CHAPTERIII
NecessityofReligion—TheGreatIndianOne—Image—worship—Shakespeare—ThePatAnswer—Krishna—Amen。
HAVINGtoldthemaninblackthatIshouldliketoknowallthetruthwithregardtothePopeandhissystem,heassuredmeheshouldbedelightedtogivemealltheinformationinhispower;thathehadcometothedingle,notsomuchforthesakeofthegoodcheerwhichIwasinthehabitofgivinghim,asinthehopeofinducingmetoenlistunderthebannersofRome,andtofightinhercause;andthathehadnodoubtthat,byspeakingoutfranklytome,heranthebestchanceofwinningmeover。
Hethenproceededtotellmethattheexperienceofcountlessageshadprovedthenecessityofreligion;thenecessity,hewouldadmit,wasonlyforsimpletons;butasnine—tenthsofthedwellersuponthisearthweresimpletons,itwouldneverdoforsensiblepeopletoruncountertotheirfolly,but,onthecontrary,itwastheirwisestcoursetoencouragetheminit,alwaysprovidedthat,bysodoing,sensiblepeoplewouldderiveadvantage;thatthetrulysensiblepeopleofthisworldwerethepriests,who,withoutcaringastrawforreligionforitsownsake,madeuseofitasacordbywhichtodrawthesimpletonsafterthem;thatthereweremanyreligionsinthisworld,allofwhichhadbeenturnedtoexcellentaccountbythepriesthood;butthattheonethebestadaptedforthepurposesofpriestcraftwasthepopish,which,hesaid,wastheoldestintheworldandthebestcalculatedtoendure。Onmyinquiringwhathemeantbysayingthepopishreligionwastheoldestintheworld,whereastherecouldbenodoubtthattheGreekandRomanreligionhadexistedlongbeforeit,tosaynothingoftheoldIndianreligionstillinexistenceandvigour;hesaid,withanod,aftertakingasipathisglass,that,betweenmeandhim,thepopishreligion,thatofGreeceandRome,andtheoldIndiansystemwere,inreality,oneandthesame。
\"Youtoldmethatyouintendedtobefrank,\"saidI;\"but,howeverfrankyoumaybe,Ithinkyouareratherwild。\"
\"WepriestsofRome,\"saidthemaninblack,\"eventhoseamongstuswhodonotgomuchabroad,knowagreatdealaboutchurchmatters,ofwhichyouhereticshaveverylittleidea。
ThoseofourbrethrenofthePropaganda,ontheirreturnhomefromdistantmissions,notunfrequentlytellusverystrangethingsrelatingtoourdearmother;forexample,ourfirstmissionariestotheEastwerenotslowindiscoveringandtellingtotheirbrethrenthatourreligionandthegreatIndianonewereidentical,nomoredifferencebetweenthemthanbetweenRamandRome。Priests,convents,beads,prayers,processions,fastings,penances,allthesame,notforgettinganchoritesandvermin,he!he!Thepopetheyfoundunderthetitleofthegrandlama,asuckingchildsurroundedbyanimmensenumberofpriests。Ourgoodbrethren,sometwohundredyearsago,hadaheartylaugh,whichtheirsuccessorshaveoftenre—echoed;theysaidthathelplesssucklinganditspriestsputthemsomuchinmindoftheirownoldman,surroundedbyhiscardinals,he!he!Oldageissecondchildhood。\"
\"DidtheyfindChrist?\"saidI。
\"Theyfoundhimtoo,\"saidthemaninblack,\"thatis,theysawhisimage;heisconsideredinIndiaasapurekindofbeing,andonthataccount,perhaps,iskeptthereratherinthebackground,evenasheishere。\"
\"Allthisisverymysterioustome,\"saidI。
\"Verylikely,\"saidthemaninblack;\"butofthisIamtolerablysure,andsoaremostofthoseofRome,thatmodernRomehaditsreligionfromancientRome,whichhaditsreligionfromtheEast。\"
\"Buthow?\"Idemanded。
\"Itwasbroughtabout,Ibelieve,bythewanderingsofnations,\"saidthemaninblack。\"AbrotherofthePropaganda,averylearnedman,oncetoldme—IdonotmeanMezzofanti,whohasnotfiveideas—thisbrotheroncetoldmethatallweoftheOldWorld,fromCalcuttatoDublin,areofthesamestock,andwereoriginallyofthesamelanguage,and—\"
\"Allofonereligion,\"Iputin。
\"Allofonereligion,\"saidthemaninblack;\"andnowfollowdifferentmodificationsofthesamereligion。\"
\"WeChristiansarenotimage—worshippers,\"saidI。
\"Youhereticsarenot,youmean,\"saidthemaninblack;\"butyouwillbeputdown,justasyouhavealwaysbeen,thoughothersmayriseupafteryou;thetruereligionisimage—
worship;peoplemaystriveagainstit,buttheywillonlyworkthemselvestoanoil;howdiditfarewiththatGreekEmperor,theIconoclast,whatwashisname,LeontheIsaurian?Didnothisimage—breakingcosthimItaly,thefairestprovinceofhisempire,anddidnottenfreshimagesstartupathomeforeveryonewhichhedemolished?Oh!youlittleknowthecravingwhichthesoulsometimesfeelsafteragoodbodilyimage。\"
\"Ihaveindeednoconceptionofit,\"saidI;\"Ihaveanabhorrenceofidolatry—theideaofbowingbeforeagravenfigure!\"
\"Theidea,indeed!\"saidBelle,whohadnowjoinedus。
\"DidyouneverbowbeforethatofShakespeare?\"saidthemaninblack,addressinghimselftome,afteralowbowtoBelle。
\"Idon’trememberthatIeverdid,\"saidI,\"butevensupposeIdid?\"
\"Supposeyoudid,\"saidthemaninblack;\"shameonyou,Mr。
HaterofIdolatry;why,theverysuppositionbringsyoutotheground;youmustmakefiguresofShakespeare,mustyou?
thenwhynotofSt。Antonio,orIgnacio,orofagreaterpersonagestill!Iknowwhatyouaregoingtosay,\"hecried,interruptingme,asIwasabouttospeak。\"Youdon’tmakehisimageinordertopayitdivinehonours,butonlytolookatit,andthinkofShakespeare;butthislookingatathinginordertothinkofapersonistheverybasisofidolatry。Shakespeare’sworksarenotsufficientforyou;nomorearetheBibleorthelegendofSaintAnthonyorSaintIgnacioforus,thatisforthoseofuswhobelieveinthem;
Itellyou,Zingara,thatnoreligioncanexistlongwhichrejectsagoodbodilyimage。\"
\"Doyouthink,\"saidI,\"thatShakespeare’sworkswouldnotexistwithouthisimage?\"
\"Ibelieve,\"saidthemaninblack,\"thatShakespeare’simageislookedatmorethanhisworks,andwillbelookedat,andperhapsadored,whentheyareforgotten。Iamsurprisedthattheyhavenotbeenforgottenlongago;Iamnoadmirerofthem。\"
\"ButIcan’timagine,\"saidI,\"howyouwillputasidetheauthorityofMoses。IfMosesstroveagainstimage—worship,shouldnothisdoingsobeconclusiveastotheimproprietyofthepractice:whathigherauthoritycanyouhavethanthatofMoses?\"
\"Thepracticeofthegreatmajorityofthehumanrace,\"saidthemaninblack,\"andtherecurrencetoimage—worshipwhereimage—worshiphasbeenabolished。DoyouknowthatMosesisconsideredbythechurchasnobetterthanaheretic,andthough,forparticularreasons,ithasbeenobligedtoadopthiswritings,theadoptionwasmerelyashamone,asitneverpaidtheslightestattentiontothem?No,no,thechurchwasneverledbyMoses,norbyonemightierthanhe,whosedoctrineithasequallynullified—IalludetoKrishnainhissecondavatar;thechurch,itistrue,governsinhisname,butnotunfrequentlygiveshimthelie,ifhehappenstohavesaidanythingwhichitdislikes。DidyouneverhearthereplywhichPadrePaoloSeganimadetotheFrenchProtestantJeanAnthoineGuerin,whohadaskedhimwhetheritwaseasierforChristtohavebeenmistakeninhisGospel,thanforthePopetobemistakeninhisdecrees?\"
\"Ineverheardtheirnamesbefore,\"saidI。
\"Theanswerwaspat,\"saidthemaninblack,\"thoughhewhomadeitwasconfessedlythemostignorantfellowoftheveryignorantordertowhichhebelonged,theAugustine。’Christmighterrasaman,’saidhe,’butthePopecannevererr,beingGod。’ThewholestoryisrelatedintheNipotismo。\"
\"IwonderyoushouldeverhavetroubledyourselfwithChristatall,\"saidI。
\"Whatwastobedone?\"saidthemaninblack;\"thepowerofthatnamesuddenlycameoverEurope,likethepowerofamightywind;itwassaidtohavecomefromJudea,andfromJudeaitprobablycamewhenitfirstbegantoagitatemindsintheseparts;butitseemstohavebeenknownintheremoteEast,moreorless,forthousandsofyearspreviously。Itfilledpeople’smindswithmadness;itwasfollowedbybookswhichwerenevermuchregarded,astheycontainedlittleofinsanity;butthename!whatfurythatbreathedintopeople!
thebookswereaboutpeaceandgentleness,butthenamewasthemosthorribleofwar—cries—thosewhowishedtoupholdoldnamesatfirststrovetoopposeit,buttheireffortswerefeeble,andtheyhadnogoodwar—cry;whatwasMarsasawar—crycomparedwiththenameof……?Itwassaidthattheypersecutedterribly,butwhosaidso?TheChristians。
TheChristianscouldhavegiventhemalessonintheartofpersecution,andeventuallydidso。NonebutChristianshaveeverbeengoodpersecutors;well,theoldreligionsuccumbed,Christianityprevailed,fortheferociousissuretoprevailoverthegentle。\"
\"Ithought,\"saidI,\"youstatedalittletimeagothatthePopishreligionandtheancientRomanarethesame?\"
\"Ineverypointbutthatname,thatKrishnaandthefuryandloveofpersecutionwhichitinspired,\"saidthemaninblack。\"AhotblastcamefromtheEast,soundingKrishna;itabsolutelymaddenedpeople’sminds,andthepeoplewouldcallthemselveshischildren;wewillnotbelongtoJupiteranylonger,wewillbelongtoKrishna,andtheydidbelongtoKrishna;thatisinname,butinnothingelse;forwhoevercaredforKrishnaintheChristianworld,orwhoeverregardedthewordsattributedtohim,orputtheminpractice?\"
\"Why,weProtestantsregardhiswords,andendeavourtopractisewhattheyenjoinasmuchaspossible。\"
\"Butyourejecthisimage,\"sadthemaninblack;\"betterrejecthiswordsthanhisimage:noreligioncanexistlongwhichrejectsagoodbodilyimage。Why,theverynegrobarbariansofHighBarbarycouldgiveyoualessononthatpoint;theyhavetheirfetishimages,towhichtheylookforhelpintheirafflictions;theyhavelikewiseahighpriest,whomtheycall—\"
\"MumboJumbo,\"saidI;\"Iknowallabouthimalready。\"
\"Howcameyoutoknowanythingabouthim?\"saidthemaninblack,withalookofsomesurprise。
\"SomeofuspoorProtestantstinkers,\"saidI,\"thoughweliveindingles,arealsoacquaintedwithathingortwo。\"
\"Ireallybelieveyouare,\"saidthemaninblack,staringatme;\"but,inconnectionwiththisMumboJumbo,Icouldrelatetoyouacomicalstoryaboutafellow,anEnglishservant,I
oncemetatRome。\"
\"Itwouldbequiteunnecessary,\"saidI;\"IwouldmuchsoonerhearyoutalkaboutKrishna,hiswordsandimage。\"
\"Spokenlikeatrueheretic,\"saidthemaninblack;\"oneofthefaithfulwouldhaveplacedhisimagebeforehiswords;
forwhatareallthewordsintheworldcomparedwithagoodbodilyimage!\"
\"Ibelieveyouoccasionallyquotehiswords?\"saidI。
\"He!he!\"saidthemaninblack;\"occasionally。\"
\"Forexample,\"saidI,\"uponthisrockIwillfoundmychurch。\"
\"He!he!\"saidthemaninblack;\"youmustreallybecomeoneofus。\"
\"YetyoumusthavehadsomedifficultyingettingtherocktoRome?\"
\"Nonewhatever,\"saidthemaninblack;\"faithcanremovemountains,tosaynothingofrocks—ho!ho!\"
\"ButIcannotimagine,\"saidI,\"whatadvantageyoucouldderivefrompervertingthosewordsofScriptureinwhichtheSaviourtalksabouteatinghisbody。\"
\"Idonotknow,indeed,whywetroubledourheadsaboutthematteratall,\"saidthemaninblack;\"butwhenyoutalkaboutpervertingthemeaningofthetext,youspeakignorantly,Mr。Tinker;whenhewhomyoucalltheSaviourgavehisfollowersthesop,andbadethemeatit,tellingthemitwashisbody,hedelicatelyalludedtowhatitwasincumbentuponthemtodoafterhisdeath,namely,toeathisbody。\"
\"Youdonotmeantosaythatheintendedtheyshouldactuallyeathisbody?\"
\"Thenyousupposeignorantly,\"saidthemaninblack;\"eatingthebodiesofthedeadwasaheathenishcustom,practisedbytheheirsandlegateesofpeoplewholeftproperty;andthiscustomisalludedtointhetext。\"
\"ButwhathastheNewTestamenttodowithheathencustoms,\"
saidI,\"excepttodestroythem?\"
\"Morethanyousuppose,\"saidthemaninblack。\"WepriestsofRome,whohavelonglivedatRome,knowmuchbetterwhattheNewTestamentismadeofthanthehereticsandtheirtheologians,notforgettingtheirTinkers;thoughIconfesssomeofthelatterhaveoccasionallysurprisedus—forexample,Bunyan。TheNewTestamentiscrowdedwithallusionstoheathencustoms,andwithwordsconnectedwithpagansorcery。Now,withrespecttowords,Iwouldfainhaveyou,whopretendtobeaphilologist,tellmethemeaningofAmen。\"
Imadenoanswer。
\"WeofRome,\"saidthemaninblack,\"knowtwoorthreethingsofwhichthehereticsarequiteignorant;forexample,therearethoseamongstus—those,too,whodonotpretendtobephilologists—whoknowwhatAmenis,and,moreover,howwegotit。Wegotitfromourancestors,thepriestsofancientRome;andtheygotthewordfromtheirancestorsoftheEast,thepriestsofBuddhandBrahma。\"
\"Andwhatisthemeaningoftheword?\"Idemanded。
\"Amen,\"saidthemaninblack,\"isamodificationoftheoldHindooformula,Omanibatsikhom,bythealmostceaselessrepetitionofwhichtheIndianshopetobereceivedfinallytotherestorstateofforgetfulnessofBuddhorBrahma;afoolishpracticeyouwillsay,butareyouhereticsmuchwiser,whoarecontinuallystickingAmentotheendofyourprayers,littleknowingwhenyoudoso,thatyouareconsigningyourselvestothereposeofBuddh!Oh,whatheartylaughsourmissionarieshavehadwhencomparingtheeternally—soundingEasterngibberishofOmanibatsikhom,Omanibatsikhom,andtheAveMariaandAmenJesusofourownidioticaldevotees。\"
\"IhavenothingtosayabouttheAveMariasandAmensofyoursuperstitiousdevotees,\"saidI;\"Idaresaythattheyusethemnonsensicallyenough,butinputtingAmentotheendofaprayer,wemerelyintendtoexpress,’Soletitbe。’\"
\"Itmeansnothingofthekind,\"saidthemaninblack;\"andtheHindoosmightjustaswellputyournationaloathattheendoftheirprayers,asperhapstheywillafteragreatmanythousandyears,whenEnglishisforgotten,andonlyafewwordsofitrememberedbydimtraditionwithoutbeingunderstood。Howstrangeif,afterthelapseoffourthousandyears,theHindoosshoulddamnthemselvestotheblindnesssodeartotheirpresentmasters,evenastheirmastersatpresentconsignthemselvestotheforgetfulnesssodeartotheHindoos;butmyglasshasbeenemptyforaconsiderabletime;perhaps,BellissimaBiondina,\"saidhe,addressingBelle,\"youwilldeigntoreplenishit?\"
\"Ishalldonosuchthing,\"saidBelle,\"youhavedrunkquiteenough,andtalkedmorethanenough,andtotellyouthetruthIwishyouwouldleaveusalone。\"
\"Shameonyou,Belle,\"saidI;\"considertheobligationsofhospitality。\"
\"Iamsickofthatword,\"saidBelle,\"youaresofrequentlymisusingit;werethisplacenotMumpers’Dingle,andconsequentlyasfreetothefellowasourselves,Iwouldleadhimoutofit。\"
\"Praybequiet,Belle,\"saidI。\"Youhadbetterhelpyourself,\"saidI,addressingmyselftothemaninblack,\"theladyisangrywithyou。\"
\"Iamsorryforit,\"saidthemaninblack;\"ifsheisangrywithme,Iamnotsowithher,andshallbealwaysproudtowaituponher;inthemeantime,Iwillwaituponmyself。\"
CHAPTERIV
TheProposal—TheScotchNovel—Latitude—Miracles—
PestilentHeretics—OldFraser—WonderfulTexts—NoArmenian。
THEmaninblackhavinghelpedhimselftosomemoreofhisfavouritebeverage,andtastedit,Ithusaddressedhim:\"Theeveningisgettingratheradvanced,andIcanseethatthislady,\"pointingtoBelle,\"isanxiousforhertea,whichshepreferstotakecosilyandcomfortablywithmeinthedingle:
theplace,itistrue,isasfreetoyouastoourselves,nevertheless,aswearelocatedherebynecessity,whilstyoumerelycomeasavisitor,Imusttakethelibertyoftellingyouthatweshallbegladtobealone,assoonasyouhavesaidwhatyouhavetosay,andhavefinishedtheglassofrefreshmentatpresentinyourhand。IthinkyousaidsometimeagothatoneofyourmotivesforcominghitherwastoinducemetoenlistunderthebannerofRome。Iwishtoknowwhetherthatwasreallythecase?\"
\"Decidedlyso,\"saidthemaninblack;\"Icomehereprincipallyinthehopeofenlistingyouinourregiment,inwhichIhavenodoubtyoucoulddousexcellentservice。\"
\"Wouldyouenlistmycompanionaswell?\"Idemanded。
\"Weshouldbeonlytooproudtohaveheramongus,whethershecomeswithyouoralone,\"saidthemaninblack,withapolitebowtoBelle。
\"Beforewegiveyouananswer,\"Ireplied,\"Iwouldfainknowmoreaboutyou;perhapsyouwilldeclareyourname?\"
\"ThatIwillneverdo,\"saidthemaninblack;\"nooneinEnglandknowsitbutmyself,andIwillnotdeclareit,eveninadingle;asfortherest,SONOUNPRETECATTOLICO
APPOSTOLICO—thatisallthatmanyaoneofuscansayforhimself,anditassuredlymeansagreatdeal。\"
\"Wewillnowproceedtobusiness,\"saidI。\"YoumustbeawarethatweEnglisharegenerallyconsideredaself—
interestedpeople。\"
\"Andwithconsiderablejustice,\"saidthemaninblack,drinking。\"Well,youareapersonofacuteperception,andI
willpresentlymakeitevidenttoyouthatitwouldbetoyourinteresttojoinwithus。Youareatpresent,evidently,inveryneedycircumstances,andarelost,notonlytoyourself,buttotheworld;butshouldyouenlistwithus,Icouldfindyouanoccupationnotonlyagreeable,butoneinwhichyourtalentswouldhavefreescope。IwouldintroduceyouinthevariousgrandhouseshereinEngland,towhichIhavemyselfadmission,asasurprisingyounggentlemanofinfinitelearning,whobydintofstudyhasdiscoveredthattheRomanistheonlytruefaith。Itellyouconfidentlythatourpopishfemaleswouldmakeasaint,nay,aGodofyou;theyarefoolsenoughforanything。ThereisonepersoninparticularwithwhomIwouldwishtomakeyouacquainted,inthehopethatyouwouldbeabletohelpmetoperformgoodservicetotheholysee。Heisagoutyoldfellow,ofsomelearning,residinginanoldhall,nearthegreatwesternseaport,andisoneoftheveryfewamongsttheEnglishCatholicspossessingagrainofsense。Ithinkyoucouldhelpustogovernhim,forheisnotunfrequentlydisposedtoberestive,asksusstrangequestions—
occasionallythreatensuswithhiscrutch;andbehavessothatweareoftenafraidthatweshalllosehim,or,rather,hisproperty,whichhehasbequeathedtous,andwhichisenormous。Iamsurethatyoucouldhelpustodealwithhim;
sometimeswithyourhumour,sometimeswithyourlearning,andperhapsoccasionallywithyourfists。\"
\"Andinwhatmannerwouldyouprovideformycompanion?\"saidI。
\"Wewouldplaceheratonce,\"saidthemaninblack,\"inthehouseoftwohighlyrespectableCatholicladiesinthisneighbourhood,whereshewouldbetreatedwitheverycareandconsiderationtillherconversionshouldbeaccomplishedinaregularmanner;wewouldthenremovehertoafemalemonasticestablishment,where,afterundergoingayear’sprobation,duringwhichtimeshewouldbeinstructedineveryelegantaccomplishment,sheshouldtaketheveil。Heradvancementwouldspeedilyfollow,for,withsuchafaceandfigure,shewouldmakeacapitalladyabbess,especiallyinItaly,towhichcountryshewouldprobablybesent;ladiesofherhairandcomplexion—tosaynothingofherheight—beingacuriosityinthesouth。Withalittlecareandmanagementshecouldsoonobtainavastreputationforsanctity;andwhoknowsbutafterherdeathshemightbecomeaglorifiedsaint—he!he!SisterMariaTheresa,forthatisthenameI
proposeyoushouldbear。HolyMotherMariaTheresa—
glorifiedandcelestialsaint,Ihavethehonourofdrinkingtoyourhealth,\"andthemaninblackdrank。
\"Well,Belle,\"saidI,\"whathaveyoutosaytothegentleman’sproposal?\"
\"ThatifhegoesoninthiswayIwillbreakhisglassagainsthismouth。\"
\"Youhaveheardthelady’sanswer,\"saidI。
\"Ihave,\"saidthemaninblack,\"andshallnotpressthematter。Ican’thelp,however,repeatingthatshewouldmakeacapitalladyabbess;shewouldkeepthenunsinorder,I
warranther;noeasymatter!Breaktheglassagainstmymouth—he!he!Howshewouldsendtheholyutensilsflyingatthenuns’headsoccasionally,andjustthepersontowringthenoseofSatan,shouldheventuretoappearonenightinhercellintheshapeofahandsomeblackman。Nooffence,madam,nooffence,prayretainyourseat,\"saidhe,observingthatBellehadstartedup;\"Imeannooffence。Well,ifyouwillnotconsenttobeanabbess,perhapsyouwillconsenttofollowthisyoungZingaro,andtoco—operatewithhimandus。
Iamapriest,madam,andcanjoinyoubothinaninstant,CONNUBIOSTABILI,asIsupposetheknothasnotbeentiedalready。\"
\"Holdyourmumpinggibberish,\"saidBelle,\"andleavethedinglethismoment,forthough’tisfreetoeveryone,youhavenorighttoinsultmeinit。\"
\"Praybepacified,\"saidItoBelle,gettingup,andplacingmyselfbetweenherandthemaninblack,\"hewillpresentlyleave,takemywordforit—there,sitdownagain,\"saidI,asIledhertoherseat;then,resumingmyown,Isaidtothemaninblack:\"Iadviseyoutoleavethedingleassoonaspossible。\"
\"Ishouldwishtohaveyouranswertomyproposalfirst,\"
saidhe。
\"Well,then,hereyoushallhaveit:Iwillnotentertainyourproposal;Idetestyourschemes:theyarebothwickedandfoolish。\"
\"Wicked,\"saidthemaninblack,\"havetheynot—he!he!—
thefurtheranceofreligioninview?\"
\"Areligion,\"saidI,\"inwhichyouyourselfdonotbelieve,andwhichyoucontemn。\"
\"WhetherIbelieveinitornot,\"saidthemaninblack,\"itisadaptedforthegeneralityofthehumanrace;soIwillforwardit,andadviseyoutodothesame。Itwasnearlyextirpatedintheseregions,butitisspringingupagain,owingtocircumstances。Radicalismisagoodfriendtous;
alltheliberalslaudupoursystemoutofhatredtotheEstablishedChurch,thoughoursystemistentimeslessliberalthantheChurchofEngland。Someofthemhavereallycomeovertous。ImyselfconfessabaronetwhopresidedoverthefirstradicalmeetingeverheldinEngland—hewasanatheistwhenhecameovertous,inthehopeofmortifyinghisownchurch—butheisnow—ho!ho!—arealCatholicdevotee—quiteafraidofmythreats;Imakehimfrequentlyscourgehimselfbeforeme。Well,Radicalismdoesusgoodservice,especiallyamongstthelowerclasses,forRadicalismchieflyflourishesamongstthem;forthoughabaronetortwomaybefoundamongsttheradicals,andperhapsasmanylords—fellowswhohavebeendiscardedbytheirownorderforclownishness,orsomethingtheyhavedone—itincontestablyflourishesbestamongthelowerorders。Thentheloveofwhatisforeignisagreatfriendtous;thisloveischieflyconfinedtothemiddleandupperclasses。SomeadmiretheFrench,andimitatethem;othersmustneedsbeSpaniards,dressthemselvesupinazamarra,stickacigarintheirmouth,andsay,’Carajo。’OtherswouldpassforGermans;he!
he!theideaofanyonewishingtopassforaGerman!butwhathasdoneusmoreservicethananythingelseintheseregions—Imeanamidstthemiddleclasses—hasbeenthenovel,theScotchnovel。Thegoodfolks,sincetheyhavereadthenovels,havebecomeJacobites;and,becausealltheJacobswerePapists,thegoodfolksmustbecomePapistsalso,or,atleast,papisticallyinclined。TheveryScotchPresbyterians,sincetheyhavereadthenovels,arebecomeallbutPapists;Ispeakadvisedly,havinglatelybeenamongstthem。There’satrumperybitofahalfpapistsect,calledtheScotchEpiscopalianChurch,whichlaydormantandnearlyforgottenforupwardsofahundredyears,whichhasoflategotwonderfullyintofashioninScotland,because,forsooth,someofthelong—hairedgentryofthenovelsweresaidtobelongtoit,suchasMontroseandDundee;andtothisthePresbyteriansaregoingoverinthrongs,traducingandvilifyingtheirownforefathers,ordenyingthemaltogether,andcallingthemselvesdescendantsof—ho!ho!
ho!—ScottishCavaliers!!!IhaveheardthemmyselfrepeatingsnatchesofJacobitedittiesabout’BonnieDundee,’
and—
\"’Come,fillupmycup,andfillupmycan,Andsaddlemyhorse,andcallupmyman。’
There’sstuffforyou!NotthatIobjecttothefirstpartoftheditty。ItisnaturalenoughthataScotchmanshouldcry,’Come,fillupmycup!’moreespeciallyifhe’sdrinkingatanotherperson’sexpense—allScotchmenbeingfondofliquoratfreecost:but’Saddlehishorse!!!’—forwhatpurpose,Iwouldask?Whereistheuseofsaddlingahorse,unlessyoucanridehim?andwherewasthereeveraScotchmanwhocouldride?\"
\"OfcourseyouhavenotadropofScotchbloodinyourveins,\"saidI,\"otherwiseyouwouldneverhaveutteredthatlastsentence。\"
\"Don’tbetoosureofthat,\"saidthemaninblack;\"youknowlittleofPoperyifyouimaginethatitcannotextinguishloveofcountry,eveninaScotchman。Athorough—goingPapist—andwhomorethorough—goingthanmyself?—caresnothingforhiscountry;andwhyshouldhe?hebelongstoasystem,andnottoacountry。\"
\"Onething,\"saidI,\"connectedwithyou,Icannotunderstand;youcallyourselfathorough—goingPapist,yetarecontinuallysayingthemostpungentthingsagainstPopery,andturningtounboundedridiculethosewhoshowanyinclinationtoembraceit。\"
\"Romeisaverysensibleoldbody,\"saidthemaninblack,\"andlittlecareswhatherchildrensay,providedtheydoherbidding。Sheknowsseveralthings,andamongstothers,thatnoservantsworksohardandfaithfullyasthosewhocursetheirmastersateverystroketheydo。ShewasnotfoolenoughtobeangrywiththeMiqueletsofAlba,whorenouncedher,andcalledher’puta’allthetimetheywerecuttingthethroatsoftheNetherlanders。Now,ifsheallowedherfaithfulsoldiersthelatitudeofrenouncingher,andcallingher’puta’inthemarket—place,thinknotsheissounreasonableastoobjecttoherfaithfulpriestsoccasionallycallingher’puta’inthedingle。\"
\"But,\"saidI,\"supposesomeoneweretotelltheworldsomeofthedisorderlythingswhichherpriestssayinthedingle?\"
\"HewouldhavethefateofCassandra,\"saidthemaninblack;
\"noonewouldbelievehim—yes,thepriestswould:buttheywouldmakenosignofbelief。TheybelieveintheAlcorandesCordeliers—thatis,thosewhohavereadit;buttheymakenosign。\"