The Cardinal-deacon of St. Cosmas and St. Damian did it. The acts
of the consistory, in so far as they related to the calumny against
the Pope, duly appeared in the _Times_ and the _Globe_ and the
_New York Times_ as news which was fit to print. Innumerable other
papers lifted them with acknowledgments. No comment was made. The
collared-puppy-in-the-Tube, and the spectacled-person-in-the-motor-car,
and the female-with-the-loaf-coloured-hat-at-the-bargain-sale, forgot
all about George Arthur Rose: paid no attention whatever to the
Pope; and violently sat up on their hind-legs regarding the Supreme
Arbitrator. France and Russia emitted caricatures and howls; and
prepared to invade Belgium and Sweden, with the intention of descending
on Germany from three sides.
Mrs. Crowe became conscious that she had lost rather than had gained
by her connection with Jerry Sant. The English Catholics treated her
as they are wont to treat converts after the first three months; and
shewed her the cold shoulder. The refutation of her latest calumny had
made her look foolish--and something dirtier than foolish. She was
mortified: she was angry with herself; and she naturally yearned to
tear and mangle everybody else. She thought that the best thing which
she could do would be to pose as a much deceived woman, to break that
disastrous connection with the Liblabs, and to return (if possible) to
the status quo ante. So she went and fell upon Jerry, vituperating him
for the accented failure of his schemes--for leading an innocent lady
astray with his nastiness, and his pig-headed stupidity, and all that.
She frankly told him that he had gone too far. The precious pair "had
words"; and finally separated. Jerry remained at his hotel, dumb and
dangerous, brooding. As for the lady, respectable mediocrity allured
her by the prospect which it offered of a not unfamiliar obscurity,
where she might try to piece-together the shreds and tatters of her
reputation. She had a little money left--and with economy----She would
stay just a little longer. Who knew what might happen?
One by one, cardinals received summons to the secret chamber. Their
brains were picked and their opinions heard. Nefski of the ashen
pallor and the haunted eyes admitted that Poland might be happier as a
constitutional monarchy and a member of a federation. Pushed to it, he
promised to use all his influence to persuade. Mundo, cleanly, rotund
and sparkling, spoke of Portugal's long and illustrious alliance with
the Lord of the Sea. His compact vivid nation had no grievances. Grace
looked silently vigorous; and praised the Munroe doctrine. If only----.
The French cardinals chattered: were aghast: sobbed: were quite limp;
and became picturesquely and dithyrambically resigned. Oh they were
so excellent:--and so futile! Courtleigh pleaded age, infirmity.
Circumstances had become more than he could manage. He had begun to
think that he never had been anything but a decorative figure-head:
that he never once had gripped the rudder of affairs since the Prince
of Wales had been so--well, rude to him. He was old: he was garrulous:
craving for greetings. He begged leave to go and end his days in the
college which he had founded, if the Holy Father would but deign to
relieve him of his archbishopric. Hadrian did deign; and summoned
Talacryn, to whom He said "We are about to fulfil the ambition of Your
Eminency's life by preconizing you to the archbishopric of Pimlico."
The cardinal said something about being unworthy of the honour.
"That of course," the Pontiff responded: "but We place you there
because you know or ought to know more of Our mind than any man: and
your task is to make that known to England. It at least never can be
said, if you should err, that you erred through ignorance of Our will.
You have health, you have youth, you have a dominant presence. People
will listen to you. Your danger and your fault are due to your national
habit of suspicion. That can be conquered. Act up to your name: be
frank: suspect no one: be ready to renounce:--but your heart should
tell you all that We would say. Now for Caerleon. Whom would you like
to succeed Your Eminency there?"
Talacryn said something about the right of the clergy to elect: but
that was swept aside. Then he dwelled on the difficulty of finding a
suitable priest who could speak the native language.
"The last is not essential," said Hadrian: "you yourself cannot speak
and cannot even learn that frightful jargon, although you are a native
of the dreadful place: and, after your habit of suspecting people,
and--yes, it had better be said,--a slight tendency to the habit of
officious lying--(the cardinal went purple)--there, it is said and
done with: you have had your lesson, and you know better now:--after
those things, the only reason why your episcopate has not been a very
brilliant one is that you started with the false idea of the necessity
of speaking that corrupt and obsolete dialect."
"But does not Your Holiness think that a foreigner----"
"No: England is the dominant race: her language is the language of all
her colonies. Why a triplet of little conquered countries should refuse
to learn English--should be permitted to insist on their barbarous and
unliterary languages, We never could understand. They are conquered
countries, annexed to their conqueror. They have lost their national
existence for centuries. They have no national existence, or any kind
of existence apart from England. No. Nationality does not come into the
question of your successor at all. That is where the Church of Christ
differs from all religions. Rome can do, and does do, what no other
ecclesiastical power durst do. Our predecessors sent an Italian to
Canterbury, and even a Greek, Theodore; and We are sending a Kelt to
Pimlico. As for Caerleon--do you remember John Jennifer, the priest of
Selce? You do:--he was a white man at Mary vale:--and since? Good. He
is Bishop of Caerleon."
"He speaks the language, Holy Father," said Talacryn, laughing.
"The merest accident. We selected him for his steadfast sturdy goodness
under great difficulty at Maryvale. Oh, we remember----"
And the Pope's gaze went far away into the past.
Cardinal Talacryn mentioned that the Secretary of State desired to know
whether His Holiness would require the services of the Patriarch of
Byzantion at the present juncture.
"The Patriarch of Byzantion?"
"It was thought that as he had negotiated with England during the reign
of Your Holiness's predecessors----"
"Oh. Then, no. The services of the Patriarch of Byzantion are not
required. When His Grace is not smirking in 'black' drawing-rooms, or
writing defamatory letters to duchesses----"
"Defamatory letters, Holy Father!"
"Yes: defamatory letters, such as this one which he wrote in 1890."
The Pope got up, took off His episcopal ring, unlocked and dived into
an alphabetical letter-case, and handed a most ingeniously suggestive
and lethific note to the cardinal. "Well, when His Grace is not engaged
in these disedifying pastimes, he has his patriarchate to attend-to.
In fact unless he can see his way to become a resident patriarch in
Byzantion within the month, he may look for a decree of deposition."
The Supreme Pontiff's aspect was austere. "Your Eminency will convey
that response to Cardinal Ragna's obliging suggestion."
Talacryn made haste to kneel. "Give me a blessing, Holy Father, and I
will immediately proceed to my new see, whatever."
Hadrian smiled. "God bless you, son. But do not go yet. Pimlico has
been in the hands of the Vicar-General and the Coadjutor for years;
and the Vicar-Capitular can manage for the present. Stay here a little
while. We shall need you. We shall not need you long."
And Talacryn went out from the Presence, glad, yet grave.
During a few days, questions and answers incessantly passed between the
Vatican and Windsor Castle. Hadrian consulted sovereigns: discussed
difficulties with statesmen. Baron de Boucert expressed the opinion
that it would be futile to oppose the inevitable expansion of Germany.
Signor Barconi himself officiated at an instrument installed in the
apostolic antechamber, until he was carried away in nervous collapse.
Hadrian envied him: and forced Himself to resist temptation. He had
much to do yet. Messages, messages, study of maps, collation of ms.
notes, filled a score of each twenty-four hours. There was need of
profound thought, so that the clairvoyant undazzled eye like a diver
might reach the bottom of deep-preserving thought. The four hours which
remained chiefly were spent at the tomb of St. Peter in the basilica.
The Arbitrator slept not at all in these days. He ate while at work;
and only sought refreshment under the ice-cold tap in the bath-room.
A squadron of English cruisers escorted a procession of royal yachts
and battleships, which conveyed the Congress of Windsor to Golden and
immortal Rome.
Then came the issue of the _Epistle to the Princes_, in which the
Apostle reiterated the evangelic counsels, predicating a scheme of
utter self-sacrifice and non-resistance in imitation of the "sweet
reasonableness of Christ." This would mean, said He, the deliberate
loosening and casting away of all conventions which bound society
together. It was right: it was straight: it was the most direct road
to heaven. But it was not in accordance with the human will: it would
be called utopian, and unconventional; and it would be derided more
than followed: it would cause confusion inconceivable if it were
attempted on the grand scale. Truth more quickly emerges from error
than from confusion. Men, being what they are, _i.e._ bound to err,
would be better for having their errancy guided. They would diverge
from the road: but they should not leave it out of sight; and, properly
guided, their movement at least could be made to tend towards the
Point Desirable. Individuality so long had been suppressed, that its
efforts required administration. Therefore the Pontiff shewed, as well
as an unconventional, a conventional way of approaching that Point
Desirable. He maintained the aristocratic and monarchic principle
in strict integrity. A rebel was worse than the worst prince, and
rebellion was worse than the worst government of the worst prince that
hitherto had been. He proclaimed the anarchy of France and Russia to be
a manifestation of diabolic ebullience, which ought to be restrained
and stamped out by all right means, even the most stringent. France and
Russia, having forfeited the right of being deemed capable of ruling
themselves, henceforth must submit to be ruled. Satan finds mischief
for idle hands to do. Occupation, and scope for occupation, alone
will enable individuals and nations to work out their own salvation
humanly speaking. Men _must_ use themselves:--for good or ill. Most
human ills were caused by the lack of scope for energy. Sitting on,
or screwing down, the safety valve invariably was fatal:--a doctrine
which He enforced on the attention and obedience of the clergy. These
principles involved a re-arrangement of various spheres of influence.
The Ruler of the World, Peter, the Supreme Arbitrator, decreed that the
only nations, in which the "facultas regendi" survived in undiminished
energy, were England, America, Japan, Germany, Italy. Some of the old
monarchies, however, had not yet reached that point of decay when
their extinction would become desirable: they were Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, the German kingdoms and principalities and duchies, Spain,
Portugal, Greece, Roumania, Albania, Montenegro, the republics of
Switzerland and San Marino. These were to be maintained as sovereign
states and to preserve their national characters. Some also of the
old monarchies, which had tolerated unmerited suppression, were to
be given an opportunity of proving themselves worthy of corporate
existence. These were Hungary, Bohemia, and Russian and German Poland.
They were revived as kingdoms; and required to provide themselves
with constitutions (after the manner of England), and to elect their
respective monarchical dynasties. Switzerland and San Marino were
confirmed as republics. The Sultan at the instigation of England, his
ally, would move his capital to Damascus, in order to concentrate the
main force of Islam in Asia. Servia was added to the Principality of
Montenegro. Turkey-in-Europe and Bulgaria would become merged in the
kingdom of Greece. So far for particulars.
Hadrian denounced, as bad and idle dreams, the plans of recent
political schemers who had adumbrated ideas of a federation of the
English-speaking and the Teutonic races. He dwelled upon the essential
differences which divided Germany from America, and both from
England. No blend was possible between the English and the Germans;
and Americans were not qualified for bonds. Each one of the three
was unique; and each would stand alone. Three such enormous powers
must have each its own separate and singular existence and sphere of
action. Three such spheres must be found, in which the three nations
independently might thrive. It was room for independent development
which must be sought out, and assigned.
He stated the case of the continent of Europe. Belgium had 228
inhabitants to the square-kilometre: Holland, 160: Germany, 104:
Austria, 87: France, 72: Russia was so sparsely populated that only a
migration of 109,000,000 people from the rest of Europe would raise her
to the European average. Hence, the Pope proclaimed the instauration
of the Roman Empire, under two Emperors, a Northern Emperor and a
Southern Emperor; and confirmed the same to the King of Prussia and
the King of Italy as representatives of the dynasties of Hohenzollern
and Savoy respectively. He ordained that this instauration should not
be deemed 'the ghost of the dead Roman Empire sitting crowned upon
the grave thereof, but its legitimate heir and successor, justified
by the ancient virtues of the Romans, the beneficence of their rule,'
and the vigorous aspiration to well-doing which characterized their
present representatives. The Northern Emperor William would nominate
sovereign dynasties for Belgium and Holland. He might replace the
present exiled monarchs on their respective thrones: or he might depose
them and substitute members of his Imperial family. He then would
extend the borders of Germany, eastward to the Ural Mountains by the
inclusion of Russia, westward to the English Channel and Bay of Biscay
by the inclusion of France, southward to the Danube by the inclusion
of Austria. At the same time, he would federate the constitutional
monarchies of Norway and Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Hungary,
Bohemia, Poland, Roumania, and the republic of Switzerland with the
other sovereign states already under his suzerainty: while the Southern
Emperor Victor Emanuel would federate the constitutional monarchies of
Portugal, Spain, the extended kingdom of Greece, the principalities
of Montenegro and Albania, and the republic of San Marino, with the
kingdom of Italy, which last now was to include Italia Redenta. The
frontier dividing the Northern Empire from the Southern was to be
formed by the Pyrenees, Alps, Danube, and Black Sea.
The case of America was defined. The United States were to be increased
by the inclusion of all the states and republics of the two Americas
from the present northern frontier of the United States to Cape Horn.
The Japanese Empire was authorized to annex Siberia.
All Asia (except Siberia), Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
All Islands, were erected into five constitutional kingdoms, and added
to the dominions of the King of England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.
The title "Emperor" being antipathetic to the English Race (on account
of its primary significance "War-Lord"), the official style of the
Majesty of England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Asia, Africa, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and All Islands, henceforth would be "The
Ninefold King."
Thus the Supreme Arbitrator provided the human race with scope and
opportunity for energy. The provisions of the _Epistle to the Princes_
were drawn up in the form of Treaty dividing the world, till midnight
(G.T.) of December 31st (N.S.) of the year 2000 of the Fructiferous
Incarnation of the Son of God, into the Ninefold Kingdom, the American
Republic, the Japanese Empire and the Roman Empire. This Treaty was
signed, in the Square of St. Peter's at Rome, by the Pontiff, the
Sovereigns and the Presidents, on the Festival of the Annunciation
of Our Lady the Virgin; and the armies and navies of the signatories
instantly set about the pacification of France and Russia by martial
law.