  
bog4  ,well1 then1 said ,cahill1 the    
long an' the short of it is             
this--they're back from ,dublin at the  
,glebe agin4 ,the ,capting has sure word
 from her that she'll be ready to go    
away with him to-morrow night at twelve4
 ,let ye get three more good boys an'   
watch1 an' soon as ever ye hear them    
gallop from the gap where they'll       
mount--make a dash for the house1 she'll
 be shure to leave the windy open1 an'  
then--ye have her murdherin' father--,i 
need say no more4  ,i'm agin the blood  
any how1 said one of the men2 he forgiv'
 my brother ,mick two years' 'rear of   
tithe--an' he giv' ,jug ,sheedy an' her 
two childher a cabin an' half an acre o'
 garden when ,buck ,rice turned her off 
the ,clo'mel estate----  ,iss----said   
another1 an' the wife1 when she was     
alive1 was good to the poor4 ,as far as 
smashin' the place1 an' makin' a fire   
upon the stairs1 an' bringin' away the  

tithe-books goes1 ,i'm agreeable2 but ,i
 vote agin blood unless we can't help   
it4  ,then ye'll not get a rap from me1 
said their tempter4  ,bloor-an-nagers6  
what do you mean8 asked a third4 ,will  
you be satisfied if we giv' him a       
beaten'8  ,no--,i won't1 answered       
,cahill4  ,nothin' but blood8 ,well1    
,i'll tell you what1 we'll shplit the   
difference--we'll cut the ears ov'      
him--he was always hard on us--but h----
 to the one ov us will go further2 he   
never took a spade#bf ov ground over a  
man's head yet1 an' he don't desarve it4
 ,i won't say but he hurt many a poor   
boy by the processes--still that's      
law--but the villyans that go to eject  
creathures out of house an' home----    
,well--,i'm satisfied with the ears1    
muttered ,cahill4 ,it'll be some        
satisfaction for my                     
hundhred-an'-forty-sevin pounds         
eighteen-an'-tenpence1 including costs1 
of the last arrear2 besides he'll suffer
 in losin' the daughter4 ,i'll meet you 

here again afther to-morrow night1 this 
hour1 an' we'll settle4  ,and ,mr       
,cahill1 remounting his steed1 rode     
away4   ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,he did not    
journey far4 ,a mile further over the   
mountain1 he pulled up before a lonely  
public-house1 the only abode deserving  
the name of habitable that then existed 
for many miles on that desolate range of
 hills4 ,it was of a very suspicious    
appearance1 and quite as questionable a 
character2 but the ,shopkeeper seemed to
 entertain no scruple on those heads1   
for he alighted and entered with a      
pleasant air1 and met1 from numerous    
stragglers who were loitering in the    
kitchen1 a cheerful reception4  ,curly1 
having cast a reconnoitring glance      
through the place1 wiped his mouth      
softly with his right palm1 and before  
he withdrew it managed to whisper from  
behind it to mine host--  ,is he within 
jest now8  ,you'll find him in the back 
room2 he has been askin' for you this   
half hour1 was as gently responded4     

,curly carelessly1 or1 as he would say  
himself1 promiscuously1 wandered across 
the ample kitchen1 and1 stumbling       
heavily1 slipped1 as if by the merest   
accident1 through a door close beside   
him1 and1 closing it after him1 found   
himself alone with ,major ,hewitt1 late 
of the #b;d ,brigade of ,republican     
,artillery4  ,that gentleman was        
standing with his back to a good fire1  
in a small apartment1 lighted by a      
single candle1 which stood on a rude    
mantelpiece4 ,he exhibited some slight  
symptoms of impatience at ,curly's      
entrance1 and1 like the                 
desperado-gentlemen of the hut1 enquired
 peevishly what had delayed him4  ,i'm  
proud to see you1 ,capting1 said ,cahill
 evasively2 the job is near finished at 
last1 ,i hope8  ,yes1 to-morrow night1  
,i think4 ,we go off after twelve1      
provided you don't fail in having the   
horses ready4  ,don't fear me in that4  
,well1 'twill be great sport            
intirely--the ould man's tatteration    

when he finds his colleen gone4 ,and    
,curly was obliged to bend himself      
double with laughter4 ,you'll find ,ned 
,burke at the gap in the avenue-wall    
with two as good coults as there is in  
the barony4 ,but1 ,capting1 when it's   
all right1 an' you settled in life1     
you'll not forget the friend that stood 
by you an' helped you to the fortun'8   
,for the sake of his own revenge at     
being cast in a law-suit about ten      
shillings' worth of potato-tithe8       
,certainly not1 most upright ,curly4    
,an' where'll you take the              
brideen--,miss ,katey--the darlin'8 said
 ,cahill with a jocose wink4  ,curse    
you1 villain6 you'll drive me to give   
you a token on that head of yours you'll
 remember until--you see me again1 at   
all events1 cried ,hewitt passionately4 
,thank ,god1 ,i'm 'most done with you4  
,have you brought the money8  ,sorrow a 
sixpence1 jewel4 ,i had the arrears an' 
costs to pay this mornin'1 a'n ,i'm run 
dhry teetotally2 that's the thruth4     

,then all my plan's gone for nothing6   
said ,hewitt4 ,in the fiend's name1 what
 brought you here1 then8  ,jest a       
thrifle o' business up the road1        
answered ,curly1 an' a great wish       
intirely for you1 ,capting4  ,and she   
prepared and all6 continued ,hewitt     
abstractedly4 ,i thought ,i was done    
with it for ever4444 ,go back1 ,i       
implore you1 ,cahill1 and raise me fifty
 pounds in any way4 ,i am perfectly     
penniless4  ,i couldn't raise you fifty 
farthens--,i could not1 'pon my word and
 honour to you1 ,capting4  ,then ,i give
 up the business1 replied ,hewitt4  ,an'
 the fair-haired girleen1 an' her goold1
 an' what's betther1 ,i know1 to you1   
her goodwill2 an' the land1 an' the     
laugh at ,lysaght----and ,cahill ran on 
rising towards his climax4  ,i can't    
stand this2 d--n you1 cried his hearer4 
,since you won't aid me1 ,i must try the
 old treasury once more4  ,an' you're   
the boy to have your dhrafts honoured1  
never fear1 ,capting4  ,will you escort 

me to the bank8 asked ,hewitt with a    
savage sneer4  ,he6 he6 he6 laughed the 
worthy ,cahill4 ,my road home lies      
partly that way2 an' if ,i don't lend   
you my note-o'-hand1 at all events ,i've
 no objection to witness the deed1      
,capting4  ,go out and get your horse1  
then1 and ,i shall be ready in a few    
minutes1 said ,hewitt1 with something   
like a sigh4   ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,a     
post-chaise with two stout horses1 and  
as stout a man to drive them1 was       
standing before the door of ,jackson's  
,inn1 in the then little village of     
,fermoy1 at the close of a dry and      
frosty ,february day4 ,in the parlour of
 the inn1 two or three gentlemen stood  
watching or eagerly conversing with a   
couple of tall and powerful-looking men1
 who were engaged with a beef-steak1    
which it seemed--from a watch being     
placed before them on the table--they   
had but a limited time to discuss4      
,then you are really determined on it1  
,mr ,skelton8 said one of the           

standers-by to the elder and busier of  
the banqueters4  ,quite1 answered the   
person addressed1 speaking as rapidly as
 he fed4 ,what's to be done8--road      
stopp'd up--business checked--six months
 gone--mails cut off--guard             
killed--alarm increasing----  ,if it    
continues much longer1 interrupted his  
slower companion1 all communication with
 the capital will be at an end1 unless a
 blow be struck1 he said1 looking round 
him loftily1 that will paralyze the     
enemy1 gentlemen4  ,now for it1 ,rudd1  
said ,skelton rising2 our time's        
up--twenty-five minutes past five1 and  
he pocketed the watch by which he       
counted4  ,i'm your man1 answered ,rudd1
 as he swallowed his last glass of      
sherry1 and jumped up3 have you the     
blunderbuss8  ,ay have ,i4  ,i have the 
dirk and pistols1 then3 so bolt at once4
 ,good-by1 gentlemen2 and without       
waiting for the good-bys and successes  
that were showered on them1 ,messrs     
,skelton and ,rudd hurried into the     

attendant post-chaise1 and1 giving some 
earnest directions in a whisper to the  
driver1 dashed rapidly over the bridge  
which crossed the ,blackwater1 and took 
the road leading north1 over ,kilworth  
mountain1 to ,dublin4  ,half an hour's  
travelling brought them to the foot of  
the hill1 where the road began to       
ascend1 and from this spot the driver   
was instructed to proceed at a slow     
pace4 ,the night had thoroughly set in1 
both dark and foggy1 and an hour elapsed
 tediously in winding up and attaining  
the vast level of the ,wild4 ,as they   
had no lamps1 though desirous now to    
advance at a brisker rate1 they were    
compelled to keep in a slow and cautious
 trot1 the hearts of the travellers1    
intrepid as they seemed to be a short   
time ago1 thumping violently every step 
they proceeded4  ,after various short   
pauses to avoid deep ruts1 and several  
descents by the driver to free his      
horses' hoofs from the loose stones that
 lay plentifully along the wretched     

road--during one of which he seemed to  
hold colloquy with some benighted       
traveller--the carriage had nearly      
crossed the long summit of the desolate 
hills1 when its occupants perceived it  
to stop with a sudden and forcible      
impulse1 that betokened instant danger4 
,dropping the glasses at once1 they     
called loudly to the driver to enquire  
the cause4  ,there's a gentleman here1  
replied the man in a timid sullen voice1
 houldin' the horses heads1 that says ,i
 must stop here a spell4#bg  ,how many  
of 'em8 asked ,skelton in a low tone4   
,two1 was the answer1 just as softly2   
one a-horseback1 t'other a-foot4  ,here 
we are1 then6 said ,rudd to his         
companion in a feverish whisper4  ,yes2 
,i wish 'twas over1 was the reply1 which
 was scarcely breathed when a man       
appeared at the right-hand              
carriage-window1 and1 presenting a      
pistol1 said in a strong loud voice--   
,i'm sorry1 gentlemen1 but ,i must have 
your money4  ,or your lives1 added a man

 on horseback1 blocking up the opposite 
side of the chaise4  ,this is very hard1
 sir1 answered ,rudd                    
hesitatingly--very--hard--indeed2       
however1 ,i suppose it must be so3      
perhaps you'll be good enough to come   
round to the other door of the          
chaise--my friend here is1 ,i fear1     
seriously ill--  ,certainly1 said the   
robber1 who was now heard walking round 
to the door already occupied by his     
mounted companion4  ,are you steady8    
whispered ,rudd4  ,as steel6 answered   
,skelton4  ,then slip the muzzle of the 
blunderbuss across me1 and the moment   
the door is well opened1 when ,i raise  
my arm with the purse1 shoot him dead on
 the spot4  ,the click of a trigger was 
the sole reply3--the highwayman had come
 round to the door4 ,he had his grasp on
 the handle1 when he was suddenly struck
 in the eyes with some icy liquid1 that 
caused him to swerve violently aside1   
dragging open the door at the same      
moment4 ,there was a terrific volley    

from the carriage1 and ,curly ,cahill1  
receiving the greater portion of the    
contents of the blunderbuss intended for
 his friend1 dropped heavily from his   
horse4  ,rudd and ,skelton instantly    
sprang out4 ,they found ,hewitt 7for our
 readers1 no doubt1 have anticipated it 
was he7 engaged with their stalwart     
driver1 who had already grappled with   
him1 having1 before he could recover    
from his shock1 as well as surprise1 by 
a well-directed blow knocked the pistol 
from his hand1 and closed with him4 ,the
 man would have been no match for       
,hewitt2 but before the latter could    
draw another pistol1 he was struck down 
by ,rudd1 and1 with the powerful        
assistance of ,skelton1 handcuffed1 and 
secured in the chaise4  ,the travellers1
 who had come determined and prepared   
for this expedition1#bh now struck a    
light1 and proceeded to raise ,cahill1  
who continued to groan heavily where he 
had fallen4 ,he seemed to bleed         
inwardly1 having been wounded chiefly in

 the chest and stomach1 and was lifted  
into the carriage beside his captured   
companion1 and where he almost instantly
 expired1 having squandered his last    
breath in a feeble laugh1 and the       
expression of his conviction1 that the  
,capting was cashiered at last4  ,the   
travellers now hurried rapidly onwards1 
conveying with them ,sally-the-tin1     
whom1 having been benighted on her      
return from some country-fair1 the      
driver 7an old acquaintance7 had        
overtaken and given a lift to on the bar
 beside himself1 and whose elemental    
piety1 for once not ill-timed1 was the  
means of saving ,hewitt's exit4 ,leaving
 ,cahill's body at the very roadside-hut
 where he had so lately planned his     
villanous revenge1 they continued their 
course to ,clogheen2 and being informed 
that the nearest magistrate was the     
rector of the parish1 about nine o'clock
 at night they entered ,mr ,tyrrel's    
parlour1 where1 though still suffering  
under her father's suspicions1 ,katey   

was presiding at the tea-table to       
,lysaght and his uncle1 and begged to   
introduce to the ,reverend ,justice's   
notice1 the person who accompanied      
them--the dreaded and notorious         
freebooter1 ,roderick ,o',hanlon1 who   
had been so many months the terror of   
all who travelled ,kilworth             
mountains--and who1 on a previous       
occasion1 had been ushered1 in an       
imaginary way1 to his acquaintance as   
,major ,fergus ,hewitt1 commissioner to 
,mononia from the ,provisional          
,government4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,hewitt 7or       
,o',hanlon7 was tried at the ensuing    
,tipperary ,assizes1 and1               
notwithstanding the extreme severity of 
the law at that period1 there were so   
many palliating circumstances pleaded in
 his favour at the trial--particularly a
 popular1 and we believe a not          
altogether unfounded eulogium1 7since   
grown into an apothegm in that country17
 that ,he robbed the rich to give to the

 poor1 and so many persons of           
distinction1 who had known him at one   
time as a performer on the ,dublin      
stage1 came forward to interest         
themselves in his behalf--that he       
escaped with transportation for life4   
,he ultimately conducted himself with   
such propriety at ,sydney1 that he      
obtained a free pardon--and lived to    
amass some property1 and settle in that 
colony4 ,previous to his quitting       
,ireland1 he conveyed to ,miss ,tyrrel1 
by the hands of her father1 a few lines 
explanatory of portions of his conduct  
and career1 and which concluded with the
 assurance1 that1 next to one nameless  
and bitter regret1 he most deeply       
lamented the injury he had1 were it only
 in her estimation1 inflicted on the    
cause of brave and unfortunate men1 by  
passing himself as an adherent of       
,robert ,emmett's1 and the affair of    
#ahjc--with neither of which1 he        
declared1 had he had any connexion4     
,katey ,tyrrel recovered so rapidly from

 the shock and illness that succeeded   
the appearance of ,hewitt as a prisoner 
in her father's parlour1 that it is more
 than probable her wounded pride and    
convicted folly annihilated at once that
 affection for a highwayman which she   
would have had no scruple of bestowing  
on a ,major of the ,republican ,brigade4
 ,her father1 grateful that1 before it  
was too late1 he was afforded an        
opportunity of atoning for past         
severity1 no less than former           
indulgence1 restored her speedily to    
favour4 ,katey profited largely by the  
lesson her giddiness and obstinacy had  
received4 ,she became a steady and      
domestic character1 and in due time     
saved herself the trouble of looking out
 a wife for ,lysaght ,osborne among her 
neighbours1 by marrying him herself4    
,they continued to reside with her      
father1 who survived to such an extreme 
old age as to see all feuds between     
himself and his parishioners            
extinguished by the ,composition ,act4  

,sally-the-tin1 as often as her vagrant 
disposition admitted of it1 had always a
 corner in ,katey ,osborne's kitchen2   
and it would be an injustice to woman's 
heart not to say1 that this protection  
was afforded her not a whit the less    
warmly and permanently1 for having been 
instrumental 7however unconsciously7 in 
saving the life of ,hewitt4     ,a      
,,glance ,,at ,,the ,,peninsula4#bi     
,in ,england1 where politics are so     
generally and largely discussed1 where  
in fact they form the only subject upon 
which most men appear disposed or       
competent to converse1 it is not        
uncommon to meet with persons well      
informed concerning the social and      
political state of the principal        
,european countries4 ,but we have       
frequently observed1 that even amongst  
those who display the most varied       
knowledge of this kind1 there are very  
few who either possess or pretend to any
 thing like a thorough appreciation of  
the affairs of the ,peninsula4 ,yet     

there are obvious reasons why           
,englishmen ought to be more conversant 
with ,spanish affairs than with those of
 any other ,european state--our nearest 
neighbours1 perhaps1 excepted4 ,here is 
a country about which we have been      
fighting or diplomatizing1 almost       
without intermission1 since the         
commencement of the present century2 a  
country to which1 by its intestine      
broils and frequent political changes1  
the attention of the ,english public has
 been continually directed1 while that  
of the monied and commercial classes has
 been specially attracted to it by the  
frequent fluctuations and consequent    
speculation in what are facetiously     
termed ,spanish ,securities1 and by the 
oft-revived but hitherto fallacious     
expectation of a commercial treaty4     
,when these sources of interest are     
considered1 it does seem singular that  
so few persons should have thought it   
worth while to investigate the real     
state of ,spain in all its various      

relations2 and that of those who have   
gone thither with that view1 none should
 have produced a book fully elucidating 
,spanish affairs to the numerous classes
 in ,england which are more or less     
interested in them4 ,the probable cause 
of this is1 that no country has been so 
difficult to follow and comprehend      
through all its countless changes2 an   
indispensable key to which is a thorough
 knowledge of the national character4   
,on the other hand1 that knowledge is   
doubly difficult to obtain at a period  
when1 as now1 the people and the        
institutions of ,spain are in a state of
 transition4  ,it is a truism which1 at 
first sight1 looks like a paradox1 that 
contemporary history is the most        
difficult to write4 ,time1 which1 in its
 more extended lapse1 destroys and      
obliterates--previously1 by successive  
operations1 purifies and enlightens2    
classes men and events2 elevates the    
important and the true2 and gives praise
 and obloquy to whom they are severally 

due4 ,and in the ,peninsula1 more than  
in any other country1 is this kind of   
classification requisite4 ,amidst the   
various parties and factions1 the       
strange contradictions of the national  
character1 the interminable web of      
intrigue and political manoeuvre1 how   
arduous the task to unravel the truth1  
to throw a clear light upon the state   
and prospects of ,spain1 and explain the
 hidden and complicated machinery by    
which many of the recent events in that 
country have been brought about6  ,we   
have now lying before us a book in which
 this task has been attempted1 and1 we  
are disposed to think1 by no means      
without success4 ,it is the work of a   
man who has evidently passed a          
considerable time in the ,peninsula2    
and1 after becoming well acquainted with
 the language and habits of the people1 
has studied the peculiarities of their  
manners1 feelings1 and institutions1    
with a keen and observant eye4 ,the     
result of his observations he has       

committed to paper pretty much as they  
were made2 so at least we infer from the
 style of his book1 which1 without being
 on any regular plan1 touches upon every
 subject connected with ,spain1 nearly1 
as it would appear1 in the order in     
which they chanced to come uppermost in 
the writer's mood of the moment4 ,the   
frequent change which this occasions1   
from grave subjects to gay1 and vice    
versa1 serves1 perhaps as well as any   
more regularly preconceived plan could  
have done1 to carry the general reader  
pleasantly through two rather copious   
volumes2 in which1 whatever nay be their
 deficiencies1 there is certainly no    
lack of variety2 while the style in     
which they are written has about it a   
characteristic vigour and originality1  
and at times a considerable degree of   
humour4 ,we are not informed how long   
the author has lived in ,spain2 but we  
suspect that his residence there has    
been of considerable duration1 and that 
he has become in some degree            

,espanolisado4 ,we infer this from an   
occasional foreign idiom2 from his      
intimate knowledge of the habits of     
various classes1 which only a long      
residence in the country could have     
brought in his way2 and from a          
familiarity with ,spanish proverbial    
language1 which now and then breaks out 
in an amusing and ,sancho-like passage4 
,in short1 the whole book is            
characteristic both of the man who has  
written it1 and of the people whom it   
describes4  ,commencing with the fall of
 ,espartero1 the first twenty chapters  
of the first volume are chiefly         
political in their nature2--containing  
explanations of the various             
circumstances attending the above event2
 details of the state of parties1 of the
 intrigues against ,olozaga1 and his    
final overthrow by the ,camarilla of the
 day2 the history of ,camarillas        
generally1 and sketches of several of   
the most prominent actors upon the      
,spanish political stage4 ,the          

figurative signification of the word    
camarilla1 which1 in its literal sense1 
means a little chamber1 is almost too   
well known1 even out of ,spain1 for an  
explanation of it to be necessary4      
,since the fourteenth century1 the days 
of ,alonzo the ,eleventh1 and the       
beautiful ,leonor de ,gusman1 it has    
been the wont of ,spanish monarchs1 with
 rare exceptions1 to rule1 and often to 
be ruled1 by cabals or coteries composed
 of an indeterminate number of          
courtiers4 ,we find men of all ranks and
 classes of society taking in turn their
 share of this back-stairs influence2   
priests and soldiers1 jesuits1 nobles1  
and lawyers1 and not unfrequently women1
 composed the courtier-conclaves that   
governed the rulers of ,spain1 sent     
their own foes to the scaffold or       
dungeon1 and raised their own friends to
 the highest dignities of the state4 ,in
 conformity with this time-honoured     
tradition of the ,spanish monarchy1 no  
sooner was ,espartero expelled from     

,spain than ,christina hastened to send 
creatures of her own to ,maddrid1 to    
watch over her interests pending her own
 arrival1 and to intrigue against those 
who should appear disposed to thwart her
 designs and line of policy2 to form1 in
 short1 a ,camarilla4 ,this was soon    
done4 ,it was composed of ,narvaez1 the 
,marchioness of ,santa ,cruz1 and       
,valverde1 the ,duke of ,ossuna1 ,juan  
,donoso ,cortes1 and a member of the    
,senate named ,calvet--all faithful     
adherents of ,christina1 ,moderados in  
their politics1 and strongly tinged with
 absolutist principles1 although most   
hostile to the claims of ,don ,carlos4  
,these half-dozen intriguing spirits    
soon carved out for themselves abundant 
and mischievous employment4 ,the then   
minister1 ,lopez1 the same whose famous 
amnesty project caused the downfall of  
,espartero1 alike averse to encounter   
their opposition or to truckle to them  
in his government1 resigned his office  
although possessing a strong majority in

 the ,cortes2 and ,olozaga took his     
place1 having been himself designated by
 ,lopez as the most fitting man4 ,the   
new premier trusted to his energies and 
talents to make head against the        
,camarilla2 but he had underrated the   
ingenuity and cunning of the latter2    
and1 still more1 the hatred borne to him
 by ,queen ,christina4 ,this hatred he  
had excited to a deadly extent1 when    
ambassador at ,paris in the time of     
,espartero1 by demanding the expulsion  
of ,ferdinand's widow from the ,french  
capital1 on the ground of her plottings 
and attempts to revolutionize ,spain4   
,as will be remembered1 no attention was
 paid to these demands by ,louis        
,philippe1 who was far better affected  
to ,christina than to ,espartero2 and   
the cunning dowager remained snug at the
 ,hotel de ,courcelles1 hatching plots  
against the existing government of      
,spain--plots in the carrying out of    
which she was largely aided by ,french  
gold and ,french counsels4 ,but she     

neither forgot nor forgave ,olozaga's   
interference2 and no sooner did he      
assume the reins of government1 than her
 adherents opened their batteries upon  
him with unusual vigour4 ,so effectual  
was their fire1 that ,olozaga1 who took 
office on the twenty-first of ,november1
 was dismissed from it on the           
twenty-ninth2--one week's tenure4 ,the  
absurd history of the violence employed 
by him to obtain the ,queen's signature 
to a decree for the dissolution of the  
,cortes is well known1 as are also the  
efforts that were made to crush him1    
even after his expulsion from the       
ministry had been obtained by this      
pitiful pretext--a pretext at once      
disgraceful to the artful and           
unprincipled framers1 and injurious in  
the highest degree to ,queen ,isabel1   
one of whose first acts1 after her      
majority had been declared1 was thus    
made to be the attestation of a gross   
and shameless falsehood4 ,in the long   
and stormy debate that ensued in the    

,cortes1 ,olozaga amply confirmed all   
parties of the absurdity of the charge  
brought against him1 and utterly        
confounded his enemies4 ,what they could
 not accomplish by public means1 the    
latter now attempted to bring about by  
underhand ones--namely1 ,olozaga's      
destruction in a literal as well as a   
political sense2 and after one or two   
narrow escapes from assassination1 the  
ex-premier was advised by his friends to
 withdraw from ,spain4 ,portugal        
presented the readiest asylum2 and      
following very nearly the course of the 
,tagus1 the exile1 escorted by twenty   
well-armed contrabandists1 came by way  
of ,talavera and ,coria on the back of a
 mule1 in the disguise of a trader1 with
 copious saddle-bags1 and crossing the  
little river ,herjas into the           
,portuguese province of ,beira1 was soon
 in ,castello ,branco4 ,olozaga was used
 to this sort of thing1 having already  
had to fly for his life in the time of  
,ferdinand4 ,on that occasion he drove  

out of ,madrid in the disguise of a     
,calesero1 in company with his friend   
,garcia1 the then intendant of police1  
who was also obliged to fly from the    
vengeance of the ,camarilla of the day4 
,they reached ,corunna in safety1 and   
embarked for ,england2 the facile       
versatility with which ,olozaga had     
smoked1 joked1 and drunk his way1       
adapting himself to the humours of all  
he met1 and supporting admirably his    
assumed character1 having in no small   
degree contributed to save them from    
detection4  ,the account our author     
gives of ,queen ,isabel is any thing but
 a favourable one2 although we have much
 reason to fear that it is substantially
 correct4 ,wilful and pettish1 at times 
obstinate1 deficient in intelligence as 
well as temper1 and above all1          
dissimulada1 a dissembler4 ,ugly words  
these2 but if it be true that children  
inherit their parents' virtues and      
vices1 what better could be expected    
from the offspring of a ,ferdinand and a

 ,christina8 ,indeed it will be         
fortunate for herself and her people1   
if1 at a later period of this           
child-queen's life1 there are not a few 
more failings to be added to the above  
list--already sufficiently long4 ,at    
present1 artfulness and insincerity seem
 her chief faults--no trifling ones1    
certainly2 and to these may be added a  
want of heart1 very unusual in a girl of
 such tender age1 and which is perhaps  
the worst symptom in her character4 ,it 
has been frequently and strongly        
exemplified in her conduct to those     
nearest her person4 ,previously to the  
anti-,christina revolution of #ahdj1 the
 ,marquesa de ,santa ,cruz was her      
governess1 and to her the young ,queen  
appeared much attached4 ,but when the   
,marchioness left ,spain in the suite of
 the ,queen-mother1 ,isabel never made  
an enquiry after her1 receiving ,madame 
,mina with just the same degree of      
apparent affection that she had shown to
 her preceding governess4 ,whilst       

,espartero was ,regent1 she professed   
unbounded attachment to him1 insisted   
having the portrait of her caro amigo   
hung in her room1 and seemed proud of   
showing it to all her visitors4 ,the    
wheel went round2 ,narvaez was at       
,madrid1 and the ,duke of ,victoria a   
refugee on board the ,malabar4 ,the     
,senora de ,mina was dismissed1 and her 
royal pupil took leave of her with the  
same absence of feeling that she had    
shown when separated from the           
,marchioness of ,santa ,cruz3--  ',since
 you are leaving me1' she said1 ',i must
 make you a present4' ,and away she ran 
to take down the portrait of her very   
'dear friend' ,espartero1 which precious
 relic she handed over to her outgoing  
,aya1 saying ',keep this portrait1      
senora2 it will be better in your       
possession than mine6'  ,taken to a     
bull-fight1 her youthful majesty of     
,spain was delighted beyond measure1    
enjoying the sufferings of maddened     
bulls and gored horses with as much zest

 as could have been shown by her        
illustrious and respectable father4     
,unfortunately1 auto-da-fes are out of  
date1 or they might serve to vary her   
pastimes4 ,as it is1 she is obliged to  
fill up her leisure by the consumption  
of confectionery1 of which she has a    
constant and abundant supply on hand4   
,this pastry-cook museum1 which extends 
over every apartment of the palace1     
contains some most interesting          
specimens--the tortas1 or tarts1 of     
,moron1 the most celebrated in ,spain2  
the panes pintados1 or painted buns1 of 
,salamanca2 the ,paschal ojalores1 or   
,carnival and ,easter dainties2 the hard
 turrones of ,alicant1 composed of      
almonds1 nut-kernels1 filberts1 and     
roasted chestnuts1 intermixed with honey
 and sugar2 dulces of cocoa-nut frosted 
with sugar2 roasted almonds2 avellanas1 
a peculiarly nice sort of filbert1 whole
 and in powder2 alfajor1 or spiced      
bread2 the delicious cheese called      
jijona2 pomegranate jelly2 blando de    

huevos1 or sweetened yolks of eggs1 c4  
c4 c4 ,when in a good humour1 she makes 
presents of these delicacies to the     
persons about her2 and the degree of    
favour in which her courtiers stand1 is 
to be estimated by the amount of cakes  
and sugar-sticks bestowed upon them4 ,no
 place is secure from the invasion of   
these sweets2 even in the               
council-chamber1 while dispatching      
business with the ministers1 she is     
surrounded by them1 and the confection  
of decrees1 and discussion of dainties1 
proceed pari passu4  ,the abundance of  
the comfits and the badness of the      
counsellors by which the poor child is  
environed1 menace grievous injury both  
to mind and body1 heart and stomach4 ,a 
puppet in the hands of factions1 living 
from her earliest childhood in an       
atmosphere of intrigue and              
falsehood1--the usual atmosphere of     
,spanish courts and camarillas1 how was 
she to escape the contagion8 ,her       
education seems also to have been       

grievously neglected4 ,when ,arguelles  
was her governor1 she was indocile and  
refractory2 under the care of ,olozaga  
she only remained three months4 ,her    
female instructors1 with the exception  
of the ,countess of ,mina1 have been    
women of equivocal reputation1 seeking  
to advance themselves and their friends1
 and teaching their pupil few lessons   
but those of dissimulation4 ,to         
aggravate the evil1 during the three    
years of ,christina's exile1 that       
princess was allowed to be in constant  
correspondence with her daughter1 and of
 course lost no opportunity of inspiring
 her with a dislike of her own political
 enemies1 the ,progresistas4 ,these     
latter1 however1 being in power1 and    
about the person of the young ,queen1   
she was obliged at least to appear      
friendly with them1 and was thus taught 
to be false and artful by the force of  
circumstances1 and trained by events to 
deceit4  ,the chapter headed ,narvaez is
 extremely interesting1 giving graphic  

sketches of one of the most remarkable  
of living ,spaniards4 ,in ,narvaez we   
find the faults and the virtues of the  
soldier of fortune2 prompt decision1    
great energy and determination1 on the  
one hand--cruelty1 impolicy1 and        
violence1 on the other4 ,his character  
has made him popular with a portion of  
the army1 and over the officers1 in     
particular1 he exercises great          
influence4 ,his severities1 however1    
especially his shooting eight men the   
autumn before last1 for demanding what  
had been solemnly promised them1        
permission to quit the service1 have    
lost him many adherents1 and made him   
numerous enemies in the ranks4 ,but his 
deadly foes1 and those from whom he has 
the most to fear1 are the ,ex-,national 
,guards of ,madrid4 ,their hatred of him
 is unlimited1 and savage beyond        
conception1 founded upon various causes1
 any one of which is1 with ,spaniards1  
sufficient to account for it4 ,their    
confidence betrayed1 their arms taken   

from them1 themselves recklessly sabred 
and bayoneted when assembled for the    
most peaceable purposes--these and many 
other injuries will never be forgotten  
or forgiven by the ,madrilenos4 ,we in  
,england are now so accustomed to hear  
of bloodshedding and outrage in the     
,peninsula1 that we have began to       
consider it almost as a matter of       
course1 and scarcely accord a moment's  
attention to the horrors of to-day1     
which are no worse than those of        
yesterday1 and may probably be surpassed
 by those of to-morrow4 ,yet1 if we     
except a portion of the period of       
,espartero's rule1 there are no three   
months in the history of ,spain for the 
last ten years1 which would not1 if     
transplanted into the annals of any     
other country1 form an era of bloodshed4
 ,since the advent of ,narvaez to power1
 although the vigour of his government  
has prevented civil war and checked     
insurrection1 that has only been        
accomplished by a system of despotic    

cruelty worthy of the days of ,ferdinand
 the ,well-beloved4 ,countless instances
 may be adduced in support of this      
assertion4 ,executions1 like that of    
,zurbano and his family1 have been      
defended by the argument1 that the      
sufferers were rebels against the       
established government of the country1  
and as such deserved the fate they met4 
,rather a flimsy argument1 it appears to
 us1 in a country in which revolution   
flourishes as an evergreen plant4 ,how  
is it to be decided which is the        
rightful governor1 and which the        
usurper8 who shall say whether those in 
power are there by right as well as     
might2 or whether they are merely       
successful rebels1 banditti on a large  
scale1 who have seized upon place and   
power with as much justice1 and by the  
same violent means1 as highwaymen of    
inferior grade possess themselves of the
 purses of travellers8 ,but even if we  
concede this point1 and admit that      
whoever holds the reins1 though but from

 yesterday1 and with a bloodstained     
hand1 is justified in slaughtering by   
wholesale all who show a disposition to 
drag him down again1 it will still be   
impossible to palliate the treacherous  
and tyrannical proceedings of ,narvaez4 
,the inhabitants of ,madrid1 lured out  
of their houses by the bait of some     
joyous festival1 the streets hung with  
banners and strewed with flowers1 the   
fountains playing wine and milk--on all 
sides rejoicings and festivity2 the     
insouciant light-hearted ,castilians    
forgetting for a while the misfortunes  
of their country1 and giving themselves 
up to the unrestrained enjoyment of the 
moment4 ,but there are those amongst    
them who will soon trouble their        
pleasures2 agents of their rulers1      
tutored to excite them to some          
apparently rebellious demonstration4 ,a 
shout or two1 interpreted as indicative 
of disaffection1 and caught up by an    
excitable mob2 and immediately          
battalions appear upon the plaza1       

dragoons gallop out of the side streets1
 bayonets are lowered and sabres bared1 
and amidst the clatter of the charge1   
the screams of women and the oaths of   
men1 the festal garlands are trodden    
under foot1 and blood reddens the       
pavement4 ,on many a fiesta1 or day of  
saints1 says our author1 which ,spain   
regards as of special holiness1 plots   
and snares were thickly strewn around   
the people's footsteps2 murder lurked   
beneath the wreath of festivity1 and the
 day which began in prayer1 concluded   
with mourning4  ,during the three days' 
rejoicings on occasion of the ,queen's  
majority1 scenes of this sort occurred4 
,they invited us to a ball1 said the    
people in the true ,madrileno           
spirit--they invited us to a ball1 and  
we had to assist at a funeral4 ,the     
object sought to be obtained by such    
barbarous means1 was the intimidation of
 the populace1 and the deterring of     
revolutionists and progresistas4 ,the   
suppression of the national guard       

produced another alboroto1 or           
disturbance4 ,a crowd assembled1 and    
moved through the streets1 giving vivas 
for the constitutional ,queen1 and      
mueras for the ministers and the        
traitors4 ,narvaez asked no better      
chance than this4 ,out turned the palace
 guard1 composed of strong bodies of    
infantry and cavalry1 and1 without a    
moment's delay1 charged the mob1 which1 
although principally composed of        
national guardsmen1 was unarmed1 save   
with a few bayonets and knives4 ,in all 
the adjacent streets1 people were       
running for their lives2 and the        
congregations1 which were then just     
leaving mass--for this occurred on a    
,sabbath morning--recoiled for safety   
into the churches4  ,as a politician1   
,narvaez is unquestionably an obstinate 
and unscrupulous dunce1 who feels his   
incompetency to rule by any means but   
the sword1 and has substituted a        
tyrannical dictatorship supported by    
bayonets1 for the legal and             

constitutional government of ,spain4 ,in
 a military point of view he is more    
respectable1 although even as a general 
his exploits have been few and little   
heard of4 ,in his brief campaign against
 the ,esparterists1 he had no           
opportunity of showing more than        
activity and daring2 since at the very  
moment when he was on the point of      
measuring strength and generalship with 
,seoane and ,zurbano at ,torrejon de    
,ardos1 the troops under those two      
leaders came over to him4 ,during the   
,war of ,succession1 he gave proof of   
some skill as an organizer of armies of 
reserve1 and even fought a gallant and  
successful battle with ,gomez at        
,majaceite in ,andalusia1 in which1 if  
one might believe the lying ,spanish    
bulletins1 he nearly swept the ,carlists
 from the face of the earth4 ,there is  
no doubt he mauled them a little2 but   
neither that nor the various other      
decisive overthrows recorded by         
gazettes1 prevented ,gomez from         

returning to the ,basque provinces with 
a considerable force at his back1 and an
 immense amount of booty4  ,it will be  
contrary to all precedent in modern     
,spanish history1 if ,narvaez's career  
terminates otherwise than by a violent  
death1 met1 in all probability1 at the  
hands of the populace1 or at those of   
some disgusted adherents of his own4    
,the deaths of ,carlos de ,espana1 slain
 by his own escort on his way to the    
,french frontier2 of ,moreno--the       
butcher of ,torrijos1 ,lopez ,pinto1    
,florez ,calderon1 and fifty other      
martyrs--himself murdered in the wood of
 ,vera by the bandit followers of the   
savage priest ,echeverria2 these1 and   
fifty similar instances1 are events but 
of yesterday4 ,it is still fresh in the 
memory of the ,madrilenos how they      
pursued the stern ,quesada to his place 
of refuge--,quesada who1 alone and by   
his single energy1 had cleared the      
streets of an excited populace1 and     
stopped a revolution for one whole day2 

how they dragged him forth1 piecemeal it
 may almost be said1 and with his       
severed fingers stirred the bowl in     
which they toasted the downfall of      
tyrants4 ,between ,quesada and ,narvaez 
there is more than one point of         
resemblance4 ,their deaths1 also1 may be
 alike4  ,the sketches of ,spanish      
political men1 the various party leaders
 and conspicuous senators of the day1   
are done with much spirit and           
cleverness1 and give an excellent idea  
of the fickle inconsistency1 the showy  
talent but want of steadiness of        
purpose1 that characterize most of the  
notable ,peninsular politicians4 ,one is
 much accustomed to receive information 
upon such subjects with doubt and       
mistrust1 it being so often tinctured   
with the violent party spirit which1 in 
,spain1 distorts men's views and        
opinions2 and the book before us being  
published anonymously1 we are prevented 
from judging1 by circumstances of       
position or others1 to which side or    

men1 if to any1 the author is likely to 
incline4 ,but we think we discern in him
 the wish to be impartial1 and are      
therefore disposed to place unusual     
confidence in his statements2 the more  
so as he represents no character as     
entirely bad1 but1 while laying on the  
lash for their faults1 does not forget  
to give them credit for their good      
qualities4 ,according to his account1   
,lopez is the most brilliantly eloquent1
 and1 at the same time1 one of the most 
incorrupt members of the ,spanish       
,chambers2 one of the very few          
,spaniards who have held office without 
advantage to themselves4       ,it is a 
most creditable distinction in ,spain1  
where office is sought      almost      
exclusively for its emoluments1 that    
,lopez has been at three      different 
times a minister of the crown1 and      
retired thrice from that                
government1 of which he was always the  
most influential member1      without   
any permanent office1 or title1 or      

decoration2 without even a      cross or
 a riband to display upon his breast1 in
 a country where      those favours are 
most extensively distributed4 ,even from
 the      premiership of the provisional
 government1 by which high titles and   
orders were lavishly disseminated       
amongst the leading instruments of      
a successful national movement1 and from
 the side of a ,queen whose             
majority had been just proclaimed1 he   
withdrew into private life in a         
strictly private capacity1 without a    
charge upon the pension list for        
himself or any of his                   
connexions--without an inscription in   
the court      list or a real of the    
public money4 ,five hundred different   
lucrative and permanent offices were at 
his disposal1 but he      preferred a   
practising lawyer's independence4  ,this
 would be rare praise in any country2 in
 ,spain it must be almost without       
parallel4 ,in striking contrast stands  
the character of ,don ,luis ,gonzalez   

,bravo1 or ,brabo1 as he affects to     
write himself1 who succeeded ,olozaga in
 the premiership1 for which post he     
united some of the most singular        
disqualifications ever possessed by a   
prime minister4  ,spain1 while imitating
 the fashions of ,england and ,france in
 dress and suchlike petty particulars1  
has also thought proper to copy certain 
political peculiarities of those two    
countries4 ,thus1 while ,la ,jeune      
,france vapours in long-bearded and     
belligerent splendour1 under the special
 patronage of a ,joinville1 and ,young  
,england peeps out1 gentlemanly and     
dignified1 from beneath the aegis of a  
less high-born1 but1 in other respects1 
equally distinguished character1 ,la    
,joven ,espana1 emulous of their bright 
example1 ranges itself under the        
patronage of the disreputable editor of 
a scurrilous journal4 ,it is difficult  
for us in ,england to imagine the state 
of things existing in a country where   
such a person can head any party or     

section1 however insignificant1 in the  
legislative assembly1 and still more    
difficult to conceive any amount of     
satirical and vituperative talent       
placing within his grasp the portfolio  
of prime minister4  ,bravo's first      
introduction to public notice1 was as   
member of the ,trueno1 or ,thunder      
,club--a society that amused itself1 of 
evenings1 by molesting peaceable        
citizens as they returned home to their 
families1 thrashing the serenos or      
watchmen1 and suchlike intellectual and 
dignified diversion4 ,he got seriously  
wounded by a pistol-shot on one of these
 occasions1 and we next find him editing
 the ,guirigay or ,slang1 a paper       
remarkable for its personal and         
unscrupulous tone4 ,for some time its   
attacks were directed against           
,christina1 to whose expulsion from     
,spain it is said to have contributed1  
so great is the influence of newspaper  
violence in the ,peninsula4 ,during the 
,queen-,dowager's three years' exile1   

however1 ,bravo wrote himself round from
 a violent exaltado progresista1 or     
,radical1 into a very decided moderado1 
or ,conservative1 in which latter       
character he entered office4 ,taxed with
 his renegade conduct1 his defence was a
 most impudent one1 highly              
characteristic of the man4 ,no es       
ridiculo1 said he1 estar para siempre el
 mismo8 ,is it not ridiculous to be     
always the same8  ,but though he managed
 to get on while in opposition--and     
even1 by a certain amount of impassioned
 energy and satirical verve1 to place   
himself at the head of a party of young 
members1 who1 although not exceeding    
fifty in number1 turned the scale in    
many parliamentary contests--his        
incapacity became glaringly apparent as 
soon as he took office4       ,the prime
 minister1 when he should have been     
writing sage decrees1      was          
scribbling scurrilous paragraphs2 from  
his portfolio peeped forth      old     
numbers of ',the ,slang' and his        

official robes could not hide his       
harlequin's jacket4 ',vistan me1 dijo   
,sancho1 como quisieren qui de          
cualquier manera que vaya vestido sere  
,sancho ,panza4' ,let them dress      me
 up as they will1 quoth ,sancho1 however
 ,i am dressed ,i shall still      be   
,sancho ,panza4  ,bravo1 however1 did as
 well as another to be the tool of      
,narvaez1 and moreover he was found     
pliant1 which doubtless prevented his   
being kicked out of office as soon as he
 got into it4 ,of course he lost no time
 in taking care of himself and his      
friends4 ,his father1 who had been      
dismissed from a government employment  
for malversation1 received the          
appointment of under-secretary to the   
,treasury2 his wife's brother1 a        
hanger-on at one of the theatres1 was   
made state-groom to the ,queen2 while a 
number of other equivocal characters    
were appointed to the diplomatic corps1 
and half the political chiefs and public
 employes in ,spain were dismissed to   

make room for the new premier's friends1
 including a considerable number of     
newspaper scribblers4 ,the power of the 
newspaper press in ,spain is enormous1  
and nearly all the leading politicians  
in ,madrid either are1 or have been1    
editors or proprietors of some one of   
the principal journals4  ,the manners   
and peculiarities of the lower orders in
 ,spain offer a fertile theme1 differing
 as they do in toto from those of the   
corresponding classes in any other      
country4 ,they have furnished our author
 with materials for some amusing        
chapters4 ,the description of a roadside
 venta1 or inn1 and its frequenters1 is 
capital1 and reminds us of some of      
,lewis's admirable pencillings of       
,spanish life and interiors4 ,the       
amalgamation of grades of society1 which
 in most countries would be kept        
carefully distinct1 but in the          
,peninsula hobnob together in perfect   
good fellowship1 the mixture of         
muleteers and alcaldes1 priests and     

banditti1 smugglers and custom-house    
officers1 all sitting in the same smoky 
room1 dipping in the same dish1         
exchanging the latest intelligence1     
local and political1 forms a strange but
 a characteristic and perfectly true    
picture4 ,apropos of smugglers1 here is 
a small statement worthy the notice of  
that sensible party in ,spain which     
opposes the introduction of foreign     
manufactures upon payment of a          
reasonable duty4       ,spain is1 of all
 ,european countries1 the most          
helplessly exposed to      contrabandist
 operations4 ,with an ill-paid and      
sometimes ragged army1      and with    
revenue officers directly exposed to    
temptation by      inadequate salaries1 
she has #ejj miles of ,portuguese       
frontier and      nearly #cjj of        
,pyrenean2 and with a fleet crumbled    
into ruins1 and no      longer of the   
slightest efficacy1 she has #djj miles  
of ,cantabrian and      #gjj of         
,mediterranean coast4 ,four hundred     

thousand smugglers are      constantly  
engaged in demolishing her absurd fiscal
 laws1 and some      #a1fjj1jjj pounds  
weight of cotton goods alone1 are every 
year      illicitly imported4  ,but     
things in ,spain are now rapidly        
approaching that happy state when it    
will become quite unnecessary for the   
gentlemen contrabandistas to expose     
their valuable health to the ,pyrenean  
fogs1 or their lives in contests with   
aduaneros4 ,the system is becoming each 
day more beautifully simple2 and1       
strange as it may seem1 the direct road 
for the importation of contraband goods 
is through the custom-house4 ,bribery is
 here reduced to the old electioneering 
simplicity2 and the tariff of           
custom-house corruption is arranged with
 more uniform regularity1 and far more  
perfectly understood1 than the tariff of
 customs' duties--the difference being1 
that the customs' revenues may not be   
paid1 but the customs' officers must4   
,the due amount of fee being insinuated 

into the itching palm of the revenue    
officers1 your goods pass with all      
imaginable facility4 ,by the magic of a 
four1 eight1 or sixteen dollar bit1 as  
the case may be1 a mist settles over the
 vision of the complaisant official1 and
 either prevents his seeing at all1 or  
else transforms in the most remarkable  
manner the objects that pass before him4
 ,bales of manufactured goods assume the
 appearance of sacks of potatoes and    
onions--nay1 those useful products of   
the soil are sometimes even supposed to 
be contained in wooden cases and casks1 
carefully hooped and nailed2 and huge   
canvass bales are likewise cleared1 and 
reported to be indubitably filled with  
the said potatoes1 the softness of the  
packages to the touch arising probably  
from the fact of their being boiled6    
,at times1 however1 by a rare chance1 an
 incorruptible custom-house is          
discovered2 and for that1 or some other 
reason1 it is deemed advisable to resort
 to the old1 and certainly more sporting

 plan1 of running the cargoes1 which is 
accomplished in a most systematic and   
comfortable manner4 ,the smugglers are  
usually in sufficient number to deter   
the carabineros from meddling2 and if1  
by chance1 the latter should interfere1 
they almost invariably receive a sound  
thrashing4 ,there are a large number of 
small ,portuguese craft constantly      
employed in running contraband goods2   
and the quantity of merchandise         
introduced from ,gibraltar is enormous4 
,the latter town1 which1 by the census  
of #ahce1 had #ae1jjj inhabitants1      
contains only #cjjj cigar manufacturers4
 ,as our author says1 what a frightful  
deal they must smoke in ,gibraltar6  ,it
 is all nonsense talking in mincing     
terms about ,english smuggling in       
,spain4 ,however much our ,government   
might discountenance it1 nothing could  
be done to prevent it1 not even if      
,english guarda costas were stationed   
round the whole eleven hundred miles of 
,spanish coast4 ,the smuggled goods     

would then go through ,portugal1 as many
 of them do now2 or any diminution in   
the amount of ,english merchandise      
imported1 would be made up by a         
corresponding increase in the quantity  
of ,french4 ,why1 even the ,germans1 the
 respectable1 plodding ,germans1 supply 
their quota of indifferent calicoes and 
dull cutlery to the ,spanish consumer4  
,the ,french1 who are fond of charging  
,england with being the nation egoiste  
par excellence1 who consults only her   
own interests1 and is equally ready to  
poison antipodean barbarians with opium1
 or to violate the principles of fair   
dealing that ought to exist between     
friendly countries1 by introducing      
contraband goods in every possible      
manner--the ,french1 we say1 albeit so  
,pecksniffian in their condolences with 
,spain1 and other nations1 which they   
affect to consider victims to the       
practices of greedy and treacherous     
,england1 are themselves most reckless  
and determined in their smuggling       

transactions with their southern        
neighbours2 and the sole circumstance   
which rises their dander is to find     
,english goods obtaining the preference 
in the ,peninsula1 as every where else4 
,the constant aim of the ,french is to  
irritate ,spaniards against ,england2   
and the ground upon which they have     
hitherto gone is1 that of representing  
us1 in all our actions1 as thinking only
 of our own advantage4 ,the activity and
 skill of ,french political agents were 
long exerted to bring about a reaction  
against the friendly feelings which1    
only a very short time back1 were       
entertained in the ,peninsula towards   
,england2 and these exertions were at   
last successful1 although we may now    
hope that ,spaniards are again opening  
their eyes to the deceit that has been  
practised on them4 ,the friendly offices
 of ,france are probably by this time   
beginning to be appreciated at their    
just value2 and doubts must be arising  
in the minds of the rational portion of 

the ,spanish people1 whether the        
perfides insulaires did not mean and act
 as honestly by them as the more        
smooth-tongued and insinuating allies   
who have reimposed upon them a          
,christina and a ,narvaez4              
,exaggeration in all things1 says the   
,english resident1 is the leading vice  
of ,spain4 ,there is not a city in the  
,peninsula that is not 'muy noble1 muy  
leal1 y muy heroica2' not a corporate   
body that is not 'most excellent1' or   
'most illustrious2' not a military corps
 that is not renowned1 and matchless for
 its valour2 not a ragamuffin in        
,castile that does not esteem himself   
noble1 nor a brigand in ,andalusia but  
calls himself a soldier2 not a man but  
is a ,don1 nor a woman but is a ,dona2  
not a dunce of a doctor but is          
profoundly learned1 nor a scribbling    
poetaster but is a ,european celebrity4 
,where all are first-rate1 how shall    
there be improvement8 ,where there is no
 humility1 how shall there be           

acquisition of knowledge8 ,pangloss     
might here have found his perfect world4
  ,it is1 we fear1 this ,bobadil vein1  
this unbounded self-approval and        
vain-gloriousness1 entailing an         
unwillingness to acknowledge            
obligations1 and an impatience of       
feeling that they have received any1    
which renders a large proportion of     
,spaniards less amicably disposed       
towards ,england than we might expect   
them to be1 when we look at the recent  
history of the two countries1 and recall
 all the friendly offices ,spain has    
received at the hands of ,england4 ,we  
have ourselves noticed amongst          
,spaniards--even amongst men of good    
average intelligence and education--a   
fretful sort of feeling whenever the    
support for which their country has been
 indebted to ,great ,britain was alluded
 to4 ,some of them go so far as to      
endeavour to persuade the world1 and    
more especially themselves1 that the    
parts played by ,english and ,spaniards 

in the ,peninsular ,war were the        
converse of what is usually             
supposed--that it was ,spanish valour1  
skill1 and generalship that swept       
,napoleon's armies before them1 and     
drove his best commanders across the    
,pyrenees4 ,the ,english were there1    
certainly2 they were very useful1 but   
they played second fiddle to their      
allies on most occasions4 ,in short1 to 
hear many of the present generation of  
,spaniards talk1 one might suppose that 
it was their ill-disciplined1           
badly-officered troops which won the    
numerous hard-fought fields of the ,war 
of ,independence4  ,another subject of  
difference1 and a far more serious one  
than these petty ranklings of offended  
pride and ill-borne obligation1 is the  
slave-trade1 and the right of search4   
,persuade ,spaniards1 or ,frenchmen1 or 
any nation in the world1 if you can1    
that ,great ,britain added twenty       
millions to her debt1 impoverished her  
own colonial proprietors1 and still goes

 to a heavy annual expense for the      
suppression of the slave traffic1 with  
any other view than a very decided one  
to her own benefit4 ,to ,spain1 thanks  
to the wretched administration of her   
internal resources1 the revenue derived 
from her few remaining colonies is a    
great object2 and in our hostility to   
the slave-trade1 she beholds a direct   
attack on that source of income4 ,again1
 in the present depressed state of      
,spanish commerce1 a large portion of   
the commercial capital of the country is
 invested in the slave-trade2 and a     
constant bitter feeling towards the     
,english is consequently kept up amongst
 the class whose money is thus employed4
 ,if they bring one cargo out of three  
to the ,havannah1 they have1 it is said1
 a profit on the transaction2 but at the
 same time it is not likely to put the  
slave-dealing ,dons in particularly good
 humour to hear of the other two having 
been walked off by ,british cruisers4   
,on the contrary1 they curse the        

meddling ,ingleses1 who having1 they    
say1 cut off their own tail by          
emancipating their negroes1 now1 like   
the fox in the fable1 wish to persuade1 
or1 if necessary1 to compel all their   
neighbours to follow their example4     
,the ,english resident is enthusiastic  
on the subject of slave emancipation1   
and gives us a lively account of some   
arguments he maintained on the subject  
with sundry ,gaditano slave-dealers1 the
 result of which was1 of course1 that   
each party remained precisely of the    
same opinion as before4 ,the abstract   
philanthropy of ,english legislation on 
that question cannot be doubted2 and it 
is to be hoped that the course adopted  
may eventually prove beneficial to      
humanity1 although it seems very        
doubtful whether such has as yet been   
the case4 ,meanwhile1 there is small    
credit given to us for disinterestedness
 by foreigners1 who1 in our resolute    
opposition to the slave-traffic1 are    
determined to see nothing but a wish to 

harass their commerce1 injure their     
colonies1 and insure our dominion of the
 seas4  ,under the favouring auspices of
 that poor creature1 ,leopold           
,o',donnel1 who distinguished himself   
during the ,war of ,succession by the   
skill with which he managed to get      
beaten by the ,carlists on nearly every 
possible occasion1 and who now occupies 
the important post of ,governor of      
,cuba--under his auspices the           
slave-trade is flourishing with renewed 
vigour4 ,slaves1 we are told1 can now be
 legally imported into ,cuba upon       
payment of the governor's fee of        
twenty-five dollars per head1 and la    
traite has seldom1 of late years1 been  
more successful than under the rule of  
this governor4 ,one of the most striking
 chapters of the book before us is the  
one on colonial slavery1 in which some  
curious details are given concerning the
 recent conspiracy of ,matanzas4 ,this  
outbreak1 like all others that occur in 
the ,spanish ,west ,indies1 was most    

falsely laid at the door of the ,english
 by the whole ,spanish press4 ,it was   
directed1 said they1 by a committee of  
five members4 ,placido was president1   
two of the other four were mulattoes1   
and two ,englishmen4 ,this latter       
circumstance is worthy of note4 ,as     
being an utter falsehood1 observes our  
author4  ,placido1 the mulatto leader of
 the insurrection1 seems to have been a 
remarkable man1 of commanding           
appearance1 great energy of character1  
and superior intelligence4 ,one of the  
means he adopted to rouse the coloured  
population of ,cuba against their       
oppressors1 was the writing of          
revolutionary songs and verses4 ,during 
the whole of #ahdc he was busy laying   
the foundations of his scheme1 and1     
although his designs were known to      
thousands1 no one was found to betray   
them4 ,the plot was finally discovered  
by the conversation of some of the      
conspirators being overheard4 ,an       
obscure warning of it1 given by a young 

negress to her master1 with whom she was
 in love1 also led to enquiry4 ,the     
project was for nothing less than the   
total extermination of the white race1  
and the formation of a republic after   
the example of ,hayti ,the leading posts
 and commands were assigned to the      
mulattoes1 as well during the revolt as 
in the organized government that was    
subsequently to be formed4 ,the         
,thursday in ,passion ,week was the day 
fixed for the outbreak2 the signal to be
 given by the simultaneous burning of   
the sugar-canes2 the watchword1 ,la     
,muerte y la ,destruccion4 ,the domestic
 servants were in the plot1 and were to 
aid in various ways4 ,the cooks were to 
poison their masters1 and the caleseros1
 with their coach-horses1 to form a     
corps of cavalry4  ,the alarm was not   
given till the morning of the day on    
which the conspiracy was to have broken 
out4 ,then the arrests began4 ,five     
hundred of the conspirators were thrown 
into the prison of ,matanzas1 which town

 was the headquarters of the conspiracy1
 and gave its name to it4 ,but the      
negroes finding themselves discovered1  
and expecting no mercy1 resolved at     
least to glut their vengeance as far as 
the time would allow them4 ,overseers   
were flung into their sugar-boilers1 two
 entire families at ,matanzas were      
poisoned1 and other excesses took place4
 ,the reprisals exercised were most     
horrible2 two hundred prisoners were    
immediately butchered1 and numerous     
straggling parties shot down like dogs2 
some wretched victims were flogged to   
death to induce them to betray their    
accomplices4 ,further outbreaks were the
 result of these severities4 ,the       
planters who fell into the hands of the 
negroes were mercilessly massacred2     
numerous plantations were burned4 ,the  
insurrectionary movements were1 however1
 isolated and without organization2 the 
,spaniards succeeded in repressing them1
 and then1 furious and alarmed at the   
imminence of the peril they had so      

narrowly escaped1 inflicted the most    
terrible punishment on the unsuccessful 
mutineers4 ,eight hundred prisoners had 
been secured in the ,matanzas ,jail2 of 
these two hundred were shot without     
trial1 the remainder1 for the most part1
 strangled in their dungeons4 ,the      
meaning of the ,spanish word ,matanzas  
is a place of slaughter1 and such1      
indeed1 the town became4 ,placido1 the  
chief of the conspiracy1 made a         
tremendous resistance before he was     
taken4 ,he fired three pistols1 killing 
or wounding a man at each discharge1 and
 then hacked and hewed away with his    
sword1 speedily making for himself a    
ring of more than its span1 and clearing
 a space around him as rapidly as an    
,utreran bull when he rushes into the   
circus4 ,but a soldier's musket soon    
brought him to the ground1 and bleeding 
and faint he was flung into the         
,matanzas carcel4  ,as the prisoners    
refused to a man to make disclosures1   
torture was resorted to4 ,the lash was  

applied till they confessed or fainted4 
,most of them yielded1 the plot was     
acknowledged to be of ancient date1 and 
to have ,placido at its head4  ,placido 
bore1 with the resolution of a stoic1   
the rude and unsparing stripes with     
which his broad shoulders and back were 
speedily covered4 ,not a groan nor a    
sigh escaped him2 but he fainted away at
 last from loss of blood1 and with such 
little apparent change1 that the        
executioners continued to flog for some 
time after he was senseless4 ,he was    
loosed from the triangles1 and tied to a
 neighbouring stake1 after the mummery  
of a five minutes' court-martial4 ,he   
was still senseless when bound to the   
stake--lifeless1 for all that his       
verdugos knew to the contrary4 ,ere he  
received the fusillade1 he recovered    
from his fainting fit sufficiently to   
exclaim1 in an audible tone4 ,los dias  
de la esclavitud son contados6 ,the days
 of slavery are numbered4  ,a horrible  
account1 but doubtless a correct one4   

,our author seems to have been in the   
south of ,spain at the time of the      
,matanzas insurrection1 and consequently
 in the right place to get at the true  
particulars of the affair4  ,in the     
chapters on the ,spanish ,army1 c41     
although amusing enough1 we do not      
consider the ,english resident to have  
been so successful as in most other     
parts of his work4 ,we would caution him
 against believing1 or at any rate      
expecting others to believe1 the marvels
 recorded by ,spanish gazettes of       
,spanish armies and generals--marvels   
which usually get repeated and magnified
 to most preposterous dimensions by the 
embustero retailers of such             
intelligence4 ,we would also warn him   
against indulging in such enthusiasm as 
he displays in speaking of ,general     
,leon--a very fine fellow undoubtedly1 a
 good soldier and dashing officer1 but  
yet a little overrated in these lines4  
,in his unexaggerated feats of war1 he  
eclipsed the ,homeric heroes1 and       

rivalled the incredible exploits of     
,charlemagne and his peers4 ,his        
tremendous lance spread terror and      
dismay among the enemies of his queen   
and country1 and the glorious           
inequalities of ,crecy and ,azincour    
were revived in the deeds of ,leon1     
witnessed by living men4 ,revived and   
considerably eclipsed1 we should say1   
judging from the list of exploits that  
follows4 ,if our friend the ,english    
resident be in any degree acquainted    
with military matters1 he must be aware 
that the dispersal of an army of eleven 
thousand infantry1 and one thousand     
horse1 by a hundred and fifty hussars1 a
 feat which he attributes to ,leon1 is  
an absurdity2 and that if such a thing1 
or any thing like it1 did occur1 it must
 have been when the hundred and fifty   
dragoons were closely backed by some    
much more numerous force4  ,the ,spanish
 army1 as it existed at the close of the
 ,carlist war1 was perhaps in a higher  
state of discipline and practical       

usefulness than it had been at any      
previous period of the present century4 
,rendered hardy and martial by six      
years' unremitting warfare2 officered1  
too1 for the most part1 by men who had  
something besides title or family       
interest to recommend them1 it only     
required greater regularity of pay and  
supplies to prove highly efficient4     
,gradually reduced by ,espartero to     
about fifty thousand men1 its numbers   
were doubled by a decree of ,narvaez1   
who felt that so small a force was      
insufficient to support him in his      
tyrannical rule4 ,at the same time an   
unprecedented system of conciliation1 or
 of adulation it should rather be said1 
was adopted by the dictator towards his 
legions4 ,espartero had done all in his 
power1 and that the disordered state of 
,spanish finances allowed him to do1 for
 the comfort and well-being of his army2
 but he had not thought fit to sacrifice
 to it all or any other classes of the  
state4 ,it had not been necessary for   

him to do so2 his government was not    
based upon fear1 nor dependent on       
bayonets4 ,with ,narvaez it was very    
different4 ,his sole tenure of power was
 in the fidelity of the army1 and this  
he sought to ensure by every possible   
means4 ,the priest may starve and the   
exclaustrado perish2 the last rotten    
planks of the navy may go to pieces2    
public monuments may totter for want of 
conservation or repairs2 the civil      
employe may be pinched1 and the very    
palace pine for its arrears2 but money  
must be found to clothe and feed the    
army1 and maintain it like a prancing   
charger4 ,the extent to which this      
courting and propitiation of the        
soldiery is carried1 is almost          
incredible1 and often ridiculous4       
,allowances of cigars1 extra rations of 
wine upon holidays1 boxes and stalls at 
the theatre provided gratis for the     
officers upon the ,queen's              
birth-day--these and similar indulgences
 are the sops thrown by ,narvaez to his 

capricious cohorts4 ,but1 with all his  
pains1 he obtains no feeling of         
security4 ,he is well aware that no man 
in ,spain has so many enemies1 not mere 
ill-wishers1 but deadly foes thirsting  
for his blood2 he knows that the        
,national ,guards of ,madrid have sworn 
his destruction2 and he cannot even tell
 how soon he may be turned upon or      
betrayed by the very army which he takes
 such trouble to conciliate4 ,they may  
sell ,narvaez1 as they sold ,espartero1 
to the highest bidder4  ,in a recent    
number of this ,magazine1 we took       
occasion to animadvert on the conceit   
and presumption of certain tourists who 
imagine themselves qualified by a flying
 visit to write their opinions          
concerning a country and people1 thus   
doing grievous injustice to those they  
write about1 and sadly misleading any   
credulous portion of the public which   
may be beguiled into reading and placing
 confidence in their lucubrations4 ,it  
has been seen that no such reproach can 

be addressed to the author of the book  
we are now noticing1 who has moreover   
performed his labour1 which was no light
 one1 in a conscientious and creditable 
manner1 without prejudice1 favour1 or   
affection4 ,we scarcely think he does   
full justice to ,espartero1 whom we must
 still persist in considering the most  
estimable and respectable of the        
,spanish public men of the day4 ,he may 
not possess the glowing and fascinating 
eloquence of an ,olozaga1 nor the fierce
 energy of a ,narvaez2 but neither has  
he the versatile insincerity of the     
former1 nor the unscrupulous and brutal 
recklessness of the latter4 ,he has not1
 like ,olozaga1 according to the        
uncontradicted testimony of ,roca de    
,togores in the ,cortes1 broken faith   
with all parties2 nor did he ever1 like 
,narvaez1 cause his dragoons to charge  
inoffensive crowds1 assembled by        
invitation of their rulers to celebrate 
saint-days or national festivals4  ,our 
author's general remarks on the state of

 ,spain1 of its people and prospects1   
are acute and sensible2 and they also   
coincide in great measure with as much  
as has been said on those subjects by   
one or two recent and intelligent       
travellers in the ,peninsula4 ,in short1
 setting aside a slight occasional      
tendency to high colouring1 more        
calculated1 however1 to amuse than      
mislead1 the principal fault we have to 
find with the book is its title4 ,after 
the deluges of ,mysteries and           
,revelations that has been poured upon  
the shoulders of the reading public     
during the last two or three years1     
commencing with the rhapsodies of ,sue  
and company1 and continued through      
countless varieties by writers of every 
degree on both sides the ,channel1 we   
really cannot think that such a title as
 ,revelations of any thing will tend to 
prepossess the public in favour of the  
work it designates4 ,one frequently sees
 books of very small merit1 or of none  
at all1 ushered into the world under    

some highly enticing name1 conveying the
 idea that the author has expended at   
his bantling's christening the whole of 
his diminutive modicum of talent4 ,here1
 however1 is an example of the opposite 
mode of proceeding2 a title that we must
 decidedly condemn1 given to a book of  
much interest and utility--a book which1
 from its liveliness1 and the amount of 
anecdote and light matter it contains1  
will be read by many who would shrink   
from the perusal of a mere dry          
statistical work4     ,,aesthetics ,,of 
,,dress4  ,,no4 ,,iii4  ,,the ,,cut ,,of
 ,a ,,coat ,,and ,,the ,,good ,,of ,a   
,,gown4   ,so you have got a decent coat
 on your back1 gentle reader6 ,well1 we 
congratulate you upon this fortunate    
circumstance1 this honourable badge of  
aesthetic distinction2 but do not be too
 proud of it--there are coats1 and      
coats--non ex quovis ligno fit          
,mercurius1 you know4 ,wait a bit till  
we turn you round1 and trot you out to  
see the cut of the thing1 ere we admit  

you to be a well-dressed1 or even a     
sensibly-dressed man4 ,but before we    
enter into controversy on the           
superficial appearance of man in the    
nineteenth century1 let us hasten to    
recall attention to our definition of   
good taste in all matters of            
dress--utility first and ornament       
afterwards1 but ornament always         
subservient to utility--and let us also 
appease the indignation of the tailoring
 world by affirming1 that in one grand  
class of coats--we will specify which by
 and by--the public seem to have arrived
 at a tolerably reasonable result4      
,there certainly are some men1 many men 
indeed1 in the world who may be said to 
be sensibly dressed4 ',tis a phenomenon 
when you come to think about it2 but the
 fluctuations of taste in this matter   
have1 for the time being1 arrived at a  
normal state4 ,after the variations of  
centuries1 the vagaries of taste in male
 attire1 7which may be measured1 for    
their ups and downs1 by curves1 with    

quite as much reason as the rise and    
fall in prices of corn1 and various     
other things that the members of        
statistical societies delight in        
portraying7--these variations1 in their 
endless wrigglings and windings1 have   
come back in more cases than one to     
their points of departure1 and there    
form nodi1 points of reflection1        
contrary flexure1 c4 ,at all these      
points the curve of taste may be assumed
 to be stationary4 ,pray1 excuse us1    
good reader1 for being scientific--do   
not call it obscure--on so luminous a   
point4 ,but is not the mystery of       
tailoring become a science8 ,is not the 
ninth part of a man now called an       
artiste8 ,have we not regular treatises 
published1 with no end of diagrams1 on  
the art of self-measurement8 ,just look 
at the advertisements at the back of    
your ,sunday newspaper1 or in the       
fly-leaves of your last ,maga4 ,and1    
after all1 where is the harm8 ,the      
noblest study of mankind is man6        

,however1 it is a learned point1 on     
which a world of talk may be got up2 so 
we will waive it for the moment1 to be  
resumed in the due course of our        
ruminations4  ,now1 there is no man in  
his sober senses who will not admit that
 a ,european1 but especially a ,briton1 
requires one or more coats to protect   
him from the varying influences of      
climate4 ,whether we suppose him muffled
 up in the skins of the urus and the    
wolf of the old ,hercynian forest1 or   
sporting in the soft fabrics woven from 
the fleeces of ,spain and ,saxony1 no   
one but a sheer madman1 in any parallel 
north of the #djth1 ever thought of     
dispensing altogether with a stout upper
 garment4 ,it has been a necessary      
thing1 rammed into every man's head by  
,jack ,frost1 ,dan ,sol1 and other      
atmospheric genii1 that he should       
provide himself with suitable upper     
toggery2 and hence we infer that public 
and private attention has been directed 
as much to coats and cloaks as to any   

other two things that can be mentioned1 
next after meat and drink4 ,no wonder1  
then1 that men have differed in their   
tastes as to the manner in which they   
should best adorn their beloved persons4
 ,no wonder that caprice and dandyism   
have prevailed in all ages of the modern
 world4 ,there is plenty of room1 and   
even of occasion1 for such fickleness4  
,man is an imitative animal1 and the    
clothing propensities of any one        
,european people have always run the    
round of the rest of the family4 ,on the
 whole1 we think that men have been more
 reasonable about their coats than they 
have about their hats4 ,they have been  
absurd enough1 it is true1 but their are
 grades of absurdity2 and1 we fancy1 the
 comfort of the wearer has been of more 
direct influence in keeping up some     
degree of good sense concerning the     
covering of his corporeal trunk1 than it
 has in protecting and adorning his     
head4 ,not that we intend going into a  
long history about coats--excuse the    

pun1 we are not fond of long tales--we  
will rather be quick in giving our      
opinion as to the best manner of        
settling the vexata quaestio of the     
clothing system4  ,our modern coats1    
those chefs-d'oeuvre of ,stulz and ,co41
 are to be traced back by their pedigree
 to about the middle of the seventeenth 
century2 while our paletots1 wrappers1  
or whatever else you like to call them1 
may lay claim to a higher antiquity by  
three hundred years4 ,in the brilliant  
courts of ,louis ,,xiii41 ,philip ,,iv41
 and ,charles ,i41 the costume had      
changed from the tight jacket or vest of
 the sixteenth century1 to the open and 
somewhat neglige1 though picturesque    
jerkin1 so familiar to the lovers of    
,rubens and ,vandyke4 ,over the linen   
integuments of his body1 a gentleman in 
those days wore only one upper permanent
 garment1 the jerkin or vest in         
question3 the sleeves were loose and    
rather short2 the waist was not pinched 
in2 the cut was rather straight2 the    

length extended only to the loins1 and  
abundance of fine linen and lace was    
displayed4 ,over this garment1 which was
 very plain1 was worn a small cloak1    
more or less ornamented1 in the hall or 
the hunting field2 but in the tented    
camp1 the cuirass was buckled on1 and   
the jerkin appeared below1 covering the 
tops of the cuissards or thigh-pieces4  
,there is many a charming ,vandyke      
portraying our ancestors in this elegant
 dress2 and even the furious fanaticism 
of the ,cromwellian times allowed the   
fashion to remain in ,england1 till the 
taste of the ,french court underwent a  
change1 and modified the habiliments of 
nearly all civilized ,europe4 ,to what  
cause we do not know1 but probably to   
some degree of additional comfort       
required by ,louis ,,xiv4 and his       
courtiers in their earlier campaigns--is
 to be ascribed the lengthening of the  
skirts of the jerkin1 and the           
corresponding increase in the dimensions
 of the cloak1 which we find to have    

taken place soon after #affj4 ,the      
portraits of ,mignard1 and the          
battle-pieces of ,vandermeulen1 all show
 us the change that was then going on at
 the court of ,versailles3 we find the  
form of the dress stiffening1 the       
sleeves lengthening1 pockets either     
yawning wide1 or covered under deep     
lapels1 the cuffs turned up halfway to  
the elbow1 and a glorious display of    
gold lace and ribands1 that must have   
made a fine gentleman of those palmy    
days glitter with the colours of the    
rainbow4 ,to the easy and languid       
elegance of the ,spanish costume1 had   
succeeded a certain degree of military  
stiffness and precision among the       
,french beaux3 all ,europe was at that  
time lost in admiration of the ,grand   
,monarque and his brilliant court2 and  
their fashions were adopted as the      
universal rule of taste4 ,it was this   
stiff coat of ,louis ,,xiv4 that was the
 direct progenitor of two degenerate1   
yet widely differing1 sons--the habit or

 coat1 and the frock or surtout of the  
present day4 ,degenerate descendants    
truly6 ,who that ever saw the rustling1 
heavy1 and almost self-supporting coat  
of ,charles ,,ii41 could have imagined  
that the plain1 close-fitting1 and      
supple frock1 or the be-clipped and     
almost evanescent habit pare of the     
nineteenth century1 were to spring from 
them as types8 ,scarcely less wide is   
the difference between the plate armour 
of an old ,english baron1 and the simple
 cuirass of a covenanter6  ,hitherto a  
man of fashion had worn only one coat2  
but1 towards the end of ,louis ,,xiv4's 
reign1 was introduced the superfluous   
luxury of a second and thinner          
under-covering1 universally known in    
,france as a veste1 but in ,england     
corrupted into a waistcoat1 or rather1  
from its general inutility1 a           
waste-coat4 ,this kind of garment grew  
in importance throughout the eighteenth 
century2 and1 like its neighbours the   
coats-proper1 indulged in enormous      

lapels1 and revelled in all the luxury  
of lace and brocade4 ,the beaux of the  
,first and ,second ,george's times1 knew
 right well how to stiffen out the      
skirts of their coats2 how to dispense  
with the comfort of a collar2 how to    
have buttons more than they would ever  
be patient enough to fasten2 and how to 
have button-holes1 or rather            
button-slits1 six inches long1 cut into 
the rich velvets and silks of their     
garments4 ,they were grand1 solemn times
 those6 ,there was no such thing as a   
man taking liberties with his toilet2 it
 was a serious piece of business to     
dress properly2 and it must have been a 
matter of no small difficulty to keep a 
coat clean and decent4 ,we strongly     
suspect1 notwithstanding those          
flattering rogues the limners1 that our 
great-great-grandfathers had to put up  
with a vast lot of dirt and discomfort2 
and that their coats1 so expensive to   
purchase1 must have been in no very     
enviable condition by the time they were

 left off4 ,fine days those for a       
valet-de-chambre6 ,an honest fellow had 
then some chance of getting a penny out 
of the ,israelitish dealers2 and my     
lord's gentleman might entertain a      
reasonable prospect of retiring upon his
 means1 long before reaching his grand  
climacteric4 ,but events marched        
onwards4 ,the coat1 originally intended 
to be buttoned all the way down--and    
,louis ,,xiv4 actually did wear it      
buttoned below the ventricular          
curve--was gradually allowed to flaunt  
away in an open1 dissolute manner1 and  
to display the radiant glories of the   
vest4 ,men then came to ask themselves  
that momentous question1 ,what is the   
use of such large skirts to our coats1  
if we do not employ them8 ,and so they  
took the liberty1 some of buttoning them
 back1 others of cutting off a good     
large corner4 ,the tailors found their  
account in this4 ,coats kept up at a    
proportionally equivalent price2 but the
 profits of the drapers were much       

diminished1 and by and by dwindled to a 
mere nothing4 ,it was from that fatal   
period when the waistcoat wheedled      
itself into fashion1 that the glory of  
the coat began to set2 and1 when once   
the skirt came to be retrenched1 the    
majesty of the coat was gone for ever4  
,dear old ,sir ,roger de ,coverley6     
gentle ,will ,honeycombe6 ye were the   
last that knew how to unite the graces  
and the dignity of these two discordant 
garments3 from your times1 down to those
 of poor ,beau ,brummell1 coats and     
waistcoats have degenerated through all 
degrees of folly1 even to the verge of  
stark staring madness6  ,the noble      
mantle1 and the solemn cloak1 its       
successor1 and the comfortable          
roquelaire1 its grandson1 and the old1  
farmer-like great-coat1 its             
arriere-petit-fils1 and the pilot-coat1 
the great-coat's brother that ran away  
from home and went to sea1 and the      
paletot1 a foreign bastard that could   
not prove who its father was1 nor even  

tell how it came by its name1 and the   
wrapper1 the paletot's cousin1 a regular
 commercial gent--such is the genealogy 
of that other family of garments which  
we cherish as our household gods4 ,but1 
as we hinted above1 we can hunt up the  
descent of some of these articles to    
times far removed--7the mantle1 we know1
 came to us from the ,romans7--we allude
 to the upper coat1 or wrapper2 for we  
find that a two-sleeved cloak1 with     
enormously long sleeves1 by the way1 and
 a most surprisingly scanty allowance of
 body1 was worn by the dandies in the   
days of the rival ,roses2 and1 to go    
still further back1 we have seen a      
contemporary portrait of that glorious  
old fellow ,chaucer1 clad in a grey     
wrapper that might have been made in ,st
 ,james's ,street1 ,a4,d4 #ahde4 ,if the
 paletot and the wrapper wish to prove  
any claims to gentle birth1 they cannot 
do better than refer their wearers to   
the father of ,english poets4 ,he was a 
man of first-rate taste1 you may depend 

upon it4  ,with all these changes--and  
we do not intend to blacken our fathers'
 memories for having made them--what    
have we arrived at in this point of     
dress8 ,what are the conveniences of our
 present garments8 in what are they     
useful8 in what are they beautiful8 in  
what do they need to be improved8 ,to   
begin at the top of the tree--the modern
 habit-de-cour3 coat for coat of the    
dress kind1 7military coats are1 for the
 present1 out of the question17 this is 
the most useful1 and the most becoming1 
of any now worn4 ,people are inclined to
 ridicule this coat1 not so much on its 
own account as for the foolish trappings
 with which it is commonly accompanied2 
but we assert that1 in its form1 its    
dimensions1 and in its suitableness of  
purpose1 it is far superior to what is  
vulgarly called a dress-coat4 ,the curve
 of the fronts1 and the still somewhat  
ample sweep of the skirt1 the plainness 
of the collar1 and the absence of all   
pretension in its composition--above    

all1 the total absence of any useless1  
unmeaning ornament1 such as sham        
pocket-flaps1 c4--all these qualities   
give it a claim to superiority4 ,if the 
opinions of the extremes of mankind be  
sometimes right1 as opposed to those of 
the majority1 then the form of that     
coat1 which is worn alike by the        
courtier and the ,quaker1 must have some
 large share of innate merit4  ,nothing 
of this kind can be said of the common  
short1 or dress coat4 ,this most silly  
and unmeaning habiliment possesses      
neither dignity nor beauty to entitle it
 to public favour4 ,it is useless on the
 person of a youth1 and undignified when
 worn by a man--an elderly person looks 
absurd in it1 and to nobody is it in    
reality becoming4 ,what is the good of  
the scanty skirts1 that barely admit of 
a pocket being made in their folds8     
,they add no symmetry nor grace to the  
person--they furnish little             
accommodation to the wearer4 ,what is   
the good of the rolling lapel in the    

front1 and of the collar never intended 
to be turned up8 ,this coat is only a   
debased and withered skeleton of the    
original garment of the seventeenth     
century1 deprived of all the qualities  
that recommended its type for general   
adoption2 it has neither warmth nor     
comfort on its side1 and it cannot stand
 the scrutiny of elegance for a moment4 
,it may be a difficult thing for a      
tailor to make1 but that is all2 and the
 sooner that men emancipate themselves  
from the thraldom of its sway the       
better4 ,if an open coat is to be       
adhered to1 the old habit-de-cour is the
 thing2 utility and ornament there make 
a much nearer approach to each other1   
and for comfort there is no doubt about 
the matter4 ,we object1 however1 to the 
idea of an open coat on the score of    
ornament1 though we admit some of its   
claims to utility4 ,two surfaces of     
decoration on the human body are absurd2
 they distract the attention1 and often1
 by the incongruous opposition of colour

 and substance1 produce a most          
disagreeable effect4 ,without wishing to
 hurt the feelings of ,young            
,england--or1 as some facetious wag or  
other has called him1 ,little           
,britain--we declare our dissent1 in    
toto1 from the dangerous heresy of the  
white waistcoat with the black coat4    
',tis a most unnatural conjunction4 ,if 
the colour of the under-garment were    
only red instead of white1 we should    
suspect some secret connexion with the  
old woman in scarlet1 ou vous savez2 as 
it is1 we set it down to the account of 
her friend in black1 and we launch      
against it our aesthetic anathema4      
,true1 it makes a man look clean2 but   
cannot a gentleman enjoy the reputation 
of cleanliness without turning himself  
into a magpie8 ,carry the point out a   
little further--to its ultimate results1
 in fact--and picture to yourself       
,albion junior1 in a black coat lined   
with white silk1 a white waistcoat1     
white cravat1 black unmentionables1 and 

white silk stockings--each good and     
legitimate articles of dress in their   
way--what a figure6 ,no6 turn rather to 
one of those splendid old canvasses of  
,velasquez4 ,look at the great ,duque de
 ,olivarez1 the finest gentleman in     
,europe2 behold him in black velvet and 
black silk from the chin to the toe--no 
white but his lace collar--all black    
except this and his face and hands6     
,there is no effort at display in his   
person1 no attempt to attract attention 
by a glaring contrast2 he knew that his 
looks proclaimed him a gentleman1 and   
there he stands in quiet dignity1 a     
model of good taste4 ,philip ,,iv4 the  
same2 ,charles ,i4 of ,england1 at      
times1 the same4 ,even the ,dutch       
burgomasters knew how to consult unity  
of dress1 and to harmonize the colours  
of their vestments4 ,we are not speaking
 of state-robes1 but of the dress worn  
in society among men of fashion2 and we 
would recommend any one sceptical on the
 point to compare the evening suits of  

the middle of the last century with     
those of the beginning1 still more with 
those of the close of the seventeenth4  
,he will find an immense falling off in 
good taste4 ,lord ,chesterfield was not 
half so well-dressed a man as ,lord     
,warwick1 nor ,lord ,warwick as ,lord   
,rochester4  ,to return1 however1 to    
waistcoats4 ,they constitute a class of 
garments that have fallen into vulgar   
hands1 and are applied to vulgar        
purposes4 ,your gents in the city1 and  
your ,margate-steamer men1 know how to  
display a yard of velvet or silk to     
infinite advantage2 see how             
ostentatiously they throw open their    
coats1 and show you half-a-mile of      
mosaic gold chain meandering over a     
champ fleuri4 ,they are regular tailors'
 advertisements1 and disgust one by     
their abuse of cheap decoration4 ,we    
never see a man in a smart waistcoat but
 we think of what lies at the back of   
it--a yard of silk or calico--all the   
glory of the front negatived1 and the   

garment so mean behind that he dares not
 show it4 ,not so the good old sailor   
who spent his prize-money with honesty  
of purpose1 and1 let us add1 with real  
good taste also2 he decorated his       
shattered timbers stem and stern        
alike--there was no make-believe finery 
about him1 and he was not ashamed to    
take off his coat before any body6      
,away1 then1 with the petty vanity of a 
waistcoat2 away with all false idea of  
its giving decoration to the ensemble of
 the toilet4 ,we know of nothing in its 
favour except one single claim on the   
score of some small utility4 ,to any one
 living in a variable climate it is of  
value1 as enabling the wearer to modify 
the temperature of the body4 ,is the day
 unusually warm8 he can throw open his  
coat1 and preserve that prim neatness of
 appearance which is required in the    
present age1 but is at variance with the
 display of fine linen of the ,caroline 
epoch4 ,or is there a sudden blast of   
wind from the east1 searching his       

rheumatic limbs to the very bone8 he may
 button his coat over his waistcoat1 and
 he has then a double protection for the
 tenderest chest4 ,but if thus anxious  
for the chest1 why not for the back     
also8 ,why should there be two          
thicknesses of cloth or stuff over the  
one1 and only a single thickness1 with  
some flimsy calico1 over the other8 ,in 
all this there is an inconsistency4 ,our
 ancestors1 who wore only one coat at a 
time1 had always a small mantle ready   
against any change of temperature2 and  
they wore it either appended to the     
neck1 as in the days of ,james ,i41 or  
more constantly on the shoulders1 as in 
the time of ,cromwell4 ,the main        
advantage of the waistcoat consists in  
its being light and permanently         
worn1--but it should be made of the same
 stuff throughout1 and we think it might
 well be dispensed with altogether4 ,if 
,kneller1 ,lely1 ,vandyke1 and ,rubens  
could visit the earth again for a       
moment--and they were good judges of    

what was1 or what was not becoming--we  
have no doubt but they would be         
unanimous against waistcoats4  ,we come1
 therefore1 to our last remaining class 
of coats1 and here we halt with a hum of
 approbation3 it would be hard indeed   
were we to pull the modern dandy to     
pieces1 and leave him no protection     
against the wintry blast4 ,yes6 the     
frock or surtout is good6 we have little
 or nothing to say against it1--much in 
its favour4 ,utility and elegance are at
 once seen combined in this garment2 it 
is warm1 easy to wear1 and comfortable  
it is of graceful and dignified         
appearance1 and it is becoming1 to man  
at all periods of his life4 ,the        
frock-coat is nothing more than the     
ancient tunic opened in front1 and made 
to sit tight upon the upper part of the 
body3 the superior half of it shows the 
form of the wearer to advantage1 and    
imparts to it a due degree of manly     
rigidity1 while the inferior half       
partakes of the flowing folds of        

drapery1 and gives warmth and covering  
down to the very knees4 ,of all garments
 that are to have any degree of freedom 
and looseness about them1 the frock-coat
 is the best3 it is good for a man in   
almost any avocation1 and may be made   
suitable for the common business of     
life1 as well as for the refinements of 
society4 ,but then it should not be worn
 open3 it should be buttoned upon the   
breast4 ,place an officer in his plain  
closely-buttoned undress coat by the    
side of a civilian1 with his loose and  
open frock1 and the contrast is so      
decidedly in favour of the former1 that 
the point1 as a matter of taste and     
effect1 will not admit of a dispute4    
,the one is a regular sloven compared   
with the other4 ,if any thing can be    
said against this buttoning1 it is on   
the score of inconvenience in civil     
life3--is a man at his library-table or 
his office-desk always to be fastened up
 in buckram8 where are we to stow away  
our watches1 our knives1 our toothpicks1

 our loose cash 7when we have any--par  
parenthese78 ,there is some weight in   
these objections2 for these little      
articles of comfort cannot be dispensed 
with2 and we have no better answer than 
to propose small external pockets with  
lapels1 which would not spoil the       
symmetry of the figure2 or else1 if you 
are obstinate1 good reader1 and are     
determined on throwing away your money  
upon waistcoats--then keep your         
frock-coat open2 but have a waistcoat   
either of the same colour1 or of some   
respectable hue1 and have it made       
jacket-fashion1 as good behind as       
before4 ,for ourselves1 however1 we     
confess we shall prefer    ,that you1 my
 friend1 whatever wind should blow1     
,might traverse ,england safely to and  
fro1   ,an honest man1 close-button'd to
 the chin1--   ,broad-cloth without1 and
 a warm heart within4  ,any quantity of 
ornament that might be deemed requisite1
 could easily be applied to this kind of
 coat--so as to make it a fit habiliment

 for occasions of ceremony3 in its      
present state1 it retains the stiffness 
of its military origin1 7for it may be  
called an invention of the ,great       
,duke's1 of him who wore it on the      
glorious fields of ,salamanca and       
,waterloo1 and it came into fashion at  
the close of the ,peninsular war37 but  
it may be embroidered as much as you    
please1 or its stuff may be varied ad   
infinitum1 from ,manchester fustian to  
the finest ,genoa velvet4 ,not that     
embroidery is always consonant with good
 taste1 when applied to male attire4 ,a 
plain1 dark1 close-buttoned coat1       
whether of cloth or velvet1 fastened    
with a single row of diamond or steel   
buttons in front1 would be far more     
effective1 as an object of good taste1  
than if its seams were all covered with 
gold lace4  ,as for the colour of coats1
 we do not intend to speak of this till 
we come to the subject of military      
costume4 ,we leave it awhile to the     
taste of the nation1--colours have      

always served as marks of national      
differences4 ,we beg leave to subjoin a 
few words in behalf of a poor little    
garment that has hardly any grown-up    
friends to say any thing for it2 and    
which1 when it left school1 either went 
into a manufactory1 or was sent to      
sea--we mean the jacket4 ,in warm       
weather1 for a country walk1 for a ride1
 for a game at billiards or cricket1    
even for shooting1 7experto crede7--a   
jacket is a capital contrivance2 while  
for a sail1 whether down the ,thames or 
up the ,mediterranean1 it is            
indispensable4 ,we do not appreciate the
 jacket as we ought1 or rather we do not
 remember the good service it did us at 
,eton and ,harrow--when the limbs were  
free and supple1 and when their full    
activity was called into constant play1 
who would have thought of a coat8 ,it   
was only when we began to fancy         
ourselves men1 and to think that our    
claims to virility lay in the skirts of 
our coats1 that we discarded the jacket4

 ',twas an ungrateful                   
proceeding3--school friendships ought   
not to be broken--and we recommend you1 
courteous reader1 some day or other to  
lay your dignity aside for a while1 and 
indulge in the innocent freedom of a    
jacket3 you will get through any work   
you have on hand twice as quickly4 ,the 
beaux of ,queen ,elizabeth's and ,king  
,jamie's courts wore nothing else but   
jackets1 you know1 with their short     
mantles hanging in the most degage      
manner from the shoulders3--and truly we
 do not see why a man in a well-cut     
jacket1 properly decorated1 should not  
be entitled to as much admiration in his
 civil capacity1 as when he has the     
honour to hold her ,majesty's commission
 in the ,tenth1 and avails himself of   
that privilege to disturb the equanimity
 of the beauty and fashion of ,england4 
,much may be said upon all sides in this
 matter3 the jacket would now be deemed 
too familiar without a sword and        
sabretache2 the frock might be          

considered as slovenly2 about the       
habit-de-cour there can be no dispute2  
as for the dress-coat1 it ought to be   
sent to ,monmouth ,street2 waistcoats   
should be given to your valet4 ,speedily
 judge for yourself1 tasty reader2 but  
let us have a garment calculated for    
real use1 and real ornament2 no         
pretence1 no sham2 a fine manly figure1 
and a covering worthy of it1 voila la   
chose essentielle6  ,to criticize a gown
 is always a more pleasing task than to 
waste one's patience upon a coat2 and1  
independently of this1 the aesthetician 
has to lay aside nearly all terms of    
reprobation1 in alluding to the         
habiliments of ladies of the present    
day4 ,women have never wandered into so 
many absurdities of form with regard to 
this main article of dress1 as men have2
 they have been volatile enough in the  
material1 and colour1 and ornament of   
their gowns2 but in shape and cut they  
have kept much nearer to the golden rule
 of comfort and utility than the lords  

of the creation4 ,the period of greatest
 aberration in this matter may be taken 
as extending from the latter quarter of 
the seventeenth century to the end of   
the eighteenth4 ,during those long      
years1 absurdity and inconvenience      
seemed to hold paramount sway in the    
wardrobes of the fair2 and to apply the 
word taste1 in its good sense1 to any   
portion of the female dress1 at least in
 ,england1 is hardly allowable within   
the limits mentioned4 ,look at your     
grandmothers' pictures1 or turn over the
 leaves of any edition of ,hogarth's    
works1 and the broadness of the         
caricature cannot fail to strike you4   
,that women should ever have consented  
so greatly to travestie the beautiful   
proportions of their fair frames2 that  
they should ever have so completely lost
 sight of the main principles of        
decoration and comeliness1 is           
inconceivable4 ,the mischief all        
originated in ,france2 and it must have 
come1 in the first instance1 from the   

deformity1 either of body or mind1 of   
some crabbed old dowager at ,versailles2
 no young unsophisticated girl would    
ever of herself have invented the hoop  
or the neglige4 ,but those times have   
happily gone by2 and after passing      
through a transition state of minor     
absurdity--7look to the prints of the   
,belle ,assemblee from #ahjj to         
#ahae7--we have thrown away all         
unnatural short waists2 we have         
discarded scanty skirts2 stomachers have
 been sent nearly to the right about2   
and with the exception of a single      
opisthodomic folly--to which we do not  
care to allude more particularly--our   
better halves1 and our fair friends1    
seem to have entered upon an age of good
 taste and good sense4 ,the happy change
 has been brought about partly by some  
women of good sense consulting their own
 ideas of utility and simplicity--partly
 by a return of public taste to the     
dresses of the middle ages1 and also of 
the times of ,charles the ,first4       

,ladies have at length become aware1    
that novelty of form is not essential to
 beauty of effect--and they have opened 
their eyes to the truth1 that the less  
they disfigure the proportions of their 
persons1 the more becomingly and the    
more comfortably will they be clad4     
,the main divisions of lady's           
gown--every milliner understands what we
 mean--are the corsage or body1 and the 
jupe or skirt4 ,they are as independent 
of each other as the upper and lower    
divisions of a wasp--7indeed1 some giddy
 girls have carried the similitude too  
far1 and have been seen to approximate  
in their lacing contractions to that    
wonderfully small animal passage7--and  
these two divisions of the garment are  
to be formed and ornamented on totally  
different principles4 ,by the common    
practice and consent of all womankind1  
it appears that the lower portion should
 be loose and flowing2 and that the     
upper should be so conformable to the   
contour of the body1 as to show that    

contour to the best advantage2 these    
must be taken as the fundamental        
definitions upon which all laws of      
female dress are to be tried4 ,and1     
first of all1 of the skirt2 if its form 
is to be loose and flowing1 it should be
 made to derive its beauty from the     
curves and breaks and folds which       
drapery1 partly suspended1 partly at    
rest on the ground1 will afford4 ,it    
must be ample and symmetrically         
proportioned2 and its material must have
 sufficient stiffness as well as        
pliability--drapery always requires a   
certain volume of material to be        
effective4 ,the extreme limit of a      
scanty skirt1 and its poor effect1 as   
well as its great inconvenience1 may be 
judged of from the figures and pictures 
of the old ,egyptian priestesses--they  
look very statuesque1 and make capital  
caryatides for temples--but they will   
not bear a comparison with those lovely 
,athenian virgins1 winding round the    
,parthenon1 in their sacred pilgrimage  

to the shrine of their tutelar goddess4 
,drapery1 then1 must be ample1 if it is 
to fall in graceful folds4 ,but drapery1
 only suspended1 will not produce the   
entire effect desired2 it will hang in  
merely longitudinal lines1 whereas one  
of the most pleasing effects produced by
 it is caused by those abrupt breaks in 
a fold1 those sudden cuttings off of    
volutes1 which are only to be seen when 
part of the drapery is in horizontal    
repose1 or rests partially on the       
ground4 ,hence short gowns are not so   
graceful as long ones2 they are         
beautiful at any time1 it is true1 and  
when the wearer is seated1 produce      
somewhat of the effect alluded to2 but  
for a woman to be robed with all the    
combined influences of grace and        
dignity1 she must allow her dress to    
trail partially around her4 ,think upon 
the short garments of many classes of   
peasantry1 and think of the train of a  
lady when dressed for court--we speak of
 their form1 not of their substance--it 

will easily be seen how much dignity is 
conferred by length4 ,the utility of    
long skirts is not so easy to be proved 
as their beauty2 but this is only on the
 score of the difficulty in keeping them
 clean2 as for warmth and comfort1 the  
advantage is quite on their side4 ,our  
fair contemporaries1 however1 seem to   
have arrived at a reasonable and happy  
medium upon that point2 they never wore 
better-formed skirts than at the present
 day4 ,a gown1 if properly made1 and    
without any stinting of stuff1 and if   
that stuff have any thing like          
substance1 needs no adventitious aids to
 give it sufficient amplitude of        
contour2 let our gentle readers take the
 hint2 they will otherwise militate     
against one of the main laws of good    
taste4 ,let them only look at the       
portraits of their ancestors in the     
middle of the last century but one--let 
them look at ,hollar's prints1 and if   
they are open to conviction they will   
agree in what we say4  ,if the skirt is 

to be ample1 the body should be confined
 to the natural shape of the human      
frame2 and the more nearly it is so1 the
 more graceful and effective will it    
become4 ,do what we will1 distort the   
sleeves and waist as much as we may1 we 
shall never come up to the symmetry of  
,dame ,nature2 she is a better milliner 
than any in ,regent ,street2 and if the 
ladies would have their corsages made   
after her pattern in all cases1 they    
would find their clothes fitting better1
 pinching less1 and keeping them much   
warmer4 ,women assert--and we are not   
competent to dispute the point with     
them--that they need an enveloping      
support for the body2 in fact1 that they
 must have corsets3 be it so3 there is  
no harm in the article itself1 provided 
the utility of it can be clearly proved2
 but there is much harm in it1 if1 by an
 abuse of its powers1 this same thing is
 made to distort the body1 and to injure
 the internal organization of the human 
frame4 ,as far as beauty of form is     

concerned1 whatever intrenches on the   
proportion of natural shape is          
intrinsically contradictory to it3 let  
no woman imagine that she has a fine    
figure1 if she can lace herself into a  
diameter of nine or ten inches2 for by  
so doing1 she disturbs the harmony of   
all the curves--all the lines of beauty1
 as ,hogarth calls them--with which she 
has been so richly endowed2 she fails of
 her effect1 and1 instead of beauty1    
produces only absurdity4 ,still the     
corsage of her dress should fit close2  
and for this to be possible1 there must 
be a well-fitting corset beneath2 but it
 need not pinch or squeeze the least in 
the world2 let it fit close2 that is    
enough4 ,it is no doubt uncommonly      
convenient for a lusty alderman's wife  
of forty to reduce herself to the       
proportions of fair seventeen2 but she  
ought to be able to reduce the whole    
frame in the same ratio2 otherwise to   
pull in at the waist till the idea of   
suffocation is painfully evident to the 

most careless beholder1 and yet to leave
 the bust with the symmetry of ,minerva 
,victrix1 is a gross and palpable       
absurdity4 ,far from being the ,greek3  
to chalon1 this is the ,greek3 to       
chachon of all female decoration4  ,and1
 if the waist should not be             
metamorphosed into unnatural smallness1 
so the sleeves should not be puffed out 
into preternatural enlargement4 ,those  
abominable gigot-sleeves1 so well named 
from our old familiar family-joint--they
 were utter abominations2 and those     
bishop's sleeves--they were foolish     
caricatures4 ,ladies are doing much     
better now3 either1 in the evening1 they
 trust to nature herself to set off     
their arms as she pleases1 or else1 in  
the morning1 they envelope them in a    
covering that hardly destroys the beauty
 of their form4 ,this is as it should   
be3 one of the principal characteristics
 of female grace consists1 as any       
sculptor can tell you1 in the narrowness
 of the shoulders--just as of male      

dignity1 in their breadth4 ,what1 then1 
could ever have made ladies suppose that
 they were ornamenting themselves by    
extending the upper portions of their   
sleeves until they measured full three  
feet in a direct transversal line8 ,we  
are now witnesses of better ideas2 the  
neck1 the shoulders1 and the arms are   
allowed to make a continuous series of  
curves4 ,the corsage is simple in its   
form1 and the only attempt at enrichment
 is the pendant border of lace1 or other
 material1 that gives due relief1       
without destroying the harmony of the   
outline4  ,as for form1 then1 we        
congratulate the ladies on having       
attained and preserved so much          
excellence in their habiliments4 ,we    
have only to recommend1 that they do not
 rashly try to innovate upon what they  
now delight in2 or rather1 if new ideas 
are to be introduced1 that they control 
them by a perpetual reference to the    
form and framework of nature1 as their  
best1 indeed their only1 guide to what  

is true and beautiful4 ,thanks to the   
manufacturing skill of ,european nations
 in general1 and of our own more        
particularly1 there is no lack of       
material for women to choose their      
dresses from4 ,the loom teems with all  
kinds of substances2 and every          
requirement of climate1 every caprice of
 fancy1 can now be gratified at a       
reasonable rate4 ,one of the best       
symptoms of taste amongst ,englishwomen 
is the increasing use of the finer      
woollen fabrics4 ,they are well suited  
to the climate1 and they are calculated 
to make graceful habiliments in whatever
 manner they are employed4 ,but cotton  
is an immense boon for the mass of the  
population2 and1 by contributing to the 
cleanliness of the lower orders1 has    
been of great value to the health of the
 community4 ,the fact is1 that it is of 
little consequence what an elegant woman
 wears1 as far as her appearance is     
concerned4 ,all clothes require1 as the 
,french say1 to be bien portes4 ,an     

awkward woman will never look well in   
any thing1 however fine4 ,let ladies    
consult their own comfort1 their own    
purposes1 and the material they hit upon
 will certainly become them4 ,we have   
now1 too1 ample means of decoration3    
furs1 and lace1 and ribands1 and        
embroidery1 are gradually coming within 
the grasp of large classes of society2  
we have to fear rather a deluge of      
ornament than the opposite2 and1 if     
caution is to be used in any direction1 
it is in this4 ,the true secret of      
female ornament is1 that it should be   
genuine3 no sham flowers2 no            
make-believe lapels2 no collars only    
stitched on to the edge of the gown2 no 
bows that do not untie2 no ribands      
without some positive use2 all false    
ornament should be avoided as the direct
 contrary to what is tasteful and       
becoming4 ,if lace is worn1 let it be of
 thread or silk--not of cotton2 if fur1 
let it be from the real animal--not dyed
 or imitated2 if jewels1 let them be few

 but good1 and set in real gold--no     
abominable sham decoration4  ,and what  
are we to say about cloaks1 and         
pelisses1 and shawls1 and the other     
preservers of gowns1 that correspond to 
the outward comforters of man8 ,they    
flutter about in shop windows1 thick as 
gnats in a summer sunbeam3 many of them 
are elegant2 not a few useful2 some are 
quite loves6--witness the               
polka-pelisse--others are frumpy and    
old-fashioned2 such as the cloak with a 
deep cape of ever-to-be-respected       
maternal memory4 ,but there are two     
which we single out as simple and       
unspoiled1 and indeed unspoilable1 items
 of dress1 which ought to be in fashion 
as long as women love pretty things4    
,one is the ,spanish mantilla2 that     
plain black scarf which forms the       
sweetest disguisement a woman can put   
on3 by its simplicity1 and its obvious  
utility1 it claims our approbation at   
the first glance4 ,the other is the     
,indian shawl2 that marvellous product  

of the mountain loom1 fit for any       
climate1 for any temperature1 for any   
complexion1 and for any purpose2 women  
may rack their inventions for ever1 but 
they never will invent a garment more   
generally useful1 more constantly       
becoming1 than this4     ,,north',s     
,,specimens ,,of ,,the ,,british        
,,critics4  ,,no4 ,,iv4  ,,dryden ,,on  
,,chaucer4   ,nothing is gained by      
attempting to deny or to disguise a     
known and plain fact1 simply because it 
happens to be a distasteful one--,time  
has estranged us from ,chaucer4 ,dryden 
and ,pope we read with easy1 unearned   
pleasure4 ,their speech1 their manner of
 mind1 and their facile verse1 are of   
our age1 almost of our own day4 ,the two
 excellent1 graceful1 and masterly poets
 belong1 both of them1 to ,,this ,,new  
,,world4 ,go back a little1 step over an
 imperceptible line1 to the contemporary
 of ,dryden1 ,milton1 and you seem to   
have overleaped some great chronological
 boundary2 you have transported yourself

 into ,,that ,,old ,,world4 ,whether the
 historical date1 or the gigantic soul1 
or the learned art1 make the separation1
 the fact is clear1 that the poet of the
 ,paradise ,lost stands decidedly       
further off2 and1 more or less1 you must
 acquire the taste and intelligence of  
the poem4 ,why1 up to this hour1        
probably1 there are three-fifths of the 
poem that you have not read2 or1 if you 
have read all1 and go along with all1   
you have yourself had experience of the 
progress1 and have felt your capacity of
 ,milton grow and dilate4 ,so has it    
been with your capacity for ,shakspeare1
 or you are a truant and an idler4 ,to  
comprehend with delight ,milton and     
,shakspeare as poets1 you need1 from the
 beginning1 a soul otherwise touched1   
and gifted for poesy1 than ,pope claims 
of you1 or ,dryden4 ,the great elder    
masters1 being original1 require of you 
springs of poesy welling in your own    
spirit2 while the two latter1 imitative 
artists of luxury1 exact from you       

nothing more1 in the way of poetical    
endowment1 than the gusto of ease and   
luxurious enchantment4 ,to prefer1 for  
some intellectual journey1 the smooth   
wafture of an air-gliding ear--to look  
with pleasure upon a dance of           
bright-hued images--to hear more        
sweetness in ,philomela's descant than  
in a ,turkish concert--to be ever so    
little sensible to the bliss of         
dreams--ever so little sick of reality1 
and ever so little glad to be rid of it 
for an hour--is qualification enough to 
make you a willing and able reader of   
verse in the latter school4 ,but if you 
are to prefer the style of the          
antecessors1 other conditions must come 
in4 ,it is1 then1 not a question merely 
whether you see and love in ,imogen the 
ideal of a wife in love with her        
husband1 or take to the surpassing and  
inimitable portraiture of the lost      
archangel in ,satan2 but whether you    
feel the sweetness of ,imogen's soul in 
the music of her expressions--whether   

you hear the tones of the ,will that not
 the thunder has quelled1 in that voice 
to which all the hollow deep of hell    
resounded4 ,if you do1 assuredly you    
will perceive in yourself that these are
 discernments of a higher cast1 and that
 place you upon a higher degree when    
critics on poetry come to be ranked1    
than when you had nothing better to say 
for yourself than that your bosom bled  
at the ,elegy on an ,unfortunate ,young 
,lady1 or that you varied with          
,alexander to the varying current of the
 ,ode of ,st ,cecilia's ,day4  ,we call 
,chaucer the ,father of our ,poetry1 or 
its ,morning ,star4 ,the poetical memory
 of the country stretches up to him1 and
 not beyond4 ,the commanding impression 
which he has made upon the minds of his 
people dates from his own day4 ,the old 
poets of ,england and ,scotland         
constantly and unanimously acknowledge  
him for their master4 ,greatest names1  
,dunbar1 ,douglas1 ,spenser1 ,milton1   
carry on the tradition of his renown and

 his reign4  ,in part he belongs to1 and
 in part he lifts himself out of1 his   
age4 ,the vernacular poetry of reviving 
,europe took a strong stamp from one    
principal feature in the manners of the 
times4 ,the wonderful political         
institution of ,chivalry--turned into a 
romance in the minds of those in whose  
persons the thing itself                
subsisted--raised up a fanciful         
adoration of women into a law of courtly
 life2 or1 at the least1 of courtly     
verse1 to which there was nothing       
answerable in the annals of the old     
world4 ,for though the chief and most   
potent of human passions has never      
lacked its place at the side of war in  
the song that spoke of heroes--though   
two beautiful captives1 and a runaway   
wife bestowed by the ,goddess of        
,beauty1 and herself the paragon of     
beauty to all tongues and ages1 have    
grounded the ,iliad--though the ,scaean 
gate1 from which ,hector began to flee  
his inevitable foe1 and where that      

goddess-born foe himself stooped to     
destiny1 be also remembered for the last
 parting of a husband and a wife--though
 ,circe and ,calypso have hindered      
homebound ,ulysses from the longing arms
 of ,penelope--and ,jason1 leading the  
flower of a prior and yet more heroic   
generation1 must first win the heart of 
,medea before he may attain the ,golden 
,fleece--though the veritable nature of 
the human being have ever thus1 through 
its strongest passion1 imaged itself in 
its most exquisite mirror1 ,poetry--yet 
there did1 in reawaking ,europe1 a new  
love-poetry arise1 distinctively        
characterised by the omnipotence which  
it ascribed to the ,love-god1           
legitimating in him an usurped          
supremacy1 and exhibiting1 in artificial
 and wilful excess1 that passion which  
the older poets drew in its powerful but
 unexaggerated and natural proportions4 
,thenceforwards the verse of the ,south 
and of the ,north1 and alike the        
forgotten and the imperishable1 all     

attest the predominancy of the same     
star4 ,diamond eyes and ruby lips stir  
into sound the lute of the ,troubadours 
and the ,minnesingers4 ,famous bearers  
of either name were knights             
distinguished in the lists and in the   
field4 ,and who is it that stole from   
heaven the immortal fire of genius for  
,petrarch8 ,laura4 ,who is the guide of 
,dante through ,paradise8 ,beatrice4 ,in
 our own language1 the spirit of love   
breathes1 more than in any other poet1  
in ,spenser4 ,his great poem is one ,lay
 of ,love1 embodying and associating    
that idealized1 chivalrous1 and romantic
 union of fierce warres and faithful    
loves4 ,it hovers above the earth in    
some region exempt from mortal          
footing--wars such as never were1 loves 
such as never were--and all--,allegory6 
,one ethereal extravagance6 ,a motto may
 be taken from him to describe that     
ascendancy of the love-planet in the    
poetical sky of renewed ,europe4 ,it    
alludes to the love-freaks of the old   

,pagan deities upon earth1 in which the 
,king of the ,gods excelled1 as might be
 supposed1 all the others4    ,while    
thus on earth great ,jove these pageants
 play'd1   ,the winged boy did thrust   
into his throne2   ,and scoffing thus1  
unto his mother sayde1   ',lo6 now the  
heavens obey to me alone   ,and take me 
for their ,jove1 now ,jove to earth is  
gone4'  ,the pure truth of the poetical 
inspiration which rests upon ,spenser's 
poems1 when compared to the absolute    
departure from reality apparent in the  
manners of his heroes and heroines1 and 
in the physical world which they        
inhabit1 is a phenomenon which may well 
perplex the philosophical critic4 ,you  
will hardly dare to refuse to any true  
poet the self-election of his materials4
 ,grant1 therefore1 to ,spenser         
knight-errantry--grant him dragons1 and 
enchanters1 and enchanted gardens1      
satyrs1 and the goddess ,night on her   
chariot--grant him love as the single   
purpose of human life--a faery power1   

leading with a faery band his faery     
world6 ,but while you accept this ,poem 
as the lawful consummation and ending of
 that fabulous intellectual system or   
dream which had subsisted with authority
 for centuries1 it is wonderful to see  
how1 in the very day of ,spenser1 the   
,,stage recovers humanity and nature to 
poetry--recalls poetry to nature and    
humanity6 ,shakspeare and ,spenser1 what
 contemporaries6 ,the world that is1 and
 the world that is not1 twinned in time 
and in power6  ,this exaggeration of an 
immense natural power1 ,love--making1   
one might almost say1 man's worship of  
woman the great religion of the         
universe1 and which was the amabilis    
insania of the new poetry--long         
exercised an unlimited monarchy in the  
poetical mind of the reasonable         
,chaucer4 ,see the longest and most     
desperate of his ,translations--which   
,tyrwhitt supposes him to have          
completed1 though we have only two      
fragments--seven thousand verses in     

place of twenty-two thousand--the       
,,romaunt ,,of ,,the ,,rose1 otherwise  
entitled the ,art of ,love1 wherein are 
shewed the helps and furtherances1 as   
also the lets and impediments1 that     
lovers have in their suits4 ,then comes 
the work upon which ,sir ,philip ,sydney
 seems to rest the right of ,chaucer to 
the renown of an excellent poet having  
the insight of his art--the five long   
books which celebrate the type of all   
true lovers1 ,troilus1 and of all false 
traitresses1 ,creseide4 ,then there is  
,the ,legende of ,,goode ,women1 the    
loving heroines1 fabulous and           
historical1 of ,lempriere's dictionary4 
,the first name is decisive upon the    
signification of goode--,cleopatras1    
,queene of ,egypt--,tisbe of            
,babylon--,dido1 ,queene of             
,carthage--,hipsiphile and ,medea1      
betrayed both by the same root of false 
lovers1 ,duk ,jason--,lucrece of        
,rome--,ariadne of                      
,athens--,philomen--,phillis--,hypermnes

tra4  ,the ,assemblee of ,foules is all 
for love and allegory4 ,chaucer has been
 reading ,scipio's dream4 ,whereon he   
himself dreams that ,affrican comes to  
him1 and carries him away into a sort of
 ,love's ,paradise4 ,there were trees   
with leaves grene as emeraude1 a garden 
full of blossomed bowis1 running waters 
in which small fishes light1 with red   
fins and silver-bright scales1 dart to  
and fro1 flowers of all tinctures1 all  
manner of live creatures1 and a concert 
commingled of stringed instruments1 of  
leaves murmuring to the wind1 and of    
singing-birds4 ,under a tree1 beside a  
spring1 was ,cupide our ,lord forging   
and filing his arrows--his daughter 7who
 is she87 assisting1 and tempering them 
to various effects4 ,a host of          
allegorical persons are in attendance of
 course2 and there1 too1 stands a       
,temple of ,venus1 described from the   
,teseida of ,boccaccio4 ,but the        
principal personage whom ,chaucer       
encounters1 and the most busily engaged1

 is the great goddess1 ,,nature4 ,it is 
,st ,valentine's ,day1 whereon all the  
birds choose their mates for the coming 
year4 ,the particular business to which 
this anniversary of the genial ,saint is
 devoted was intelligible1 no doubt1 to 
the quick wits of ,chaucer's age1 if to 
the dull ones of ours a little          
perplexing4 ,nature held in her hand a  
formell eagle1 of shape the gentillest1 
benign1 goodly1 and so full of every    
virtue1 that ,nature herself had blisse 
to looke on her1 and oft her beeke to   
kisse4 ,the question is1 who shall be   
her mate8 ,three tercell eagles offer   
themselves1 and eagerly plead their     
claims4 ,the four orders of fowl1 those 
of ravine1 those that feed on insects1  
the water-fowl1 and those that eat seed1
 are by nature required to elect each a 
delegate that shall opine on the matter4
 ,the birds of prey depute the tercelet 
of the faucon4 ,he gives the somewhat   
startling if otherwise plausible advice1
 that the worthiest of knighthood1 and  

that has the longest used it1 and that  
is of the greatest estate1 and of blood 
the gentlest1 shall be preferred1       
leaving the decision of those merits to 
the lady eagle4 ,the goose1 on the      
behalf of the water-fowl1 merely advises
 that he who is rejected shall console  
himself by choosing another love2 which 
ignominious and anserine suggestion is  
received by the gentill foules with a   
general laugh4 ,the turtle-dove1 for the
 seed-eating birds1 indignantly protests
 against this outrageous and            
impracticable proposal4 ,the cuckoo1 for
 the worm-eaters1 provided that he may  
have his own make1 is willing that the  
three wooers shall live each solitary   
and sullen4 ,the sperhawke1 the gentle  
tercelet1 and the ermelon1 severally    
reply in high scorn to the goose1 to the
 duck1 who seconds the goose1 and to the
 cuckoo4 ,dame ,nature ends the plea by 
referring the choice to the formell     
eagle herself1 who begs a year's        
respite1 which is granted her4 ,the     

rest1 for the day is now well spent1    
choose their mates--an elect choir sing 
a roundel in honour of ,nature2 and at  
the shouting that1 when the song was    
done1 the fowls made in flying away1 the
 ,poet awoke6 ,amongst the hard points  
of this enigmatical love-allegory are1  
that when the first lover1 a royal      
tercell1 has ended his plea1 the formell
 eagle blushes6 as does afterwards the  
turtle upon the proposal made of        
changing an old love for a new1 and that
 the duck swears by his hat4 ,be the    
specific intent what it may1 the general
 bearing speaks for itself1 namely1 the 
unmeasured lifting-up of ,love's        
supremacy--though we cannot help feeling
 how much nearer ,chaucer was to the    
riddling days of poetry than we are4    
,did the old ,poet translate from plain 
,english into the language of ,birds1   
and expect us to re-translate8 ,or are  
these blushes and this knighthood       
amongst birds merely regular adjuncts in
 any fable that attributes to the       

inferior creation human powers of reason
 and speech8 ,it is curious that the    
rapacious fowls are presented as        
excelling in high and delicate          
sentiment6 ,they are the aristocracy of 
the birds1 plainly2 yet an aristocracy  
described as of ravine seems to receive 
but an equivocal compliment4  ,the      
,,house ,,of ,,fame is in ,three ,books4
 ,the title bespeaks ,allegory2 and the 
machinery which justifies the allegory1 
as usual is a ,dream4 ,but the title    
does not bespeak1 what is nevertheless  
true1 that here1 too1 love steals in4   
,during the entire ,first ,book1 the    
poet dreams himself to be in the temple 
of ,venus1 all graven over with         
,a,eneas's history1 taken point by point
 from the ,mantuan4 ,the history belongs
 properly to its place2 not because     
,a,eneas is the son of ,venus1 but      
because the course of events is         
conducted by ,jupiter consonantly to the
 prayer of ,venus4 ,why the ,house of   
,venus takes up a third part of the poem

 to be devoted to the ,house of ,fame is
 less apparent4 ,is the poet crazed with
 love8 and so driven against method to  
dream perforce of the divinity who rules
 over his destiny1 as she did over her  
son's8 ,or does the fame conferred by   
,virgil upon ,a,eneas make it reasonable
 that the dream should proceed by the   
,house of one goddess to that of the    
other8 ,having surveyed the whole1 the  
poet goes out to look in what part of   
the world he is1 when ,jupiter's eagle  
seizes upon him1 and carries him up to  
the city and palace of ,fame1 seated    
above the region of tempests1 but       
apparently below the stars1 and there   
sets him down4 ,the ,second ,book is    
spent in their conversation during their
 flight4 ,some singular inventions      
occur4 ,every word spoken on earth1 is  
carried up by natural reverberation to  
the ,house of ,fame2 but1 there arrived1
 puts on the likeness of the wight1 in  
his habit as he lives1 that has uttered 
it4 ,the palace itself stands upon a    

rock of ice1 inscribed with names4      
,those on the southern face are nearly  
melted away by the heat of the sun2     
those on the northern stand sharp and   
clear4 ,some of the minstrels--,orpheus 
of old1 and the later ,breton           
,glaskirion1 he hears playing yet4 ,the 
great ,epopeists are less agreeably     
occupied4 ',omer1' and aiding him1      
',dares1' ',titus1' ',lolius1' ',guido' 
the ,colempnis1 that is1 of ,colonna1   
and ,english ,galfrida1 standing high   
upon a pillar of iron1 'are busie to    
bear up ,troy' upon their shoulders4    
,virgil1 upon a pillar 'of tinned iron  
clere1' supports 'the fame of pius      
,a,eneas4' ,near1 upon a pillar of iron1
 'wrought full sternly1' the 'grete     
poete1 ,dan ,lucan' bears upon his      
shoulders the 'fame of ,julius and      
,pompee4' ,an innumerable company kneel 
before the goddess herself1 beseeching  
her for renown4 ,she deals out her      
favours capriciously--to one company of 
well-deservers1 utter silence and       

oblivion--to another1 like meritorious1 
loud slanders and infamy--to another    
assembly1 with similar claims1 golden1  
immortal praises4 ,a fourth and a fifth 
company have done good for the pure sake
 of goodness1 and request of her to hide
 their deeds and their name4 ,to the one
 set she readily grants their asking4   
,to the other not--but bids her trumpet 
,eolus ring out their works so that all 
the world may hear1 which happens       
accordingly4 ,another throng have been  
sheer idlers on the earth1 doers of     
neither good nor ill4 ,they desire to   
pass for worthy1 wise1 good1 rich1 and  
in particular for having been favourably
 regarded by the brightest eyes4 ,the   
whole of this undeserved reputation is  
instantaneously granted them4 ,another  
troop follow with like desert and with  
like request4 ,eolus takes up as bidden 
his black clarioun1 and blazons their   
dishonour4 ,a troop of evil-doers ask   
for good fame4 ,the goddess is not in   
the humour1 and takes no notice of them4

 ,the last comers of all are delighters 
in wickedness for its own sake1 and     
request their due ill fame4 ,amongst    
them is that ilke shrewe that brente the
 temple of ,isidis in ,athenes4 ,this   
is1 no doubt1 the gentleman who burned  
the ,temple of ,diana at ,ephesus for   
that laudable purpose4 ,the goddess is  
complaisant1 and grants them exactly    
their desire4  ,there stands by the     
first1 a second ,house of ,fame of a    
strange sort4 ,it is built cage-like of 
twigs1 is sixty miles in length1 whirls 
incessantly about1 and is full of all   
imaginable noises--the rumours of all   
events1 private and public1 that happen 
upon earth1 including murrains1         
tempests1 and conflagrations4 ,the eagle
 gets the dreamer in1 and he notes the  
humours of the place4 ,this is most     
remarkable1 that as soon as any one of  
the innumerable persons1 in press1 there
 hears a tiding1 he forthwith whispers  
it with an addition to another1 and he1 
with a further eking1 to a third1 until 

in a little while it is known every     
where1 and has attained immeasurable    
magnitude--as from a spark the fire is  
kindled that burns down a city4 ,the    
tidings fly out at windows4 ,a true and 
a false tiding jostled in their way out1
 and after some jangling for precedency1
 agreed to fly together4 ,since which   
time1 no lie is without some truth1 and 
no truth without some falsehood4 ,an    
unknown person of great reverence and   
authority making his appearance1 the    
poet1 apparently disturbed with awe1    
awakes1 wonders1 and falls to writing   
his dream4  ,the criticism of so strange
 a composition is hardly to be          
attempted4 ,it shows a bold and free    
spirit of invention1 and some great and 
poetical conceiving4 ,the wilful1 now   
just1 now perverse dispensing of fame1  
belongs to a mind that has meditated    
upon the human world4 ,the poem is one  
of the smaller number1 which seems      
hitherto to stand free from the         
suspicion of having been taken from     

other poets4 ,for ,chaucer helped       
himself to every thing worth using that 
came to hand4  ,the earlier writings of 
,chaucer have several marks that belong 
to the literature of the time4  ,first1 
an excessive and critical               
self-dedication of the writer to the    
service of ,,love1 this power being for 
the most part arrayed as a sovereign    
divinity1 now in the person of the      
classical goddess ,venus1 and now of her
 son1 the god ,cupid4 ,secondly1 an     
ungovernable propensity to allegorical  
fiction4 ,the scheme of innumerable     
poems is merely allegorical4 ,in others1
 the allegorical vein breaks in from    
time to time4 ,thirdly1 a ,dream was a  
vehicle much in use for effecting the   
transit of the fancy from the real to   
the poetical world4 ,chaucer has many   
dreams4 ,fourthly1 interminable delight 
in expatiating upon the simplest sights 
and sounds of the natural world4 ,this  
overflows all ,chaucer's earlier poems4 
,in some1 he largely describes the scene

 of adventure--in some1 the desire of   
solace in field and wood leads him into 
the scene4 ,fifthly1 a truly magnanimous
 indifference to the flight of time and 
to the cost of parchment1 expressed in  
the dilatation of a slender matter      
through an infinite series of verses4   
,you wonder at the facility of writing  
in the infancy of art4 ,it seems to     
resemble the exuberant1 untiring        
activity of children1 prompted by a     
vital delight which overflows into the  
readiest utterance2 and1 in proportion  
to its display1 achieving the less that 
is referable to any purpose of enduring 
use4 ,even the admired and              
elaborately-written ,troilus and        
,creseide is a great specimen4 ,the     
action is nearly null2 the discoursing  
of the persons and of the poet endless4 
,it is not1 then1 simply the facility of
 the eight-syllabled couplet1 as in that
 interminable ,chaucer's ,dreme1 that   
betrays2 there is a dogged purpose of   
going on for ever4  ,of the poems       

expressly of ,love1 are1 ,the ,romaunt  
of the ,rose--,troilus and              
,creseide--,the ,legende of ,goode      
,women--,the ,assemblee of ,foules--,of 
,queen ,annelida and ,false             
,arcita--,the ,complaint of the ,blacke 
,knight--,the ,complaint of ,mars and   
,venus--,of the ,cuckou and the         
,nightingale--,the ,court of            
,love--,chaucer's ,dreme--,the ,flour   
and the ,leaf--,the ,first ,book of the 
,house of ,fame--and1 if you choose1 the
 ,boke of the ,duchess1 which is ,john  
of ,gaunt's mourning for his lost wife4 
,there must be something like thirty    
thousand verses1 long1 short1 in        
couplets or stanzas1 which may be said  
to be dedicated to ,,love6  ,and of them
 all1 only the four following ,poems    
tread the plain ground--have their      
footing upon the same earth that we     
walk--,troilus and ,creseide1 ,the      
,legende of ,goode ,women1 ,queen       
,annelida and ,false ,arcita1 the       
,complaint of the ,blacke ,knight4 ,we  

grant them for human and real1          
notwithstanding that most of the persons
 are of a very romantic and apocryphal  
stamp--because they are not presented in
 dreams or visions1 and are not         
allegorical creations of beings out of  
the air1 ,impersonations of ,ideas4     
,they are offered as men and women1     
downright flesh and blood1 and so are to
 be understood4 ,nevertheless even here1
 when ,chaucer is nearest home1 taking  
his subject in his own day1 and putting 
his own friend and patron in verse1     
there is a trick of the riddling        
faculty1 since the ,blacke ,knight      
lodging1 during the love-month of ,may1 
in the greenwood1 and bemoaning all day 
long his hard love-hap1 represents1 it  
is presumed1 old stout ,john of ,gaunt  
in love1 who might utter his passion1   
uncertain of requital1    ,in groans    
that thunder love1 in sighs of fire2    
but who1 most assuredly1 did not build  
himself a forest bower1 and annually    
retire from court and castle1 to spend  

there a lovesick ,may4  ,of absolutely  
fanciful creations are1 as we have seen1
 the ,assemblee of ,foules1 and the     
,complaint of ,mars and ,venus1 which   
the poet overhears a fowl singing on ,st
 ,valentine's ,day ere sunrise4 ,of the 
,cuckou and ,nightingale3 the poet1     
between waking and sleeping1 hears the  
bird of hate and the bird of music      
dispute against and for love4 ,when the 
nightingale takes leave of him1 he      
wakes4 ,the ,court of ,love4 ,the poet1 
at the age of eighteen1 is summoned by  
,mercury to do his obeisance at the     
,court of ,love1 a lite before the      
,mount of ,citheree1 called further on  
,citheron4 ,he is1 on this occasion1 not
 asleep at all1 but dreams away like any
 other poet1 with his eyes open1 in     
broad daylight4  ,in ,chaucer thus we   
find every kind of possible allegory4   
,there is the thoroughly creative       
allegory1 when thoughts are turned into 
beings1 and impersonated abstract ideas 
appear as deities1 and as attendants on 

deities4 ,this is the unsubstantial     
allegory1 which has1 it must be owned1 a
 different meaning to different climes  
and times4 ,for example1 to the belief  
of the old ,greeks1 ,aphrodite and      
,eros1 albeit essentially thoughts1 had 
flesh that could be touched1 wounded    
even1 and veins1 in which for blood ran 
ichor4 ,in the verses of our old poet   
and his contemporaries1 ,venus and      
,cupid are as active as they were with  
,homer and ,anacreon2 only1 that now    
their substance has imperceptibly grown 
attenuate4 ,so that in the ,assemblee of
 ,foules1 for example1 these two        
celestial potentates are upon an equal  
footing1 for subsistency and reality1   
with the great goddess ,dame ,nature1   
who seems to be more of modern than of  
ancient invention1 and with ,plesaunce1 
,arrai1 ,beautee1 ,courtesie1 ,craft1   
,delite1 ,gentlenesse1 and others enow1 
whom the poet found in attendance upon  
the ,love-god and his mother4 ,with or  
without belief1 this belongs to all the 

ages of poetry1 from the beginning to   
the consummation of the world4  ,then   
there is the disguising allegory--for by
 no other appellation can it be         
described--which may be of a substantial
 kind4 ,for example1 the ,black ,knight1
 as we have seen1 forlorn in love1      
builds himself a lodge in the wild-wood1
 to which he resorts during the month of
 ,may1 and mourns the livelong day under
 the green boughs4 ,if the conjecture   
which ,tyrwhitt throws out1 but without 
much insisting upon it1 that ,john of   
,gaunt1 wooing his ,duchess ,blanche1 is
 here figured1 this is a disguising     
allegory of the lowest ideal            
idealization4 ,the conjecture of        
,tyrwhitt1 whether exact or not1 quite  
agrees to the art of poetical invention 
in that age4  ,that old and             
deeply-rooted species of fable1 which   
ascribes to the inferior animals human  
mind and manners1 was another prevalent 
allegory4 ,usually1 the picture of      
humanity so conveyed is of a general    

nature4 ,but if1 as has been guessed1   
the first and noblest of the ,three     
,tercels that woo the formell eagle1 in 
the ,assemblee of ,foules1 be the same  
,john of ,gaunt wooing the same         
,blanche1 here would be two varieties of
 allegory--the disguising of particular 
persons and events1 and the veiling of  
human actions and passions1 under the   
semblance of the inferior kinds--mixed  
in this part of the poem1 which1 in as  
much as it also introduces wholly ideal 
personages1 would1 if the key to the    
enigma has been truly found1 very fully 
exemplify the allegorizing genius of the
 old poetry4  ,certainly1 many of the   
old poems1 unless they are interpreted  
to allude1 in this manner1 to particular
 persons and occurrences1 appear to want
 due meaning1 such as this ,complaint of
 the nameless ,black ,knight1 this      
,wooing of the ,three ,tercels1 and the 
faithless ,hawk whom ,canace hears4 ,we 
may often feel ourselves justified in   
presuming an allusion1 although in      

regard to the true import of the        
allusion it may be that ,time has first 
locked the door1 and then thrown the key
 over the wall4  ,of one ,poem1 to which
 we have hitherto but alluded1 we feel  
ourselves now called on to give an      
analysis1 both for sake of its own      
exquisite beauty and surpassing         
loveliness1 and for sake of ,dryden's   
immortal paraphrase--,,the ,,floure     
,,and ,,the ,,leaf4  ,there is in the   
plan of ,the ,floure and the ,leaf1 a   
peculiarity which is not easily         
accounted for4 ,in the other poems of   
,chaucer1 which are thrown into the form
 of an adventure or occurrence personal 
to the relater1 he relates in person his
 own experience4 ,here the parts of     
experiencing1 and of relating an        
adventure1 are both transferred to an   
unknown person of the other sex4 ,it is 
also remarkable that this difference in 
the personality of the relater does not 
appear until the very close of the poem1
 and then incidentally1 one of the      

imaginary persons addressing the relater
 as ,daughter4 ,in the adventure1 which 
is simply the witnessing a ,vision1     
there is nothing that might not as well 
have happened to ,chaucer himself as to 
dame or damsel4  ,in a sweet season of  
spring1 a lady who1 for some cause      
unknown to herself1 cannot sleep1 rises 
at the peep of day1 and wanders out into
 a lofty and pleasant grove1 where a    
slender unworn path1 not easily seen1   
leads her to a fair arbour of elaborate 
workmanship1 and so framed as that the  
sitter within sees1 unseen1 whatsoever  
passes without2 adjoining which is a    
singularly beautiful medlar-tree in full
 blossom4 ,a goldfinch leaps from bough 
to bough1 eating buds and blossoms his  
fill1 and then sings most 'passing      
sweetly1' and is answered by an unseen  
nightingale1 in a note 'so merry' that  
all the wood rang again4 ,whilst the    
lady adventuress sits upon the turfed   
seat listening1 a new burst1 as if of   
angelical voices1 is heard4 ,the harmony

 proceeds from a world of ladies1 who   
march out from a neighbouring grove1    
clad in richly-jewelled surcoats of     
white velvet1 each wearing on her head a
 chaplet of green leaves1 laurel1 or    
woodbine1 or ,agnus ,castus4 ,they dance
 and sing soberly1 surrounding one who  
wears on her head a crown of gold1 has a
 branch of ,agnus ,castus in her hand1  
excels them all in beauty1 appears to be
 their queen1 and sings a roundel having
 some allusion to the ,green ,leaf1 and 
advance1 dancing and singing1 into a    
meadow fronting the arbour4 ,the song is
 not given--its name is in half         
unintelligible ,french4 ,now a          
thundering of trumpets is heard3 and    
innumerable men of arms issue from the  
grove from which the ladies came4       
,trumpets1 kings-of-arms1 heralds1 and  
pursuivants clad in white1 and wearing  
chaplets of leaves1 ride foremost4 ,then
 follow ,nine ,knights magnificently    
armed1 excepting that on their unhelmed 
heads are set crowns of laurel4 ,upon   

each three henchmen attend1 clad in     
white1 with green chaplets1 and         
severally carrying the casque1 the      
shield1 and the lance of him they serve4
 ,last1 issue a great rout of knights1  
well-mounted1 wearing chaplets1 and     
bearing boughs of oak1 laurel1 hawthorn1
 woodbine1 and other kinds4 ,they joust 
gallantly for an hour or more3 the      
laurel-wearers overbearing all          
opposition4 ,at last1 the whole company 
dismount1 and move by two and two       
towards the ladies1 who1 at their       
approach1 break off song and dance1 and 
go to meet them4 ,every lady takes a    
knight by the hand1 and in this fashion 
they pace towards a fair laurel1 of such
 prodigious amplitude as that a hundred 
persons might rest at ease under the    
shadow of its diffused branches4 ,all   
incline with obeisance to the tree2 and 
then sing and dance around it2 ever a   
lady and a knight going together4 ,all  
these are1 7but as is only afterwards at
 the close made known to the spectatress

 of these occurrences17 as you may      
easily surmise1 the homagers of the     
,leaf4 ,now the homagers of the ,flower 
enter upon the stage4 ,from the depth of
 the wide champaign there come roaming  
in a great company1 ladies and knights1 
and ever a knight and a lady hand in    
hand4 ,they are all richly clad in      
green1 and wear chaplets of flowers2    
green-robed minstrels1 with instruments 
of all sorts1 and wearing variegated    
chaplets of flowers precede4 ,they dance
 up to a great tuft of flowers in the   
midst of the mead2 about which they     
incline reverently1 and one sings the   
praise of the ,margarete or ,daisy1 the 
others answering in chorus2 meanwhile   
the hour grows to noon2 the sun waxes   
hot2 the unsheltered flowers wither2 the
 ladies and the knights of the ,flower  
are scorched with his rays2 then the    
wind rises1 and furiously blows down all
 the flowers2 then comes on a terrible  
storm of mixed hail and rain2 wets the  
knights and ladies of the ,flower to the

 skin1 and at last blows over4 ,but the 
white-habited servants of the ,leaf have
 stood under their laurel1 shaded from  
the fiery noon beams1 and shrouded from 
the tempest2 and now1 moved with ruth   
and pity1 come forwards to tender their 
aid4 ,the ,queen of the ,leaf greets1   
with loving sisterly compassion1 the    
,queen of the ,flower4 ,the party of the
 ,leaf proceed to more effectual relief 
than soothing words--hewing down boughs 
and trees to make stately fires for     
drying their wet clothes1 and searching 
the plain for virtuous herbs to make for
 the blistered and drouthy sufferers    
salves and salads4 ,she of the ,leaf now
 invites ,her of the ,flower to supper1 
who accepts as courteously4 ,the ,leaf  
company1 at the bidding of their        
mistress1 provide horses for the ,flower
 company4 ,at this juncture the         
,nightingale1 who all day long1 sitting 
hidden in the laurel1 sang the service  
longing to ,may1 flies to the hand of   
the ,leaf-queen1 and sings on as        

diligently as before--the ,goldfinch1   
whom the heat had forced from his       
blossom of medle-tree into the cool     
bushes1 betakes himself in like manner  
to his ,flower-queen's hand1 and sings  
there2 and fast by the arbour1 where our
 spectatress has remained all the while 
seeing and unseen1 ladies and knights   
ride along and away4 ,only one lady in  
white rides alone after the rest4 ,to   
her she comes out1 and enquires what the
 wandering show means4 ,the answer1     
given with courteous explicitness1      
imports in sum that those who wear      
chaplets of ,agnus ,castus are virgins2 
the laurel wearers1 knights who were    
never conquered2 the ,nine most         
distinguished knights being the ,nine   
,worthies2 with whom are the ,twelve    
,peers of ,charlemagne1 and many        
knightes olde of the ,garter4 ,those who
 wear woodbine                ,be such  
as never were   ,to love untrewe in     
word1 thoghte1 ne dede4  ,they wear the 
,leaf1 because the beauty of the ,leaf  

lasts4 ,but the followers of the ,flower
 are those that loved idlenesse and not 
delite of no besinesse1 but for to hunte
 and hawke and pley in medes1 and many  
other such idle dedes4 ,they wear the   
perishable ,flower accordingly4 ,the    
informant ends with enquiring of her    
auditress1 whether she will1 for the    
years to come1 serve the ,leaf or the   
,flower2 who in answer vows her         
observance to the ,leaf4 ,the deep      
implication of the ancient mythology in 
the reviving poetry1 here again         
discovers itself4 ,it appears the lady  
of the ,leaf is the goddess ,diana2 the 
lady of the ,flower1 ,flora in person4  
,the invention is remarkably well       
purposed1 and well carried through4 ,the
 division of the world into those who   
follow virtue and those who pursue their
 own delight1 is a good general         
poetico-ethical view1 and the delicate  
emblems happily chosen for expressing   
the contrast4 ,the heat and the tempest 
which overwhelm the dainty voluptuaries1

 and are harmless to the deed-worthy1   
express the true wisdom of virtue1 even 
for this world1 which moves not at our  
will2 and the gentle healing kindness of
 the wiser to the less wise1 whom they  
equalize with themselves1 might almost  
seem profoundly to signify the recovery 
to the better wisdom of those who had   
set out with choosing amiss--a gracious 
hidden ,christian lesson of charity and 
penitence4 ,the contact of the simply   
human spectatress with beings brought   
from the world of imagination1 is boldly
 designed4 ,here is no ,dream4 ,she     
walks down from her own house into the  
wood1 and the vision comes and goes1 in 
all the strength of true flesh and      
blood4 ,the solitariness of her stealing
 out from a sleepless bed1 about the    
springing of the day1 long or the       
brighte sonne uprisen was--therefore1   
whilst common mankind lie buried in     
sleep--is all the saving partition that 
the poet has deigned betwixt the coarse 
and harsh ,real and the splendid        

,unreal4 ,as for the poetical           
working-out--the descriptive            
narrative--it is elaborate and full of  
beauty4 ,the natural scene is painted   
with exquisite sensibility to the       
influences of nature1 and with such     
determinate strokes as show a conversant
 eye4 ,for example1 the mixed and       
illuminated spring-foliage1 the         
----levis new   ,that sprongin out agen 
the sonne shene3   ,some very rede1 and 
some a glad light grene1  would seem    
fresh and vivid from the hand of        
,coleridge or ,tennyson--and the        
----path of litil brede1       ----that 
gretly had not usid be1   ,for it       
forgrowin was with gras and wede1       
--which beguiles the foot of the        
vision-favoured away from the usual beat
 of men1 leading her into the unvisited 
sequestration due to the haunting of an 
embodied ,allegory--might1 in its old   
simplicity1 pass for well invented by   
whichsoever ,priest of ,imagination in  
our day can the best read1 in the       

,sensible1 the symbolized ,spiritual and
 ,invisible4  ,you wonder withal1 if    
,chaucer was the poet1 how the spectator
 was turned into a spectatress2 and you 
are somewhat concerned at finding an    
unwilling word of the judicious         
,tyrwhitt's1 which owns to a doubt on   
the authorship of the most beautiful    
minor poem1 admitted into the volume of 
,chaucer4  ,dryden felt the effusion of 
beauty1 and has rendered and enhanced   
it4 ,one may question the fitness of a  
material alteration which he has        
ventured upon4 ,the allegory of the old 
,poem is pure4 ,dryden has changed the  
,knights and ,ladies1 collectively1 into
 ,fairies2 for any thing that appears1  
indeed1 of good human stature4 ,the     
thought came to him apparently as making
 the beauty more beautiful1 and possibly
 as obtaining1 to an otherwise          
indefinite sort of imaginary beings1 a  
known character and a recognized hold   
upon poetical--succeeding to            
popular--belief4 ,a contradiction       

is--that the company of the ,leaf have1 
in emphatic and chosen terms1 been      
described as ,,innumerable4 ,the laurel 
is of such enormous diffusion1 that ,a  
,,hundred persons might repose under it4
 ,yet ,,it ,,shelters ,,them ,,all      
,,from ,,the ,,storm4  ,it is also      
singular to us1 that the ,margarete or  
,daisy should suffer any slight from    
,chaucer1 seeing the reverence with     
which he elsewhere regards it4 ,it is   
here1 too1 no doubt raised into         
reverence by the observance of the      
,flower party2 but then it suffers      
disparagement inasmuch as they are      
disparaged4  ,truly does the amiable    
,godwin say--,in a word1 the ,poem of   
,dryden1 regarded merely as the         
exhibition of a soothing and delicious  
luxuriance of fancy1 may be classed with
 the most successful productions of     
human genius4 ,no man can read it       
without astonishment1 perhaps not       
without envy1 at the cheerful1          
well-harmonized1 and vigorous state of  

mind in which the author must have been 
at the time he wrote it4      ,now      
turning from the wintry signs1 the sun  
,his course exalted through the ,ram had
 run   ,and whirling up the skies1 his  
chariot drove   ,through ,taurus1 and   
the lightsome realms of love1   ,where  
,venus from her orb descends in showers 
,to glad the ground1 and paint the      
fields with flowers2   ,when first the  
tender blades of grass appear1   ,and   
buds1 that yet the blast of ,eurus fear1
   ,stand at the door of life1 and doubt
 to clothe the year2   ,till gentle     
heat1 and soft repeated rains1   ,make  
the green blood to dance within their   
veins3   ,then1 at their call1          
embolden'd1 out they come   ,and swell  
the gems1 and burst the narrow room2    
,broader and broader yet their blooms   
display1   ,salute the welcome sun1 and 
entertain the day4   ,then from their   
breathing souls the sweets repair   ,to 
scent the skies1 and purge the          
unwholesome air4   ,joy spreads the     

heart1 and with a general song1         
,spring issues out1 and leads the jolly 
months along4     ,in that sweet season1
 as in bed ,i lay1   ,and sought in     
sleep to pass the night away1   ,i      
turn'd my weary side1 but still in vain1
   ,though full of youthful health1 and 
void of pain4   ,cares ,i had none to   
keep me from my rest1   ,for love had   
never enter'd in my breast2   ,i wanted 
nothing fortune could supply1   ,nor did
 she slumber till that hour deny4   ,i  
wonder'd then1 but after found it true1 
,much joy had dried away the balmy dew3 
,seas would be pools1 without the       
brushing air   ,to curl the waves1 and  
sure some little care   ,should weary   
nature so1 to make her want repair4     
,when ,chanticleer the second watch had 
sung1   ,scorning the scorner sleep1    
from bed ,i sprung2   ,and dressing by  
the moon1 in loose array1   ,pass'd out 
in open air1 preventing day1   ,and     
sought a goodly grove1 as fancy led my  
way4   ,straight as a line in beauteous 

order stood   ,of oaks unshorn1 a       
venerable wood2   ,fresh was the grass  
beneath1 and every tree1   ,at distance 
planted in a due degree1   ,their       
branching arms in air with equal space  
,stretch'd to their neighbours with a   
long embrace2   ,and the new leaves on  
every bough were seen1   ,some          
ruddy-colour'd1 some of lighter green4  
,the painted birds1 companions of the   
spring1   ,hopping from spray to spray1 
were heard to sing4   ,both eyes and    
ears received a like delight1           
,enchanting music1 and a charming sight4
   ,on ,philomel ,i fix'd my whole      
desire1   ,and listen'd for the queen of
 all the quire2   ,fain would ,i hear   
her heavenly voice to sing1   ,and      
wanted yet an omen to the spring4       
,attending long in vain1 ,i took the    
way1   ,which through a path1 but       
scarcely printed1 lay2   ,in narrow     
mazes oft it seem'd to meet1   ,and     
look'd as lightly press'd by fairy feet4
   ,wand'ring ,i walk'd alone1 for still

 methought   ,to some strange end so    
strange a path was wrought2   ,at last  
it led me where an arbour stood1   ,the 
sacred receptacle of the wood2   ,this  
place unmark'd1 though oft ,i walk'd the
 green1   ,in all my progress ,i had    
never seen2   ,and seized at once with  
wonder and delight1   ,gazed all around 
me1 new to the transporting sight4      
',twas bench'd with turf1 and goodly to 
be seen1   ,the thick young grass arose 
in fresher green3   ,the mound was newly
 made1 no sight could pass   ,betwixt   
the nice partitions of the grass2   ,the
 well-united sods so closely lay1   ,and
 all around the shades defended it from 
day2   ,for sycamores with eglantine    
were spread1   ,a hedge about the sides1
 a covering over head4   ,and so the    
fragrant briar was wove between1   ,the 
sycamore and flowers were mix'd with    
green1   ,that nature seem'd to vary the
 delight1   ,and satisfied at once the  
smell and sight4   ,the master workman  
of the bower was known   ,through       

fairylands1 and built for ,oberon2      
,who twining leaves with such proportion
 drew1   ,they rose by measure1 and by  
rule they grew2   ,no mortal tongue can 
half the beauty tell1   ,for none but   
hands divine could work so well4   ,both
 roof and sides were like a parlour     
made1   ,a soft recess1 and a cool      
summer shade4   ,the hedge was set so   
thick1 no foreign eye   ,the persons    
placed within it could espy2   ,but all 
that pass'd without with ease was seen1 
,as if nor fence nor tree was placed    
between4   ',twas border'd with a field2
 and some was plain   ,with grass1 and  
some was sow'd with rising grain1       
,that 7now the dew with spangles deck'd 
the ground7   ,a sweeter spot of earth  
was never found4   ,i look'd1 and       
look'd1 and still with new delight1     
,such joy my soul1 such pleasures fill'd
 my sight2   ,and the fresh eglantine   
exhaled a breath1   ,whose odours were  
of power to raise from death4   ,nor    
sullen discontent1 nor anxious care1    

,even though brought thither1 could     
inhabit there2   ,but thence they fled  
as from their mortal foe2   ,for this   
sweet place could only pleasure know4   
,thus as ,i mused1 ,i cast aside my eye1
   ,and saw a medlar-tree was planted   
nigh4   ,the spreading branches made a  
goodly show1   ,and full of opening     
blooms was every bough3   ,a goldfinch  
there ,i saw with gaudy pride   ,of     
painted plumes1 that hopp'd from side to
 side1   ,still pecking as she pass'd2  
and still she drew   ,the sweets from   
every flower1 and suck'd the dew4       
,sufficed at length1 she warbled in her 
throat1   ,and tuned her voice to many a
 merry note1   ,but indistinct1 and     
neither sweet nor clear1   ,yet such as 
sooth'd my soul and pleased my ear4     
,her short performance was no sooner    
tried1   ,when she ,i sought1 the       
nightingale1 replied2   ,so sweet1 so   
shrill1 so variously she sung1   ,that  
the grove echo'd and the valleys rung2  
,and ,i so ravish'd with her heavenly   

note--   ,i stood entranced1 and had no 
room for thought1   ,but all o'erpower'd
 with ecstasy of bliss1   ,was in a     
pleasing dream of ,paradise2   ,at      
length ,i waked1 and looking round the  
bower1   ,search'd every tree1 and pry'd
 on every flower1   ,if any where by    
chance ,i might espy   ,the rural poet  
of the melody2   ,for still methought   
she sung not far away3   ,at last ,i    
found her on a laurel spray1   ,close by
 my side she sate1 and fair in sight1   
,full in a line against her opposite2   
,where stood with eglantine the laurel  
twined1   ,and both their native sweets 
were well conjoin'd4     ,on the green  
bank ,i sat1 and listen'd long2         
7,sitting was more convenient for the   
song37   ,nor till her lay was ended    
could ,i move1   ,but wish'd to dwell   
for ever in the grove4   ,only methought
 the time too swiftly pass'd1   ,and    
every note ,i fear'd would be the last4 
,my sight1 and smell1 and hearing were  
employ'd1   ,and all three senses in    

full gust enjoy'd4   ,and what alone did
 all the rest surpass1   ,the sweet     
possession of the fairy place2          
,single1 and conscious to myself alone1 
,of pleasures to the excluded world     
unknown2   ,pleasures which nowhere else
 were to be found1   ,and all ,elysium  
in a spot of ground4  ,the ,lake        
poets--,heaven bless them6--have one and
 all--,wordsworth1 ,coleridge1          
,southey--loudly and angrily denied to  
,dryden a poetical eye for nature1      
quoting in proof some inflated passage  
or another from his rhyming plays4      
,pope1 too1 according to them1 was      
blind1 and had never seen the moon and  
stars4 ,where1 we ask1 in all the poetry
 of the ,lakes and ,tarns1 is there such
 a strain--so rich and so sustained--as 
that yet ringing in your ears8 ,and the 
ancient woman seated on ,helmcrag       
answers--where8 ,true1 the imagery is   
all in ,chaucer4 ,but had not ,dryden's 
heart 'rejoiced in nature's joy1' not   
thus could he have caught the spirit of 

his master4 ,ay--the spirit2 for there  
it is1 in spite of the difference of    
manner--transfused without evaporation  
or other loss1 from the 'rhime roial' in
 which ,chaucer rejoiced1 into the      
couplet in which ,dryden1 in his old    
age1 moved like a giant refreshed with  
gulps of the dewy morn4 ,again3--       
,the ladies left their measures at the  
sight1   ,to meet the chiefs returning  
from the fight1   ,and each with open   
arms embraced her chosen knight4   ,amid
 the plain a spreading laurel stood1    
,the grace and ornament of all the wood2
   ,that pleasing shade they sought1 a  
soft retreat   ,from sudden ,april      
showers1 a shelter from the heat4   ,her
 leafy arms with such extent were       
spread1   ,so near the clouds was her   
aspiring head1   ,that hosts of birds1  
that wing the liquid air1   ,perch'd in 
the boughs1 had nightly lodging there3  
,and flocks of sheep beneath the shade  
from far   ,might hear the rattling     
hail1 and wintry war2   ,from heaven's  

inclemency here found retreat1          
,enjoy'd the cool1 and shunn'd the      
scorching heat2   ,a hundred knights    
might there at ease abide1   ,and every 
knight a lady by his side3   ,the trunk 
itself such odours did bequeath   ,that 
a ,moluccan breeze to these was common  
breath4   ,the lords and ladies here1   
approaching1 paid   ,their homage1 with 
a low obeisance made1   ,and seem'd to  
venerate the sacred shade4   ,these     
rites perform'd1 their pleasures they   
pursue1   ,with songs of love1 and mix  
with measures new3   ,around the holy   
tree their dance they frame1   ,and     
ev'ry champion leads his chosen dame4   
,i cast my sight upon the farther field1
   ,and a fresh object of delight       
beheld4   ,for from the region of the   
west ,i heard   ,new music sound1 and a 
new troop apppear'd1   ,of knights and  
ladies mix'd1 a jolly band1   ,but all  
on foot they march'd1 and hand in hand  
,the ladies dressed in rich symars were 
seen1   ,of ,florence satin1 flower'd   

with white and green1   ,and for a shade
 betwixt the bloomy gridelin4   ,the    
borders of their petticoats below       
,were guarded thick with rubies in a    
row2   ,and every damsel wore upon her  
head   ,of flowers a garland blended    
white and red4   ,attired in mantles all
 the knights were seen1   ,that         
gratified the view with cheerful green3 
,their chaplets of their ladies' colours
 were1   ,composed of white and red1 to 
shade their shining hair4   ,before the 
merry troop the minstrels play'd1   ,all
 in their masters' liveries were        
array'd1   ,and clad in green1 and on   
their temples wore   ,the chaplets white
 and red their ladies bore4   ,their    
instruments were various in their kind1 
,some for the boy1 and some for         
breathing wind2   ,the sawtry1 pipe1 and
 hautboy's noisy band1   ,and the soft  
lute trembling beneath the touching     
hand4   ,a tuft of daisies on a flowery 
lea   ,they saw1 and thitherward they   
bent their way2   ,to this both knights 

and dames their homage made1   ,and due 
obeisance to the daisy paid4   ,and then
 the band of flutes began to play1   ,to
 which a lady sang a virelay2   ,and    
still at every close she would repeat   
,the burden of the song1 ,the daisy is  
so sweet4   ,the daisy is so sweet1 when
 she begun   ,the troop of knights and  
dames continued on4   ,the concert and  
the voice so charm'd my ear1   ,and     
sooth'd my soul1 that it was heaven to  
hear4  ,o bardlings of ,young ,england6 
withhold1 we beseech you1 from winsome  
,maga1 your verse-offerings1 while thus 
the sons of song1 evoked from the       
visionary land1 coming and going like   
shadows1 smile to let drop at her feet  
the scrolls of their inspiration4       
,poetry indeed6 ,you lisp in numbers1   
for the numbers come4 ,but in big       
boobies a lisp is only less loathsome   
than a burr4 ,some of you have both1 and
 therefore deserve to die4 ,readers     
beloved6 prefer you not such sweet1     
strong strains as these sounded by      

,dryden1 when he had nearly counted     
threescore and ten8 ,yet was not his    
natural force abated--while his sense of
 beauty1 instructed and refined by      
meditations that deepen amongst life's  
evening shades1 became holier within    
sight of the grave4 ,you will thank us  
for another quotation2 for much do we   
fear1 ,o lady fair6 that thou hast no   
copy of ,dryden in thy boudoir1 and yet 
life is fast flowing on with thee1 for  
thou art--nay1 there's no denying--yea1 
thou art--in thy twentieth year--and if 
you continue to refuse our advice--will 
soon be an old woman4      ,the ,lady of
 the ,leaf ordain'd a feast1   ,and made
 the ,lady of the ,flower her guest3    
,when lo6 a bower ascended on the plain1
   ,with sudden seats adorn'd1 and large
 for either train4   ,this bower was    
near my pleasant arbour placed1   ,that 
,i could hear and see whatever pass'd3  
,the ladies sat with each a knight      
between1   ,distinguish'd by their      
colours1 white and green2   ,the        

vanquish'd party with the victors       
join'd1   ,nor wanted sweet discourse1  
the banquet of the mind4   ,meantime the
 minstrels play'd on either side1       
,vain of their art1 and for the mastery 
vied4   ,the sweet contention lasted for
 an hour1   ,and reach'd my secret      
arbour from the bower4   ,the sun was   
set2 and ,vesper1 to supply   ,his      
absent beams1 had lighted up the sky3   
,when ,philomel1 officious all the day  
,to sing the service of th' ensuing     
,may1   ,fled from her laurel shade1 and
 wing'd her flight   ,directly to the   
queen array'd in white2   ,and hopping1 
sat familiar on her hand1   ,a new      
musician1 and increased the band4       
,the goldfinch1 who1 to shun the        
scalding heat1   ,had changed the medlar
 for a safer seat1   ,and hid in bushes 
'scaped the bitter shower1   ,now       
perch'd upon the ,lady of the ,flower2  
,and either songster holding out their  
throats1   ,and folding up their wings1 
renew'd their notes2   ,as if all day1  

preluding to the fight1   ,they only had
 rehearsed1 to sing by night4   ,the    
banquet ended1 and the battle done1     
,they danced by starlight and the       
friendly moon3   ,and when they were to 
part1 the laureat queen   ,supplied with
 steeds the lady of the green1   ,her   
and her train conducting on the way1    
,the moon to follow1 and avoid the day4 
,whatsoever merit of thought or of      
poetry may be found in the poems of     
which we have spoken1 the world has     
rightly considered the ,,canterbury     
,,tales as the work by which ,chaucer is
 to be judged4 ,in truth1 common renown 
forgets all the rest2 and it is by the  
,canterbury ,tales only that he can     
properly be said to be known to his     
countrymen4 ,here it is that he appears 
as possessing the versatility of        
poetical power which ranges from the    
sublime1 through the romantic and the   
pathetic1 to the rudest mirth--choosing 
subjects the most various1 and treating 
all alike adequately4 ,here he discovers

 himself as the shrewd and curious      
observer1 and close painter of manners4 
,here he writes as one surveying the    
world of man with enlarged and          
philosophical intuition1 weighing good  
and evil in even scale4 ,here1 more than
 in any other1 he is master of his      
matter1 disposing it at his discretion1 
and not carried away with or mastered by
 it4 ,here he is master1 too1 of his    
,english1 thriftily culling the fit     
word1 not effusing a too exuberant      
stream of description4 ,here he has     
acquired his own art and his own style  
of versification1 which is here to be   
studied accordingly4 ,well therefore1   
and wisely1 did ,tyrwhitt judge1 when   
undertaking to rescue the mirrour of    
,rethoures alle from the dust and rust  
of injurious time1 he laid out his long 
and hard1 but not uncheerful labour upon
 the ,canterbury ,tales alone4  ,every  
soul alive knows something of them--but 
not very many more than ,stothard1 in   
his celebrated ,picture1 has informed   

their eye withal4 ,their plan ranks them
 among works which are numerous1 early  
and late1 but which rather belong to    
early literature4 ,east and ,west such  
are to be found1 but they belong rather 
to the ,oriental genius4 ,a slender     
narrative1 the container of weightier   
ones--a technical contrivance1 which    
gave to a number of slighter            
compositions1 collectively taken1 the   
importance of a greater work--which     
prolonged to the tale-teller who had    
once gained the ear of his auditory his 
right of audience--and which1 in a world
 where the tongue was more active in the
 diffusion of literature than the quill1
 afforded to each involved tale a       
memorial niche that might save it from  
dropping entirely away into oblivion4   
,to ,chaucer1 the scheme serves a higher
 purpose of art1 which of itself allies 
him to the higher poets4 ,by it he is   
enabled to comprehend1 as if in one     
picture1 a more diversified and complete
 representation of humanity4 ,the       

thought is genial and sprightly4 ,a     
troop of riders1 who have been stirred  
severally from their firesides by the   
searching spirit of spring1 have        
casually fallen into company1 and who   
pace along1 breathing an air which sweet
 showers have embalmed--exhilarated by  
the brightening radiance of the young   
sun1 and made loquacious by the very    
power which pours out the song of the   
glad birds from the newly-leaved boughs 
by the long wayside4  ,and who are the  
riders8 ,and what is the charm that has 
drawn together a company of thirty to   
ride on the same road at the same hour  
of the same day8 ,the suddenly-spun band
 of a union that will be as hastily     
dissolved1 squares happily with the     
large purpose of the poet1 by unforcedly
 bringing together persons of both      
sexes1 and of exceedingly diverse       
conditions1 high1 low1 learned1         
unlearned1 military1 civil1 religious1  
from city and from country1 land and    
sea1 of unlike occupations1 buoyant with

 youth1 grave with years4 ,the momentary
 tie has poetical vitality1 from the    
fact that it is borrowed from the heart 
of the time and of ,england4 ,they are  
,pilgrims from all quarters to the      
shrine of ,england's illustrious and    
favourite ,saint1 the martyr of         
,canterbury4 ,they have gradually       
mustered into cavalcade in coming up    
from the shires to the metropolis1 one  
excepted--the ,poet4 ,he falls into     
their party1 by the hap of sleeping the 
night preceding the journey out from the
 capital at the same inn1 in the suburb 
towards ,canterbury--,southwark4  ,the  
specific incitement of the ,tale-telling
 is thus invented in a natural spirit1  
and aptly to the vivacity of the whole  
conception4 ,mine host of the ,tabard1  
,henry ,bailey1 a hearty fellow no      
doubt1 since ,chaucer has thought his   
name worthy of his immortalizing1       
contrives the proceeding1 and this half 
in good fellowship1 and half in the way 
of his trade4 ,to shorten the           

tediousness of the road1 he proposes    
that each of them shall tell1 on the way
 to ,canterbury1 one tale1 and on the   
way back1 another--or1 for here the poem
 a little disagrees with itself1 two    
tales going and two returning2 and that 
he or she who tells the best tale shall 
have1 on their return1 a supper1 for    
which all the others shall pay1 and     
which of course1 he1 ,henry ,bailey1    
shall provide4 ,upon these terms he     
will1 without fee1 perform the part of  
their conductor to ,canterbury and back 
again4 ,in assenting1 the ,pilgrims     
constitute him the judge of the tales2  
and thus mine host1 with his joyous     
temper1 courtesy1 where courtesy needs1 
worldly sense1 rough1 sharp1 and ready  
wit1 and unappealable dictatorship in   
all matters of the commonwealth1 becomes
 a dramatic person of the very first    
consequence1 the animating soul of the  
poetical action2 and who1 continually   
stepping in between the finishing of one
 tale and the beginning of the next1    

organically links together the otherwise
 disunited and incomposite ,series4     
,the ,general ,prologue contains1 as was
 unavoidable1 besides the scheme of the 
poem1 the description of the several    
,pilgrims1 and constitutes in itself1 by
 the versatile feeling with which the   
portraits are seized1 by the strength1  
precision1 peculiarity1 liveliness1     
rapidity1 and number of the strokes with
 which each is individualized--a        
masterpiece of poetical painting4 ,one  
lost generation of ,old ,england moves  
before us in the warmth and hues of     
life4  ,the ,knight1 his son the        
,squire1 his servant the good ,yeoman--a
 gallant three--the ,clerke of          
,oxenford1 the poure ,person of a toun1 
and his brother the ,ploughman1 are1    
each in his estate1 of thorough         
worthiness1 and are all1 accordingly1   
drawn in a spirit of full affection4    
,the ,prioress and the ,franklin are    
laughed at a little--she for the pains  
she gives herself to display her        

imitative high breeding1 and for--only  
think it6--,a4,d4 #adhi--;her           
,,sentimentality6--he for his love of a 
plenteously-spread board1 and for his   
poignant sauces6 ,but the two are good  
at heart2 and the satire of the poet    
leaves to them undisturbed their place  
in your good esteem4 ,his other men of  
some condition--the ,monk1 the ,friar1  
the ,sergeant of the ,lawe1 the         
,merchant1 the ,doctour of ,physike--he 
lashes with a more vigorous wrist4 ,but 
not like a farce-monger1 who1 to gain   
your laugh1 must utterly abase his      
characters1 and make them merely        
ridiculous4 ,the hunting ,monk wants    
nothing but his hood off to be a        
distinguished country squire4 ,he is a  
manly man to be an abbot able6 and1 if  
he keeps greyhounds1 they are as swift  
as fowl of flight4 ,and look but at his 
horse's points and condition6 ,the      
rascal of a ,frere1 if1 by his          
perseverance and persuasiveness in      
begging1 he impoverishes the county1 is 

a noble post of his order1 and well     
beloved and familiar with franklins1 and
 with worthy women4 ,the ,merchant has  
an assumed air of importance--magnifies 
his gains--thinks the protection of the 
sea betwixt the ports from which his    
vessels run the first duty of civilized 
governments--and keeps his wit set upon 
the main chance4 ,but that is the worst 
of him--,for sothe he was a worthy man  
withalle4 ,the ,lawyer is at the top of 
his profession--wise1 witty1 perfect in 
statutes and in precedents1 high in     
honours4 ,what are his faults8 ,you can 
hardly tell4 ,there is a slight         
ostentation of wisdom4 ,he has got a    
deal of money together--he is full of   
business--but he seems yet busier than  
he is4 ,the ,doctor1 too1 is an         
excellent physician4 ,he calls the stars
 in to his aid4 ,but that may be        
,chaucer's belief1 not his mirth4 ,he   
knows the disease1 and has the remedy at
 command4 ,to be sure1 he and his       
apothecaries understand one another4 ,he

 is learned in a thousand books2 but not
 in ,,the ,,book4 ,gold is of high      
esteem in medicine as a cordial4        
,therefore he loves gold4  ,why go on8  
,like ,shakspeare1 ,chaucer portrays men
 in a spirit of humanity4 ,he paints his
 fellows2 and1 if he is amused with our 
follies1 he prefers showing the fairer  
side of our nature4 ,even the merry1    
warm-blooded ,wife of ,bath1 with her   
five wedded husbands1 earns some        
goodwill of us by her joyous and        
invincible spirit4 ,imagine the daring1 
the vigour1 and the stirring wit of the 
west-country cloth-manufacturess1 who   
cannot rest easy till she has been three
 times in pilgrimage to ,jerusalem6     
,there is a visible purpose of keeping  
up the ,,respectability of the company4 
,if the ,,miller1 the ,,coke1 the       
,,reve1 and the ,,sompnour1 stand on a  
somewhat low step of the social         
stair--the ,,haberdasher1 the           
,,carpenter1 the ,,webbe 7,weaver7--the 
,,dyer and the ,,tapiser--who are lumped

 in the poet's description--    ,were al
 yclothed in ye liveree1   ,of a        
solempne and gret fraternitee4        99
       99       99       99    ,wel     
semed ech of hem a fayr burgeis1   ,to  
sitten in a gild halle1 ,,on ,,the      
,,deis4  ,they are of wisdom qualifying 
them to stand for ,aldermen of their    
wards4 ,their wives are 'ycleped        
,madame'--take precedency in going to   
vigils--and have    ----,a mantel       
reallich 7i4e4 royally7 yborne4  ,even  
our honest friend the ,southwark        
innkeeper1 ,henry ,bailey1 has an air of
 dignity thrown over him4 ,he was    ,a 
semely man--   ,for to have ben a       
marshal in an halle4   ,a large man he  
was1 with eyen stepe1#cj   ,a fairer    
burgeis is ther non in ,chepe4   ,bold  
of his speche1 and wise and wel ytaught1
   ,and of manhood him lacked righte    
nought4  ,moreover1 even that chief of  
poetical ,taverns1 the ,,tabard1 is     
designated as    ,this gentil hostelrie4
  ,no wonder6 since    ,the chambres and

 the stables weren wide1   ,and wel we  
weren esed ,,atte ,,beste4  ,the ,tales 
are1 in some respect1 like an extension 
of the ,prologue4 ,they carry out the   
characters1 or the spirit of the        
characters1 there drawn4 ,thus1 if the  
chivalry of the time is impersonated1 in
 respect of its valour1 honour1 and     
courteous demeanour1 in the ,knight1 in 
his ,tale it mounts into poetical       
aspiration1 and shines out in regal     
splendour4 ,the contrast1 due to the    
different years of the father and the   
son1 is in part disappointed by the     
cross destiny which has                 
----left half-told   ,the story of      
,cambuscan bold4  ,the youthful fancy1  
dipped or drenched in romance1 of the   
twenty-year old ,squire1 shows itself1  
indeed1 in the two sections which we    
have of his chivalrous narrative4 ,the  
,sword1 which1 with its edge1 hews      
through all armour1 and with its plat   
heals the else incurable wounds of its  
own inflicting--the ,mirror1 which      

discloses the plotting of the kingdom's 
enemies1 the truth or disloyalty of a   
distant lover--the ,ring1 which enables 
its wearer to understand the leden of   
all birds1 and to answer them in the    
same--and the marvellous ,horse of      
,brass1 which1 with turning of a pin1   
and with a whisper in the ear1 carries  
his rider whither he would through the  
air1 vanishes and comes with a wish1    
and1 farthermore1 behaves and comports  
himself wholly after the best fashion of
 a horse2--these four gifts from the    
,king of ,arabie and ,inde to the       
,tartar king and his daughter1 transport
 us1 as with a flight of the magical    
courser himself1 into the deep1 wild1   
and mystical heart of that region1      
unplaced by geographers1 explored by the
 host of dreamers1 ,romance4 ,so1 the   
love-story of the forsaken ,bird1 with  
whom the ,ring brings the ,princess     
acquainted1 is ,eastern1 is amorous1 is 
high-fantastical1 fit for the 'lover and
 lusty bacheler1' who    ----,coude     

songes make1 and well indite1   ,juste  
and eke dance--  and stands off in      
complete distinction from the           
love-debate1 with argumentation and with
 arms1 of ,palamon and ,arcite4 ,what is
 it1 then1 that we would have more8     
,truly1 we fear1 that for once we are   
half unreasonable4 ,the ,tale1 with     
beginning1 middle1 and end1 to satisfy  
the heart of ,aristotle1 in the         
,knight's mouth--and the finely-begun   
fragment in the ,squire's--are1 by their
 temper1 allied and opposed1 quite up to
 the dramatic propriety of the two      
speakers4 ,what would we have more8     
,simply this1 that ,chaucer1 by carrying
 to an end the unfinished fiction in the
 tone in which he has begun it1 should  
have demonstrated himself the master of 
his art1 which1 by his project1 he seems
 to be4 ,the ,knight's is a love-tale1  
as well2 but there is1 in the           
love-story1 an involving of political   
interests1 which1 together with the     
known historical names1 or such as are  

so reputed1 tempers the romantic1       
confers a gravity1 and mixes in a tone  
of the world's business that suits the  
sedate reason1 and the various          
observation of the veteran warrior1     
tried in high services4 ,it would have  
been a pleasant feat of poetical        
understanding and skill1 especially for 
that unpractised day1 if a second       
equally gallant recital of love and     
war--long and complex it would1 by the  
intimations thrown out1 have been--could
 have been pursued throughout its       
natural evolutions and vicissitudes1 as 
resolutely as thus far it is1 upon its  
own meet self-sustained wing4 ,it would 
have been6 ,oh1 vex not the shade of the
 true ,maker with saucy doubts and      
fears6 ,call up ,him6 ,yes--were there  
evocations of such potency2 but call    
,him in the simplicity of your soul1    
because he has moved in you the lawful  
desire of hearing--because you long1    
insatiably1 to know what was done1      
found1 suffered1 enjoyed1 by ,cambalo1  

,algarsif1 ,canace3 which none other    
segger1 disour1 maker1 harper and       
carper1 that shall ever arise shall have
 wit to tell you--not because you would 
fain sit in the chair of criticism1     
awarding or withholding the palm of     
dramatic skill1 claimed by ,dan         
,geffrey4 ,ay6 call up ,him6 ,but call  
up no substitute for ,him4  ,the        
,sergeant of ,laws' ,tale1 and the      
,clerke of ,oxenford's1 have an         
affinity4 ,each describes a tried wife1 
an exemplar for all her sex1 two        
perfectly pure-souled women4 ,and       
nothing is more honourable to ,chaucer  
than the love with which he has dwelt   
upon the story of both4 ,both suffer to 
extremity2 but ,custance1 the           
,sergeant's heroine1 under the hand of  
,providence1 who proves her with strange
 calamities1 and when she has           
well-endured the ordeal1 restores her to
 deserved happiness4 ,for the loving    
wife1 whom the ,clerke of ,oxenford     
praises1 a loving husband is pleased to 

devise a course of sharp assaying1 which
 might have been conveniently spared4   
,the manner of telling in the two       
stories is marked with a difference4 ,in
 both it is somewhat of the copious     
kind2 and it may be observed1 generally1
 that the style of the narrative1 in the
 seven-lined stanza1 or rime roiall1 is 
more diffuse than in the couplets4      
,there is a difference between the two  
which appears to belong to the          
characters of the speakers4 ,the ,man of
 ,law has not a few passages of         
exclamatory and apostrophical moral and 
sentimental rhetoric4 ,they compel you  
to recollect his portrait--    ,discret 
he was1 and of gret reverence   ,he     
seemed swiche1 his wordes were so wise4 
,the ,clerk has nothing of the kind4    
,the largeness in his manner of         
relating1 is rather an explicit and     
lucid fulness in representing an        
interesting subject1 than what is       
properly called diffuseness4 ,chaucer   
has said of him--    ,not a word spake  

he more than was nede2  and you will see
 accordingly1 that although he details  
his narrative1 every word1 in its place1
 is pertinent and serviceable4 ,he ends 
with a freak1 which carries him1 you are
 disposed to think1 out of his          
character4 ,he has related1 after       
,petrarch1 the story of patient         
,griseldis1 with beautiful earnestness  
and simplicity4 ,he has conducted her   
through all the trials which the        
high-born lord thought good to lay upon 
the low-born wife1 has displayed and    
rewarded her inimitable wifly pacience1 
and then confesses1 that not being      
imitable1 neither is it intended that it
 should be imitated4 ,in short1 he      
stints of ernestful matere2 and to      
gladen his audience1 ends with saying   
them a song1 in six quaintly-rhymed     
stanzas1 in which he counsels the wives 
to stand upon the defensive against     
their husbands1 and take all natural    
care of themselves--    ,be ay of chere 
as light as lefe on linde1   ,and let   

him care1 and wepe1 and wringe1 and     
wail4  ,the ironical counsel does not   
belie the moral of the story2 but it    
comes unexpectedly from him whom the    
,hoste has called upon for his tale1    
with remarking1 that he rides as still  
and coy as a maid newly espoused sits at
 her bord4  ,the ,franklin has at home a
 graceless cub and heir of his own4 ,if 
good living were one and the same thing 
with holy living1 this should the less  
easily have happened4 ,the ,franklin is 
wonderfully captivated with our young   
,squire's breeding1 grace1 and          
eloquence4 ,the contrast brings his own 
burdane painfully into his mind1 and    
wrings from him a mortified exclamation4
 ,the old man1 with his sanguine        
complexion1 and his beard    ,white as  
is the dayesie1  has--notwithstanding   
the sharp censorship which he exercises 
over his cook--a heart in his bosom4    
,the pleasure with which he has heard   
the ,squire1 vouches as much2 and more  
decisively so does the story1 which he  

himself tells from the old ,breton lays2
 another story of a virtuous wife1      
strangely tried1 of all the three the   
most strangely4 ,her husband1 a knight1 
is on a voyage1 and she takes a horror  
of the perilous rocks that edge their   
own shore4 ,meanwhile1 a youthful squire
 pursues her with love4 ,one day1 in a  
mockery1 she promises to grant him his  
suit if he will remove all the rocks in 
a morning4 ,after some perplexity of    
thought he resorts to an able magician  
at ,orleans2 who1 for the consideration 
of a thousand pounds1 undertakes1 and   
accomplished the feat4 ,who is now hard 
bestead1 but the lady8 ,she1 in her     
strait1 consults her husband1 who has   
returned2 and the honourable husband    
says--you must keep your word4 ,the     
squire comes for his guerdon4 ,my       
husband says that ,i must keep my word4 
,indeed6--and shall a squire not know   
how to do a 'gentil dede1' as well as a 
knight8 ,i release you your             
promise4--,he carries ,l#ejj--;all of   

the agreed sum that he can muster to the
 conjurer1 and prays of him time for the
 rest4 ,have ,i performed my            
undertaking8 ,yes6--,and the lady       
hers8--,the squire is obliged to relate 
the sequence of events4--,and is a      
clerk1 exclaims the master1 less able to
 do a gentil dede1 than squire and      
knight8 ,keep thy money1 ,sir ,squire6  
,that is a creditable tale for a country
 gentleman--    ,whose table dormant in 
the halle alway   ,stood redy covered   
alle the longe day4  ,there is much     
feeling in the detail of the story1 and 
the magical shows1 by which the         
enchanter1 before striking his bargain1 
demonstrates his competency1 and by     
which he afterwards executes his        
engagement1 are dressed out with vivid  
imagination4  ,but now it is really high
 time that you should hear ,dryden on   
,chaucer4 ,for is not this ,number ,,iv4
 of our ,specimens of the ,british      
,critics8       ,with ,ovid ended the   
golden age of the ,roman tongue2 from   

,chaucer the      purity of the ,english
 tongue began4 ,the manners of the poets
 were not      unlike3 both of them were
 well bred1 well natured1 amorous1 and  
libertine1 at least in their writings2  
it may be also in their lives4          
,their studies were the same--philosophy
 and philology4 ,both of them      were 
knowing in astronomy2 of which ,ovid's  
,books of the ,roman      ,feasts1 and  
,chaucer's ,treatise of the ,astrolabe1 
are sufficient      witnesses4 ,but     
,chaucer was likewise an astrologer1 as 
were ,virgil1      ,horace1 ,persius1   
and ,manilius4 ,both writ with wonderful
 facility and      clearness2 neither   
were great inventors2 for ,ovid only    
copied the      ,grecian fables1 and    
most of ,chaucer's stories were taken   
from his      ,italian contemporaries1  
or their predecessors--,boccace his     
',decameron' was first published2 and   
from thence our ,englishman has         
borrowed many of his ',canterbury       
,tales4' ,yet that of ,palamon and      

,arcite was written1 in all probability1
 by some ,italian wit1 in a      former 
age1 as ,i shall prove hereafter4 ,the  
tale of ,grisilde was      the invention
 of ,petrarch2 by him sent to ,boccace1 
from whom it came      to ,chaucer4     
,troilus and ,cressida was also written 
by a ,lombard      author1 but much     
amplified by our ,english translator1 as
 well as      beautified2 the genius of 
our countrymen1 in general1 being rather
 to      improve an invention than to   
invent themselves1 as is evident not    
only in our poetry but in many of our   
manufactures4 ,i find ,i have           
anticipated already1 and taken up from  
,boccace before ,i come to him2      but
 there is so much less behind2 and ,i am
 of the temper of most      kings1 who  
love to be in debt1 are all for present 
money1 no matter      how they pay it   
afterwards2 besides1 the nature of a    
preface is      rambling1 never wholly  
out of the way1 nor in it4 ,this ,i have
 learned      from the practice of      

honest ,montaigne1 and return at my     
pleasure to      ,ovid and ,chaucer1 of 
whom ,i have little more to say4 ,both  
of them      built on the inventions of 
other men2 yet since ,chaucer had       
something      of his own1 as ,the ,wife
 of ,bath's ,tale1 ,the ,cock and the   
,fox1      which ,i have translated1 and
 some others1 ,i may justly give our    
countryman the precedence in that part2 
since ,i can remember nothing      of   
,ovid which was wholly his4 ,both of    
them understood the manners2      under 
which name ,i comprehend the passions1  
and in a larger sense the               
descriptions of persons1 and their very 
habits4 ,for an example1 ,i see         
,baucis and ,philemon as perfectly      
before me as if some ancient painter    
had drawn them2 and all the pilgrims in 
the ,canterbury ,tales1 their           
humours1 their features1 and their very 
dress1 as distinctly as if ,i      had  
supped with them at the ,tabard1 in     
,southwark4 ,yet even there1      too1  

the figures of ,chaucer are much more   
lively1 and set in a better      light2 
which1 though ,i have not time to prove1
 yet ,i appeal to the      reader1 and  
am sure he will clear me from           
partiality4 ,the thoughts      and words
 remain to be considered in the         
comparison of the two poets1      and ,i
 have saved myself one-half of that     
labour by owning that ,ovid      lived  
when the ,roman tongue was in its       
meridian2 ,chaucer1 in the      dawning 
of our language2 therefore1 that part of
 the comparison      stands not on an   
equal foot1 any more than the diction of
 ,ennius and      ,ovid1 or of ,chaucer 
and our present ,english4 ,the words are
 given up1      as a post not to be     
defended in our poet1 because he wanted 
the      modern art of fortifying4 ,the 
thoughts remain to be considered2 and   
they are to be measured only by their   
propriety2 that is1 as they      flow   
more or less naturally from the persons 
described on such and      such         

occasions4 ,the vulgar judges1 which are
 nine parts in ten of all      nations1 
who call conceits and jingles wit1 who  
see ,ovid full of      them1 and        
,chaucer altogether without them1 will  
think me little less      than mad1 for 
preferring the ,englishman to the       
,roman4 ,yet1 with their      leave1 ,i 
must presume to say1 that the things    
they admire are only      glittering    
trifles1 and so far from being witty1   
that in a serious      poem they are    
nauseous1 because they are unnatural4   
,would any man who      is ready to die 
for love1 describe his passions like    
,narcissus2 would      he think of      
inopem me copia fecit1 and a dozen more 
of such      expressions1 poured on the 
neck of one another1 and signifying all 
the same thing8 ,this is just ,john     
,littlewit1 in ',bartholomew ,fair1'    
who had a conceit 7as he tells you7 left
 him in his misery2 a      miserable    
conceit4 ,on these occasions1 the poet  
should endeavour to      raise pity2    

but1 instead of this1 ,ovid is tickling 
you to laugh4      ,virgil never made   
use of such machines when he was moving 
you to      commiserate the death of    
,dido2 he would not destroy what he was 
building4 ,chaucer makes ,arcite violent
 in his love1 and unjust in the         
pursuit of it2 yet when he came to die1 
he made him think more      reasonably3 
he repents not of his love1 for that had
 altered his      character2 but        
acknowledges the injustice of his       
proceedings1 and      resigns ,emilia to
 ,palamon4 ,what would ,ovid have done  
on this      occasion8 ,he would        
certainly have made ,arcite witty on his
      deathbed2--he had complained he   
was farther off from possession by      
being so near1 and a thousand such      
boyisms1 which ,chaucer rejected as     
below the dignity of the subject4 ,they 
who think otherwise1 would by      the  
same reason prefer ,lucan and ,ovid to  
,homer and ,virgil1 and      ,martial to
 all four of them4 ,as for the turn of  

words1 in which ,ovid      particularly 
excels all poets1 they are sometimes a  
fault1 and      sometimes a beauty1 as  
they are used properly or improperly2   
but in      strong passions always to be
 shunned1 because passions are serious1 
and will admit no playing4 ,the ,french 
have a high value for them2 and      ,i 
confess they are often what they call   
delicate1 when they are      introduced 
with judgment2 but ,chaucer writ with   
more simplicity1 and      followed      
nature more closely1 than to use them4  
,i have thus far1 to      the best of my
 knowledge1 been an upright judge       
betwixt the parties      in competition1
 not meddling with the design nor the   
disposition of      it2 because the     
design was not their own2 and in the    
disposing of it      they were equal4   
,it remains that ,i say something of    
,chaucer in      particular4       ,in  
the first place1 as he is the father of 
,english poetry1 so ,i hold      him in 
the same degree of veneration as the    

,grecians held ,homer1 or      the      
,romans ,virgil4 ,he is a perpetual     
fountain of good sense2 learned      in 
all sciences1 and therefore speaks      
properly on all subjects4 ,as he        
knew what to say1 so he knows also when 
to leave off1 a continence      which is
 practised by few writers1 and scarcely 
by any of the      ancients excepting   
,virgil and ,horace4 ,one of our late   
great poets is      sunk in his         
reputation because he could never       
forgive any conceit      which came in  
his way1 but swept like a drag-net great
 and small4      ,there was plenty      
enough1 but the dishes were ill sorted2 
whole      pyramids of sweetmeats for   
boys and women1 but little of solid meat
      for men4 ,all this proceeded1 not 
from any want of knowledge1 but of      
judgment4 ,neither did he want that in  
discerning the beauties and      faults 
of other poets1 but only indulged       
himself in the luxury of      writing2  
and perhaps knew it was a fault1 but    

hoped the reader would      not find it4
 ,for this reason1 though he must always
 be thought a      great poet1 he is no 
longer esteemed a good writer2 and for  
ten      impressions which his works    
have had in so many successive years1   
yet      at present a hundred books are 
scarcely purchased once a twelvemonth2  
for as my last ,lord ,rochester said1   
though somewhat profanely1 ',not        
being of ,god1 he could not stand4'     
,chaucer followed nature every where1   
but was never so bold to go      beyond 
her2 and there is a great difference of 
being poeta and      nimis poeta1 if we 
may believe ,catullus1 as much as       
betwixt a      modest behaviour and     
affectation4 99 99 99       ,he must    
have been a man of most wonderful       
comprehensive nature1      because1 as  
it has been truly observed of him1 he   
has taken into the      compass of his  
,canterbury ,tales the various manners  
and humours 7as      we may now call    
them7 of the whole ,english nation1 in  

his age4 ,not a      single character   
has escaped him4 ,all his pilgrims are  
severally      distinguished from each  
other2 and not only in their            
inclinations1      but in their very    
physiognomies and persons4 ,baptista    
,porta could not      have described    
their natures better1 than by the marks 
which the poet      gives them4 ,the    
matter and manner of their tales1 and of
 their      telling1 are so suited to   
their different educations1 humours1 and
      callings1 that each of them would 
be improper in any other mouth4         
,even the grave and serious characters  
are distinguished by their      several 
sorts of gravity2 their discourses are  
such as belong to      their age1 their 
calling1 and their breeding2 such as are
 becoming of      them1 and of them     
only4 ,some of his persons are vicious1 
and some      virtuous2 some are        
unlearned1 or 7as ,chaucer calls them7  
lewd1 and      some are learned4 ,even  
the ribaldry of the low characters is   

different2 the ,reeve1 the ,miller1 and 
the ,cook1 are several men1 and         
distinguished from each other as much as
 the mincing ,lady ,prioress1      and  
the broad-speaking gap-toothed ,wife of 
,bath4 ,but enough of this2      there  
is such a variety of game springing up  
before me1 that ,i am      distracted in
 my choice1 and know not which to       
follow4 ,it is      sufficient to say1  
according to the proverb1 that here is  
,god's      plenty4 ,we have our        
forefathers and great-granddames all    
before us1      as they were in         
,chaucer's days2 their general          
characters are still      remaining in  
mankind1 and even in ,england1 though   
they are called by      other names than
 those of monks1 and friars1 and canons1
 and      lady-abbesses1 and nuns2 for  
mankind is ever the same1 and nothing   
lost out of nature1 though every thing  
is altered4 ,may ,i have leave      to  
do myself the justice1 7since my enemies
 will do me none1 and are      so far   

from granting me to be a good poet1 that
 they will not allow      me so much as 
to be a ,christian1 or a moral man17 may
 ,i have leave1 ,i      say1 to inform  
my reader1 that ,i have confined my     
choice to such      tales of ,chaucer as
 savour nothing of immodesty4 ,if ,i had
 desired      more to please than to    
instruct1 the ,reeve1 the ,miller1 the  
,shipman1      the ,merchant1 the       
,sumner1 and1 above all1 the ,wife of   
,bath1 in the      prologue to her tale1
 would have procured me as many friends 
and      readers as there are beaux and 
ladies of pleasure in the town4 ,but ,i 
will no more offend against good        
manners4 ,i am sensible1 as ,i ought    
to be1 of the scandal ,i have given by  
my loose writings2 and make      what   
reparation ,i am able1 by this public   
acknowledgment4 ,if any      thing of   
this nature1 or of profaneness1 be crept
 into these poems1 ,i      am so far    
from defending it1 that ,i disown it1   
totum hoc indictum      volo4 ,chaucer  

makes another manner of apology for his 
broad speaking      and ,boccace makes  
the like2 but ,i will follow neither of 
them4  ,an ,english reader is likely to 
have held his way through the ,palamon  
and ,arcite of ,dryden1 ere arriving at 
the knight's ,tale of ,chaucer4 ,it will
 not easily happen that he overleaps    
that ,version1 so full of the fire and  
vigorous grace which he delights in1 and
 couched in the very choicest of that   
,english on which his ears habitually   
feed1 to introduce himself all at once  
to the antique and to him obsolete      
,original4 ,the pure impression1        
therefore1 with which he would read the 
,tale in its proper place1 if he there  
first got acquainted with it1 is hardly 
to be obtained4 ,no matter6 ,forget     
,dryden1 and plunge yourself into       
,chaucer4  ,be surprised1 if you can1 as
 you surely will be amused1 at          
encountering the inextricable commixture
 of manners1 usages1 tones1 thinkings1  
and speakings1 which time and space have

 done their best at keeping asunder--the
 chivalry of modern ,europe1 and of the 
middle ages1 transplanted into the      
heroic age of old ,greece1 and to the   
,court of ,theseus1 ,duk of ,athenes4   
,be surprised and amused1 but do not    
therefore lay the book out of your hand1
 or laugh the old master to scorn1 or do
 him other than reverent and honourable 
justice4 ,take rather the story to      
pieces1 convince yourself step by step  
how strangely at every turn the old     
world and the new1 the ,christian and   
the ,heathen1 are confounded together1  
and feel at every step how the vitality 
which the good poet has infused into his
 work1 reconciles and atones            
discordancies and discrepancies2 and in 
spite of the perplexing physiognomy1 how
 that must needs be one body which is   
informed and actuated1 through all its  
joints and members1 by one spirit4      
,take in pieces the story--untwist the  
intertwined classical and romantic      
threads4 ,make sure of the fault1 and   

then hasten to forgive it4 ,the fault6  
,are you quite sure that it is one8     
,recollect that it is not ,chaucer who  
relates the ,knight's ,tale4 ,chaucer is
 here a dramatic poet1 and his ,knight  
relates his own tale4 ,what6--,shall he1
 who has full often time the bord       
begun1--    ,aboven alle natiouns in    
,pruce2  who has reysed in ,lettowe1 and
 in ,ruce1 has been--    ,in ,gernade at
 the siege   ,of ,algesir1 and ridden in
 ,belmarie2  who was--    ,at ,leyes and
 at ,satalie1   ,when they were wonne2  
and in the ,grete ,see1   ,at many a    
noble armee2--  he who has been at--    
,mortal battailes fiftene1   ,and       
foughten for our faith at ,tramisene1   
,in listes thries1 and ay slain his fo--
  shall he1 upon the qualm of a queasy  
criticism1 not be allowed to transfer   
something of the                        
,chevalrie1   ,truth and honor1 fredom  
and courtesie1  which1 from the time    
that he first began to riden out1 he has
 loved--across a gap of a few hundred   

leagues and years8 ,to what end else1 it
 may be asked1 has he approved himself1 
full worthy in his lordes werre1 and    
ridden thereto no man ferre1--    ,as   
well in ,christendom as in ,hethenesse1 
,and ever honor'd for his worthinesse8  
,why1 the ,knight would have been no    
knight at all if he had been ,richard   
,bentley or ,john ,milton1 and not1 as  
there is every reason to hope he was1 le
 noble et vaillant ,chivaler ,,matheu   
,,de ,,gourney1 whose marble tells us   
that he had fought at ,benamaryn and    
,algezire1 and been at abundance of     
battles and sieges1 named and unnamed1  
in ,christendom and ,heathenesse--en les
 quex il gaigna noblement graunt los et 
honour--and who died in #adjf at the age
 of #if4 ,it is therefore ,sir ,matheu  
de ,gourney who speaks1 like a knight1  
of knighthood--and let him speak--      
,who never yet no vilainie ne sayde1    
,in all his life unto no manere wight4--
  ,let him speak1 justifying his        
eulogist1 and showing us1 as well as may

 be by his words1 what his deeds showed 
the world1 that--    ,he was a veray    
parfit gentil knight6  ,the first       
transaction that is related with some   
full process1 is the chivalrous         
enterprise of ,theseus against ,creon2  
,king of ,thebes4 ,this dispiteous and  
abominable tyrant prohibits the bodies  
of the warriors fallen in the celebrated
 siege of that city from burial4 ,the   
widows of the slain princes and nobles  
move ,theseus for vengeance and redress1
 which he instantly undertakes1 and     
forthwith executes4 ,and now mark the   
admixture of times and manners4 ,in the 
first place1 the heinousness of the     
crime1 and even the imagination of such 
an impiety1 are purely antique1 as1 in  
truth1 the fact itself is on classical  
record in the ,antigone of ,sophocles4  
,again1 the suppliant1 bereaved1 and    
woebegone wives have awaited ,theseus's 
coming in the temple of the goddess     
,clemency1 than which nothing can be    
more classical2 and the manner in which1

 at his return home from his victorious 
war upon the ,amasones1 the sorrowful   
company receive him1 kneeling by two and
 two clothed in black1 along the        
highway1 might persuade you that ,sir   
,matheu had read the ,o,edipus          
,tyrannus1 and successfully imitated    
,o,edipus's dolorous and picturesque    
reception in the streets of ,thebes1 by 
the kneeling1 plague-smitten population 
of the city4  ,on the other hand1 the   
claim of redress at the hand of the     
warrior carries your imagination to the 
interesting volumes of ,st ,palaye2 and 
clearly refers to the obligation by     
which the knight1 at his investiture1   
bound himself to redress all wrongs1    
especially those of the ladies4 ,and    
,theseus is nothing slack in            
acknowledging the obligation4 ,he       
dismounts1 takes them each and all up in
 his arms1    ,and swore his oth1 as he 
was trewe knight1  that he will do his  
endeavour that the world shall applaud  
the chastising of the false             

king4--,again1 when the one day's       
demolishing fight has given ,creon to   
death1 and his ,land into ,theseus's    
hand1 and the two right ,heroes of the  
,tale1 the ,theban cousins1 ,palamon and
 ,arcite1 are dragged out1 half-alive   
and half-dead1 from the heap of the     
slain1 the herauds know them1 by the    
cote-armoure1 to be of the blood-royal4 
,of course1 they are designated         
knights4--,again3 ,theseus will take no 
ransom for them4 ,that is perhaps1      
indifferently1 ancient or modern2 but it
 sounds to our ears rather modern1 that 
he shuts them up in a high tower1 which 
overlooks the ,garden of his ,palace4   
,but now we plunge into the bosom of our
 own ,heroic times4 ,to do observance to
 the ,may is a rite that we find        
continually occurring in the poetry of  
the middle ages4 ,it is on ,may morning 
that ,emelie1 going into the garden to  
gather flowers1 and wreathe for herself 
a coronal1 is first seen by the two     
captive ,theban kinsmen4 ,again1 when   

,arcite1 liberated by the intervention  
of ,pirithous1 has returned1 and is     
living unrecognized in the service of   
,theseus1 it is precisely upon the same 
occasion of going into the wood to      
gather grenes for ,may morning1 that he 
falls in with ,palamon1 who has the     
night before broken prison1 and hides   
himself during the day in the           
forest--which encounter leads to their  
set encounter in arms the next day1 and 
so to the interruption of their duel by 
,theseus himself1 and so to all the     
consequent course of events4 ,whatever  
the true rites of returning ,may may    
have been1 in classical antiquity1 the  
observance comes into this tale from the
 manners of mediaeval ,europe1 not of   
ancient ,greece4  ,with what glad and   
light ritual1 the ,athenians1 in the    
first years after the war of the ,seven 
,chiefs against ,thebes1 did homage to  
their king and queen of the ,may1 we do 
not remember to have seen distinctly    
described4 ,at this day the young folk  

of old ,hellas parade the streets1      
shouting the classical ,greek3          
chelidonisma1 or song of the swallow1 on
 the #ast of ,march4 ,the ,romans held  
their ,floralia from the #bhth of ,april
 to the #ast of ,may1 danced and sang1  
and had games1 and crowned themselves   
with garlands and with flowers4         
,nevertheless1 you instinctively feel   
that the singularly graceful picture of 
,emelie1 called up from slumber by the  
dawning ,may morning1 and proceeding to 
pluck in the royal garden the dew-fresh 
and bright materials of her own coronal1
 owes nothing to the lore of books1 but 
is breathingly imaged from some gracious
 original of our own good fourteenth    
century4 ,you remain assured1 that the  
trustworthy poet records his own proper 
love-experience in adjusting the        
occasion that is to vivify with a new   
passion the dolorous prison of the two  
,thebans1 and turn the sworn            
brothers-in-arms into rivals at deadly  
feud with each other4 ,that rougher age 

of the world--rude the day was not that 
produced and cherished ,chaucer--had    
this virtue1 that the grown-up men and  
women were still1 by a part of their    
heart1 children4 ,the welcoming-in of   
the ,may is described by the old poets  
in different countries of ,europe as a  
passion--seizing upon young and old1    
high and low4 ,all were for the hour    
children--children of nature4 ,when1    
therefore1 that love at first sight1    
which immediately becomes a destiny to  
the two kinsmen1 governing their whole  
after-life1 is in this manner attached  
by our poet to the visit made upon this 
occasion by ,emelie to the garden which 
their tower overlooks1 the reader is    
entitled to understand that the poet    
does for him the very best thing any    
poet can do1 that he infuses into his   
poetical dream his own pulsating        
life-blood4  ,the immense joy and       
universal jubilee of nature1 called out 
by the annual renewing of warmth1 light1
 life1 and beauty1 and the share and the

 sympathy of man in the diffusive and   
exuberant benediction1 fix themselves   
and take form in stated and ordered     
celebrations all the world over4 ,it    
seems hard to deny to any nation the    
rejoicing on the return of summer4 ,all 
have it4 ,yet certainly ,chaucer paints 
from his own experience1 and not from   
erudition4 ,the poem of ,the ,cuckou and
 the ,nightingale is a mere extolling of
 love and the ,may4 ,the exordium is a  
sort of incidental hymn to the          
,love-god1 and runs into affirming and  
arguing at some length the peculiar     
energy of his dominion in this month4   
,and most his might he shedeth ever in  
,may4  ,the ,complaint of the ,black    
,knight--love is his complaint--falls in
 ,may4 ,the unhappy lover has built     
himself a lodge or bower in the         
greenwood1 whether with returning ,may  
he withdraws himself from all feasts1   
societies1 and throngs of men1 to       
dedicate himself to love-mourning1 and  
where1 under the trees1 whilst the month

 of love lasts1 he remains abandoned to 
his love-martyrdom4 ,that ',dreme of    
,chaucer1' which has been supposed1     
although ,tyrwhitt thinks fancifully1 to
 refer to the marriage of ,john of      
,gaunt with the ,lady ,blanche1 happens 
as he lay alone on a night of ,may      
thinking of his lady4 ,the opening of   
the ,flower and ,leaf puts you in doubt 
whether you are not rather in ,april    
than in ,may2 but by and by you find    
that the nightingale has been all the   
day long singing the service of ,may4   
,all this amorous and poetical caressing
 of the ,may discovers1 in the twice    
resting the process of events in ,the   
,knight's ,tale upon the observance of  
,may-day1 a significancy otherwise      
perhaps less evident4 ,shakspeare1 in   
the verse--    ,as full of spirits as   
the month of ,may1  expresses the       
natural ground which ceremony and       
eulogy1 solemn or quaint1 have          
artificially displayed in the usages of 
old times1 and in the poetry of         

,chaucer4  ,but to return to our two    
knights4 ,they are brothers-in-arms--by 
the by1 rather a romantic1 than a       
classical institution--and so pledged to
 help one another in love2 and the      
question arises1 as the ground of a long
 argument1 which is traitor to the      
other4 ,yet here1 too1 is intermixed the
 classical with the romantic4 ,for      
,palamon1 who first sees ,emelie1 takes 
her for the goddess ,venus2 on which    
,arcite ingeniously founds his own plea1
 that he first loved her as a woman1 and
 so is entitled to the help of the      
other4 ,their silent arming of one      
another1 for mortal duel1 in the forest1
 each    ,as frendly as he were his owen
 brother1  reminds you of chivalrous    
loyalty and faith2 although it would be 
hard to deny that the antique warriors  
might have been as honest4 ,but the     
truth is1 that in ,homer every knight   
arms himself1 and the two ,thebans must 
have worn modern armour to need this    
help4 ,and yet here what a classical    

relief in the simile of the hunter6 ,of 
all transplantation from the modern to  
the ancient1 tempered nevertheless with 
antiquity1 their great listed ,duel     
stands foremost4 ,take it1 with all the 
circumstances that introduce it4 ,whilst
 the kinsmen are fighting1 ,theseus     
rides up1 pulled out a sword1 and cried1
 ,ho6 ,this is the language of the #adth
 century1 and the western side of       
,europe4 ,but he swears by mighty ,mars1
 that the first who strikes another     
stroke shall lose his head4 ,both are   
liable to death4 ,palamon for having    
broken prison1 and ,arcite1 because his 
avoiding ,athenian ground on pain of    
death was an original condition of his  
liberation4 ,theseus' challenge to them1
 ,tell me who ye are that are so bold as
 to fight here without judge or officer1
 is the manner of the poet's day4 ,in   
the time of ,theseus1 fighting in a wood
 near ,athens was free to all the world4
  ,what saves them8 ,the interposition  
of the ladies6 ,queen1 princess1 court  

and all1 who think it a pity two gallant
 young gentil men of gret estat shall   
die1 and all for love4 ,the duke is     
moved2 for pity soon melts in a gentil  
herte4 ,and he appoints a regular       
,tournament--that at the year's end they
 shall meet1 each bringing a hundred    
knights1 and fight it out4 ,he pledges  
himself 'upon his troth1 and as he is a 
knight1' that he who shall slay his     
adversary1 or 'out of listes him drive1'
 shall have ,emelie to wife4  ,the lists
 are--from the hint of antiquity--a     
regular ,amphitheatre1 a mile           
about--walled1 and the seats in steps to
 the height of sixty paces4 ,art and    
wealth have been lavished in making the 
field worthy of the fight4 ,over the    
,eastern gate is an altar and an        
,oratorie to ,venus--over the ,western1 
to ,mars--on the ,north side is one to  
,diana4 ,the description of the three   
,fanes is of surpassing power4 ,among   
the portraitures in that of ,mars is the
 ,suicide1 for whom the relater1 poet or

 knight1 forgets himself in his vivid   
conception1 and says that he saw it4    
,the allies of the two knights are both 
classically and romantically chosen4    
,with ,palamon comes ,licurge1 the grete
 king of ,trace4 ,that is classical4    
,with ,arcite the grete ,emetrius1 the  
king of ,inde4 ,that is romantic4 ,the  
persons of the two kings are described  
at large1 with great strength and       
fecundity of painting4 ,and here again1 
in the way of art1 the contrast is      
admirably sustained and effective4      
,licurge is the older1 more uncouth1 and
 giant-like4 ,the youthful ,emetrius is 
more splendid and knightly4 ,both are   
thoroughly regal and formidable4        
,licurge is black-bearded1 for the sake 
of more savage effect2 wherefore the    
monarch of ,inde1 contrariwise to the   
actual distribution of races over the   
earth1 or more properly speaking to the 
known influence of climate1 is fair4    
,his crisp and ringed locks are yellow1 
and glitter like the sun4 ,his          

complexion may trouble the              
physiologists2 but is not likely to     
discompose the poetical reader under the
 tuition of ,christopher ,north4 ,the   
foure white bolles that draw the 'char  
of gold' upon which the ,thracian       
stands1 are as antique as you can       
devise4 ,the tamed eagle as any lily    
white1 which ,emetrius carries for his  
deduit--therefore1 in lieu of a hawk    
upon his hand1 is of manners that are   
almost our own4  ,each king brings his  
own hundred knights4 ,they arrive on the
 ,sonday abouten prime4 ,the tilting    
will be next day4 ,the three persons    
principally interested in the issue of  
the impending combat perform1 in the    
interval1 their devotions at the three  
several shrines1 which have been aptly  
provided for them in the building of the
 lists4 ,each of them obtains an answer 
from the respective deity4 ,two hours   
ere the day1 ,palamon visits the oratory
 of ,venus4 ,he prays that he may win   
,emelie1 although he should lose what   

comparatively he regards with           
indifference1 the palm of the conflict4 
,the statue of the goddess renders1     
after a long delay1 the signal of       
acceptance4 ,emelie1 at sunrise1        
worships ,diana4 ,her first prayer is1  
that she may remain till death the      
virgin servant1 herself a huntress1 of  
the divine huntress2 and if that may not
 be1 that he may win her who best loves 
her4 ,upon the altar she kindles two    
fires1 which burn ominously4 ,one goes  
out and revives again4 ,then the other  
is wholly quenched--drops of blood      
falling out from the hissing and burning
 brands4 ,all this the process of the   
combat and its consequences afterwards  
elucidate2 as the appearing goddess     
forewarns her chaste worshipper4 ,the   
'nexte hour of ,marte'--whereof         
anon--,arcite offers prayer and incense 
to the ,god of ,war4 ,he is accepted1   
and victory promised2 but the oracular  
voice murmurs the words faintly and     
hollowly4  ,all this intricate omination

 comes forcibly out in the sequence of  
events2 and is in itself1 as you feel1  
at all events right classical4 ,the     
treatment of the ,hours lies deeper4 ,it
 is astrological4 ,for the twelve now   
longer and now shorter hours1 into which
 the time from sunrise to sunset--and   
the twelve now shorter and now longer1  
into which the time from sunset to      
sunrise was divided1 belonged to the    
,seven ,planets1 in the order ,saturn1  
,jupiter1 ,mars1 ,sol1 ,venus1 ,mercury1
 ,luna--by following out which order1   
you will discover that1 since the first 
hour of ,sunday belongs to the ,sun1    
giving name to the day--the twenty-third
 hour1 or the second before sunrise of  
the following day1 will belong to       
,venus1 to whom ,palamon then prays--and
 the hour of sunrise1 next day1 belongs 
to the ,moon1 or ,diana1 to whom ,emelie
 then addresses herself4 ,following the 
circle1 you find that the fourth hour of
 ,monday belongs to ,mars4 ,this is     
,arcite's hour4 ,and if you wonder how  

such ,chaldaic and ,egyptian lore should
 come into your tale of chivalry1 you   
will be relieved by understanding that  
these dedications had1 in our poetical  
ages1 due popularity for infusing into  
them a poetical efficiency2 forasmuch as
 an old ,french ,shepherds' ,calendar1  
cited by ,tyrwhitt1 alleges the very    
rule which we have given1 for the       
instruction of him who will weet how the
 ,shepherds do wit which planet reigneth
 every hour of the day and of the night4
 ,this timing1 therefore1 of sacrifice  
and orison to the planetary hours1 is   
pertinently and speakingly feigned by   
,chaucer4  ,the ,tournament follows1    
which is mediaeval enough4 ,arcite1     
according to the promise of ,mars1 is   
victorious4 ,palamon is taken and bound4
 ,but here is the difficulty4 ,venus has
 promised ,emelie to ,palamon4 ,saturn1 
the ,greek3 agchylometis1 finds a       
remedy1 and gratifies his               
grand-daughter4 ,as ,arcite1 the victor1
 having taken off his helmet1 rides     

along the lists to show himself to all1 
and especially to ,emelie1 ,pluto1 at   
the request of ,saturn1 sends an        
infernal fury who starts up out of the  
ground before him4 ,the scared horse    
plunges and stumbles2 ,arcite is thrown 
upon his head1 and taken up for dead4   
,he is not dead2 but he dies1 and is    
burned1 after the fashion of ,patroclus 
and ,hector2 and twelve months after1   
his virgin widow is by ,theseus given in
 marriage to ,palamon4  ,what is the    
real effect of all this commixture8 ,the
 truth is1 that under such              
circumstances1 after a little resistance
 and struggling1 you give in1 and let   
the poet have his own way1 provided that
 he is a poet4 ,there is but one        
condition--that the poet put1 into      
whatever manners1 true life4 ,then you  
willingly give up your own dull         
book-learning1 and accept his painting  
for the authentic record of reality4    
,you are1 in fact1 gradually conducted  
to this pass1 that you look upon history

 as useful for ministering materials to 
poetry1 not upon poetry as bound to     
teach history4 ,but ,chaucer has        
wonderfully put life into the classical 
part of the poem1 so that you can hardly
 say that he seems more at home in      
giving the manners which he had seen1   
than in reviving the manners which he   
had only read4 ,he has this in common   
with ,shakspeare4 ,in common with       
,shakspeare he has1 too1 the apology for
 the confusion of manners--of having    
lived before we were as critical in the 
costume of ages and nations as we now   
are4  ,the ',knight's ,tale1' after the 
requisition usually laid upon an epic   
fable1 makes use1 and skilfully1 of     
preternatural machinery4 ,and here we   
will venture a vindication against an   
illustrious critic4 ,the first          
suggestion to the banished ,arcite of   
returning to ,athens1 comes to him in   
sleep4 ,there is a slight invoking of   
the supernatural--at least of the       
fabulous4 ,he dreams that ,mercury      

appears1 and announces to him an end of 
his woe at ,athens4 ,on awaking1 he     
casts his eyes on a mirror1 and sees    
that he is so changed with love-pining  
that he no longer knows himself--goes in
 disguise to ,athens1 offers himself to 
serve in the household of ,emelie1 and  
is accepted4 ,sir ,w4 ,scott blames this
 introduction of ,mercury as needless1  
but let it be remembered3----  ,first1  
,that this is introductory to far more  
important divine interpositions1 is in  
keeping with them1 and prepares the     
imagination for them4  ,secondly1 ,that1
 so managed1 it is the least violent    
intervention of a god2 the apparition   
being ambiguous between a natural dream 
and a real divine manifestation3 an     
ambiguity which1 by the by1 is quite    
after the antique4 ,so1 ,mercury appears
 to ,a,eneas in a dream in the ,fifth   
,book of the ,a,eneid3 and compare      
,hector's ,ghost1 c4  ,thirdly1 ,that a 
psychological fact may be understood as 
here lively shadowed3--namely1 that     

active purposes have often their birth  
during the mystery of sleep2 and it     
would be a very felicitous poetical     
expression of this phenomenon to turn   
the oracular suggestion of the soul into
 a deity--,sua cuique ,,deus fit dira   
cupido4  ,fourthly1 ,it is completely   
probable1 that the fancy of a believer  
in ,mercury would actually shape his own
 dreaming thought into the suitable     
deity4--,the vision is lightly touched  
by ,chaucer1 and gracefully translated  
by ,dryden4 ,the classical inventions   
throughout appear to be very much from  
,boccaccio2 but the poetry of the       
relation ,chaucer's own4  ,do you wish  
to see ,dryden in his majesty8 ,look    
here3--      ,but in the dome of mighty 
,mars the red1   ,with different figures
 all the sides were spread4   ,this     
temple1 less in form1 with equal grace1 
,was imitative of the first in ,thrace3 
,for that cold region was the loved     
abode1   ,and sovereign mansion of the  
warrior god4   ,the landscape was a     

forest wide and bare1   ,where neither  
beast nor human kind repair2   ,the fowl
 that scent afar1 the borders fly1      
,and shun the bitter blast1 and wheel   
about the sky4   ,a cake of scurf lies  
baking on the ground1   ,and prickly    
stubs1 instead of trees1 are found2     
,or woods with knots and knares deform'd
 and old1   ,headless the most1 and     
hideous to behold2   ,a rattling tempest
 through the branches went1   ,that     
stripp'd them bare1 and one sole way    
they bent4   ,heaven froze above severe1
 the clouds congeal1   ,and through the 
crystal vault appear'd the standing     
hail4   ,such was the face without2 a   
mountain stood   ,threat'ning from high1
 and overlook'd the wood2   ,beneath the
 lowering brow1 and on a bent1   ,the   
temple stood of ,mars armipotent2   ,the
 frame of burning steel1 that cast a    
glare   ,from far1 and seem'd to thaw   
the freezing air4   ,a straight long    
entry to the temple led1   ,blind with  
high walls1 and horror overhead2        

,thence issued such a blast and hollow  
roar1   ,as threaten'd from the hinge to
 heave the door2   ,in through that     
door1 a northern light there shone2     
',twas all it had1 for windows there    
were none4   ,the gate was adamant1     
eternal frame6   ,which1 hew'd by ,mars 
himself1 from ,indian quarries came1    
,the labour of a ,god2 and all along    
,tough iron plates were clench'd to make
 it strong4   ,a ton about was every    
pillar there2   ,a polish'd mirror shone
 not half so clear2   ,there saw ,i how 
the secret felon wrought1   ,and treason
 labouring in the traitor's thought1    
,and midwife ,time the ripen'd plot to  
murder brought4   ,there the red ,anger 
dared the pallid ,fear2   ,next stood   
,hypocrisy1 with holy leer2             
,soft-smiling1 and demurely looking     
down1   ,but hid the dagger underneath  
the gown2   ,the assassinating wife1 the
 household fiend2   ,and1 far the       
blackest there1 the traitor-friend4     
,on t'other side1 there stood           

,destruction bare1   ,unpunish'd        
,rapine1 and a waste of war2   ,contest1
 with sharpen'd knives1 in cloisters    
drawn1   ,and all with blood bespread   
the holy lawn4   ,loud menaces were     
heard1 and foul disgrace1   ,and bawling
 infamy in language base1   ,till sense 
was lost in sound1 and silence fled the 
place4   ,the slayer of himself yet saw 
,i there1   ,the gore congeal'd was     
clotted in his hair1   ,with eyes half  
closed1 and gaping mouth he lay1   ,and 
grim1 as when he breathed his sullen    
soul away4   ,in midst of all the dome  
,misfortune sate1   ,and gloomy         
,discontent1 and fell ,debate1   ,and   
,madness laughing in his ireful mood2   
,and arm'd complaint on theft1 and cries
 of blood4   ,there was the murder'd    
corpse in covert laid1   ,and violent   
death in thousand shapes display'd1     
,the city to the soldiers' rage         
resign'd1   ,successless wars1 and      
poverty behind3   ,ships burnt in fight1
 or forced on rocky shores1   ,and the  

rash hunter strangled by the boars2     
,the new-born babe by nurses overlaid2  
,and the cook caught within the raging  
fire he made4   ,all ills of ,mars his  
nature1 flame and steel2   ,the gasping 
charioteer beneath the wheel   ,of his  
own car2 the ruin'd house that falls    
,and intercepts her lord betwixt the    
walls4   ,the whole division that to    
,mars pertains1   ,all trades of death  
that deal in steel for gains1   ,were   
there2 the butcher1 armourer1 and smith1
   ,who forges sharpen'd faulchions1 or 
the scythe4   ,the scarlet conquest on a
 tower was placed   ,with shouts1 and   
soldiers' acclamations graced2   ,a     
pointed sword hung threat'ning o'er his 
head1   ,sustain'd but by a slender     
twine of thread4   ,there saw ,i ,mars  
his ,ides1 the ,capitol1   ,the seer in 
vain foretelling ,caesar's fall2   ,the 
last ,triumvirs1 and the wars they move1
   ,and ,antony1 who lost the world for 
love3   ,these1 and a thousand more1 the
 ,fane adorn1   ,their fates were       

painted ere the men were born2   ,all   
copied from the heavens1 and ruling     
force   ,of the red star1 in his        
revolving course4   ,the form of ,mars  
high on a chariot stood1   ,all sheathed
 in arms1 and gruffly look'd the ,god3  
,two geomantic figures were display'd   
,above his head1 a warrior and a maid1  
,one when direct1 and one when          
retrograde4  ,the ,knight's ,tale1 the  
longest and most laboured of ,chaucer's 
stories1 possesses a degree of          
regularity which might satisfy the most 
severe critic4 ,it is true that the     
honour arising from thence must be      
assigned to the more ancient bard1 who  
had himself drawn his subject from an   
,italian model2 but the high and decided
 preference which ,dryden has given to  
this story1 although somewhat censured  
by ,trapp1 enables us to judge how much 
the poet held an accurate combination of
 parts1 and coherence of narrative1     
essentials of epic poetry4 ,this is in  
,sir ,walter's happiest natural vein2   

not so the astounding passage that      
follows it4 ,that a classic scholar like
 ,trapp should think the plan of the    
,knight's ,tale equal to that of the    
,iliad1 is a degree of candour not to be
 hoped for2 but surely to an            
unprejudiced reader1 a story which      
exhausts in its conclusion all the      
interest which it has excited in its    
progress2 which1 when terminated1 leaves
 no question to be asked1 no personage  
undisposed of1 and no curiosity         
unsatisfied1 is abstractedly considered 
more gratifying than the history of a   
few weeks of a ten years' war1 commenced
 long after the siege had begun1 and    
ending long before the city was taken6  
,why1 is not this the true and          
magnificent praise of the ,iliad1 that  
from the heart of the immense war it has
 taken out a story of individual        
interest1 which begins where your       
curiosity asks1 and where your sympathy 
finds repose8 ,achilles--his quarrel    
with ,agamemnon--his loss of            

,patrocles--his vengeance on            
,hector--accomplished when he willingly 
relinquishes the body to burial8 ,that  
is the integrity of an epic fable1 which
 employs the ,ten ,years' ,war1 not for 
its subject1 but for the illimitable    
field in which its gigantic subject     
moves4 ,he was the greatest of the      
poets1 who knew how to make the storms1 
rising and falling1 in the single breast
 of the goddess-born more to you1 his   
hearer1 than the war which has encamped 
a hundred thousand ,greeks in siege     
before the imperial city of ,priam4     
,from a great poet1 the most ,homeric of
 modern poets--what a judgment on the   
,iliad6 ,trapp's words are--,novimus    
judicium ,drydeni de poemate quodam     
,chauceri pulchro sane illo1 et admodum 
laudando1 nimirum quod non modo vere    
epicum sit1 sed ,iliada etiam atque     
,a,eneada aequet1 imo superet4 ,sed     
novimus eodem tempore viri illius maximi
 non semper accuratissimas esse         
censuras1 nec ad severississimam        

critices normam exactas3 illo judice1 id
 plerumque optimum est1 quod nunc prae  
manibus habet1 et in quo nunc occupatur4
 ,perfectly true4 ,what says ,dryden8   
,it is of the epic kind1 and perhaps not
 much inferior to the ',ilias' or the   
',a,eneid4' ,the story is more pleasing 
than either of them1 the manners as     
perfect1 the diction as poetical1 the   
learning as deep and various1 and the   
disposition full as artful1 only it     
includes a greater length of time1 as   
taking up seven years at least4 ,godwin 
says truly1 ,this eulogium must be      
acknowledged to be written in a spirit  
of ridiculous and impertinent           
exaggeration4 ,and he then says as      
truly1 that it is full of novelty and   
surprise1 is every where alive1         
comprises the most powerful portrait of 
chivalry that was perhaps ever believed1
 and possesses every thing in splendour 
and in action that can most             
conspicuously point out the scenes of   
the narrative to the eye of the reader4 

,dryden's version is indeed what ,warton
 has pronounced it to be--the most      
animated and harmonious piece of        
versification in the ,english language4 
,if you ask what reconciles you to the  
prevalent confusion of manners in this  
noble poem1 it is the earnest simple    
spirit with which the ,knight goes on   
relating as if he believed every word4  
,it is1 as we said1 with ,chaucer as    
with ,shakspeare4 ,shakspeare mixes     
times of the world1 and we bear it4     
,iachimo1 a complete modern ,italian--a 
more courtly ,iago--serves under        
,lucius1 general to some emperor--we    
forget which1 if we ever knew--of old   
,rome2 and beguiles1 to the death       
almost1 that ,posthumus ,leonatus--a    
,celt1 by the by1 with two ,latin       
names--to whom ,jupiter--not exactly the
 supreme deity of the ,celto-,british   
,pantheon--descends in actual presence4 
,we1 the auditors1 or the readers1      
meanwhile1 breathe no whisper of doubt  
or dissatisfaction4 ,why should we8 ,we 

believe with eye1 and ear1 and          
imagination1 and heart2 and are as fain 
of our                                  
wildly-compounded--real-unreal--dream1  
as the birds are of the dawning4        
,hamlet1 born and bred in the court of  
our own ,elizabeth1 and abruptly called 
up to ,town1 on the point of graduating 
with honours at ,oxford1 is shown to our
 credulous apprehension rooted upon a   
soil and in a century when and where    
there were no human shapes to be met    
with but bloodthirsty ,vikings and      
invulnerable ,berserkers4 ,and we take  
all in excellent part4 ,why shall we    
not8 ,we gain past all computation by   
the slight intellectual concession4     
,besides1 we cannot well help ourselves2
 for we are not the ,masters4 ,the      
enchanter is the ,master3--who sets us  
down1 not after the saying of ,horace1  
now in ,greece and now in ,britain--but 
in ,britain and in ,greece at one and   
the same moment4  ,shakspeare commingles
 widely divided times2 and why1 two     

hundred years before him1 shall not     
,chaucer8 ,it requires practice to read 
,chaucer4 ,not only do you need         
familiarizing to a form of the language1
 which is not your own1 but much more to
 a simplicity of style1 which at first  
appears to you like barenness and       
poverty4 ,it seems meagre4 ,you miss too
 much the rich and lavish colours of the
 later time4 ,your eye is used to       
gorgeousness and gaudiness4 ,the severe 
plainness of the old manner wants zest  
for you4 ,but1 when you are used to     
,chaucer1 can accept his expression1 and
 think and feel with him1 this          
hinderance wears off4 ,you find a strong
 imagination--a gentle pathos--no lack  
of accumulation1 where needed--but the  
crowding is always of effective         
circumstances or images--a playfulness1 
upon occasion1 even in serious          
writing--but the special characteristic 
of the style is1 that the word is always
 to the purpose4 ,he amply possesses his
 language1 and his sparing expression is

 chosen1 and never inadequate--never    
indigent4 ,his rule is1 that for every  
phrase there be matter2 and narrative or
 argument is thus constantly            
progressive4 ,he does not appear to be  
hurried out of himself by the heat of   
composition4 ,his good understanding    
completely goes along with him1 and     
weighs every word4  ,dryden's rendering 
of ,chaucer is a totally distinct       
operation from his ,englishing of       
,virgil--,homer--,lucretius--,juvenal--,
ovid4 ,and you are satisfied that it    
should be so4 ,he could not transfer    
these poets1 accomplished in art1 and   
using their language in an age of its   
perfection1 with too close a likeness of
 themselves4 ,he translates because the 
language is unknown to his presumed     
reader4 ,this is but half his motive    
with ,chaucer4 ,the language would be   
more easily got over2 but the mind is of
 another age1 and that is less          
accessible--more distant from us than   
the obsolete dialect4 ,we are contented 

to have the style of that day translated
 into the style of our own4 ,is this a  
dereliction of poetical principle8      
,hardly4 ,the spirited and splendid     
verse and language of ,dryden have given
 us a new poem4 ,why should our         
literature have forborne from so        
enriching herself8 ,hear ,dryden        
himself4       ,but there are other     
judges1 who think ,i ought not to have  
translated      ,chaucer into ,english1 
out of a quite contrary notion4 ,they   
suppose      there is a certain         
veneration due to his old language1 and 
that it is      little less than        
profanation and sacrilege to alter it4  
,they are      farther of opinion1 that 
somewhat of his good sense will suffer  
in      this transfusion1 and much of   
the beauty of his thoughts will         
infallibly be lost1 which appear with   
more grace in their old habit4      ,of 
this opinion as that excellent person   
whom ,i mentioned1 the late      ,earl  
of ,leicester1 who valued ,chaucer as   

much as ,mr ,cowley despised      him4  
,my lord dissuaded me from this attempt1
 7for ,i was thinking of      it some   
years before his death17 and his        
authority prevailed so far      with me 
as to defer my undertaking while he     
lived1 in deference to      him2 yet my 
reason was not convinced with what he   
urged against it4      ,if the first end
 of writer be to be understood1 then as 
his language      grows obsolete his    
thoughts must grow obscure4             
',multa renascentur1 quae jam cecidere2 
cadentque          ,quae nunc sunt in   
honore vocabula1 si volet usus1         
,quem penes arbitrium est et jus et     
norma loquendi6       ,when an ancient  
word1 for its sound and significancy1   
deserves to be      revived1 ,i have    
that reasonable veneration for antiquity
 to restore      it4 ,all beyond this is
 superstition4 ,words are not like      
landmarks1 so      sacred as never to be
 removed4 ,customs are changed1 and even
 statutes      are silently repealed1   

when the reason ceases for which they   
were      enacted4 ,as for the other    
part of the argument--that his thoughts 
will lose of their original beauty by   
the innovation of words--in the         
first place1 not only their beauty but  
their being is lost1 where      they are
 no longer understood1 which is the     
present case4 ,i grant      that        
something must be lost in all           
transfusion--that is1 in all            
translations2 but the sense will remain1
 which would otherwise be      lost1 or 
at least be maimed1 when it is scarce   
intelligible1 and that      but to a    
few4 ,how few are there who can read    
,chaucer1 so as to      understand him  
perfectly6 ,and if imperfectly1 then    
with less profit      and no pleasure4  
,it is not for the use of some old      
,saxon friends that      ,i have taken  
these pains with him--let them neglect  
my version1      because they have no   
need of it4 ,i made it for their sakes  
who      understand sense and poetry as 

well as they1 when that poetry and      
sense is put into words which they      
understand4 ,i will go further1 and     
dare to add1 that what beauties ,i lose 
in some places1 ,i give to      others  
which had them not originally4 ,but in  
this ,i may be partial to      myself2  
let the reader judge1 and ,i submit to  
his decision4 ,yet ,i      think ,i have
 just occasion to complain of them1 who1
 because they      understand ,chaucer1 
would deprive the greater part of their 
countrymen of the same advantage1 and   
hoard him up as misers do their         
granddam gold1 only to look on it       
themselves1 and hinder others from      
making use of it4 ,in sum1 ,i seriously 
protest1 that no man ever had1      or  
can have1 a greater veneration for      
,chaucer than myself4 ,i have           
translated some part of his works1 only 
that ,i might perpetuate his            
memory1 or at least refresh it1 amongst 
my countrymen4 ,if ,i have      altered 
him any where for the better1 ,i must at

 the same time      acknowledge1 that ,i
 could have done nothing without him4   
,facile est      inventis addere is no  
great commendation2 and ,i am not so    
vain to      think ,i have deserved a   
greater4  ,you are an ,englishman1 and a
 scholar in your mother-tongue4 ,good6  
,you have dabbled1 it may be1 in        
,anglo-,saxon1 ,alfred's ,english4 ,it  
is all very well4 ,you read ,chaucer    
easily4 ,we congratulate you4 ,you will1
 we hope1 love the speech1 and the soul1
 and the green1 grassy mould of old     
,england all the better4 ,we praise you 
for searching ,england near and far1    
high and low4 ,do this heartily2 do this
 understandingly2 and you are           
excellently engaged4 ,but do not grudge 
your next neighbour1 who is merely a    
modern ,englishman--a thorough          
good-fellow of one1 however--his        
,chaucer1 in a tongue and manner that he
 can read without stepping out of       
himself--his ,chaucer1 for his          
possession of whom he thanks ,dryden1   

and from his grateful heart ejaculates  
glorious ,john6     ,,maynooth4   ,it is
 due to the character of this ,journal1 
unflinching in its ,conservative        
politics through one entire stormy      
generation1 that1 in any great crisis of
 public interest1 or in any fervent     
strife of public opinion1 it should     
utter its voice strongly2 under the     
shape of a protest and a parting        
testimony to the truth1 where the case  
practically may be hopeless2 under the  
shape of a hearty effort1 co-operating  
with other efforts1 where the case is   
not hopeless4 ,there is nothing more    
depressing to patriotic honour and      
loyalty than the cowardice of           
despondency1 even when a cause has      
touched the very brink of defeat2 and we
 believe that no spectacle of firmness  
is more naturally congenial to the      
temper of our countrymen1 than the      
fidelity which still makes signal of its
 affection in circumstances desperate   
for resistance1 and which in mortal     

extremities will not relax its hold from
 a cause once conscientiously adopted4  
,do we insinuate by this that the       
anti-,maynooth cause looks desperate8   
,our trust is otherwise4 ,but if it     
were1 what we say is1 that not the less 
the duty remains sacred of hoping after 
all light of encouragement seems to have
 departed4 ,this in any case2 whilst1 in
 the present1 that duty is trebly       
sacred1 because a whole succession of   
objects will remain upon which our      
future hopes must retreat1 even if this 
foremost intrenchment should be forced4 
,maynooth will be no solitary aggression
 on the great cause of ,protestanism3   
that carried1 others will rapidly       
follow3 their aspiring heads are already
 above the horizon2 and it is necessary 
to defend the first line in a spirit of 
gaiety and confidence1 were it only that
 the second line and the third may not  
be abandoned under the contagion of     
dismay4  ,of late this ,journal has a   
good deal retired from the strife of    

politics4 ,our readers must not         
misunderstand this4 ,it was not through 
any treachery to that duty of hope which
 we have been insisting on as sacred3 it
 was through a change in the public     
rather than in ourselves4 ,ireland had  
for some time narrowed itself into ,mr  
,o',connell2 domestic feuds had dwindled
 into the corn question4 ,neither of    
these subjects1 it is true1 was so      
utterly exhausted that we could not have
 found something new to say4 ,but by the
 intolerable persecution of much        
speaking and much writing upon two      
wearisome topics1 the public attention  
at last fell into a mere lethargy1 from 
which it could not be roused to vibrate 
or react under any amount of            
stimulation4 ,the audience fell away to 
nothing as the garrulity of the speakers
 increased2 the public patience         
languished as its abusers multiplied4   
,now1 however1 ,ireland is again        
restored to us as a fountain of interest
 under a new and most agitating impulse4

 ,never1 for many years1 has the public 
mind fermented with so uncontrollable a 
fervour4 ,ascendency upon one field at  
least for ,popery is now felt to be     
making a forward rush2 the balance of   
the constitutional forces1 for a        
government essentially ,protestant1 is  
threatened with overthrow2 and1 if this 
,maynooth endowment prospers1           
,protestantism will receive a deadly    
wound in the empire which is1 and has   
been1 and by ,providence was appointed  
to be1 its main bulwark4  ,in speaking  
to this question1 it is our purpose to  
array briefly before the reader its     
gravest aspects2 to press upon his      
attention one or two which have been    
entirely neglected2 to do this with the 
utmost rapidity that is consistent with 
distinct explanation of our meaning2 but
 all along1 with no purpose of rousing  
angry prejudices1 or appealing to any   
one sentiment that a candid man of any  
one party could describe as bigotry4 ,we
 disapprove entirely1 as a needless     

irritation to ,roman ,catholic feelings1
 of going back to the ,revolution of    
#ahbi4 ,if that great event were now    
pending1 instead of being sixteen years 
in the rear1 it would be our duty1 at   
any cost of possible offence in any     
quarter1 to speak of it as our          
conscience might require us to speak4   
,but1 as things are1 this would be to   
offer a wanton provocation1 utterly     
useless for any practical end1 and      
tending towards the continued alienation
 of many excellent fellow-subjects4     
,wrong or right1 the policy of          
,emancipation has triumphed2 the thing  
is done1 and cannot be undone2 we must  
now adapt ourselves to a system which   
has become the law of the land4 ,it is  
in such a case as with the past errors  
of a man's life3 if he is wise1 he will 
not suffer his energies to waste        
themselves upon unavailing regrets4 ,to 
revoke the irrevocable being an effort  
so manifestly childish1 he will apply   
himself to an effort which is rational1 

manly1 and full of hope--to the         
correcting or mitigating of those       
consequences from his errors which are  
most threatening for his future welfare4
  ,social forms often show the same     
principle of vitality and reproduction2 
and1 after the deadliest convulsions1   
put forward corresponding tendencies to 
restoration of their natural health and 
equilibrium4 ,it is one1 indeed1 amongst
 the tests of excellence in any         
political constitution1 that it can     
stand very rude shocks1 and that it has 
internal resources for healing all      
injuries not organically destructive4   
,catholic emancipation1 whatever might  
be thought of it if viewed from a       
station of unlimited power to choose or 
to reject1 must now be reconciled to our
 minds for better and worse2 and in     
peaceable times will gradually adjust   
itself to the working of our political  
system1 settling into the general       
economy of the machine4 ,but this       
,maynooth endowment tends to other      

results4 ,the steps are inevitable from 
this centre to the very outermost       
periphery that bounds the ambition of   
,irish ,popery2 viz4 to absolute        
ascendancy for itself1 to absolute      
overthrow of ,protestantism in ,ireland1
 and therefore to ultimate separation of
 that island from the ,british empire1  
so far as the dreadful effort is        
concerned4 ,for we must not overlook the
 modern symptoms of the case4 ,formerly1
 as in #aghb for instance1 ,ireland     
dreamed not of any further advantages   
than such as could be extorted from the 
occasional difficulties of ,england     
under foreign hostility1 and such as    
should be sanctioned by ,english        
parliamentary concession4 ,but under the
 long agitation of ,mr ,o',connell a new
 party has grown up1 which regards      
,ireland--however inferior for          
aggressive war--as strong enough1 by    
means of its excessive population1 and  
the local advantages inherent in every  
possessor of the soil1 for throwing off 

the connexion with ,england4            
,independence1 on the footing of a      
separate nation1 is seriously aimed at  
by the young blood of ,ireland2 not with
 a view to any imaginary advantages from
 development of native resources or     
alleviation of taxes1 but on the single 
excitement of nationality4 ,and by this 
ultimate object1 as undoubtedly a       
favoured object working underground and 
extensively in the ,ireland of #ahde1 we
 must measure the tendencies of an      
endowment conferred by ,parliament upon 
the ,popish religion4  ,rightly to judge
 of any favour or privilege whatever    
conceded to ,popery1 we must consider   
the position of ,popery with respect to 
the altered prospects of the world as it
 now is1 and the duties of              
,protestantism1 permanently as well as  
specially1 in relation to the changed   
and changing attitude of our own        
particular crisis4 ,but these being the 
capital aspects of the case1 we will    
first of all notice those more          

manageable and rememberable topics which
 are flying abroad upon the popular     
breath amongst our antagonists4  ,it is 
alleged that we1 the confederate        
opponents of the grant1 are not natural 
allies4 ,being heterogeneous1 our       
opposition cannot be cordial4 ,why not8 
,if comprehensive unanimity1 and        
undistinguishing unanimity1 were an     
indispensable condition towards a       
legitimate confederacy1 then it would be
 an impossibility that any combined     
action of men 7which is one main purpose
 of human society7 should ever arise4   
,some of us think it a high duty of the 
state to endow and favour that form of  
,christianity which the predominant     
opinion 7as collected from the total    
empire7 pronounces the true one4 ,this  
is our own creed2 and it is our further 
belief that this duty is strengthened   
where not only the general opinion has  
pronounced itself strongly for that     
particular religious system1 but where  
also the history and the institutions of

 the land have unfolded themselves for  
centuries1 and through memorable        
struggles1 under the inspiration of that
 system1 conforming to it1 and receiving
 its impress4 ,on the other hand1       
considerable masses of those who now    
pull together with ourselves1 are       
permanent protesters against all state  
endowments of any one particular church2
 and not only so1 but they object to any
 possible mode of connexion between the 
government and the functions of         
ecclesiastical bodies4 ,what of that8   
,those are most thoughtless1 or else    
incapable of self-control1 who at such a
 moment of common peril remind us of    
differences utterly impertinent to the  
question4 ,can we not abstract8 ,if we  
are in discord upon political points1   
are we not agreed upon the great        
interests of our common ,protestantism8 
,why must we be in harmony further than 
as to the one vast cause which we       
jointly defend8 ,upon this logic1 ,whigs
 and ,tories meeting upon the same deck 

must not unite to sink1 burn1 and       
destroy the enemies of their common     
country2 or two households1 ,radical and
 ,conservative1 in the same village1    
must not work the same engine for the   
extinction of a fire which threatens    
every hearth4 ,as to the case of those  
who oppose the grant exclusively on the 
principle of hostility to state         
endowments of religious bodies1 all of  
us see clearly that they travel on our  
road no inch further than it leads to a 
private purpose of their own1 and that  
they will violently wheel away from us  
at the point where our purposes begin to
 divide4 ,but1 in the mean time1 our    
purposes at this moment1 and for the    
instant result1 do not divide2 and their
 support is good for so much of the     
struggle as they are conscientiously    
able to share with us4  ,but surely1 say
 another class of objectors1 though it  
is a pity that the ,irish are not       
,protestants1 it is better that they    
should have ,popery for their form of   

religion than no religion at all4 ,true4
 ,and if this were the alternative      
necessity1 viz4 that1 ,popery decaying1 
all religion must decay in ,ireland2    
then we also should cordially support   
any safe mode 7but not this mode7 of    
raising the standard of education for   
the priestly instructors of ,ireland4   
,but we are not called upon to legislate
 for that dilemma4 ,if1 indeed1 the case
 were that of a ,popish regiment1 it is 
clearly the duty of government to       
provide a ,popish chaplain1 and to see  
that he is properly qualified for his   
office2 because1 if you do not open a   
regular channel to ,popish instructions1
 you are sure that both conscience and  
worldly honour1 paramount principles for
 cherishing amongst soldiers1 will lead 
them to withdraw from all other         
instructions4 ,not being ,papists1 the  
men will become practically infidels4   
,but the case is far otherwise for the  
,irish people4 ,government is not       
summoned to provide any part of an      

improved equipage for an ,irish         
religious establishment4 ,that is done1 
or done sufficiently4 ,whether as       
,protestant or ,catholic1 every man has 
access to religious instructions and    
religious consolations4 ,there is no    
call to improve the quality of the      
priestly ministrations2 for1 considering
 the quality of the doctrines and usages
 which are essential to ,popery1 we do  
not believe that the ,irish priesthood  
is much open to improvement as a        
machinery for carrying out its own      
indefeasible purposes4 ,to raise the    
standard of respectability at ,maynooth1
 would not alter the character of the   
creed which ,maynooth teaches4 ,and when
 it is said that1 with a higher         
education1 the ,romish priesthood would 
be more likely to breed schism or       
incipient reformation within their own  
order1 we doubt greatly as to the       
interpretation of the facts upon which  
that speculation is grounded4 ,the      
,reformation1 which shook the sixteenth 

century1 did not arise1 7as we see it   
alleged17 because ,luther or            
,melanchthon was so much above the      
standard of monkish education4 ,men     
quite as extensively learned as they1   
and even more highly endowed by nature1 
had but the more passionately undertaken
 the cause of ,papal ,rome in           
consequence of those great advantages4  
,luther was strong in the strength of   
his forerunners4 ,the men of ,luther's  
age inherited the zeal and the light    
kindled by three centuries of growing   
truth4 ,and what put the crest and      
plumage upon the aspiring hopes of that 
period1 was the providential madness of 
,rome1 and the towering altitude of her 
corruptions1 which just then1 from      
mercenary causes1 soared aloft more     
audaciously than ever before4 ,in the   
present state of the ,papal church1 and 
under the new hopes which we shall point
 out further on1 as just now opening    
upon her1 it is more than ever          
improbable that any laxity of discipline

 at ,maynooth1 or in the general        
government internally of the ,irish     
church1 will be suffered to leave       
openings for heresies to arise4         
,essentially1 ,rome is aware that1 for  
the next half century1 beyond all the   
churches of earth1 she will be a church 
militant4 ,escaping decay during that   
critical period from the immense        
diffusion of general knowledge1 but of  
knowledge not by any means concurrently 
connected with spiritual                
knowledge--,rome is likely 7as we shall 
soon argue7 to take a prodigious bound  
forward4 ,and if1 on the other hand1 any
 great fermentation of truth should     
commence in the ,popish church of       
,ireland1 and that a vacuum should thus 
be created1 into which the priests could
 no longer carry their minstrations     
acceptably1 that vacuum would be        
instantly filled by zealous             
,protestants4 ,such a change would be so
 far from leaving any part of the ,irish
 poor denuded of spiritual aid1 or in   

any way exposed to the risk of          
infidelity1 7according to the           
objection17 that ,protestant help would 
arise 7we are well assured7 in a ratio  
more than corresponding to a necessity  
that must naturally have been gradual in
 its development4 ,and thus it would    
appear--that1 by strengthening          
,maynooth1 ,government1 so far from     
protecting the people against the       
chances of infidelity1 would 7in the    
case supposed7 have been intercepting   
the fair chances of our own ,protestant 
missions4 ,besides1 that 7according to a
 constant reproach of our antagonists1  
which they must not be allowed to forget
 exactly when it furnishes an argument  
inconvenient to themselves17 the regular
 clergy of the ,irish ,protestant       
establishment1 having churches 7as they 
insist7 without congregations1 will     
always compose a staff large enough to  
intercept any possible expansion of     
infidelity that could attend the        
declension of ,popery through one       

generation at the least4 ,fully         
agreeing1 therefore1 that ,popery is a  
blessing to ,ireland by comparison with 
any risk of no religion at all1 we deny 
firmly that she exposed to such a risk4 
,and if unhappily she were1 a most      
,irish mode of averting that risk it    
would be--to fortify the claims of      
,maynooth1 that last asylum of          
unhallowed and fraudulent casuistry1 a  
casuistry which1 like the traditions of 
the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 makes void 
the pure law of ,god4  ,but a more      
cogent objection at first sight to us1  
the opposers of the ,maynooth grant1    
seems this3 ,in #agif your party it was 
that originally proposed and founded any
 grant at all4 ,if it was right then1 it
 is right now4 ,and1 as to the increase 
from nine thousand pounds per annum to  
twenty-six thousand1 that is a          
consideration for accountants rather    
than for statesmen2 the sum cannot      
affect the principle4  ,here are our    
answers2 for there are more points to   

answer than one4  ,first1 ,it is not    
true1 or near to being true1 that the   
sum at issue could not affect the       
principle concerned4 ,many are the cases
 in which the quantities of the objects 
concerned in acts entirely vary the     
qualities of the acts4 ,the law itself1 
which professedly neglects trifles1 de  
minimis nor curat lex1 and which1 in    
criminal cases1 will not entertain a    
charge where the injury is below a      
certain money amount1 shows how         
essential to the moral estimate of acts 
is the quantity of the value in issue4  
,money being power1 quite as much as    
ever knowledge was power1 and much less 
restrictedly so1 there arises with the  
variations of the sum the largest range 
of variations in the interpretation of  
the understanding between the parties as
 to the intention of giver and receiver4
 ,that sum is a bribe1 which1 divided by
 ten1 is a fair acknowledgment of       
services performed4 ,that sum in other  
cases is an insult1 which1 being        

centupled1 would be an honourable       
expression of distinguished merit4 ,nine
 thousand pounds might have been given1 
and 7if we go back to the facts7 really 
was given as a donation to an abject    
pauper2 whilst an addition of seventeen 
thousand more may be accepted--and 7if  
we consult the facts7 will be           
accepted--in the haughty spirit of one  
who affects to regard as a testimony to 
his own merit what secretly he believes 
to be offered in trembling propitiation4
 ,it was ,burke who suggested the first 
endowment of a ,popish ,college2 but how
 different are acts nominally the same6 
,his motives were the motives of a      
reflecting patriot2 ,sir ,robert ,peel's
 are the motives of a compromiser       
between adverse interests1 whose heart1 
though honourable as regards intentions1
 does not prompt him to give a          
preponderating weight to either side1   
however opposed in principle4 ,the      
motives1 however1 belong to our next    
head4 ,at present1 we are dealing with  

the money amount4 ,it is alleged that   
seventeen thousand added to nine        
thousand can make no difference as to   
principle1 and that all we1 who         
reverence ,burke and ,pitt1 are bound by
 their precedent4 ,now to that point the
 distinct answer is--that the nine      
thousand of ,burke and ,pitt was given  
as an eleemosynary dole to a body too   
poor1 and at that time too abject1 in   
political consideration1 to move        
jealousy in any quarter4 ,but the sum   
now asked is very nearly threefold of   
that fixed by ,mr ,pitt1 and 7if we add 
the interest of the outfit for the new  
furniture1 appointments1 c47 is more    
than threefold4 ,the small sum was given
 as charity2 was given as an annual     
vote2 and the large one will be given   
7if it is given7 as an endowment in     
perpetuity to a haughty political       
interest1 to a corrival of ,trinity     
college1 to a body that has moved       
jealousy in every quarter1 and finally1 
7which sickens us to recollect17 to a   

body that will have the audacity1 in    
concert with ,mr ,o',connell1 one year  
after every favour shall have been      
received1 to disown it as a subject for 
gratitude--acknowledging it only as the 
pledge and monument of ,english panic4  
,secondly1 ,as to the motives1 these    
grew out of the perils diffused by the  
,french ,revolution4 ,the year #agig1   
which followed the suggestion of this   
pecuniary aid to the ,irish priests1 was
 the last year of ,burke's life4 ,in    
what light he viewed the contagion from 
the anti-social frenzy then spreading   
over ,europe1 may be seen from the      
oracular works through which he spoke   
his mind both in #agif and #agig4 ,he   
was profoundly impressed with the       
disorganizing tendencies of the         
principles1 but still more of the       
licentious cravings for change1 which   
from the centre of ,paris had crept like
 a mist over the whole face of ,europe4 
,france was in a less tumultuous state  
then than in #agib-c-d2 but1 as         

respected ,europe generally1 the aspect 
of things was worse2 because naturally  
the explosion of frenzy in ,paris during
 the ,reign of ,terror1 took a space of 
two or three years to reproduce and     
train the corresponding sympathies in   
other great capitals of the ,continent4 
,by #agig1 the contagion was mature4    
,thence came the necessity for some     
domestic establishment where ,irish     
priests should be educated3 it was no   
longer safe that they should resort to  
,st ,omers3 both because the unsettled  
license of thinking upon all things     
established would form the very worst   
atmosphere for clerical sobriety2 and   
more specifically because all the       
,jacobins of the time bore deadly hatred
 to ,england4 ,the priests trained at   
,st ,omers1 would in fact have become a 
corps of spies1 decoys1 and conspirators
 in the service of ,france4 ,the        
rebellion of '#ih read a commentary on  
this text4 ,and no policy1 therefore1   
could have been wiser than to intercept 

such a result by a periodical grant to  
,maynooth2 whilst the requisite         
dependency of the institution was       
secured by making the grant annual4     
,now1 however1 not only is it proposed  
to make it permanent1 which 7together   
with the enlarged amount7 totally       
changes its character1 but a greater    
change still is--that the original      
reason for any grant at all1 the        
political reason1 has entirely passed   
away4 ,the objection to a continental   
education may be strong as regards the  
convenience of the ,irish2 but the      
inconvenience has no longer any relation
 to ourselves4 ,no air in ,europe can be
 tainted with a fiercer animosity to    
,england than the air of ,ireland4 ,in  
this respect the students of ,maynooth  
cannot be more perilously situated4     
,whilst we all know by the ,repeal rent 
and the ,o',connell yearly tribute1 that
 the ,irish ,papists could easily raise 
three times the money demanded for      
,maynooth1 if they were as willing to be

 just in a service of national duty as  
they are to be liberal in a service of  
conspiracy4  ,thirdly1 ,connected with  
this question of motives1 arises another
 aspect of the case4 ,a college1 it may 
be said1 cannot do much in the way of   
modifying the political temper of a     
country1 whether for the better or the  
worse4 ,if disaffection to the          
government prevails in ,ireland1 that   
may argue no participation in such a    
spirit by the rules of ,maynooth4 ,but  
in another direction1 ,maynooth cannot  
plead innocence4 ,the ,o',connell       
agitation would at any rate1 with or    
without ,maynooth1 have distempered all 
public loyalty amongst the lower        
classes4 ,they could present no         
resistance to influences operating too  
strongly upon their nationality4 ,but   
the priestly order1 if originally by    
their training at all adorned with the  
graces proper to their profession1 would
 not have fallen under the influence of 
acts so entirely mobbish4 ,yet we know  

that by no other engine has ,mr         
,o',connell so powerfully operated on   
the ,irish mind as through the agency of
 the priests4 ,not ,o',connell moulded  
them for his service1 but they presented
 themselves ready moulded to him2 and   
with exceptions so rare as to argue a   
more extensive secularisation of the    
priestly mind throughout ,ireland1 than 
has ever been witnessed in the          
strongholds of ,popery4 ,this early     
preoccupation by a worldly taint of the 
clerical mind amongst the ,irish        
,catholics1 could not possibly have     
reached an excess so entirely without   
parallel in ,europe1 unless chiefly     
through profligate systems of training  
at ,maynooth4 ,in all ,ireland there was
 found with difficulty any specimen of  
the simple rural pastor 7so common in   
,france7 who withdrew himself from      
political strife4 ,the priest who       
considered his spiritual character      
degraded by partisanship1 7no matter in 
what service17 was nowhere to be heard  

of4 ,wherever ,mr ,o',connell wanted an 
agent1 an intriguer1 an instrument for  
rousing the people1 he was sure of one  
in the parish priest4 ,now this fact is 
decisive upon the merits of ,maynooth4  
,it matters not what latitude may be    
allowed to variety of political views2  
no politics of any sort can be regarded 
as becoming to a village pastor4 ,but   
allow him to be a politician1 how could 
a priest become a tool without ruin to  
his spiritual character8 ,yet this is   
the ,maynooth1 training its alumni to   
two duties1 the special duty of living  
in procinctu and in harness for every   
assault upon the ,protestant            
establishment of their country1 and for 
the unlimited duty of taking orders in  
any direction from ,mr ,o',connell--this
 is the ,maynooth to which1 for such    
merits1 we have been paying nine        
thousand pounds annually for exactly    
fifty years1 and are now required to pay
 three times as much for ever4  ,but    
from these narrower questions1 directed 

to circumstantialities local and        
transitory1 we wish to draw the reader's
 attention upon certain other questions 
larger and more philosophic4 ,and1 first
 of all1 let us say a word upon one     
point continually raised1 and not at all
 limited to ,irish cases2 viz4 the      
latitude allowed by conscience to a     
,protestant in promoting the welfare of 
,papists1 where it happens that the     
personal service is associated          
unavoidably with some service to the    
,popish cause4 ,as individuals1 or even 
as a collective body in the             
commonwealth1 every liberal man would   
wish to protect and to favour his       
,catholic fellow-citizens1 if he could  
do so without aiding them in their      
natural purpose of making proselytes4   
,there are cases undoubtedly in which   
these mixed advantages for the person   
and for the creed would so blend as to  
offer a difficult problem in casuistry  
to a delicate conscience4 ,sir ,robert  
,peel in the final debate on the second 

reading of the ,maynooth bill1 attempted
 to throw dust in the eyes of the ,house
 upon the principle concerned in cases  
of this nature2 and even if he had been 
right in his argument1 we believe that  
he would have gained little for the     
particular question concerned in the    
,maynooth grant4 ,he argued1 by way of  
showing how untenable was the notion    
that we could not conscientiously       
support a religion which we believed    
erroneous1 that upon that hypothesis we 
should cut the ground from below our    
feet in the mode of supporting our own  
religion4 ,the law of ,england insists  
upon the ,dissenters paying church-rates
 and tithes to the ,english church2 now1
 argued ,sir ,robert1 the ,dissenter    
might turn round and plead1 in bar of   
this claim1 the ,english churchman's    
demur to supporting ,popery by          
supporting ,maynooth4 ,but the case     
accurately stated is--that no ,english  
churchman ever did demur to paying his  
quota towards ,maynooth2 on the         

contrary1 he has paid it quietly for    
fifty years4 ,what some few churchmen   
have demurred to was--not paying after  
the law had said pay1 but legislating   
for the payment2 passing the annual vote
 for the payment4 ,now1 if a ,dissenter 
happens to be in ,parliament1 he is     
quite at liberty to make the same demur 
as to church-rates2 but he makes his    
demur in the wrong quarter if he        
addresses it to the collector4 ,so      
again1 as regards the increased grant1  
and the permanent grant to ,maynooth1 if
 it passes the two ,houses1 we shall all
 of us pay our share without scruple2   
neither will our consciences be at all  
wounded1 for we pay under the coercion  
of a distress-warrant1 contingent upon  
our refusing to pay4 ,it is the         
suffering the law to pass1 without      
opposing it in one way or other1 that   
would wound our consciences4 ,and1      
again1 the ,english law does not require
 a ,dissenter to concur in the propriety
 of paying church-rates1 it requires him

 only to pay them4  ,but we             
,protestants1 in paying to ,maynooth1   
supposing that we made ourselves parties
 to the payment by consenting to the    
bill1 feel that we should be wilfully   
abetting the propagation of error4 ,it  
is true that the ,papist finds himself  
in the same necessity of contributing to
 what he regards as heresy by           
contributing to the support of the      
,protestant ,establishment4 ,but if a   
,protestant resorts to a country1 or    
acquiesces in a country where ,popery is
 established1 he does not complain that 
he falls under the relation of a        
tributary to a system which did not seek
 him1 but which he sought4  ,there are  
other casuistical points1 arising out of
 these practical relations to systems of
 religious belief1 which are often      
unskilfully mingled with cases like this
 of ,maynooth2 but they cannot disguise 
the broad distinction between the       
principle in that question and the      
principle in the question of ,catholic  

emancipation4 ,there the object was     
purely negative1 viz4 to liberate a body
 of men from certain incapacities4      
,successive penal laws had stripped the 
,papist of particular immunities and    
liberties4 ,these were restored by      
emancipation4 ,a defect was made good4  
,but no positive powers were created by 
that measure4 ,now1 on the other hand1  
when a large revenue is granted1 7as by 
the pending ,maynooth grant17 this is in
 effect to furnish artillery for        
covering advances upon hostile ground4  
,this gives positive powers to ,popery  
for propagating its errors4 ,that ,sir  
,robert ,peel should hold such a mode of
 collusion with falsehood to be         
lawful--would be astonishing1 were it   
not that he manifestly confounds the    
case of promoting1 a law by votes1 or   
any mode of active support1 which is a  
true and substantial assent1 with the   
case of paying under a demand of the    
law4 ,now this is no assent at all1 any 
more than the surrendering your person  

passively to the arrest of a            
police-officer is an assent to the      
justice of the accusation1 or to the    
reasonableness of the law under which   
you will be tried4 ,to pay on the demand
 of the law is no assent at all1 but an 
abridged process of yielding to the     
physical coercion of the law4 ,you are  
aware of the steps through which the    
compulsory action of the law will       
travel1 and it cannot make any          
difference as to the principle of your  
submission1 that1 for the sake of saving
 time1 you yield to the first step1     
instead of waiting for the last4 ,it is1
 therefore1 no duty of a ,protestant1 in
 any circumstances1 to abet ,popery by  
any mode of support1 but only seems to  
be so by confounding cases essentially  
different4  ,next arises for notice1 the
 very interesting question on the       
prospects of ,popery at this moment and 
its chances of a great restoration1 by  
means of combination with various forms 
of human power4 ,one cause of error upon

 this subject lies in the notion that   
conspicuous obscurations of civil       
grandeur1 jurisdiction1 and wealth1     
which ,popery has suffered of late years
 in almost every state1 have therefore1 
been absolute losses of spiritual power4
 ,on the contrary1 these losses are     
likely to strengthen ,popery4 ,precisely
 in the most bigoted of ,popish         
kingdoms--,austria1 ,bavaria1 ,spain1   
and ,portugal--the ,popish religion has 
been shorn1 during the last fifty years1
 of it most splendid temporalities4 ,the
 suppression of the ,inquisition in     
,spain1 c41 the extinction of religions 
houses on so vast a scale1 the          
limitation of the ,papal rights in the  
disposal of ,bishops' sees1 the         
confiscation or sale of church lands1 to
 an amount unsuspected in ,protestant   
countries--these and other convulsions  
have shaken the ,papacy in a memorable  
degree4 ,but it is certain that the     
vigour and vitality of ,popery1 in modes
 more appropriate to a spiritual power1 

are reviving4 ,popery has benefited by  
the removal1 however harshly executed at
 the moment1 of enormous abuses         
connected sometimes with wealth1        
sometimes only with the reputation of   
wealth1 but in either case with a weight
 of popular odium4 ,the vessel has      
righted and become buoyant by the       
sacrifice of masts and rigging4 ,a      
spirit of activity has again manifested 
itself in many directions4 ,and with    
this has concurred a new body of hopes1 
arising from social accidents in        
,america4 ,throughout the great central 
valley of ,north ,america1 and along the
 line of the most recent inroads into   
the western forests1 a great opening has
 arisen1 of late years1 for throwing a  
network of spiritual power over a vast  
territory that is rapidly unfolding its 
power and wealth4 ,through this opening 
has poured1 for some years like a       
spring-tide1 a huge host of ,catholic   
missionaries4 ,such was the extensive   
demand for spiritual ministration       

amongst a population multiplying to     
excess1 that any order of ,christian    
clergy would have been welcome4 ,here is
 a basis laid for future magnificent    
development of ,popish power4 ,rome     
itself has been stirred and agitated    
with the prospect of seeing its energies
 revive1 and of reaping a malicious     
retribution by entering into combination
 with that ,teutonic race1 from whom1   
during the last three centuries1 she had
 received her deadliest wounds4 ,but a  
doubt arises1 whether this very         
combination will not be more likely to  
impress a totally new character upon the
 ,papal religion4 ,the ,saxon energy    
will be likely to strangle ,popery1     
rather than ,popery in the long run to  
pervert that energy4 ,in ,england       
itself1 through ,oxford1 unexpected     
auguries have dawned upon ,rome1 of a   
new birth for the pomps of ,papal ,rome4
 ,and exactly at this crisis of hope and
 unlimited anticipation1 the splendid   
endowment of ,maynooth1 solemnly        

proposed and vigorously pressed forward 
by a cautious minister of ,england1     
coinciding also with the spasmodic      
throes of the ,irish people to establish
 an independent nationality1 have       
doubtless spread through the councils of
 the ,vatican as much of what will      
probably be found visionary expectation1
 as through the hearts of our own       
,protestant countrymen1 they have spread
 of what equally1 we trust1 will be     
converted by this national insurrection 
against ,maynooth into visionary fear4  
,another point we are bound to notice1  
as error generally diffused--though     
shocking to just logic4 ,it is said1 by 
way of reproach to ourselves--the       
,england of this day--that we took all  
the splendid endowments of ,oxford1     
,cambridge1 and so forth1 from ,roman   
,catholics2 which being so1 we are bound
 to make some restoration of the spoils 
to the ,catholics of this day4 ,was     
there ever heard more complex absurdity8
 ,mark its stages3  #ast1 ,if you had   

taken them from ,catholics of the #afth 
century1 how would that translate any   
interest of property in the institutions
 to people of the nineteenth century1   
simply as professing the same faith8 ,we
 took various spoils about #aghj from   
,hyder ,ali1 the sultan of ,mysore3 in  
#agii we took others more costly from   
his son ,tippoo3 will that entitle some 
prince of ,turkestan1 or ,bokhara1 in   
the year #bjjj1 to claim these spoils on
 the plea that he is a ,mahometan8 ,an  
interest of inheritance would thus be   
vested in the emptiest of abstractions4 
#b;d1 ,they were not ,catholics1 in a   
proper sense1 who founded the chief     
colleges at ,oxford1 c4 ,the ,roman     
,catholic faith was not developed fully 
at the period when many were founded3 it
 could not be developed even as a       
religious system1 until after the great 
polemic writers1 on the one side and the
 other1 had drawn out the differential  
points of doctrine4 ,and when partly    
developed1 or showing a tendency to     

certain conclusions1 it was not fully   
settled until the ,council of ,trent4   
,next1 as a political interest1 it was  
not at all developed until between the  
beginning of ,luther and the termination
 of ,trent4 ,impossible it was that it  
should2 for until a counter-pole        
existed1 until an antagonist interest   
had arisen1 the relations of ,popery1   
whether political or religious1 must    
have been indeterminate3 as a kingdom   
surrounded by deserts and trackless     
forests1 cannot have its frontier line  
ascertained4  #c;dly1 ,if they had been 
,catholics1 in the fullest sense1 who   
founded our ,universities1 it was not as
 ,catholics that they founded them1 but 
as great families who had accumulated   
property under our system of laws2 and  
secondly1 as natives of the land4 ,they 
were able to found universities1 because
 they had been protected by ,english    
laws2 they were willing to found        
universities1 because they were of      
,english birth1 and loved their native  

land4 ,the ,countess of ,richmond1 for  
instance1 or ,henry ,,vi41 in his great 
foundations at ,eton or ,cambridge1 or  
,baliol at ,oxford1 did not think of    
,popery under any relation to heresy4   
,they thought of it1 so far as at all   
they thought of it1 in its general      
abstraction of spiritual loveliness2 and
 under that shape it differed not at all
 from the ,protestantism of the ,english
 church4 ,the temper in which they      
acted1 is a pledge that they thought of 
man1 and the children of man1 not in    
relation to those points in which they  
differed1 but to those above all in     
which they agreed4 ,they were           
compatriots of the islanders--they loved
 knowledge--and in those characters1 not
 as ,papists1 they founded colleges4    
#dthly1 ,supposing that in the plenary  
and controversial sense they had been   
,catholics who founded our great        
mediaeval institutions2 supposing1 next1
 that they had founded them as          
,catholics1 and because they were       

,catholics2 supposing1 also1 that from  
them1 in that aerial character of       
persons holding a creed1 any rights of  
inheritance could1 by leave of ,thomas  
,aquinas1 be imagined metaphysically to 
descend2 lastly1 and notwithstanding all
 this1 their establishments had passed  
into the hands of other trustees by due 
course of law--that is1 by legislation  
under the countersign of king1 lords1   
and commons2 that is1 by the same title 
under which any man whatever1 ,papist or
 ,protestant1 holds any property        
whatever4 ,are we obliged to settle an  
annuity upon ,a ,b1 because he can trace
 himself lineally to a man who held our 
lands under ,edward the ,confessor8     
,yet1 by the supposition1 ,a ,b can     
prove a relation in blood to the ancient
 owner1 though none at all to the lands4
 ,but the ,catholics can show no        
relation whatever either to the         
foundations at ,oxford1 or to the blood 
of the founder4 ,upon this conceit1 if a
 man could trace his blood to an ancient

 ,druid1 he would have a lien in law    
upon all the oak-trees in the island6   
,risum teneatis8  ,whilst this1 however1
 is a mere vapour of the speculative    
brain1 there is a final absurdity1 less 
showy in its extravagance1 yet in       
practice more misleading4 ,we cannot    
allow ourselves1 consistently with the  
rapid movement of our sketch1 to do     
justice to this fallacy2 but we will    
indicate its outline4 ,look back to all 
the pro-,catholic journals for the last 
forty years1 and you will find it every 
where appealed to and relied on as a    
substantial argument--that1 in many     
states on the ,continent1 ,catholics and
 ,protestants sit as assessors on the   
same bench of judgment2 act harmoniously
 as officers1 commanders and commanded1 
in the same regiment2 meet daily as     
fellow-students in the same schools and 
colleges4 ,the inference is--that mere  
partisanship1 deeper bigotry1 and no    
other cause whatever1 has made it       
difficult or dangerous for ,english     

,protestants and ,catholics to effect   
the same coalition4 ,having no room left
 for a fuller exposure of this delusive 
representation1 we shall here content   
ourselves with an illustrative allusion 
or two4 ,the ,moors were expelled from  
,spain before any ,english ,catholics   
became the objects 7having wilfully made
 themselves the objects7 of something   
like proscription under ,english laws4  
,the chasm between the ,moors of this   
day and their ancestors stretches over  
more than three centuries4 ,has that    
rent closed8 ,have those wounds healed8 
,is the reader aware of the figurative  
language1 under the symbol of house-door
 keys1 still hanging over ,moorish      
hearths1 c41 by which1 to this hour1 the
 ,moors cherish for their children's    
ears deep vindictive remembrances of    
their ancient habitations in ,spain1 and
 their haughty vision of a bloody       
re-entrance8 ,does the reader imagine   
that an invasion by ,moors of ,italy or 
,france would move under the same       

burning impulses as an invasion of      
,spain8 ,the return of the ,moors to    
,spain would be like the recoil of a    
catapulta4 ,and1 allowing for higher    
civilization1 of the same deep memorial 
character would have been any re-entry  
of ,roman ,catholics upon power in      
,england1 had it been less gradual than 
the prudence of ,parliaments made it4   
,the deep outrages of ,catholics upon   
,english rights1 under the troubled     
movements amongst the thrones of ,europe
 during the century of strife1 which    
made the temptations to treason         
irresistible for vassals of ,rome1      
forced from the ,protestants such stern 
reactions1 as have left with both       
parties an abiding sense of profound    
injuries4 ,attainders to be blotted out1
 judgments to be reversed1 burning      
records of shame for persons and for    
creed1 sculptured in our laws1 to       
trample under foot1 are likely to       
stimulate the malice 7calling itself the
 retribution7 of lineal descendants1    

even if there were no estates to        
reclaim4 ,and surely those fantastic    
persons who think1 that merely to bear  
the name or classification of ,catholic 
must confer upon one1 pleading no shadow
 of a connexion with the founder of a   
college1 some claim to a dividend upon  
its funds1 are not entitled to hold     
cheap the very different sort of claims1
 resting upon acknowledged heirship1    
which are now lying amongst the         
muniments of thousands4 ,it is a record 
of the political imbecility1 it is to   
the high disgrace1 of the continental   
states1 that with most of them          
,catholics and ,protestants could meet  
in this insipid harmony3 it was a       
harmony resembling the religious        
toleration of people--tolerant1 because 
careless of all religion4 ,had they1    
like ourselves1 possessed a constitution
 of slow growth1 a representative       
system1 a popular mind1 all stimulating 
to noble political feuds1--in that case 
they would have had high principles like

 ourselves2 they1 like ourselves1 would 
have faced the action and reaction of   
endless contest2 and their political    
progress1 like ours1 would have been    
written on every page of their history  
and legislation4 ,it was because they   
slept and snored for ages with no       
instincts of fiery political life1 that 
they were able1 in modern               
times--,catholics and ,protestants--to  
fraternise in effeminate raptures of    
maudlin sentimentality4  ,we apply this 
last topic specially to our             
conclusion3--,in pointing to the yet    
unappreciated difference between our own
 feuds with popery and those of other   
nations--which foreign feuds1 at the    
very best1 7if they rose at all to the  
grandeur of civil strife17 moved through
 butchery and violence1 as in ,france1  
not through laws and scaffolds--moved   
like the uproars of ,afghans1 not like  
the grand tribunitial contests of       
ancient ,rome--we could only indicate a 
feature or two of the inexhaustible     

case4 ,and naturally it was to ,england 
that we pointed4 ,but now--but by this  
,maynooth revolution1 it is not ,england
 that is primarily menaced4 ,ireland it 
is upon which that evil will descend1   
which1 by the wisdom of ,parliament1    
backed by the protesting tumults of the 
people1 did not descend on ,england4    
,for ,england1 ,parliament was cautious 
and retarding in all its steps4 ,the    
return of the ,heracleidae was by       
graduated movements2 and1 had it even   
been abrupt1 a thousandfold greater were
 the resources for combined resistance  
of ,protestants against combined        
reaction of ,papists4 ,but in ,ireland1 
deeper are the vindictive remembrances1 
more recent are the deductions of claims
 to property1 and louder the clamours   
for wide resumption2 from massacre and  
counter massacre1 from ,cromwell1 from  
,limerick1 from ,londondery1 from       
,boyne1 from ,aughrim1 the wounds are   
yet green and angry2 and the hostile    
factions have never dissolved their     

array4 ,this is the land into which a   
,moorish recoil is now threatened4 ,the 
reader understands us to speak of a     
return--not for the physical men--but   
for the restored character of supremacy 
in which they will be able to act with  
power4   ,edinburgh3 ,printed by        
,ballantyne and ,hughes1 ,paul's ,work4 
,footnotes3  #a ,etudes des ,sciences   
,sociales4 ,par ,j4 ,c4 ,,simonde ,,de  
,,sismondi4 #c vols4 ,paris1 #ahcg4  #b 
,viz43--      ,in ,ireland1             
#b1cjj1jjj     444 ,england1            
#a1ejj1jjj     444 ,scotland1           
#bjj1jjj                      ----------
                       #d1jjj1jjj  just 
a seventh of the whole inhabitants1 who 
are now about #bh1jjj1jjj4  #c          
,committals for serious crime1 in--     
,population of ,great                   
,england4  ,scotland4   ,ireland4       
,total4   ,britain and ,ireland4        
#ahje1     #d1fje        #hi            
#c1fjj      #h1bhd       #ae1hjj1jjj    
#ahai1    #ad1bed     #a1chj            

#ac1bea     #bh1hhe       #bj1fjj1jjj   
#ahdb1    #ca1cfi     #c1hhd            
#ba1ceb     #ef1fje       #bg1cjj1jjj   
--,,porter',s ,parl4 ,tables and ,prog4 
of the ,nation1 iii4 #agb1 #bbg4  ,from 
this table it appears1 that from #ahje  
to #ahdb the population of the empire   
has advanced from #aeh to #bgc--that is1
 increased about #gj per cent2 while    
serious crime has increased from #h to  
#ef--that is1 #gjj per cent4 ,crime1    
therefore1 has augmented ten times as   
fast as the number of the people4  #d   
,from ,greek3 chrema--money1 riches4  #e
 ,,nicolai1 dell' ,agro ,romano1 iii4   
#afg-aga4 ,,sismondi',s ,etudes         
,sociales1 ii4 #df4  #f ,ibid1 iii4     
#aec4 ,ib41 ii4 #dd4 ,this part of      
,sismondi's work1 which will be found   
,vol4 ii1 pp4 #a-gd1 is highly          
interesting4 ,we may perhaps1 at a      
future period1 give a detached account  
of it1 under the title of ,the ,campagna
 of ,rome4  #g ,the canal by which the  
waters of the river ,guautitlan are     

carried through the mountains into the  
valley of ,tula4  #h ,the ,mexican      
,ceres1 goddess of maize4  #i ,tatli is 
an ,aztec word1 signifying father4  #aj 
,monkish legend4  #aa ,the dry season4  
#ab ,the best pulque is that of         
,tacotitlan4 ,frijolos are a species of 
bean which grows in great perfection in 
the ,chinampas1 or swimming gardens upon
 the lake of ,chalco4  #ac ,tenochtitlan
 is the ancient name of the valley of   
,mexico4 ,it is here used to designate  
the capital city4  #ad ,the pique or    
nigua is a small but exceedingly noxious
 insect that abounds in some parts of   
,mexico1 especially in the low grounds  
of ,vera ,cruz and ,acapulco4 ,it bores 
holes in the skin and lays its eggs     
there1 causing a violent irritation and 
sometimes dangerous sores4  #ae ,a term 
used in mining operations4 ,a rich vein 
of silver1 or1 generally1 success in    
mining4  #af ,in ,mexican houses of the 
more opulent class1 a woman-servant is  
kept for the sole purpose of preparing  

and baking the tortillas or maize cakes4
 ,she is called a tortillera4  #ag ,que 
se tenga por blanco4 ,let him consider  
himself white4 ,the usual form of the   
emancipation certificates which the     
,mexican ,audiencia was accustomed to   
sell at high prices to the coloured     
races4 ,these certificates were         
originally confined to the quadroons and
 quinteroons1 and other castes that had 
only a small admixture of ,indian blood4
  #ah ,to dine with ,st ,antonio--on    
bread and water4  #ai ,la ,virgen de los
 ,remedios was the especial patroness of
 the ,spaniards in ,mexico4 ,her picture
 was found by one of ,cortes' soldiers1 
and she proved herself on various       
occasions a warm partisan of the        
,spaniards4 ,during the fight of        
,otumba1 she was seen to hover over the 
,spanish troops and scatter dust in the 
eyes of the ,indians4 ,in other battles 
she also fought against the ,mexicans4  
,the ,spaniards1 out of gratitude1 built
 her a chapel4 ,suddenly1 however1 to   

their exceeding sorrow1 her portrait    
disappeared4 ,half a year elapsed1 and  
then an ,indian1 in stripping an aloe   
plant1 found the picture between leaf   
and stem4 ,it was carried in triumph1   
and so grateful did the ,virgin show    
herself for this attention1 that she    
sent an abundant rain1 which happened   
just then to be greatly needed4 ,in     
consideration of the innumerable        
miracles she had wrought in their       
favour1 the ,spaniards chose her for    
their patroness1 and gave her the       
command of their armies4 ,she struggled 
valiantly against the ,virgin of        
,guadalupe1 whom the ,mexicans had      
elected to be their leader4  ,the       
original and miraculously discovered    
picture of the ,virgin of ,guadalupe is 
preserved in her magnificent church1 two
 leagues from ,mexico4 ,it is on coarse 
bast1 canvass made up of the fibres of  
the agave1 but in a magnificent frame1  
and was found soon after the conquest of
 ,mexico on a barren hill1 by an ,indian

 whom strains of heavenly music         
attracted thither4 ,the ,indian related 
the circumstance to the archbishop1 who 
refused to credit it2 whereupon the     
discoverer repaired to the hill a second
 time1 and saw the harmonious picture   
lying amongst a heap of roses4 ,it spoke
 to him1 and commanded him to return to 
the archbishop1 which he did1 and now   
found him as eager to believe as he had 
before been incredulous4 ,the prelate   
greeted the picture with the title of   
,our ,lady of ,guadalupe2 a chapel was  
built1 and this ,virgin was finally     
promoted to be patroness of ,mexico4    
,her complexion being of a brown colour1
 she was considered to watch more       
particularly over the aborigines4  ,when
 ,hidalgo1 after raising the standard of
 revolt1 was excommunicated by the      
archbishop1 and in danger of being      
abandoned by his followers1 he had the  
fortunate idea of placing himself and   
his army under the guardianship of the  
,virgin of ,guadalupe4 ,an enormous     

banner was got ready1 with a painting of
 that ,virgin upon it2 she was declared 
field-marshal and general-in-chief1 pay 
allotted1 and obedience sworn to her4   
,she held her appointment for fourteen  
years--till #ahbd4  #bj ,white and blue 
were the colours of the ancient         
,mexicans and of the patriots4 ,the     
,spaniards adopted them for the clothing
 of their executioners4  #ba ,the blue  
cloak was worn by the nobility1 the     
brown by the lower and middling classes 
in ,spain and ,mexico4  #bb             
,curly--diminutive of ,cornelius4  #bc  
,the commencement of a common ,irish    
benediction1 ,god and ,mary and ,st     
,patrick be with 7or bless7 you6  #bd ,a
 man concealing himself on arrest for   
debt is1 in ,ireland1 familiarly said to
 be on his keeping1 probably from his   
keeping or confining himself to the     
house when there is danger of the writ  
being executed4  #be ,abbrev4 for ,larry
 or ,laurence4  #bf ,the length of a    
spade's-handle of ground4 ,over a man's 

head--i4e4--out-bidding the tenant in   
possession1 by offering generally a     
larger rent for the land out of which he
 is about to be ejected4  #bg           
,spell--very short space of time1 as    
long as it would take to spell a word4  
#bh ,an achievement similar to that here
 described actually took place about the
 same period nearly on the same spot4   
,it was planned and executed by two     
persons living at a town mentioned in   
the tale1 and terminated in the instant 
death of the unlucky highwayman1 whose  
body they placed in their vehicle1 and  
brought back with them in an hour or two
 from the time they set out4 ,in the    
present day1 such a deed 7thus          
premeditated7 would be deservedly termed
 a rash and cruel act--the lawless and  
unprotected state of that country1      
however1 at the time1 led it to be      
considered--we believe--a laudable one4 
#bi ,revelations of ,spain4 ,by an      
,,english ,,resident4  #cj ,the ,monk1  
too1 has this characteristic1 which is  

of dubious exposition4 ,tyrwhitt thinks 
that the meaning may be--,eyes sunk deep
 in the head4 ,certainly a feature      
giving force and distinction to the     
physiognomy has been intended4          
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,passages in    
italics are indicated by italics4  ,the 
original text includes ,greek           
characters4 ,for this text version these
 letters have been replaced with        
transliterations4  ,punctuation has been
 corrected without note4  ,the following
 misprints have been corrected3   on    
corrected to or 7page #ecg7   und       
corrected to and 7page #eff7   sevesal  
corrected to several 7page #ehj7        
,tyrrell's standardized to ,tyrrel's    
7page #ehg7   ,tyrrell standardized to  
,tyrrel 7page #ehb7   would'nt corrected
 to wouldn't 7page #ehe7   ununhonoured 
corrected to unhonoured 7page #ehf7     
,tyrell standardized to ,tyrrel 7page   
#ehg7   hir corrected to his 7page #ehi7
   aparment corrected to apartment 7page
 #eij7   ,o',connel corrected to        

,o',connell 7page #fea7   n corrected to
 in 7page #fed7  ,other than the        
corrections listed above1               
inconsistencies in spelling and         
hyphenation usage have been retained    
from the original text4