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 law; but the answer I received convinced me I was mistaken, as such a course would be destructive of all the certainty I had so much admired: The frauds might be of a character which the courts, in other times, had not embraced in their recorded proceedings, and the judges must either have made new laws by their judgments, instead of administering the old ones, or have abandoned the principles of justice; and the cases might not be such as to have admitted, even in future, of practicable corrections by statutes.—In the same manner, the reversal of decisions, by the very tribunals which had pronounced them, must have led to endless dissatisfactions and appeals. In pursuing this enlightened jurisdiction through all its parts, as far as an unlettered stranger could comprehend it, I found it to be justified throughout.—I was filled with admiration of the wisdom which had reared it up, and was convinced that, but for an accident which I hasten to relate, the civil jurisdictions of Armata would have been as perfect as her criminal law. Rh

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 The ancient rules which governed the tenures of lands, and the forms of asserting inheritances, were most curiously precise, and all conveyances of property were equally remarkable for their brevity and clearness; evidenced besides by the public delivery of possession which always attended them; but the singular and fatal occurrence, which I have just promised an account of, wrought a total and sudden change in this simple and venerable system.—The clergy, who, in the infancy of letters, were by far the most learned amongst the people, had been long availing themselves of the superstitions of darker times, to draw to themselves the possession of the richest domains in various parts of the country, and, to give secrecy to such transactions, (as they were all prohibited,) public conveyances were not taken from the dupes of their hypocrisy, who only bound themselves to permit the use and enjoyment to belong to those religious bodies; but the heads of them contrived to seat themselves in this high court, where they compelled the execution by their own decrees, though

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 ¬though they were not only void of all legal so- lemnity, but were in contempt of positive law. ¬This dangerous system of fraud was carried at last to such a height, that the great council of Armata resolved to put an end to it; and the manner they set about its destruction was just what might have been expected from the sagacity and shrewdness so visible in all their institutions. — They said by a statute, in a jew plain words, that whoever had the use of land should be taken to be the legal proprietor, and having before prohibited the clergy from re- ceiving conveyances, no other path was open to them : without the use they had nothing ; and the use now becoming the land itself, they could no longer hold it — thus the foxes" holes were completely earthed up. Now comes the extraordinary matter — which, as I could hardly myself believe when I heard it, I am almost afraid to be a suitor for belief from others; I can only promise to relate what I was told, though I cannot be confident I understood it.— ¬When ¬

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 ¬When the above-mentioned foxes came to their holes, and found the trick that had been played upon them, they fell upon this notable contri- vance. — If pious A. possessed of land, had now given to clerical B. the use of it; such ttse could no longer have been available, because the use having, by the new law, become the land itself, clerical B. could not hold it ; to avoid this awkward consequence, the)' settled that the clerical fox, who was to enjoy the land, should go down one step in the alphabet and become C. and that pious A. should find some nominal B., or any son of a B., to give the use to, which of course made this B., or this son of a B., the legal proprietor, but who, it was set- tled in this court, was only to hold it to the use of the same fox, noiv clerical C. ¬When this most manifest and impudent shuffle was brought before the judges of Armata, it was of course expected that an instant end would have been put to it ; because the very object of the new law being that whoever had ¬the ¬

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 ¬the use and enjoyment of land, should be held to be the legal owner, it must be evident not merely to a lawyer, but to any shoc-blaek in an English alley, that if instead of sending down clerical B. to be clerical C. he had run the gauntlet through twenty alphabets, the use still pursuing him and becoming always the land itself, he could not possibly hold it. But the Judges of Armata, though profoundly learned in their general administration, unluckily thought otherwise, and pronounced that clerical C. had a good title, inasmuch as they could not go beyond B. who had the first use, nor carry on farther the end and object of the statute, by adjudging that the second use was still the land itself as much as if it had been the first. I can no otherwise account for this astonishing judg- ment except by what we frequently observe in one of the wisest and bravest of animals, who will in general advance against a cannon, yet who, in one of our lanes such as in Kensington or Knightsbridge, with nothing but shrubs and flowers all around him, will suddenly stand stock ¬still, ¬

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 ¬still, startled at something or other, but without either himself or his rider knowing what the devil it can be. — In such conjunctures there is no remedy but the spur, which is, however, by no means a sure one, as riders have been thrown. — Now this is no simile, but the very case itself: Not a peg would the judges move, and the great council being some how afraid to spur them, their judgment was neither reversed in the supreme tribunal, nor a new law passed to follow on the use through all its windings, so as still to make it the land itself. The conse- quence requires no lawyer's skill to point out. — The evil intended to be beat down continued, and the jurisdiction of the courts of law over the landed territory of Arinata was at an end for ever. From that period, almost all the estates throughout that great country were con- veyed to second uses upon the ingenious model of clerical C. which even after the clergy had no longer any interest in the contrivances, remained the almost universal mode of settling property — the legal proprietor in the land ¬being ¬

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 ¬being nothing more than a chair in a country dance, the interest vesting in another, subject only to the jurisdiction of the court I have described. ¬The effects of this unexampled revolution were most disastrous. — Instead of the short and simple deeds of ancient times, with the clear and cheap evidence of public possession, a new system of conveyancing arose, which has ever since involved titles to land in the most expen- sive and perplexing intricacies, no man in Ar- mata not a lawyer having the least guess at the tenure of his estate, and even a large class of lawyers themselves existing upon their contro- versies with each other, which, with the most honest disposition to finish them, become darker the more they are brought to light — the venerable judges of the law having no more jurisdiction over them than the keeper of the wild beasts at the Tower has a right, ex officio, to sit in parliament, or as a privy counsellor to the King. ¬On ¬

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 ¬On conversing with the most learned men, I found that this strange emancipation of real property from the dominion of the ancient courts to this more modern tribunal, was not merely a change of one jurisdiction for another of the same character, but as entire an alteration of the whole system of the law as could possibly exist in countries the most remotely separated, depriving the subject of the most valuable part of the legal constitution ; the forms of this court excluding oral testimony, and requiring that not only the pleadings and answers of the parties, but all the facts, however numerous the witnesses or however voluminous their testi- mony, should be reduced into writing, at an expense quite ruinous, and creating a delay destructive of the ends of justice. ¬I found moreover, that this dominion over land and over personal contracts so connected with it as to be quite inseparable, was in itself more than sufficient to occupy the whole time of any single judge, or even of twelve if they sat sepa- rately, ¬

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 ¬rately, and that its equitable aid to the other courts, which was its real and admirable pro- vince in the legal constitution, was completely overshadowed and almost swallowed up by this ill-omened jurisdiction. — Unskilled indeed as I was in such subjects, I could see most plainly that if the powers of this high court, as they are marked out in the masterly sketch before the reader, could have been made its sole jurisdiction, constantly applied to assist the other courts, as must have been originally intended ; and if, as far as facts were concerned, the practice could have been assimilated to that of their other courts, by the admission of parole evidence, the justice of Armata would have been perfect. ¬But this unprincipled jurisdiction over landed property, wholly unconnected with its equitable office, M'as not the only obstruction which I found that the most indefatigable judge of this high court had to contend with. — Many other jurisdictions, never dreamed of in former times but which had arisen out of new conditions of ¬society, ¬

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 ¬society, were heaped without measure or mercy upon his devoted head.' — Whenever, indeed, any new subject of judicature started up, no matter from whence it came or to what it properly be- longed, and for which the legislature was at fault for a forum, it was sure to be cast upon the heap — Like Milton's Limbo of Vanity, every thing that went wrong in the world was sure to be found here; and to swell the confusion, lunatics, mendicants, and bankrupts, even all the children of the kingdom were perpetually dancing around him — and as if all this was not sufficient occupation, it was found out be- sides that he ought to be placed as a legislative president in the highest council, where after having had his mind and body worn down by his judicial functions, he was compelled to sit and listen to all that the most unex- hausted had to say. — I had a curiosity to see this great magistrate, and thought it no small one to see that he was alive. — He was a most able and agreeable man; by all accounts deeply learned in every branch of the law, ¬trem- ¬

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 ¬tremblingly alive to the justice of decision, and most unwearied in the discharge of his multi- plied and momentous trusts.— I asked him how he could possibly exist in such a scene as I have described: he laughed and said to me, " You may go and ask the first salamander you meet, how he lives in the fire ? I have been here all my life." ¬I found that this great Court had another Judge who sat separately, a person of great learning and eloquence, and that on account of the evils I have been describing, they had lately recourse to another ; but, for my own part, I could see enough to be quite sure that if as many more were added to them as there are Martello towers upon our coast of Sussex, it would be just such a reform in judicature, as the others were in war.— The delays are inseparable from that Babelof jurisdictions I have described, and from a system of conveyancing, commenc- ing, as the reader must have seen, in fraud and rapacity, but which, being afterwards sanctioned ¬by ¬

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 ¬by general practice, became almost the common assurance of that realm, and from its very nature the parent of expenses to an intolerable extent — all persons who can in any way be affected in their property or interests must invariably be made parties to any proceedings in this court, because its decrees are universally conclusive, and of course if any of them die, the suit may be said to die along with them ; so that in cases of great value, where there are often many com- plainants, and great numbers impleaded, the cause is perhaps laid out a corpse once a month, until after a decent time for interment, at which the Commissioners of Stamps, like our under- takers, are sure to be constant attendants — the heirs or other representatives succeed to the de- funct upon the record — and if their sheep were not as prolific and as short-lived as our own, it would be impossible to find a succession of parchment for their records. It is no wonder, therefore, that complaints are often loudly heard, and many have reason to complain, but never of the Judges, and very seldom of the ¬professors ¬

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 ¬professors of the law : — As well indeed might a traveller in our York waggon complain of the driver for not overtaking the mail ; — hut it appeared, from all my inquiries, that it was much too easy, without proper securities, to institute complaints in this court — The Romans punished their criminals by throwing them over the Tarpeian rock, but the punishment was in the hands of the magistrates, whereas any man in Armata may throw his neighbour over this tower of Babel, which differs only from the Roman precipice in this, that the victim seldom reaches the bottom. ¬I shall conclude the subject by a curious spe- cimen of Armatan conveyancing, which I lite, rally was witness to myself, and to which indeed I was a party, before its mysteries were known to me. ¬As I was sitting at dinner with Morven and a large company, a coach suddenly drove up to the door, when the person it belonged to ¬m 2 coming ¬

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 ¬coining up to me with great seeming satis- faction said — " I am delighted to have found you at last, as I am borrowing money upon my estate, and could not have touched a mite if I had missed you." I was almost struck dumb with astonishment, and could not guess what he meant, until he told me I was the legal proprietor of his whole estate, and that I must therefore convey it to the lender of the money. — " Good God, Sir," I answered, " you must mistake me for some other person, as I do not remember ever to have seen you in my life." — " Oh yes, you have," said Morven, " he dined with you at my house soon after you were ship- wrecked, and I remember he then said, it would be a pleasant thing to make such a use of so extraordinary a stranger." — I was now, of course, obliged to say, that under Morven's guidance I was at his command, though I could not com- prehend what was intended. — The coach was now emptied out, when I signed my name, I believe twenty times, upon different writings, which of course I could not read, and then ¬made ¬

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 ¬made my bow to him, heartily glad to get away ; but Morven stopped me by saying, that I must wait until the boot was unloaded, as the deeds disposed of had all been in the body of the coach, and I was detained above half an hour longer. — I found afterwards, upon inquiry, that I stood in the place of nominal B. and was pro- prietor in law to this troublesome man's use. ¬There is yet another evil which visits, or rather overwhelms, all their jurisdictions, though it bears the heaviest when landed property is in question, but it extends to the proceedings of all courts, and to almost all the transactions of mankind. — Upon every page of their voluminous mass of records, and evidence, and process, which if set fire to in Armata, though but a speck upon that planet, might not only be seen from our earth, but perhaps be viewed with alarm as a comet by all worlds — Yes — upon every page of all this accumulation of writing, there must be a miniature impression of their King; without which no suitor can be heard, ¬m 3 nor ¬

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 ¬nor a syllable of testimony be read before the Judge ; and they sometimes exceed the value of the subjects in contest, which are abandoned, of course, to any knave who may be in possession —, They are not political contrivances to excite awe and reverence for the Sovereign, but have been resorted to for revenue, and threaten in the end to destroy all the benefits of courts of justice. ¬I never was more affected than when I saw the virtue and wisdom of so many ages thus shamefully overthrown by the mad profusion of spendthrift governments in very modern times. I had thought it worth all the perils I had encountered, to be present in their ordinary courts; I had visited them almost daily, and it was more like enchantment than the imperfect condition of human affairs, to witness the dis- patch and unerring justice with which the most complicated concerns were disentangled and decided ; but after this sad communication, their tribunals appeared to me like painted sepul- chres. — I found that little was left for the ¬suitors ¬

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 ¬suitors who succeeded, and the unsuccessful were often undone, nay, sometimes all of them together, and the lawyers whom they em- ployed — of which I saw a most notable instance in the prison of the principal court, which I was carried as a curiosity to see. ¬In passing through the rooms of the prisoners, we observed four persons who were playing at cards together, when my conductor, who was still the same eminent advocate, desired me to stop and observe them — " That first," he said, (pointing to the man nearest us,) " is an honest baker with a large family, who brought a suit against his partner at the table, to recover about twenty pounds of your money for bread that he had sold him ; but for which the other, Avho is a carpenter, could not pay, having a large family also, and his taxes to government in arrear, for which his little effects had been sold. — The baker prevailed in his suit, but the pictures of the sovereign, and the expenses of the proceeding, beyond what he could charge to ¬m 4 his ¬

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 ¬his opponent, would have left him but little to receive, even if the carpenter could have paid ; hut receiving nothing at all, he took him to prison for the debt, which was swelled by the expenses to more than double the sum. — But the poor baker, thus receiving nothing from his prisoner, and not being able to pay his attorney for the proceedings and the portraits, he was sued himself, and was soon taken to prison also, and the plaintiff and defendant now sit opposite. — But the attorney was just in the same condition as his client, whom he had sued; as, by getting nothing from the baker, he was unable to pay for the portraits which the paper-merchant had sold him, and he was sued and carried to prison himself, where he met with the gentleman who is now his partner, viz. the attorney for the carpenter, he having been sued for the portraits also, which he had bought for the carpenter's defence — and being cast into the same prison the gaoler has got the whole covey. — They have not amongst them all the smallest coin in circulation, yet they are as eager at ¬their ¬

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 ¬their game as if the fate of the universe was at stake on every card ; and they pay one another with slips of paper, which they pleasantly enough call exchequer hills, as they are to be paid only b}- similar slips of paper when they become due." — I never witnessed such a scene. — It was inhuman to laugh as I did, but it would have been more than human to resist. — I wish that high councils of state, when a quarrel is engendering between nations, and peace or war are in the balance, would a little more con- sider the consequences before the die is cast; as nothing short of invasion and conquest can in- flict upon a nation so severe an evil as a de- vouring taxation, which fastens upon all the springs of life. — But no revenue should ever ap- proach the sanctuaries of justice, to drive their votaries into dungeons, whilst luxury can shew herself in the streets. ¬When from this pressure of taxation, and the entanglements of forms too technical and expen- sive, the law had ceased to be a plain and simple ¬remedy ¬

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 ¬remedy for the recovery of debts, the adminis- tration of justice, from no faults of its own, be- came unpopular, and many reformers started up. Temporary expedients were first resorted to — The public councils frequently throwing open the gates of the prisons throughout the whole country; but such acts of necessity produced as many sufferings as they redressed; — they could reach only those who were in custody when they passed, but could take no account of many more who were subject to imprison- ment by the insolvency of their debtors who were set free, and thus the ruined creditors of redeemed prisoners soon took their places, without any hope of redemption, until the intervals between such statutes had passed away. — This was a system of manifest injustice ; yet such is the danger of meddling with old establishments, however imperfect, that although many able and benevolent statesmen clubbed all their talents for its reformation, their new law, even in its infancy, is more destructive of credit, and more injurious to both debtors and credit- ors ¬

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 ¬ors than the old one which they undertook to reform. ¬The principle was to substitute a cession of property for the imprisonment of debtors ; but the creditor, before he can enforce it, must establish his debt in the superior courts, by the same dilatory process, and under all the pressure of revenue, as if he were still to have the ultimate fruit of it under the ancient judgments and executions. — He may now, as formerly, deprive any person of his liberty whom he onuses to call his debtor, even be- fore he is possessed of any judicial confirma- tion of his demand ; yet he has no sooner ob- tained judgment against him, by a tedious suit, and at an expense in many cases beyond the amount of the debt, than the prison doors fly open, and the debtor, as if the proof of the debt entitled him to freedom from the conse- quences, has now only to offer what he has, or to say that he has nothing; and thus, after all the cost and delay of a solemn process, the cre- ditor ¬

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 ¬ditor who sued him has only an equal claim with others zvho were at no expense at all, and even with collusive claimants, set up by the debtor, to cover such property as could not with safety be concealed. — Surely such a system is not merely defective, but is a dangerous nuisance. ¬If the cession of property be adopted as a general rule, it should not be left to the option of the debtor only, at the conclusion of a regular suit, but the creditor ought to have his election also from the beginning, and by the same summary forms as the debtor may resort to in the end, but this could not have been accom- plished without throwing the whole jurisdiction over contracts into the hands of inferior magis- trates, to the very extinction of our ancient courts of law, which would be exposed even to an insult- ing reproof, by having their immemorial juris- dictions swept away. — Upon the whole, there- fore, the practice of imprisonment for debt had far better been reformed and modified, without rashly subverting our legal constitution, which ¬it ¬

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 ¬it is too much the fashion to boast of yet to condemn. — The cession of property may be a wise and beneficial system, if applied with speedy and costless ceremonies to the insolvencies of the commercial world, where property is large and tangible, but when extended to the very lowest orders of the people, whose effects can rarely be follozved, it holds out a dan- gerous temptation to fraud, and strikes at the very foundation of credit, by destroying all the securities of trust. ¬I had now been so long engaged in the exa- mination of the laws of Armata, and so much pleased with my companions of the profession, who were most eminent and incorruptible per- sons, highly esteemed for their general learning and talents, that I almost resolved to think no more of our world, and to become an advo- cate in their courts. — They were highly diverted and pleased with my project, but suggested to me that their language was not easy — an ob- jection however which I answered by observing, ¬that ¬

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 ¬that Scotchmen flocked daily into London, and became intelligible by degrees. — To cut the matter short, I had set my mind, at last, upon the plan, and which was only defeated by a conspiracy against me of the most extraordinary description — Many witnesses having started up, and declared themselves ready to prove that I had practised there many years, and for some reason or other had been expelled from the bar. — I was astonished at this attempt, but what could be done to resist it? they were persons whose credit I had no means of impeaching, and I could prove no alibi without witnesses from the earth. ¬I consulted their great chief justice, who wished much to help me, but said he could give me no relief — and that he would tell me the reason the first time he saw me, which he soon afterwards did — but the conversation was private. ¬I now proceeded to examine the police of this -immense ¬

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 ¬immense city, in which there were many imper- fections, but in my opinion often referable to a population which no magistracy could duly superintend, and to houses of entertainment for the lower orders multiplied beyond the calls of necessity, and too much cherished on account of the revenue they produced. — No vigilance could repress all the disorders they created, nor protect the moral character of the people, the debasement of which, in many instances, was frightful. — Thefts and robberies M r ere almost of nightly occurrence, and so far was there from being any prospect of safety by sweeping away the gangs of old and hardened offenders, that juvenile delinquency maintained a more depraved succession. — Thousands of boys, from the vices of parents, neglect of education, and want of employment, were to be found in the streets, the associates of professed thieves, and of girls sub- sisting by prostitution, frequenting houses of the most infamous description, where they con- cealed and divided their plunder. ¬I was ¬

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 ¬I was the more attentive to those abuses, be- cause London itself is not free from them, and they cannot be removed but by striking at their roots. — The system of licenses to publicans should be totally changed, and the partialities with which they have been granted done away. — Character, most respectably and cautiously certified, ought to be the only qualification ; severe punishment should attend irregularities and disorders, and no established Victual- ler should be deprived of his license upon any pretence whatsoever, xvithout trial by a jury, instead of being, as heretofore, at the will of the justices of the peace; none of whom be- sides should license any houses of their own, nor be seen upon the bench when the titles to them are discussed. — I have a great respect for the magistrates of our country, and for none more than many of them in the metropolis — but no one ought to be placed in a situation which exposes him even to suspicion, nor sit in judg- ment when he has the remotest interest in the decision. ¬The ¬

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 ¬If all those provisions were enacted and duly executed, there would be fewer offences, because their shelters would be destroyed. — Publicans so selected and encouraged by the security of their possessions, whilst they acted with honesty and discretion, would become a kind of lower magistrates, and be sureties for the peace of the city. ¬Mendicity also, from the same causes, had become a shameful nuisance in Swaloal. — In the most populous cities of Europe, it is only dis- gusting from the wretchedness of the suppli- cants, but here compassion was constantly abused, and blunted by the most atrocious im- postures. — A sovereignty of beggars had been Ions* established with the most regular autho- rities, and the streets throughout all that wide extent, which we call the Bills of Mortality, were assigned for the walks of the pretended paupers, many of which had become inheri- tances, and had descended through several generations. — The following instance of long-t ¬n practised ¬

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 ¬practised iniquity I considered it my ill fortune to detect ; because, though it is a high duty to the public to expose such evils, yet their expo- sure bears heavily upon many innocent people, and steels our hearts against the most genuine objects of compassion. ¬The charity of the fair Morvina was prover- bial, and our doors had long been surrounded by the poor of every description. — There was an old man who peculiarly interested us, being one hundred and three years of age, confirmed by a certificate which seemed to be as old as himself; the writing being much torn, and the seal im- perfect. — We were constantly attended also by a woman, who had lost her eyes from lightning, which were covered with black patches of silk, and by a man, her companion, who from palsy had lost the use of both his legs, and was drawn on a kind of sledge through the streets. — There was, from time to time, besides, another wretched woman with six little children, and near delivery ©f a seventh; all these paupers, and many ¬more, ¬

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 ¬more, were almost daily relieved and fed, until an accident occurred for our deliverance. — To state it in almost a word, my Match was stolen and found upon one of them, who, to save him- self from the gallows, informed me privately that we were the victims of imposition, and that if I would disguise myself, he would carry me to where I might see the real condition of those on whom pity had been thrown away. ¬I was pleased with the scheme, and having secured myself from discovery, he accompanied me at the time appointed to a public breakfast of the fraternity, before they dressed for their rounds. ¬On entering the room I could not help think- ing that my repentant conductor, as he de- scribed himself, had some new fraud in agi- tation, since I saw nothing that could give me the least expectation of meeting the wretches we had so long supported — The company were seated round a long table, where neither ¬n 2 disease ¬

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 ¬disease nor old age were to be seen, but on the contrary, above twenty well-dressed, healthy, happy people, regaling themselves with the best fare, and pledging one another in their cups; on the ringing of a bell their president told them to deliver in their accounts, and to assume their different characters for the day — the audit was soon over, and after they had been gone about a quarter of an hour, I saw all of them return, and every one of my friends amongst the rest — They were exactly the same as I had always seen them, and their real characters and descriptions were as follows — The old man of 103 had not seen 30, he had been a drummer in a re- giment, and was just returned from transporta- tion before his time.* — The woman who had lost her eyes, which were now covered again with patches, my conductor had shewn me in the room, where instead of their being obscured by lightning, they flashed lightning in every glance. ¬ —She ¬
 * The Armatans transport their felons, as we do, to a very distant region. ¬

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 ¬— She was a beautiful creature, not more than seventeen years of age, and hired for the pur- pose by the gang. — The paralytic patient, whose sledge stood in the passage, was cutting his capers in the way to it, as indeed he very well might, having been a rope-dancer at one of the smaller theatres, from which he had lately been discharged, on his being discovered picking a pocket behind the scenes — The pregnant lady was among the last, as her pillow had not been carefully adjusted, and she had to pay the mothers of the six children who were going out with her, as they always attended to receive the ready money for the day. ¬My felonious friend now made me a signal to be gone, as my disguise, he said, might perhaps be discovered, which would not only be ruinous to him but might be dangerous to myself. ¬For the evils I had witnessed, to some extent and in some shape or other, there is, perhaps, no remedy in a large city, and we ought not to ¬N 3 surlier ¬

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 ¬suffer the knowledge of their existence, though highly useful, to make us cold to the sufferings of our fellow-creatures. — We may often be mis- taken in the true objects of charity, but if from the impression of imposture, a real one should be passed by, how fatal might be the mistake ! In times like the present, we should suspend the very remembrance of it, and go forth into the streets to take our chance of being deceived. ¬Before I leave the subject of human suf- ferings, I must shock the feelings of the reader by taking notice of a most barbarous custom in Armata, wholly inconsistent with the benevolent character of her people. ¬Although their mechanical inventions had reached such perfection that almost nothing was left for human hands to perform without aids to assist labour and to avert dangers, yet they persisted in devoting the unprotected chil- dren of the poor to misery, disease, and death, by a practice, not yet reformed amongst our- selves, ¬

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 ¬selves, of cleansing their fire-places by climbing boys instead of by machines; frequently goad- ing them on by sharp instruments applied to the soles of their feet, when to escape suffocation they have halted in their ascent. ¬I frequently and loudly remonstrated against this horrible cruelty, and on being told, with indifference, of the forms of their houses which made machinery difficult, though it had failed in nothing else, / lost all patience. — " Talk not to me (I said) of the antiquity of your houses, or of their unsuitableness for the performance of your duty to God and your fellow-creatures. — If you will not alter them in your capital, where the abuses are so afflicting, Heaven may reform your manners as in ancient times the vices of nations have been rebuked; — « Earthquake, which has hitherto been confined to other countries, may be let loose to tumble them on your heads." ¬To Englishmen also let me lift up my voice : — ¬n 4 " You ¬

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 ¬" You have raised an immortal monument of fame and glory by the abolition of the Slave Trade throughout the world, and will you suffer a worse slavery to debase even your own chil- dren, whose colour, if colour indeed can be a degradation, was not given by Heaven but by yourselves?"* ¬The religions of new countries having always been considered by travellers as interesting ob- jects of curiosity, I shall now make a few short remarks upon the Armatan church. ¬I found they had a Revelation as we have — Simple and eloquent, bearing throughout the stamp of divine truth, communicating, like our own, a fallen condition and a mediatorial re- demption^ — It is published by authority, and circulated as the universal source of faith and morals. Their forms of prayer are solemn and ¬* I have just heard with great satisfaction, that whatever may be the construction of houses in Armata, our own throughout all England will admit machinery. ¬impres- ¬

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 ¬impressive, composed in former times by the most eloquent fathers of her communion, and established by law to give uniformity to public worship. The dignified clergy were distin- guished for their piety and learning, setting an useful example to inferior pastors, which was generally though not always followed. ¬Their Articles of Belief are also published to give a distinct character to their national esta- blishment, which might otherwise be corrupted and degraded by ignorant or designing men. — They were drawn up with great wisdom and moderation in very difficult times, but at some more favourable period they should have been re-considered. — The utmost care ought to be employed in the composition of such a sacred code; and the doctrines it comprehends should be divested of all that is dark and mysterious. Not that such doctrines ought therefore to be rejected when supported by the authority of Scripture, but they should rather be maintained in preaching than rigidly insisted upon as tests. ¬I can- ¬

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 ¬I cannot perhaps better illustrate this in- teresting subject, than by giving the reader a short account of a conversation I had with an eminent member of their communion; most virtuous in his life, and devoted to the practice of every good work. — He deeply lamented the growth of what we call Sectaries, and dwelt with great anxiety upon the unhappy state of his country, predicting at no very distant period the utter extinction of the church. ¦ — Clear as, he said, were the Articles of her religious faith, they had by no means been universally accepted, and that, although those who rejected them were not only excluded from the priesthood but from many civil offices and distinctions, yet they still persevered in their own opinions, and were corrupting the world by their unbeliefs. — The great bulk of the Articles would, he admitted, have been accepted, but that some of them, though standing upon divine authority, were wickedly rejected ; a heresy the more detestable, as their sacred writings were not only circulated by authority ¬for ¬

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 ¬for public instruction, but by the charity of many pious persons were now universally read. ¬I here interrupted to observe, that I did not altogether comprehend him. — " How," I asjced, " can your people be thus invited by public law to study a book of which they are told that God himself is the author, yet be expected to receive its interpretation from man, and be charged moreover with wickedness for having an honest opinion of their own ; I do not at all object to your national church for adopting and adhering to the most approved doctrines, but upon what principle of policy do you exclude men from your ministry, much more from any office in the state on account only of different impres- sions of the divine nature, or of the hopes and expectations of mankind, as they faithfully be- lieve them to be derived from the word of God, so given to them, without comment, by both church and state, which concur in such exclusions? — I must suppose that the professed beliefs of such persons thus shut out from your ¬com- ¬ {{c|( ]

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 ¬communion are either so manifestly erroneous as to carry with them the evidence of fraud and irreligion, or that they involve political tenets which might endanger the establishments of your country." ¬" I am not prepared," (said the aged and reverend pastor,) " to make either of such charges upon those who are yet properly ex- cluded from our sanctuary, and even from some of our civil functions. — The times have undoubtedly passed away since disaffection to our government can be justly imputed to them ; neither can I go the length of saying that their beliefs, or rather their unbeliefs, ought to be considered as proofs of irreligion or fraud ; but can any church receive communicants who do not accept her communications, or admit mi- nisters who deny her creeds ?" — " That" I an- swered, " no man of common sense can require, but why in matters not absolutely essential to faith or morals, and of most obscure and doubtful import, do you not leave men to ¬them- ¬

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 ¬themselves? — Why do you hold up mysteries to others as tests of acceptation which you do not even agree upon among yourselves ? and if you dread such immaterial differences of opi- nion, why do you embalm bodies of men by laws and statutes, which otherwise might disperse and perish ?" ¬" We complain of their perverseness" replied the good old man, " which ought surely to have a mark set upon it, though of a gentle character. — To give you one instance, among many others, of their obstinacy and blindness, what do you say to their refusing even to attest their belief in all things visible or invisible?" I acknowledged that this was certainly most pro- voking ; though, perhaps, its generality might alarm tender consciences. — If they doubted in- deed the existence of God because invisible, I should condemn and reject them, since the Deity could not be visible to mortal sight, but all things," I said, " was rather a startling proposition." " Not at all, 1 ' said the good old ¬man. ¬

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 ¬man, " when in the mouth of the church that pronounces it, as it can then only mean all things which the Church believes." — " And pray, Sir," said I, " what are they r" — He here looked at his watch, saying, that at another time he would converse with me farther, but that he was engaged to go out. — Suspecting, however, (though I am persuaded without foundation,) that he was rather puzzled and wished to evade the question, I said I waved it for the present as it might run into length, and that I wished only to revert to the absurdity of circulating the Scripture without comment, yet insisting upon their own interpretation. — " We have found that to be an error," he replied, " and are now beginning to correct it by notes and commentaries of our own."

"That you may undoubtedly do," I rejoined with warmth, " as learned commentators, leaving other men also to their own expositions ; but if you were to do this in England, upon the footing of authority, we should tax you with relapsing

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 ¬relapsing into the very errors of the catholic church, by beating up for proselytes to your own establishment, instead of publishing the pure word of God as proceeding, through inspiration, from himself. — This was the damnable usurpa- tion of the papacy in the world 1 came from, and after having shed our blood for its ex- tinction, we should hardly submit to it again. — Any man, with us, may write what notes upon the Bible he pleases, but no man, nor the state itself, can put upon it any fetters of the law." -The old man made no reply to this, and I rather thought he was ashamed of what he had said. ¬I found after all when the differences came to be sifted between the Armatan church and many, at least, who had ranged themselves under various establishments of dissent, that they had arisen, for the most part, from the adoption of mysteries as inexorable articles of faith, instead of softening them by expressions ¬that, ¬

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 ¬that, without departing from the best interpre- tations of Scripture, might give a fair latitude to conscientious men, who, whilst they reverenced the Established Church and in general embraced its doctrines, could not honestly swear to an implicit belief in matters so deep that the human mind could not fathom them. ¬The excellent old man seemed to feel the force of this, yet such is the dominion of pre- judice over the most enlightened understand- ings, that he made only this reply — " We have done every thing to open our arms to all chris- tians who would subscribe our Articles — We have held out in one hand large ecclesiastical preferments, and mortifying exclusions in the other, yet the former have been rejected and the latter patiently end u red. — I ought however to do justice to numbers who have consented to be- come priests with benefices, by swearing in the end to what before they had utterly denied." — He raised his voice at the conclusion of this sentence as if an irresistible demonstration had ¬been ¬

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 ¬been wound up ; and so indeed there had, be- cause the proof was irresistible that his church bad shut her doors against the highest proofs of religious sincerity, and thrown them open to self-interest and falsehood. ¬I did not chuse, however, to mortify him by this declaration, but contented myself with re- peating my admission that every national church was fully justified in publishing its own creeds, and that such professions should, in a religious sense, be considered as the national faith, but not so as to touch the consciences of men by exclusions of any description for differing only as to mysteries, the truth of which no church could perfectly know, and which were immaterial if they could be known. — " How far," I said, " are we distant from that beautiful bridge, which promises to be as immortal as the victory it has recorded ?" — " Above a mile," he answered, " but I cannot comprehend the meaning of your question." — " Then I will tell you," I answered, " in a word." ¬ Some ¬

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 {{c|( {c|( 194 )}}¬" Some of the mysteries which you insist upon, and make the parents of a widely-spread- ing dissent, are so immaterial to the essential truth and character of divine revelation, that perhaps, on that very account, they are covered as with a veil from the presumptuous mind of man ; and so little do I seek to remove it, that if an angel were now standing upon the centre arch of the bridge I point to, I would not walk through the rain that is falling, to know from him which opinion concerning them was best, so as I knew that God had through re- demption received me, and in any manner had enlightened me with his holy spirit. — It is most fit, nevertheless, that your Scriptures should in those points be examined, and that the best expositions should be supported and illustrated by your church, but they should neither be made proscriptive articles of belief, nor subjects of contention amongst mankind. — Her establish- ment, as you have described it, is entitled to re- verence for its purity and wisdom, and if all her ministers would only preach their own evan- gelical ¬

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 ¬gelical doctrines, one half of the chapels that within a few years have started up and out- numbered your steeples, would probably tumble down of themselves, and as she has not half room enough for her own congregations, she might then build even cathedrals from their ruins, and bring back into her bosom dissenters of all descriptions, who now threaten to swallow her up." ¬I intended this advice to be private, and that it should never travel from thence into our own world, though the gossip of a traveller has re- vealed it ; because, though I sincerely honour the Church of England, and hold by her doctrines, as the purest, and the best, yet I wish that our national religion, as well as our civil state, should be balanced by a popular consti- tution, and that the free spirit of the dissenters should continue. ¬Absurd, enthusiastic ardour ought to be ex- posed and discountenanced, because it brings ¬o 2 religion ¬

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 ¬religion into contempt, but it consists with my own knowledge that many persons in England, of the purest lives, and of the most exalted wis- dom and virtue, have been reproached or sneered at as Methodists, only for maintaining and be- lieving the very same doctrines which Our Sa- viour preached when upon the earth. ¬ CHAP-

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 ¬ CHAPTER VII. ¬The Author resolves to leave Armata, and to return to the Earth — He prepares for his Voyage, regains the connecting Channel, and passes it in safely, but is qftemards wrecked on the Coast of' Ireland, and proceeds from thence to London. ¬The enjoyments of this great and delightful city were now drawing to a close. — I had been long passionately attached to Morvina, though I have not troubled the reader with the progress of my passion. — Her accomplishments and beauty absorbed every thought, but, alas! they were suddenly embittered by the dreadful com- munication of her father, that, though he had not betrothed, nor had she engaged herself to any of the illustrious suitors who were pursuing her, yet that I must not think of impeding her advancement in the world by my attentions, which, he said, had been observed. — What could I answer to this, or how could I complain ? — Let the reader indeed only figure to himself a man dropping down upon our surface, an alien ¬o 3 not ¬

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 ¬not only to our country, but to our world, dis- puting the prize of the finest woman in Lon- don, and asking her father's preference, how- ever much he might be his friend — Need I add that my own thoughts rebuked me ? — I felt all I owed to the noble-minded Morven, but my honour forbad me to promise what it might not enable me to perform. — I saw Morvina almost at the moment, to whom he had given similar commands, and who, for the same reason, had silently received them. ¬I shall not attempt to affect the reader with a tender story. — All people who are in love are so very much the same, that it may be one reason why the general run of novels so strongly re- semble one another. — It is a most difficult kind of composition. — There is but one Tom Jones, one Guy Mannering, and Landlords are more apt to distress us for their rents, than to delight us with such tales as only one of them I ever heard of had to tell. — Yet were I not re- strained by the fear of failure, I might be ¬tempted ¬

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 ¬tempted to work up into a scene of deep interest our desperate plan of an elopement from one world to another; for no less an adventure our mutual passion had the instant daring to project, and I had secretly engaged an adventurous navigator to run the hazard of our exploit, — hut worse evils than parental rejection lurked behind : She was obliged to continue the race of dissipation on the high road to a settlement of her father's choice, instead of calmly retiring with the object of her own ; and the race, alas ! was a short one — At an assembly, such as I have but too faithfully described, the dancers becoming breathless, in a small and crowded apartment, all the windows were thrown open, and the air rushing in upon her delicate frame, now more susceptible from anxiety and agitation, she was seized with a violent fever which, in a very few days, proved fatal to all our hopes. — I now re- vealed to Morven our unhappy secret, and as all expectations on this side the grave were extinguished, his friendship and compassion ad- mitted my visits even to the last moment of o 4 life, ¬

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 ¬life, when fainting in my arms her angel form seemed to grow lighter and lighter, and to escape from me with her dying breath — But surely, wherever our lots may be cast hereafter, the souls of those who loved as we did can never be divided. ¬I was now resolved that nothing should pre- vent my immediate attempt to return to the earth. — I collected all my nautical observations, and Morven having tendered me his purse to any extent, I continued the engagement which I had secretly begun, and prepared for my voyage, doubtful and dangerous as it was. — The passage, I found, would in its beginning be circuitous, requiring only a coaster's skill, until my vessel should reach the open sea ; I put her therefore under the care of her owner, and ac- cepted the offer of my beloved friend to accom- pany me himself to the more distant shore, where I might commit myself at once to the only Pilot that could then shape the course I was to pursue — the Divine Providence which ¬had ¬

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 ¬had watched over me with so many signal deliverances from the beginning of my adven- turous life. ¬My ship now left the port, and in four days the accounts having reached us that she was anchored at the appointed place, we set out immediately to join her. ¬On our arrival next day I learned from Mor- ven, that the King was then at a palace near the sea, and that it was fit 1 should be pre- sented before I sailed. I had indeed, and with deep regret, gone through the same ceremony on taking leave of a Prince, the very pattern of hospitality and kindness, who from my first lauding had received me as a frequent and familiar guest. — His consort was a foreign Prin- cess, the daughter of a King, and all the kings of the earth, from her high qualifications, might be proud of such an illustration of royal birth. ¬I was now presented to the Sovereign, whom ¬I found ¬

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 ¬I found singularly graceful and accomplished-— he had been bred in the general world, the best school for princes, as for other men. — Fame also with her trumpet was sounding, almost at the same moment, the approach of another genera- tion of his royal house, and Morven, as if he had been read in Shakspeare, said he thought he saw the Genius of Armata holding up a glass " which shewed him many more." ¬I was received most graciously, and need not say how highly gratified I returned from a scene so interesting and so new. — I should like, indeed, to see how people would stare, and to hear what they would say, if the Man in the Moon were to be presented at St. James's or Carlton House — Yet what better was I in Armata, than that honourable gentleman would be here ; who, though the inhabitant of a long known and do- mestic planet, has never yet advanced to a higher distinction amongst us, than to have his portrait swinging upon a sign-post, as a notice that ale is to be sold. ¬Though ¬

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 ¬Though I have never been a courtier, I have not suppressed the poetical flight of Morven respecting the Genius of Armata, because it is not useless in a monarchy like our own to sepa- rate a kind-hearted interest in our native princes from the indiscriminate support of any ministers they may employ ; — the first, when honestly kept within the limits of duty to the people, gives dignity and security to the state; — the second, (too often a blind, unprincipled follow- ing,) is a pernicious homage, degrading to the individuals, and destructive to the constitution of our country. — A firm adherence to political principles, and to the friendships they create among public men, is a great antidote to cor- ruption in parliament. — I honour those who support ministers from such considerations, as much as those who may oppose them, but the ranks are always swelled by those who range themselves under no standard but that which is planted by the Minister of the Day. ¬ My ¬

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 ¬My observation is general, and points to no particular statesmen, nor to any parties. ¬My vessel now lay within a mile from the shore, fully equipped for my adventurous voy- age, and ready with her sails all loose to receive me. — I fell into the arms of my generous deli- verer, embracing him with tears of gratitude and affection, and my boat being upon the strand, I was very soon on board. — The wind M'as fair, and when the night closed in upon us, heaven seemed to smile upon my under- taking with all her multitude of stars — the polar constellation bidding me as it were depend upon it for my course, as much as if I had been on the earth. — I knew indeed I was secure ; as even a million of miles on the one side or the other, could not in the smallest degree affect its bearings upon any of our planets so incon- ceivably distant. — They have a kind of magnet in Armata, but I knew it not. — I looked up only to those other worlds to conduct me to my own. ¬We ¬

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 ¬We reached in a few days the tranquil ocean* and I marked well the peculiar birds and the sportive fishes which seemed to welcome me on my return. — The sea now becoming strongly agitated, though the Avind even slackened, I thought that the connecting channel must be near, and my hopes were not disappointed; but the entrance was so tremendous as we ap- proached it, that my courage almost forsook me. — It was as black as Hell, and the sounds which re-echoed between the rocks were hideous and distracting. — My crew (though Armatan sailors) were for a moment discomfited by this scene of horror, but I reminded them that God was in the whirlwind as in the zephyr, and a song and a dram soon settled all their fears. — As we were sucked deeper into the channel the water became less convulsed, and in a few hours, the current becoming uniformly smooth, and running with the same velocity as in my voyage outward, I knew to a certainty we were in the returning course, and took my measures accordingly. — As nothing could now occur during the months ¬which ¬

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 ¬which must elapse before the gulph could be cleared which divided our worlds, I ordered up our dead lights, lashed the helm a-midships, furled every sail, and, encouraging my crew by the most hospitable indulgence, Ave lived as jollily as if we had been on shore. — Our sea stock of every kind was abundant, and I had no more fears for the result of my voyage, than if my cargo had been coals on a voyage from Newcastle to London. — There were no dangers to encounter at the other aperture of the current, and the remainder of the passage was over our own seas. ¬The longest day will have an end — we emerged from the channel after a transit of nearly the same period as outward, having been three calendar months, four days, and seven hours in its rapid tide and under its sable shadow. — We now pursued our course without any unusual incident till we made the coast of Ireland, when a sudden storm arose which I tremble to think of, and shall not attempt to describe. — The winds, ¬or ¬

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 ¬or rather all the elements combined, blew directly upon the shore; at midnight we were embayed, and before the day dawned, a brighter and an eternal day rose, I trust, upon my brave and hapless companions; as the vessel having taken the ground and overset above two cables' length from the shore, every soul of them perished. — I jumped overboard myself the moment she struck, and being a dexterous swim- mer, which gave me confidence amidst waves that seemed contending with the clouds, I was dashed to and fro till I felt something strike against my breast. — It was a spar from the vessel, and clinging to it I was saved. ¬The coast was thinly inhabited, or rather almost a desert; but a few honest and kind- hearted people came down to the beach in the morning and comforted me in their little cabins near the sea. — They seemed much surprized at the floating fragments of the vessel, as, though the structure of it was demolished, the timbers, ¬they ¬

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 ¬they said, were quite different from any they had ever seen. It was not long before we were visited by a neighbouring magistrate, with several people from the higher country, who set about the construction of a raft to preserve, if possible, some remains of so curious a wreck ; but the wind coming off the land, and, as is often the case in such tempests, blowing with equal fury, every attempt to save even an atom of her was in vain. ¬After a few hours rest I thanked the good people for their kindness to me, and when they had dried my clothes by a peat fire, and given me a glass of some very strong spirit, I set out on foot, and meeting every where with the most friendly, hospitable reception from the brave and honest sons of St. Patrick, I arrived safe at Dublin, where, finding credit for a few pounds with a merchant who had formerly known me, I crossed the channel in a vessel bound for the Thames, and, having some acquaintances at ¬Black- ¬

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 Blackheath, I arrived there on the 17th of October, and on the 19th in London, where I have continued ever since, but am now in daily expectation of receiving my dispatches for a voyage with a commercial fleet.

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text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Preface


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/First Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Second Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Third Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Fourth Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Fifth Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Eighth Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Ninth Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Seventh Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Sixth Volume


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Benjamin Blake Minor's Administration


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/John Reuben Thompson's Administration


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/George W. Bagby's Editorship


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Frank H. Alfriend's Editorship


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Appendix B


text: The Southern Literary Messenger, 1834-1864/Appendix A


text:
Page:Life of Octavia Hill as told in her letters.djvu/156

 45, Great Ormond St. April 16th, 1859.

You will be glad to hear that Ockey has really gone to Dieppe … It seemed a great pity to shorten her holiday by two days, because of her college work this afternoon, which I was fortunately able to take. … She saw Ruskin yesterday. She went to Dulwich and took her work from there to Denmark Hill. Ruskin had said in his letter that he had only a quarter of an hour to spare; so of course she was careful to go away after a quarter of an hour; but altho' her visit was so very short, it seems to have been very nice. Ruskin was very pleased with all her work. The cloud is to be left till his return in the autumn; and O. is to draw other things at Dulwich, which Ruskin wants for the "Modern Painters." She is also to copy Turners at South Kensington, directly the pictures go there from Marlborough House; so this summer she will have three days at Dulwich and three at Kensington.

In speaking of the cloud, O. said that it was all wrong; why did Ruskin praise it? And he said he knew it was wrong, but that it was very difficult indeed. Salvator had a great deal of power, and what he blamed him for was for misdirecting it.

The Veronese which O. had been doing at home, Ruskin was delighted with. He said he wanted to keep it, to show some people what girls could do. You may think what a state of excitement dear Ockey was in yesterday with seeing Ruskin and with the thought of her journey. … Her costume looked so pretty and suitable. Gertrude made her a present of such a


text:
Executive Order 1286

By virtue of the authority vested in me, I hereby establish the following Order for the Canal Zone:

. A Land Office for the Canal Zone is hereby created under the jurisdiction of the Department of Law, and subject to the superior direction of the Chairman and Chief Engineer. The Land Office shall be in charge of an official to be known as Land Agent.

. The papers, maps, records, and other documents relating to the lands owned or controlled by the United States in the Canal Zone and the lands auxiliary to the canal in the Republic of Panama outside of the Canal Zone, when not otherwise provided by law, shall be kept in the Land Office in the care and custody of the Land Agent, under such rules and regulations as the Isthmian Canal Commission may establish from time to time.

. It shall be the duty of the Land Agent to render assistance to the Head of the Department of Law in all matters relating to the investigation of land claims and land titles; and under the direction of that officer he shall have the supervision of Government lands to prevent unauthorized intrusions thereon; and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him in accordance with law. He shall have such assistants and other help as may be authorized by the Chairman and Chief Engineer.

. The Isthmian Canal Commission may adopt rules and regulations for the government of the Land Office, in conformity with this Order and not inconsistent with the Executive Order of October 7, 1910, entitled: "Executive Order To prescribe the manner of leasing public lands in the Canal Zone."

. The Isthmian Canal Commission is hereby authorized to enter into an arrangement with the Panama Railroad Company to consolidate the said Company's Land Office with the Land Office hereby created, and by which the papers, maps, records, and other documents affecting the Panama Railroad Company's lands in the Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama may be transferred to the Land Office created by this Order, there to be kept in the custody of the Land Agent for the use and benefit of the Railroad Company; and the arrangement so made may provide that the work now done by the personnel in the Panama Railroad Company's Land Office, including land surveys and investigation of land claims, may be done by the Government Land Agent and other personnel of the Canal Commission.

The arrangement hereby authorized shall be effected upon such terms, in respect to reimbursement and other compensation from the Panama Railroad Company to the Commission, as may be agreed upon by the Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Railroad Company.

. This Order shall take effect thirty days from and after this date.

., January 19, 1911.

title: Executive Order 1286


text: Talk:Executive Order 1286

title: Talk:Executive Order 1286


text:
The New International Encyclopædia/Wiclif, John

WICLIF, (c.1320-84). A noted English reformer, often styled the ‘Morning Star of the Reformation.’ He was born probably near Richmond, in Yorkshire. The known facts of his life are singularly few and meagre. He seems to have belonged to a well-to-do family of the lower nobility and to have been sent as a youth to the University of Oxford. He became a fellow and

not long before 1360 master of Balliol College. He was made rector of the neighboring parish of Fillingham (1361-69), of Ludgarshall (1369-74), and of Lutterworth (1374-84). In 1365 he appears as King's chaplain, if this is the proper translation of peculiaris regis clericus, and from this date he enters into close relations with the Government, especially with the King's son John (of Gaunt). In 1375 he was made a member of a royal commission to confer with legates of the Pope at Bruges. Attention was first called to his views on theological questions in the year 1376, and he was summoned to give account of his teaching at Saint Paul's in London by Bishop Courtenay. In the next year a series of Papal bulls were procured, directing the ecclesiastical authorities to proceed against Wiclif, but he was supported by so strong a faction at the time that nothing could be accomplished. At a second hearing at Lambeth in 1378 he was protected by the Queen Mother and allowed to withdraw with only a gentle admonition. From this time until two years before his death in 1384, he continued to write and teach at Oxford, elaborating his views with more clearness and winning many supporters. His doctrines were carried to Prague and served there as the basis of the revolt under John Huss. They were formally condemned at the Council of Constance (1415) and repudiated by all parties down to the Reformation. In 1428 Pope Martin V. called upon Bishop Flemmyng, of London, to disinter the remains of Wiclif from the parish church at Lutterworth and scatter them abroad, and this was done.

The activities of Wiclif may be classified as political, theological, and evangelical, but these are all closely connected by a common principle of thought. The one creative idea which governed all his action, and which may be regarded as Wiclif's contribution to the Reformation, is the right of the individual to form his opinions on the basis of Scripture and reason, and then to carry out these opinions in association with other individuals as seems best to him and them. Although he describes himself as a realist and worked according to the formal methods of the mediæval realistic school of thought, his conclusions are largely tinged by the new nominalistic writing of William of Ockham and Marsiglio of Padua. The essence of this new thought was the comparative unimportance of traditions in Church or State, and the corresponding right of the members of the body politic or religious to govern themselves as they saw fit. Such ideas fell in naturally with the newly developed nationalistic feeling in all countries, and more especially in England. If it was true that Englishmen owed their first duty to England, then there must be some way of showing that such national loyalty was consistent with fidelity to the Christian faith. Wiclif's first public service was in furnishing to the Government just such a demonstration as this. In 1365 the Pope, then living in France, had renewed a long-neglected claim on England for the tribute promised by King John a hundred and fifty years before as a part of his bargain with Rome. Money given to the Papacy seemed to be money taken from England to serve her enemy, France, and the Government sought a valid excuse for refusing the demand. Wiclif's pamphlet, Determinatio quædam de

Dominio, supplied the need. In it he showed that a nation had the same rights of self-preservation as an individual; that the Papacy, being a spiritual power, could not lawfully exercise sovereignty over a dependent country; and, finally, that King John had had no right to make any such bargain without the consent of the people of England. The same points are clearly seen in another pamphlet written eleven years later in reply to an inquiry from Parliament whether the nation would be justified in refusing to pay ‘Peter's pence’ during a time of domestic need. Wiclif takes here the broad ground that all such contributions were acts of charity, and hence not subject to demand; they might rightfully be withheld when the nation had need of the money to provide for the maintenance of religion at home. On both these occasions Wiclif was led on to express opinions on the nature and the present perversions of the Papal office which could not be overlooked. The bulls of Gregory XI. in 1377 were the direct outcome of this opposition. They placed Wiclif fairly in the position of a condemned heretic, but there was no power in England strong enough to enforce them against a man who had made himself the champion of national rights as against all foreign aggression. They fell fiat and unquestionably weakened the Papal cause in England. Though the attitude of the Government changed with the shifting of parties consequent upon the death of Edward III. and the accession of Richard II., Wiclif continued to enjoy the protection that had carried him so far and was allowed to end his days in peace.

The principles governing Wiclif in these political questions are laid down by him chiefly in his two great treatises, De Dominio Divino and De Civili Dominio, in which he tried to show the limits of human lordship and especially of the lordship of the Church over temporal things. In these, as in his other writings, the appeal is throughout to Scripture as the highest expression of the divine law, and in opposition to the man-made statutes of the Roman Church. From this supreme authority of Scripture Wiclif went on naturally to the importance of teaching it to every Christian, and so to the duty of giving it to the world in the common tongue. It seems now to be clear that before Wiclif's time there had been no systematic attempt to translate the whole Bible into English, and hence the vast importance of the version known as Wiclif's Bible, though it is not probable that he did more than a fragment of the work of translation himself. Aside from its value as a contribution to the growing standard of English prose, this English Bible was the chief agency in spreading the ideas that form the practical side of Wiclif's activity. He tried to meet the need of the times by sending out the Bible in the hands of young men, not ordained to the ministry nor bound by any vows, not even, so far as we know, equipped with any professional learning, though probably often youths who had listened to his teaching at Oxford. These ‘poor priests’ were to imitate as far as possible the conditions of the Apostles. They went forth on foot, in a russet gown, with scrip and staff, and, if we may believe the reports of friends and enemies alike, the people heard them gladly. They were instructed to preach nothing but the plain,

straightforward word of God. The description of the ‘persone of a town’ in the prologue to the Canterbury Tales corresponds very closely to the ideal set forth in Wiclif's instructions to these preachers.

What the heresies of Wiclif were is best learned from the list of charges brought forward at the several trials. They may all be regarded as growing out of the one fundamental notion of a divine law — lex Christi — superior to all earthly laws and not intrusted to any human person or institution. It is obvious that in the last resort this divine law is only to be found in the individual conscience using all the means, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional, that it can command. This was Wiclif's real and sufficient offense. It appears in every detail of the charges. In speculative theology the test came, as it continued to do throughout the Reformation period, on the question of the sacramental observances, and especially of the Eucharist. Realist as he claimed to be, Wiclif could not accept the doctrine that in the consecration of the elements the accidents were separated from the substance they represented, and he therefore had to deny the doctrine of transubstantiation. True, he tried every device of the subtlest logic of the schools to prove that he believed in an actual presence of the body of Christ in the Host, but his definitions were vague enough to admit the widest differences of interpretation, and this would not do. His view of the Church was that it consisted of the body of the followers of Christ, and that therefore it could not be controlled by any person or group of persons, such as the Pope and the cardinals. Authority in the Church depended upon the purity with which those who claimed authority lived up to the law of Christ. If they violated that law, they forfeited all claim to obedience. It was the business of temporal authorities to see to it that this law be obeyed, and to recall the rulers of the Church to obedience if they failed. The control of the temporalities of the Church lay in the hand of the civil rulers, who ought to withdraw them if they were abused.

However subversive of existing institutions these principles of Wiclif might be, they would, perhaps, have been overlooked if he had not aroused the bitterest personal enmities by his unsparing application of them to the evils of society. Especially his denunciations of the mendicant Orders brought into the field against him a power that few could in the long run withstand. The episcopal Order felt itself threatened by the growing contempt for organized authority, and was only too ready to connect the social upheavals of the time (1381) with this religious agitation. The sympathy of the ruling classes was diverted from Wiclif in his last years, but it is clear that his teaching was held in reverence by many of the lower and middle classes. ‘Lollardry,’ as the following of Wiclif came to be called, was doubtless very widely spread and maintained itself for about a generation after Wiclif's death as a powerful religious and political factor in the English people. The most active work in collecting and editing Wiclif's writings has been done under the auspices of the Wiclif Society, which is still engaged in clearing up the evidence as to the reformer's life and work. Consult: Lechler, Johann von

Wiclif und die Vorgeschichte der Reformation (Leipzig, 1873; Eng. trans., London, 1884); Burrows, Wiclif's Place in History (2d ed., London, 1884); Poole, Wycliffe and Movements for Reform (ib., 1889); Trevelyan, The Age of Wycliffe (ib., 1898); Sargeant, John Wyclif (New York, 1893). See.


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 we're not very hungry. — Вы меня ставите в неловкое положение. You're putting me in an awkward spot. — Вы совершенно неправильно ставите вопрос. You put the question absolutely wrong. • to stage. Эту пьесу ставили уже много раз. This play has already been staged many times. □ ставить в вину to blame. Я вам этого в вину не ставлю. I don't blame you for it. □ Его здесь ни во что не ставят. He doesn't mean a thing around here. • *Уж не ставьте каждое лыко в строку. Don't be so exacting.

ставня (gp ставен) shutter. Закройте ставни, уже ночь на дворе. Close the shutters; it's already dark outside.

стадион stadium.

стадо (P стада) herd, flock.

стаж experience. У него очень подходящий стаж для этой работы. His experience fits this job perfectly. — У него большой производственный стаж. He has a lot of experience as an employee in industry. □ стаж в госпитале internship. Этот молодой доктор проходит стаж в госпитале. This young doctor is going through an internship in the hospital.

стакан glass. Дайте мне стакан воды. Give me a glass of water.

сталкивать ([-k'v-]; dur of столкнуть).

-ся to clash. Здесь наши интересы сталкиваются. Our interests clash here. • to run across. Мне никогда не приходилось с ним сталкиваться. I just never ran across him.

сталь (F) steel.

стальной steel.

стандарт standard. Все наши изделия соответствуют стандарту. All our production is according to the standard.

стандартизация standardization.

стандартный standard. Это — стандартная модель машины нашего завода. This is a standard model of our factory cars.

становиться (-новлюсь, -новится; dur of стать) to stand. Становитесь в очередь. Stand in line. — От этих рассказов у меня волосы дыбом становятся. These stories make my hair stand on end. • to get. Становится холодно, закройте окно. It's getting cold; shut the window. • to become. Он становится хорошим работником. He's becoming a good worker. — Наша шахта уже становится известной всей стране. Our mine is becoming known all over the country.

станок (-нка) bench. Я подошёл к станку, за которым он работал. I came near the bench where he was working. • lathe. Ей приходится всю смену ходить от станка к станку. She has to go from one lathe to the other during her shift. □ печатный станок printing press. ткацкий станок weaving loom. □ Он много лет работал у станка. He has been a factory worker for many years.

стану See стать.

станция station. Какая это станция? What station is this? — До станции тут недалеко. It's not far from here to the station. • stop. Вам надо ехать до конечной станции. You have to go to the last stop. □ лыжная станция skiing resort. метеорологическая станция weather bureau. телефонная станция telephone exchange. Вот здание центральной телефонной станции. This is the building of the central telephone exchange. электрическая станция power works.

стараться to try. Мы изо всех сил старились вытащить машину. We tried with all our might to pull the car out. • to work. Вот кто старался больше всех! He's the one who worked hardest of all!

стареть (/pct: по-, у-/) to age. Он за последнее время начал сильно стареть. He's begun to age rapidly of late.

старик (-а) old man. Оп очень славный старик. He's a very nice old man. • old-timer. У нас на фабрике осталось мало стариков, все больше новички. We have only a few old-timers left in the factory; almost all the others are new.

старина the good old days. В старину ещё не такие силачи бывали. In the good old days they had even greater athletes. • old boy, man, fellow, pal. Ну, чего задумался, старина? Why so pensive, old boy? □ Это обычай далёкой старины. It's an ancient custom.

старинный antique. У них тяжёлая старинная мебель. They have heavy antique furniture. • old. Это старинный русский обычай. This is an old Russian custom. — Я иду на выставку старинных икон. I'm going to the exhibition of old icons. □ по-старинному old-fashioned. Он говорит немного по-старинному, но мне это нравится. His manner of speaking is a little old-fashioned, but I like it.

старость (F) old age. Он и в старости остался живым и бодрым человеком. He remained a kindly and lively person even in his old age. — Ну, что мне на старости лет танцовать, что ли, идти? What do you want me to do in my old age? Dance a jig? □ *Да, старость не радость! It's no fun to be old!

старуха old woman. Ах, что вы, какая же вы старуха! Go on, you don't consider yourself an old woman, do you? □ *Вы уж меня простите — и на старуху бывает проруха! You'll have to excuse me. Even the wisest of us can make a mistake.

старше See старый.

старший older. Это мой старший брат. This is my older brother. • oldest. Её старший сын лётчик. Her oldest son is a flier. • senior. Старшие классы взяли на себя заботу о спортивной площадке. The senior class took care of the athletic field. • adult. Старшие ушли в театр, и дети остались одни. The adults went to the theater and the children remained alone. □ старше older. У него две сестры; одна старше его, другая моложе. He has two sisters, one older and the other younger than he. □ Эта книга для детей старшего возраста. This book is for older children. • Кто у вас тут за старшего? Who's in charge here?

старый (sh -ра / -о, -ы/; cp старше) old. Он старый и больной человек. He's old and sick. — Он мой старый знакомый. He's an old acquaintance of mine. — Моя старые башмаки сейчас в починке. My old shoes are being repaired now. — Ну, знаете, так было при старом режиме. Oh, well, that's the way it was during the old regime. — Он мне принёс бутылку старого вина. He brought me a bottle of old wine. — Мы больше любили нашего старого


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Rh we had left. Landing upon it, my conductress graciously invited me to follow her. We ascended a rising ground through a rich meadow studded with brilliant flowers, into a garden more charming than any I had ever seen before. A sweet river flowed gently through it, at which I knelt down and quenched my burning thirst; but of the luscious fruit hanging in profusion over the walks I felt that I dared not eat without permission. Now I saw a mansion in the distance, a mansion of exquisite loveliness. It looked like a castle of painted porcelain, just finished. A sudden illumination fell upon it. I turned to see the source of the wonderful light, and again beheld the amber-coloured star. At that moment the young lady stood before me, took my hand in hers, embraced me, and said:

'Welcome, welcome-happy art thou, for thou hast seen the Star of Victory!'

With a beating heart, and with indescribable joy and pleasure, I walked on by her side. As we approached the mansion, which grew in my dream larger and brighter in its magnificence, my attention was attracted by a personage, clothed in white robes, who suddenly issued from the entrance gate. When the lovely creature at my side saw him she bounded forward, took him by the hand, and danced round him, saying:

He is come, Julius; here is Ubertus; I have brought him from the world of Death, and he has seen the Star of Victory welcomed me with a bright smile. I recognised my old friend, Doctor Julius, but the sweet girl who had saluted me, and danced round him, I had never before seen. Then I awoke from my dream, as all sons of earth must.

Had you a good night's rest?' asked the Doctor as we sat down to breakfast. 'You look flushed and rather bewildered. Did Old Arty, or Old Cly, disturb you? Was


text:
Author talk:Andre Norton

The current list of what Project Gutenberg thinks is public domain is larger than yours.

 * All Cats Are Gray Andre Norton
 * Defiant Agents Andre Norton
 * Gifts of Asti Andre Norton
 * Key Out of Time Andre Norton
 * People of the Crater Andre Norton
 * Plague Ship Andre Norton
 * Ralestone Luck Andre Norton
 * Rebel Spurs Andre Norton
 * Ride Proud, Rebel! Andre Norton
 * Star Born Andre Norton
 * Star Hunter Andre Norton
 * Storm Over Warlock Andre Norton
 * Time Traders Andre Norton
 * Voodoo Planet Andre Norton

title: Author talk:Andre Norton


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Page:Artabanzanus (Ferrar, 1896).djvu/128

120 the "poor fellow" Astoragus sitting on your breast all night with his octopus fang at the back of your neck—eh?'

'I am very well, Doctor, thank you,' I answered. 'I have had a most refreshing sleep. Of course the personages you have named do disturb me more or less, but there is no remedy; we must try to endure all things, and resist their evil influence. I wish to take the world as I find it, and fight my way through like a brave soldier.'

He did not reply immediately, and I finished my breakfast in silence. I had been frequently warned never to say too much, and being somewhat garrulous by nature, required warning; and I was determined not to say 'poor fellow' again in that mighty presence, in reference to Astoragus, or any other person. My companion, or patron, or hero, or director—I might appropriately call him the good genius of those subterranean realms—remained wrapt in meditation for some time, and at length lifting up his head, like a lion which scents blood from afar, spoke thus as if in soliloquy:

'Wearisome platitudes, wild speculations incapable of proof; indiscriminate nonsense; universal folly; scandalous desires; wealth, pleasure, fashion; stifling of conscience; contempt of virtue and honour; dangerous political changes; neglect of experience; disregard of frightful examples of decay, disease and death; baseness in the soul, the blood, and the heart—this is the world into which we were born! . . . To what kind of country are we, children of men, now drifting? Who can devise an infallible cure for diseases? Why are we expected to be as hard and unfeeling as the rocks of the wilderness, and as insensible as the trees of the forest? Our spirit—is it immortal? tender, delicate, sensitive! Our flesh, different from the dust of which it is made, and tortured by heat, by cold, by famine, by excruciating pain. Our limbs may be smashed like rotten sticks, our shivering bodies pierced by the pitiless