第9章
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  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。\"

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