首页 >出版文学> The Romany Ryel>第9章

第9章

  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。"