While, however, the Fates thus seemed to frown upon the aspiring
attempts of Gammon towards Miss Aubrey, they smiled benignantly enough
upon Titmouse, and his suit with the Lady Cecilia. The first shock
over--which no lively sensibilities or strong feelings of her Ladyship
tended to protract, she began to get familiar with the person, manners,
and character of her future lord, and in a measure reconciled to her
fate. "When people understand that they _must_ live together," said a
very great man, "they learn to soften, by mutual accommodation, that
yoke which they know that they cannot shake off; they become good
husbands and wives, from the necessity of remaining husbands and wives,
for necessity is a powerful master in teaching the duties which it
imposes."[33] The serene intelligence of Lady Cecilia having satisfied
her that "IT WAS HER FATE" to be married to Titmouse, she resigned
herself to it tranquilly, calling in to her assistance divers
co-operative reasons for the step which she had agreed to take. She
could thereby accomplish at all events one darling object of her
papa's--the reunion of the long and unhappily-severed family interests.
Then Yatton was certainly a delightful estate to be mistress of--a
charming residence, and one which she might in all probability calculate
on having pretty nearly to herself. The rent-roll was large and
unencumbered, and would admit of a handsome jointure. On her accession
to her own independent rank, the odious name of Titmouse would disappear
in the noble one of Lady Drelincourt, peeress in her own right, and
representative of the oldest barony in the kingdom. Her husband would
then become a mere cipher--no one would ever hear of him, or inquire
after him, or think or care about him--a mere mote in the sunbeam of her
own splendor. But, above all, thank Heaven! there were many ways in
which a _separation_ might be brought about--never mind how soon after
marriage: and a separation was becoming almost a matter of course,
implying nothing derogatory to the character, or lessening to the
personal consequence of the lady--who indeed was almost, as of course,
recognized as an object of sympathy, rather than of suspicion or scorn.
These were powerful forces, all impelling her in one direction--and
irresistibly. How could it be otherwise with one like _her_--a mere
creature of circumstance? Notwithstanding all this, however, there were
occasions when Titmouse was presented to her in a somewhat startling and
sickening aspect. It sometimes almost choked her to see him--ridiculous
object!--in the company of gentlemen--to witness their treatment of him,
and then reflect that he was about to become her--lord and master. One
day, for instance, she accompanied the earl in the carriage to witness
the hounds throw off, not far from Yatton, and where a very brilliant
field was expected. There were, in fact, about two hundred of the
leading gentlemen of the county assembled--and, dear reader, do try to
picture to yourself the figure which Titmouse must have presented among
them--his quizzing-glass screwed into his eye, and clad in his little
pink and leathers!--What a _seat_ was his! How many significant and
scornful smiles, and winks, and shrugs of the shoulders did his
appearance occasion among his bold and high-bred companions! And only
about four or five minutes after they had "gone away"--on the occasion
in question, this unhappy little sinner was thoroughly found out by the
noble animal he rode; and who equally well knew _his own business_, and
what he had _on_! In trying to take a dwarf wall, on the opposite side
of an old green horsepond by the road-side, he urged his horse with that
weak and indecisive impulse which only disgusted him; so he suddenly
drew back at the margin of the pond--and over head and heels flew
Titmouse, descending plump on his head into the deep mud, where he
remained for a moment or two, up to his shoulders, his little legs
kicking about in the air--
"Who's that?" cried one--and another--and another--without stopping, any
more than the Life Guards would have stopped for a sudden individual
casualty in the midst of their tremendous charge at Waterloo--till the
very last of them, who happened to be no less a person than Lord De la
Zouch, seeing, as he came up, the desperate position of the fallen
rider, reined up, dismounted, and with much effort and inconvenience
aided in extricating Titmouse from his fearful yet ludicrous
position--and thus fortunately preserved to society one of its brightest
ornaments. As soon as he was safe---a dismal spectacle to gods and
men--his preserver, not disposed, by discovering who Titmouse was, to
supererogatory courtesy, mounted his horse, leaving Titmouse in the care
of an old woman whose cottage was not far off, and where Titmouse,
having had a good deal of the filth detached from him, remounted his
horse and turned its head homewards--heartily disposed, had he but
_dared_, cruelly to spur, and kick, and flog it; and in this
pickle--stupid, and sullen, and crestfallen--he was overtaken and
recognized by Lord Dreddlington and Lady Cecilia, returning from the
field!
This was her future husband----
Then again--poor Lady Cecilia!--what thought you of the following, which
was one of the letters he addressed to you?--Well might Miss Aubrey
exclaim, "how I should like to see their correspondence!"
"The Albanny, Picadilly, London, 12th Oct. 18--.
"MY DEAR CECILIA,
"I take Up My pen To Inform you of Arriving safe Here, where Am
sorry how^r. To say There Is No One which one knows except
Tradespeople Going About and so Dull on Acc^t. of Customers Out of
Town, Dearest love You Are the Girl of my Heart As I am of Your's,
and am particular Lonely Alone Here and wish to be There _where she
Is_ how I Long to Fold My dearest girl in My Arms hope You Don't
Forget Me As soon As I am Absent do You often Think of _me_ w^h. I
do indeed of _you_, and looking Forward to The Happy Days When We
are United in the Happy bonds of Hymmen, never To part Again
dearest I Was Driving yesterday In my New Cabb In the park, where
whom Sh^d. I Meet but That Miss Aubrey W^h. they say (Between you
And I and The post) is Truly in a Gallopping Consumption on Acc^t.
Of my Not Having Her A likely thing indeed that I ever car'd for
Such an individule w^h. Never Did Only of you, Dearest What shall I
Send you As A Gift Shall it Be In The cloathing Line, For there Is
a Wonderful Fine and Choice Assortm^t. of Cashmere Shawls and Most
Remarkable Handsome Cloaks, All Newly arrived fr. Paris, Never
Think Of The price w^h. Betwixt Lovers Goes For Nothing. However
_Large the Figure_ Only Say what You Shall have and Down It shall
Come And Now dearest Girl Adieu.
'Those Can't meet Again, who Never Part.'
dearest Your's to command till death. T. TITMOUSE.
"P. T. O.--Love and Duty To My Lord (of Course) who shall Feel only
Too happy to Call My Father-In-Law, the Sooner The better."
When poor Lady Cecilia received this exquisite epistle, and had read
over only half a dozen lines of it, she flung it on the floor; threw
herself down on the sofa in her dressing-room; and remained silent and
motionless for more than an hour. When she heard Miss Macspleuchan
knock at her door for admittance, Lady Cecilia started up, snatched the
letter from the floor, and thrust it into her dressing-case, before
admitting her "humble companion."
A succession of such letters as the above might have had the effect upon
Lady Cecilia's "_attachment_" to Titmouse, which the repeated affusion
of cold water would have upon the thermometer; but the crack-brained
Fates still favored Mr. Titmouse, by presently investing him with a
character, and placing him in a position, calculated to give him
personal dignity, and thereby redeem and elevate him in the estimation
of his fastidious and lofty mistress--I mean that of candidate for a
seat in Parliament--for the representation of a borough in which he had
a commanding influence:--but this brings me to topics which must not be
lightly handled.
After a national commotion commensurate with the magnitude of the boon
which had been sought for, the great BILL FOR GIVING EVERYBODY
EVERYTHING had passed into a law, and the people were frantic with joy.
Its blooming first fruits were of a sort calculated to satisfy the
public expectation, viz.--two or three earls were turned into marquises,
and one or two marquises into dukes, and deservedly; for these great men
had far higher titles to the gratitude and admiration of the country, in
exacting this second Magna Charta from King ----, than the stern old
barons in extorting the first from King John--namely, they parted with
vast substantial political power, for only a nominal _quid pro quo_, in
the shape of a bit of ribbon or a strawberry leaf. Its next immediate
effect was to cleanse the Augean stable of the House of Commons, by
opening upon it the floodgates of popular will and popular opinion; and
having utterly expelled the herd of ignorant and mercenary wretches
which had so long occupied and defiled it, their places were to be
supplied by a band of patriots and statesmen, as gifted as
disinterested--the people's own enlightened, unbiased, and deliberate
choice. Once put the government of the country--it was said--the
administration of affairs--into hands such as these, and the inevitable
result would be, the immediate regeneration of society, and the securing
the greatest happiness to the greatest number. It was fearfully apparent
that, under the old system, we had sunk into irredeemable contempt
abroad, and were on the very verge of ruin and anarchy at home. So
blessedly true is it, that when things come to the worst, they begin to
mend! In short, the enlightened and enlarged constituencies began
forthwith to look out for fit objects of their choice--for the best men;
men of independent fortune; of deep stake in the welfare of the country;
of spotless private and consistent public character; who, having had
adequate leisure, opportunity, inclination, and capacity, had fitted
themselves to undertake, with advantage to the nation, the grave
responsibilities of statesmen and legislators. Such candidates,
therefore, as Mr. Tittlebat Titmouse, became naturally in universal
request; and the consequence was, such a prodigious flight of Titmice
into the House of Commons--but whither am I wandering? I have to do with
only one little borough--that of Yatton in Yorkshire. The Great Charter
operated upon it, by _first_, in a manner, _amputating_ it of one of its
members; _secondly_, extending its boundary--Grilston, and one or two of
the adjacent places, being incorporated into the new borough; _thirdly_,
by the introduction of the new qualification of voters. I have
ascertained from a very high quarter--in fact, from a Cabinet Minister,
_since deceased_[34]--a curious and important fact; viz. that had Mr.
Titmouse failed in recovering the Yatton property, or been of different
political opinions, in either of these cases, the little borough of
Yatton was doomed to utter extinction: a circumstance which shows the
signal vigilance, the accurate and comprehensive knowledge of local
interest and capabilities, evinced by those great and good men who were
remodelling the representation of the country. How little did my hero
suspect that his political opinions, as newly-installed owner of Yatton,
formed a topic of anxious discussion at more than one Cabinet council,
previous to the passing of the Great Bill! Upon such considerations did
it--in fact--depend whether Yatton should be at once deposited in the
sepulchre of "_Schedule A_;" or added to the dismal rank of surviving,
but _maimed_ ones in "_Schedule B._" As its boundary was extended, so
the constituency of Yatton was, as I have said, enlarged; the invaluable
elective franchise being wisely given to those most in need of the
advantages it could _immediately_ procure; and the fleeting nature of
whose interest naturally enhanced their desire to consult the welfare of
those who had a permanent and deep stake in its prosperity. Though,
however, the change effected by the new act had so considerably added to
the roll of electors, it had not given ground for serious apprehension
as to the security of the seat of the owner of the Yatton property.
After a very long and private interview between Gammon and Titmouse, in
which something transpired which may be referred to hereafter, it was
agreed that--(the New Writs having been issued within one week after the
calmed and sobered new constituencies had been organized--which
organization, again, had been wisely effected within a week or two after
the passing of the act which had created them)--Mr. Titmouse should
instantly scare away all competition, by announcing his determination to
start for the borough. As soon as this was known, a deputation from a
club of the new electors in Grilston waited upon Mr. Titmouse--to
propose the pecuniary terms on which their support was to be obtained.
Hereat he was somewhat startled--but Gammon saw in it the legitimate
working of the new system; and--nothing was ever better managed!--nobody
was in any mischievous secret--neither party compromised; and yet the
happy result was--that _one hundred and nine_ votes were in a trice
secured in Grilston alone for Mr. Titmouse. Then Gammon appointed
Messrs. Bloodsuck and Son the local agents of Titmouse; for whom he
wrote an address to the electors--and, Titmouse promising to have it
printed forthwith, Mr. Gammon returned to town for a day or two. Nothing
could have been more skilful than the document which he had prepared--at
once terse, comprehensive, and showy; meaning everything, or
nothing--(_dolosus semper versatur in generalibus_, was an observation
of Lord Coke's on which Gammon had kept his eye fixed in drawing up his
"Address.") Yet it came to pass, that on the evening of the day of
Gammon's departure, a Mr. Phelim O'Doodle, a splendid billiard-player,
(in fact he had commenced life in the capacity of _marker_ to a
billiard-table near Leicester Square,) and also one of the first members
returned--only a few days before--for an Irish borough in the Liberal
interest, chanced to take Yatton in his way to Scotland, (where he was
going to officiate professionally at a grand match at billiards, at the
house of an early patron, Sir Archibald M'Cannon,) from London; and
being intimate with Mr. Titmouse, from whom (to conceal nothing from the
reader) he had borrowed a little money a few months before, to enable
him to present himself to his intelligent and enthusiastic
constituency--they sat down to canvass the merits of the Address which
the astute but _absent_ Gammon had prepared for Titmouse. Mr. O'Doodle
pronounced it "divilish tame, and _maiger_;" comparing it to toddy, with
the _whiskey omitted_: and availing himself of Gammon's draft as far as
he approved of it, he drew up the following, which put Titmouse into an
ecstasy; and he sent it off the very next morning for insertion in the
_Yorkshire Stingo_. Here is an exact copy of that judicious and able
performance--which I must own I consider quite a model in its way.
"_To the worthy and independent Electors of Yatton._
"GENTLEMEN,--His Majesty having been pleased to dissolve the late
Parliament, under very remarkable and exciting circumstances, and,
in the midst of the transports of enthusiasm arising out of the
passing of that second Great Charter of our Liberties, _the Act for
Giving Everybody Everything_, with kindly wisdom, to call upon you
to exercise immediately the high and glorious privilege of choosing
your representative in the New Parliament, I beg leave to announce
myself as a candidate for that distinguished honor. Gentlemen, long
before I succeeded in establishing my right to reside among you in
my present capacity, I felt a deep interest in the welfare of the
tenants of the property, and especially of those residing in the
parts adjacent, and who are now so happily introduced into the
constituency of this ancient and loyal borough. I trust that the
circumstance of my ancestors having resided for ages within it,
will not indispose you to a favorable reception of their descendant
and representative. Gentlemen, my political opinions are those
which led to the passing of the Great Measure I have alluded to,
and which are bound up in it. Without going into details, which are
too multifarious for the limits of such an Address as the present,
let me assure you, that though firmly resolved to uphold the
agricultural interests of this great country, I am equally anxious
to sustain the commercial and manufacturing interests; and whenever
they are unhappily in fatal conflict with each other, I shall be
found at my post, zealously supporting _both_, to the utmost of my
ability. Though a sincere and firm member and friend of the
Established Church, I am not insensible to the fearful abuses which
at present prevail in it; particularly in its revenues, which I am
disposed to lessen and equalize--devoting the surplus capital to
useful purposes connected with the State, from which she derived
them, as history testifies. I am bent upon securing the utmost
possible latitude to every species of Dissent. In fact, I greatly
doubt whether any form of religion ought to be '_established_' in a
free country. While I am resolved to uphold Protestantism, I think
I best do so, by seeking to remove all restrictions from the
Catholics, who, I am persuaded, will sacredly abstain from
endeavoring to promote their own interests at the expense of ours.
The infallible page of history establishes their humility,
meekness, and moderation. Gentlemen, depend upon it, the
established religion is most likely to flourish when surrounded by
danger, and threatened by persecution; it has an inherent vitality
which will defy, in the long run, all competition, and there _must_
be competition, or there can be no triumph. Gentlemen, I am for
Peace, Retrenchment, and Reform, which are in fact the Three Polar
Stars of my political conduct. I am an advocate for quarterly
Parliaments, convinced that we cannot too often be summoned to give
an account of our stewardship--and that the frequency of elections
will occasion a wholesome agitation, and stimulus to trade. I am
for extending the elective franchise to all, except those who are
actually the inmates of a prison or a poor-house on the day of
election; and for affording to electors the inviolable secrecy and
protection of the Ballot. I am an uncompromising advocate of civil
and religious liberty all over the globe; and, in short, of giving
the greatest happiness to the greatest number. Gentlemen, before
concluding, I wish to state explicitly, as the result of long and
deep inquiry and reflection, that I am of opinion that every
constituency is entitled, nay, bound, to exact from a candidate for
its suffrages the most strict and minute pledges as to his future
conduct in Parliament, in every matter, great or small, that can
come before it; in order to prevent his judgment being influenced
and warped by the dangerous sophistries and fallacies which are
broached in Parliament, and protect his integrity from the base,
sinister, and corrupt influences which are invariably brought to
bear on public men. I am ready, therefore, to pledge myself to
anything that may be required of me by any elector who may honor me
with his support. Gentlemen, such are my political principles,
and I humbly hope that they will prove to be those of the electors
of this ancient and loyal borough, so as to warrant the legislature
in having preserved it in existence, amid the wholesale havoc which
it has just made in property of this description. Though it is not
probable that we shall be harassed by a contest, I shall make a
point of waiting upon you all personally, and humbly answering all
questions that may be put to me: and should I be returned, rely
upon it, that I will never give you occasion to regret your display
of so signal an evidence of your confidence in me.--I have the
honor to be, Gentlemen, your most obedient and humble servant,
"T. TITMOUSE.
"Yatton, 3d December, 18--."
"Upon my soul, if that don't carry the election hollow," said Mr.
O'Doodle, laying down his pen, and mixing himself a fresh tumbler of
half-and-half brandy and water, "you may call me bog-trotter to the end
of my days, and be ---- to me!"!!!
"Why--a--ya--as! 'pon my life it's quite a superior article, and no
mistake"--quoth Titmouse; "but--eh? d'ye think they'll ever believe I
writ it all? Egad, my fine fellow, to compose a piece of composition
like that, by Jove!--requires--and besides, suppose those dem fellows
begin asking me all sorts of questions and thingembobs, eh? You
_couldn't_ stay and go about with one a bit? Eh, Phelim?"
"Fait, Titty, an' it's mighty little awake to the way of _doing
business_, that ye are! ah, ha! Murder and thieves! what does it signify
what you choose to say or write to them? they're only _pisintry_:
and--the real point to be looked at is this--all those that you can
_command_--d'ye see--of course you will, or send 'em to the right about;
and those that you can't--that's the _new_ blackguards round
about--_buy_, if it's necessary, fait!"
"Oh, that's _done_!--It _is_, 'pon my soul!" whispered Titmouse.
"Oh? Is it in earnest you are? Then you're M. P. for the borough; and on
the strength of it, I'll replenish!" and so he did, Titmouse following
his example; and in a pretty state were they, some hour or two
afterwards, conducted to their apartments.
It is difficult to describe the rage of Gammon on seeing the Address
which had been substituted for that which he had prepared, with so much
caution and tact: but the thing was done, and he was obliged to submit.
The Address duly appeared in the _Yorkshire Stingo_. It was also
placarded liberally all over the borough, and distributed about,
exciting a good deal of interest, and also much approbation among the
new electors. It was thought, however, that it was a piece of
supererogation, inasmuch as there could be no possible doubt that Mr.
Titmouse would _walk over the course_.
In this, however, it presently proved that the _quidnuncs_ of Yatton
were terribly mistaken. A copy of the _Yorkshire Stingo_, containing the
foregoing "Address," was sent, on the day of its publication, by Dr.
Tatham to Mr. Aubrey, who had read it aloud, with feelings of mingled
sorrow and contempt, on the evening of its arrival, in the presence of
Mrs. Aubrey, Miss Aubrey, and also of one who was by no means an
unfrequent visitor, Mr. Delamere. The Aubreys were sad enough; and he
endeavored to dissipate the gloom which hung over them, by ridiculing,
very bitterly and humorously, the pretensions of the would-be member for
Yatton--the presumed writer (who, however, Kate protested, without
giving her reasons, could never have been Mr. Titmouse) of the precious
"Address." He partially succeeded. Both Aubrey and he laughed heartily
as they went more deliberately over it; but Kate and Mrs. Aubrey spoke
very gravely and indignantly about that part of it which related to the
Established Church and the Protestant Religion.
"Oh dear, dear!" quoth Kate at length, with a sudden burst of
impetuosity, after a considerable and rather melancholy pause in the
conversation; "only to think that such an odious little wretch is to
represent the dear old----What would I not give to see him defeated!"
"Pho, Kate," replied her brother, rather sadly, "who is there to oppose
him? Pickering told me, you know, that he should not go into the House
again; and even if he felt disposed to contest Yatton, what chance could
he have against Mr. Titmouse's influence?"
"Oh, I'm sure all the old tenants hate the little monkey, to a man--and
that _you_ know, Charles, right well!"
"That may be, Kate, but they must vote for him, or be turned out of"----
"Oh, I've no _patience_, Charles, to hear of such things!" interrupted
his sister, with not a little petulance in her manner.
"Do you mean to say, that you should like to see a rival start to
contest your dear old borough with Mr. Titmouse?" inquired Mr. Delamere,
who had been listening to the foregoing brief colloquy in silence, his
eyes fixed with eager delight on the animated and beautiful countenance
of Miss Aubrey.
"_Indeed_ I should, Mr. Delamere," cried Kate, eagerly--"I would give
five guineas, if I had it"--adding, however, with a sudden sigh, looking
at her brother; "but--heigh-ho!--as Charles says, how absurd it is to
fret one's self about it--about a thing we can't help--and--a place one
has no longer--alas!--any concern with!" As she said this, her voice
fell a little, and her eyes filled with tears. But her little sally had
been attended with consequences she never could have dreamed of.
Mr. Delamere took leave of them shortly afterwards, without
communicating a word of any intentions he might have conceived upon the
subject to any of them. But the first place he went to, in the morning,
was a great banker's, who had been appointed the principal acting
executor of the Marquis of Fallowfield, a very recently deceased uncle
of Delamere's, to whom his Lordship had left a legacy of £3,000; and
'twas to get at this same legacy that was the object of Delamere's visit
to Sir Omnium Bullion's. For some time the worthy baronet--who had not
then even proved the will--would not listen to the entreaties of the
eager young legatee: but the moment that he heard of the purpose for
which it was wanted, Sir Omnium being a very fierce Tory, and who had
_lost_ his own snug borough by the Bill for _Giving Everybody
Everything_, instantly relented. "There, my fine fellow, that's a piece
of pluck I vastly admire! Sign _that_," said Sir Omnium, tossing to him
an "I. O. U. £3,000," and drawing him a check for the amount: wishing
him, with all imaginable zeal and energy, good speed. Delamere's
excitement would not allow him to wait till the evening, for the mail;
so, within a couple of hours' time of effecting this delightful
arrangement with Sir Omnium, he was seated in a post-chaise and four,
rattling at top-speed on his way to Yorkshire.
Sufficiently astonished were Lord and Lady De la Zouch, when he
presented himself to them at Fotheringham; but infinitely more so, when
he named the object of his coming down, and with desperate entreaties
besought his father's sanction for the enterprise. 'Twas very hard for
Lord De la Zouch to deny anything to one on whom he doted as he did upon
this, his only child. His Lordship, moreover, was one of the keenest
politicians living; and as for elections, he was an old campaigner, and
had stood several desperate contests, and spent immense sums upon them.
And here was his son, to use a well-known phrase, indeed a _chip of the
old block_!--Lord De la Zouch, in short, really felt a secret pleasure
in contemplating the resemblance to his early self--and after a little
demur he began to give way. He shook his head, however, discouragingly;
spoke of Delamere's youth--barely two-and-twenty; the certainty of
defeat, and the annoyance of being beaten by such a creature as
Titmouse; the suddenness and lateness of the move--and so forth.
More and more impetuous, however, became his son.
"I'll tell you what, sir," said Lord De la Zouch, scarce able to speak
with the gravity he wished, "it strikes me that this extraordinary,
expensive, absurd, and hopeless scheme of yours, is all the result
of--eh? I see--I understand! It's done to please--Come, now, be frank,
sir! how long, before you left town, had you seen Miss"----
"I pledge my word, sir," replied Delamere, emphatically, "that neither
Miss Aubrey, nor Mr. nor Mrs. Aubrey--whom, however, I certainly saw the
very night before I quitted town, and even conversed with on the subject
of Mr. Titmouse's Address--has interchanged one syllable with me on the
subject of my starting for the borough; and I believe them to be at this
moment as ignorant of what I am about as you, sir, were, the moment
before you saw me here."
"It is enough," said his father, seriously, who knew that his son,
equally with himself, had a rigorous regard for truth on all occasions,
great and small--"and had it even been otherwise, I--I--eh? I don't
think there's anything _very_ monstrous in it!" He paused, and smiled
kindly at his son--and added, "Well--I--I--we certainly shall be laughed
at for our pains; it's really a madcap sort of business, Geoffrey;
but"--Lord De la Zouch had given way--"I own that I should not like to
have been thwarted by _my_ father on an occasion like the present; so,
let it be done, as you've set your heart upon it. And," he added with a
smile, "pray, Mr. Delamere, have you considered what I shall have to pay
for your sport?"
"Not one penny, sir!" replied his son, with a certain swell of manner.
"Ay, ay!" exclaimed his Lordship, briskly--"How's that, sir?"
Then Delamere told him of what he had done; at which Lord De la Zouch
first looked serious, and then burst into laughter at the eagerness of
old Sir Omnium to aid the affair. Lord De la Zouch well knew that the
old baronet was infinitely exasperated against those who had robbed him
of his borough! Never was "_Schedule A_" mentioned in his presence
without a kind of spasm passing over his features! as though it were the
burial-ground where lay one long and fondly loved! "No, no," said his
Lordship, "that must not stand; I won't have _any_ risk of Sir Omnium's
getting into a scrape, and shall write off to request him to annul the
transaction--with many thanks for what he has done--and I'll try whether
I have credit enough with my bankers--eh, Geoffrey?"
"You are very kind to me, sir, but really I would rather"----
"Pho, pho--let it be as I say; and now, go and dress for dinner, and,
after that, the sooner you get about _your_ 'Address,' the better. Let
me see a draft of it as soon as it is finished. Let Mr. Parkinson be
sent for immediately from Grilston, to see how the land lies; and, in
short, if we _do_ go into the thing, let us dash into it with
spirit--I'll write off and have down from town--a-hem!" his Lordship
suddenly paused--and then added--"And hark 'ee, sir--as to that
Address of yours, I'll have no despicable trimming, and trying to catch
votes by vague and flattering"----
"Trust me, sir!" said Delamere, with a proud smile, "mine shall be, at
all events, a contrast to that of my '_honorable opponent_.'"
"Go straight a-head, sir," continued Lord De la Zouch, with a lofty and
determined air; "nail your colors to the mast. Speak out in a plain,
manly way, so that no one can misunderstand you. I'd rather a thousand
times over see you beaten out of the field--lose the election like a
gentleman--than win it by any sort of _trickery_, especially as far as
the profession of your political sentiments and opinions is concerned.
Bear yourself so, Geoffrey, in this your maiden struggle, that when it
is over, you may be able to lay your hand on your heart, and say, 'I
have _won_ honorably'--or 'I have _lost_ honorably.' So long as you can
feel and say _this_, laugh at election bills--at the long faces of your
friends--the exulting faces of your enemies.--Will you bear all this in
mind, Geoffrey?"
"I will, I will, sir," replied his eager son; and added, with an excited
air, "won't it come on them like"----
"Do you hear that bell, sir?" said Lord De la Zouch, laughing, and
moving away. Delamere bowed, and with a brisk step, a flushed cheek, and
an elated air, betook himself to his dressing-room, to prepare for
dinner.
Shortly afterwards, Mr. Parkinson made his appearance, and to his
infinite amazement was invested instantly with the character of agent
for Mr. Delamere, as candidate for the borough! After he and the earl
had heard the following Address read by Delamere, they very heartily
approved of it. Mr. Parkinson took it home with him; it was in the
printer's hands that very night, and by seven o'clock in the morning,
was being stuck up plentifully on all the walls in Grilston, and in
fact, all over the borough:--
"_To the Independent Electors of the Borough of Yatton._
"GENTLEMEN--I hope you will not consider me presumptuous, in
venturing to offer myself to your notice as a candidate for the
honor of representing you in Parliament. In point of years, I am, I
have reason to believe, even younger than the gentleman whom I have
come forward to oppose. But, indeed, for the fact of his being
personally a comparative stranger to you, I should have paused long
before contesting with him the representation of a borough on which
he has unquestionably certain legitimate claims. The moment,
however, that I had read his Address, I resolved to come forward
and oppose him. Gentlemen, the chief ground on which I am induced
to take this step, is, that I disapprove of the tone and spirit of
that Address, and hold opinions entirely opposed to all those which
it expresses, and which I have no hesitation in saying I consider
to be unworthy of any one seeking so grave a trust as that of
representing you in Parliament. As for my own opinions, they are in
all essential respects identical with those of the gentlemen who
have, during a long series of years, represented you, and
especially with those of my highly honored and gifted friend, Mr.
Aubrey. Gentlemen, my own family is not unknown to you, nor are the
opinions and principles which for centuries they have consistently
supported, and which are also mine.
"I am an affectionate and uncompromising friend of our glorious and
venerable Established Church, and of its union with the State;
which it is my inflexible determination to support by every means
in my power, as the most effectual mode of securing civil and
religious liberty. I am disposed to resist any further concessions
either to Roman Catholics or Dissenters, because I think that they
cannot be made safely or advantageously. Gentlemen, there _is_ a
point at which toleration becomes anarchy; and I am desirous to
keep as far from that point as possible.
"I earnestly deprecate putting our Agricultural or Commercial and
Manufacturing interests into _competition_ with each
other, as needless and mischievous. Both are essential elements in
the national welfare; both should be upheld to the utmost: but if
circumstances _should_ unhappily bring them into inevitable
conflict, I avow myself heart and soul a friend to the Agricultural
interest.
"Gentlemen, I know not whether it would be more derogatory to your
character, or to mine, to exact or give _pledges_ as to my conduct
on any particular measure, great or small, which may come before
Parliament. It appears to me both absurd and ignominious, and
inconsistent with every true principle of representation. One,
however, I willingly give you--that I will endeavor to do my duty,
by consulting your interests as a part of the general interests of
the nation. I trust that I shall never be found uncourteous or
inaccessible; and I am confident that none of you will entertain
unreasonable expectations concerning my power to serve you
individually or collectively.
"Gentlemen, having entered into this contest, I pledge myself to
fight it out to the last; and, if I fail, to retire with good
humor. My friends and I will keep a vigilant eye on any attempts
which may be made to resort to undue influence or coercion; which,
however, I cannot suppose will be the case.
"Gentlemen, this is the best account I can give you, within the
limits of such an Address as the present, of my political opinions,
and of the motives which have induced me to come forward; and I
shall, within a day or two, proceed to call upon you personally. In
the mean while I remain, Gentlemen, your faithful servant,
"GEOFFREY LOVEL DELAMERE.
"_Fotheringham Castle, 7th Dec. 18--._"
Two or three days afterwards there arrived at Mr. Aubrey's, in Vivian
Street, two large packets, franked "DE LA ZOUCH," and addressed to Mr.
Aubrey, containing four copies of the foregoing "Address," accompanied
by the following hurried note:--
"_Fotheringham, 8th Dec. 18--._
"MY DEAR AUBREY--What think you of this sudden and somewhat
Quixotic enterprise of my son? I fear it is quite hopeless--but
there was no resisting his importunities. I must say he is going
into the affair (which has already made a prodigious stir down
here) in a very fine spirit. His _Address_ is good, is it not? The
only thing I regret is, his entering the lists with such a creature
as that fellow Titmouse--and, moreover, being _beaten_ by
him.--Yours ever faithfully and affectionately,
"DE LA ZOUCH.
"P. S.--You should only see little Dr. Tatham since he has heard of
it. He spins about the village like a humming-top! I hope that, as
far as his worldly interests are concerned, he is not acting
imprudently: but _I_ will take care of that, for I love and
reverence the little doctor. Our dear love to the ladies. (In great
haste.)"
This letter was read with almost suspended breath, by Mr. Aubrey, and
then by Mrs. and Miss Aubrey. With still greater emotion were the
printed enclosures opened and read. Each was held in a trembling hand,
its reader's color going and coming. Miss Aubrey's heart beat faster and
faster; she turned very pale--but with a strong effort recovered
herself. Then taking the candle, she withdrew with a hasty and excited
air, taking her copy of the Address with her to her own room; and there
burst into tears, and wept for some time. She felt her heart dissolving
in tenderness towards Delamere! It was some time before she could summon
resolution enough to return. When she did, Mrs. Aubrey made a faint
effort to rally her; but each, on observing the traces of the other's
recent and strong emotion, was silent, and with difficulty preserved any
semblance of a calm demeanor.
Equally strong emotions, but of a very different description, were
excited in the bosoms of certain persons at Yatton Hall, by the
appearance of Mr. Delamere's Address. 'Twas Mr. Barnabas Bloodsuck,
(junior,)--a middle-sized, square-set young man, of about thirty, with a
broad face, a very flat nose, light frizzly hair, and deep-set gray
eyes--a bustling, confident, hard-mouthed fellow--who, happening to be
stirring in the main street of Grilston early in the morning of the 8th
December 18--, beheld a man in the act of sticking up Mr. Delamere's
Address against a wall. Having prevailed on the man to part with one,
Mr. Bloodsuck was within a quarter of an hour on horseback, galloping
down to Yatton--almost imagining himself to be carrying with him a sort
of hand-grenade, which might explode in his pocket as he went on. He was
ushered into the breakfast-room, where sat Mr. Gammon and Mr. Titmouse,
just finishing their morning meal.
"My stars--good-morning! gents,--but here's a kettle of fish!" quoth Mr.
Bloodsuck, with an excited air, wiping the perspiration from his
forehead; and then plucking out of his pocket the damp and crumpled
Address of Mr. Delamere, he handed it to Mr. Gammon, who changed color
on seeing it, and read it over in silence.
Mr. Titmouse looked at him with a disturbed air; and having finished his
mixture of tea and brandy, "Eh--e--eh, Gammon!--I say"--he
stammered--"what's in the wind? 'Pon my soul, you look--eh?"
"Nothing but a piece of good fortune, for which you are indebted to your
distinguished friend, Mr. Phelim O'Something," replied Gammon, bitterly,
"whose precious Address has called forth for you an opponent whom you
would not otherwise have had."
"Hang Mr. O'Doodle!" exclaimed Titmouse; "I--'pon my precious soul--I
always thought him a-a fool and a knave. I'll make him pay me the money
he owes me!" and he strode up and down the room, with his hands thrust
furiously into his pockets.
"You had perhaps better direct your powerful mind to this Address,"
quoth Mr. Gammon, with a blighting smile, "as it slightly concerns
you;" and handing it to Titmouse, the latter sat down to try and obey
him.
"That cock won't _really_ fight, though, eh?" inquired Mr. Bloodsuck, as
he resumed his seat after helping himself to an enormous slice of cold
beef at the side table.
"I think it _will_," replied Mr. Gammon, thoughtfully: and presently
continued after a pause, with a visible effort to speak calmly, "it is
useless to say anything about the haughty intolerant Toryism it
displays; that is all fair; but _is_ it not hard, Mr. Bloodsuck, that
when I had written an Address which would have effectually"----
"Mr. Phelim O'Doodle owes me three hundred pounds, Gammon, and I hope
you'll get it for me at once; 'pon my soul, he's a most cursed scamp,"
quoth Titmouse, furiously, looking up with an air of desperate chagrin,
on hearing Gammon's last words. That gentleman, however, took no notice
of him, and proceeded, addressing Mr. Bloodsuck, "I have weighed every
word in that Address. _It means mischief._ It has evidently been well
considered; it is calm and determined--and we shall have a desperate
contest, or I am grievously mistaken."
"E--e--eh? E--h? What, Gammon?" inquired Titmouse, who, though his eye
appeared, in obedience to Gammon, to have been travelling over the
all-important document which he held in his hand, had been listening
with trembling anxiety to what was said by his companions.
"I say that we are to have a contested election: that you won't walk
over the course, as you might have done. Here's a most formidable
opponent started against you!"
"What? 'Pon my soul--for _my_ borough? For Yatton?"
"Yes, and one who will fight you tooth and nail."
"'Pon--my--precious soul! What a cursed scamp! What a most infernal
black----Who is it?"
"No _blackguard_, sir," interrupted Gammon, very sternly; "but--a
gentleman, perhaps, even, every way equal to yourself," he added with a
cruel smile, "the Honorable Mr. Delamere, the son and heir of Lord De la
Zouch."
"By jingo! you don't say so! Why, he's a hundred thousand a-year,"
interrupted Titmouse, turning very pale.
"Oh, _that_ he has, at least," interposed Mr. Bloodsuck, who had nearly
finished a rapid and most disgusting breakfast; "and two such bitter
Tories you never saw or heard of before--for, like father, like son."
"Egad! is it?" inquired Titmouse, completely crestfallen. "Well! and
what if--eh, Gammon? Isn't it?"
"It is a very serious business, sir, indeed," quoth Gammon, gravely.
"By Jove--isn't it a cursed piece of--impudence! What? Come into _my
borough_? He might as well come into my house! Isn't one as much mine,
as the other? It's as bad as housebreaking--but we're beforehand with
him, anyhow, with those prime chaps at Gr----" Mr. Bloodsuck's teeth
chattered; he glanced towards the door; and Gammon gave Titmouse a look
which almost paralyzed, and at all events silenced him.
"They'll bleed freely?" said Bloodsuck, by-and-by, with a desperate
effort to look concerned--whereas he was in a secret ecstasy at the
profitable work in prospect for their house.
"Lord De la Zouch would not have entered into this thing if he had not
some end in view which he considers attainable--and as for money"----
"Oh, as for that," said Bloodsuck, with a matter-of-fact air, "ten
thousand pounds to him is a mere drop in the bucket."
"O Lord! O Lord! and must _I_ spend money too?" inquired Titmouse, with
a look of ludicrous alarm.
"We must talk this matter over alone, Mr. Bloodsuck," said Gammon,
anxiously--"shall we go to Grilston, or will you fetch your father
hither?"'
"'Pon my soul, Gammon," quoth Titmouse, desperately, and snapping his
finger and thumb, "those cursed Aubreys, you may depend on 't, are at
the bottom of all this"----
"_That_ there's not the least doubt of," quoth Bloodsuck, as he buttoned
up his coat with a matter-of-fact air; but the words of Titmouse caused
Mr. Gammon suddenly to dart first at one, and then at the other of the
speakers, a keen penetrating glance; and presently his expressive
countenance showed that _surprise_ had been succeeded by deep chagrin,
which soon settled into gloomy thoughtfulness.
NOTES.
[Footnote 1: NOTE 1. Page 1.
See _post_, Chapter V., Preliminary Note.]
[Footnote 2: NOTE 2. Page 5.
An important and salutary improvement in the law of libel, especially in
the case of newspapers, was effected in 1843, by statute 6 and 7 Vict.
c. 96. Till then the TRUTH was inadmissible as a _justification_ on a
criminal prosecution for libel--the rule being that the greater the
truth the greater was the libel--by which was meant its greater tendency
to a breach of the peace. Now, however, the defendant may _defend_
himself against an indictment or information, by pleading that the
charge was true, and that it was for the public benefit that it should
have been published; but he must specially state in his plea the
particular facts by reason of which it was for the public benefit. If
such plea, or evidence in support of it, should be false or malicious,
the act allows that circumstance to be taken into consideration in
awarding punishment. A serious amount of fine, imprisonment, and hard
labor, may be inflicted for publishing, or threatening (with intent to
extort money) to publish, a false and malicious libel. In _civil_
proceedings a defendant may plead that he was not guilty of _actual_
malice or _gross_ negligence; and offered to publish, or published, a
full apology, in which case he may pay money into court by way of
amends; and in all actions of defamation he may show an apology, or
offer of one, in mitigation of damages. This statute does not extend to
Scotland.]
[Footnote 3: NOTE 3. Page 32.
Troilus and Cressida, i. 3.]
[Footnote 4: NOTE 4. Page 40.
The great increase of business alone, is the cause of the accumulation
of arrears--especially in the Queen's Bench, which is almost overpowered
by the enormous pressure of its criminal business. All the three
superior courts have recently adopted post-terminal fittings, to enable
them to despatch their arrears; an act of Parliament having been passed
(stat. 1 and 2 Vict. c. 32) for that purpose.]
[Footnote 5: NOTE 5. Page 42.
If the reader will refer to vol. i. p. 490, he may see how the
_disabilities_ here alluded to arose, and affected the case. The
doctrine of "adverse possession" is founded on the anxiety of our law to
secure quietude of title. It gives every reasonable facility for the
assertion of just rights against wrongful possessors of property; but
with equal reasonableness fixes a limit to immunity from the
consequences of negligent acquiescence under usurpation, considering it,
in a word, better policy to protect a person in possession, than to
encourage a struggle for it among strangers. _Vigilantibus non
dormientibus jura subveniunt_, is the maxim of the common law, on which
also the statute law has often acted, and recently with great effect, by
stat. 3 and 4 Will. 4, c. 27, (passed on the 24th July 1833.) By its
provisions, many of the most subtle and difficult questions concerning
the nature of "possession" are got rid of; and the period of twenty
years from the commencement of the rights of possession, fixed as that
within which alone an action or suit in equity for the recovery of lands
must be brought--unless a party was, when his right accrued, laboring
under the _disability_ of infancy, coverture, insanity, or absence
beyond seas: in any of which cases an extension of _ten_ years is
allowed: but it is expressly provided, that however numerous such
disabilities may have been--however long and uninterruptedly they may
have lasted--_forty_ years shall be absolutely the limit within which
the action or suit must be brought from the time of the _right first
accruing_. If the statute "once begin to run," as the lawyers say,
"nothing can stop it." The above constitute some of the boldest and best
of the great alterations recently effected in our English system of real
property law. A far longer period than the present one was requisite to
constitute "adverse possession" at the time mentioned in the text.]
[Footnote 6: NOTE 6. Page 43.
See _post_, Chapter V., Preliminary Note.]
[Footnote 7: NOTE 7. Page 49.
"[Greek: 'Anthropinos]," signifies in this place, (1 Corinth. x. 13,)
says a commentator on this memorable passage of Scripture, "such as is
suited to the nature and circumstances of man; such as every man may
reasonably expect, if he consider the nature of his body and soul, and
his situation in the present world."]
[Footnote 8: NOTE 8. Page 54.
It might be inferred, from a somewhat loose statement in an English law
treatise, that in a case like that of Mr. Aubrey--viz. of possession of
property in entire ignorance that it belonged to another--a Court of
Equity would protect against the rightful owner's claim for the mesne
profits. Such, however, is by no means the case. Mr. Titmouse had
recovered at law--by the superior strength of his title, and without
requiring any assistance whatever from a Court of Equity; the mesne
profits, therefore, were absolutely his--and any interference, by a
Court of Equity, to deprive him of them, would have been an act of
direct spoliation. Such a notion, therefore, is utterly destitute of
foundation. If Mr. Titmouse had been compelled to seek the assistance of
a Court of Equity in order to prosecute his claim, and had clearly been
guilty of negligence or fraud; it is possible that some terms might have
been imposed upon him, with reference to the mesne profits to be wrung
from his comparatively-speaking innocent opponent--but even then, it is
conceived that Equity would be very slow and jealous in exercising such
a stretch of power. The Roman law took a different view of the subject,
regarding him--_qui justas causas habuisset quare bona ad se pertinere
existimasset_, (Dig. Lib. v. Tit. iii. 1, 20, &c.)--with great leniency,
and exempting him from payment of mesne profits accrued previous to the
action. According to the law of Scotland, a _bonâ fide_ possessor
evicted (i. e. turned out) by a person having a better right, is
entitled to retain the fruits or profits (called "_violent profits_")
which he may have reaped or received during his _bonâ fide_ possession.
It would seem, however, that this doctrine is based not solely upon the
_bonâ fide_ ignorance of the ousted party, but upon the concurring
_negligence_ and _delay_ of his victorious opponent.]
[Footnote 9: NOTE 9. Page 58.
It is by no means a matter of course, to apply for and obtain this
nominal appointment, which occasions _ipso facto_ the vacating a seat in
Parliament. It is a matter of discretion with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer; and he has _refused_ it during the present session [1844] to
several applicants.]
[Footnote 10: NOTE 10. Page 75.
This species of sport has recently, alas! been seriously interfered
with, by the increased power given, in such cases, to the police
magistrates.]
[Footnote 11: NOTE 11. Page 91.
See Dr. Bubble's "Account of the late Landslips, and of the Remains of
Subterranean Castles."--Quarto Edition, Vol. III. pp. 2000-2008.]
[Footnote 12: NOTE 12. Page 91.
_Ante_, Vol. 1., p. 441.]
[Footnote 13: NOTE 13. Page 93.
Horace, Carm. 1. 34, _ad finem._]
[Footnote 14: NOTE 14. Page 96.
Troilus and Cressida, i. 3.]
[Footnote 15: NOTE 15. Page 224.
1 Samuel, ch. ii., v. 36.]
[Footnote 16: NOTE 16. Page 234.
It may be as well to apprise the reader, that this strange mode of
pleading has been lately superseded by one more reasonable and
intelligible.]
[Footnote 17: NOTE 17. Page 281.
"_Mayhem_," saith Blackstone, "is a battery attended with this
aggravating circumstance: that thereby the party injured is forever
disabled from making so good a defence against future external injuries,
as before he might have done. Among these defensive members are reckoned
not only arms and legs, but a finger, an eye, and a _fore-tooth_; but
the loss of one of the _jaw_-teeth, is no _mayhem_ at common law, for
they can be of no use in fighting."--3 _Black. Comm._ p. 121.]
[Footnote 18: NOTE 18. Page 282.
In the year 1838, arrest on mesne process was abolished by statute 1 and
2 Vict. c. 110, (which recited that "the power of arrest upon mesne
process was unnecessarily extensive and severe, and ought to be
relaxed,") except in cases where a debtor may be arrested by order of a
judge, to prevent his quitting the kingdom. In the year 1844, the
legislature went so far (stat. 7 and 8 Vict. c. 96, § 58) as to abolish
arrest on _final_ process, in all cases of debts not exceeding £20,
independently of costs. The policy of this measure is gravely
questionable.]
[Footnote 19: NOTE 19. Page 283.
A _detainer_ signifies a writ, by means of which a prisoner, once
arrested, may be detained at the suit of any _other_ creditor.]
[Footnote 20: NOTE 20. Page 285.
The last acts of the kind are those for abolishing Arrest on Mesne
Process (see _ante_, p. 282, note) and amending the Insolvent Laws,
(stat. 1 and 2 Vict. c. 110, § 78, and 7 and 8 Vict. c. 96, § 59.)]
[Footnote 21: NOTE 21. Page 312.
For a really _short_-sighted person a concave glass, and for a too
_long_-sighted man a convex glass, is requisite: but simpletons who wear
a glass for mere appearance' sake, have one through which they can
really see--_i. e._ a piece of common window-glass. Three-fourths of the
young men about town wear the last kind of glass.]
[Footnote 22: NOTE 22. Page 316.
Since this was written, Great Britain has, by the demonstration of her
irresistible naval and military power, and by the wisdom of her
diplomacy, totally changed our relations with China--which has opened to
us five of her ports, ceded to us a great island, and entered into a
commercial treaty with us!]
[Footnote 23: NOTE 23. Page 339.
Hor. Carm. V., iv.]
[Footnote 24: NOTE 24. Page 352.
Plowden's _Commentaries_, 308, a, (Sharrington _v._ Strotton.)]
[Footnote 25: NOTE 25. Page 362.
About the time when this was originally written, there was a person who,
chiefly at Windsor, occasioned much surprise and curiosity by the power
which he appeared to exercise over horses, by touching, as he alleged, a
particular nerve within the mouth.]
[Footnote 26: NOTE 26. Page 372.
Per bend Ermine and Pean, two lions rampant combatant, counter-changed,
armed and langued Gules; surmounted by three bendlets undee Argent, on
each three fleurs-de-lis Azure; on a chief Or, three TITMICE volant
proper; all within a bordure gobonated Argent and Sable.
CREST.--On a cap of maintenance a Titmouse proper, ducally gorged Or,
holding in his beak a woodlouse embowed Azure. Motto--"_Je le tiens._"
_Note._--The Author was favored, on the first appearance of this portion
of the work, with several complimentary communications on the subject of
Sir Gorgeous Tintack's feats in heraldry: and one gentleman eminent in
that science, and to whom the author is indebted for the annexed
spirited drawing, has requested the author to annex to the separate
edition, as he now does, the two following very curious extracts from
old heraldic writers:--the first, supporting the author's ridicule of
the prevalent folly of devising complicated coats of arms; and the
second being a very remarkable specimen of the extent to which an
enthusiast in the science was carried on its behalf.
_First_--"An other thing that is amisse, as I take it, and hath great
neede to be reformed, is the quartering of many markes in one shield,
coate, or banner; for sithence it is true that such markes serue to no
other vse, but for a commander to lead by, or to be known by, it is of
necessitie that the same should be _apparent_, _faire_, and _easie to be
understoode_: so that the quartering of many of them together, doth
hinder the vse for which they are provided.--As how is it possible for
a plaine unlearned man to discover and know a sunder, six or
eight--sometimes thirty or forty several marks clustered altogether in
one shield or banner, nay, though he had as good skill as _Robert
Glower_, late Somerset that dead is, and the eies of an egle, amongst
such a confusion of things, yet should he never be able to decipher the
errors that are dalie committed in this one point, nor discover or know
one banner or standard from an other, be the same neuer so
large?"--_Treatise on the True Use of Armes--by Mr. Sampson Erdswicke_,
[a famous antiquary in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.]
[_Secondly._--An extract from the _Book of St. Alban's_, written late in
the fifteenth century, by _Dame Juliana Berners, Abbess of St.
Alban's_]--
"_Cain_ and all his offspring became _churls_ both by the curse of God,
and his own father. _Seth_ was made a _gentleman_, through his father
and mother's blessing, from whose loins issued _Noah_, a _gentleman_ by
kind and lineage. Of Noah's sons, _Chem_ became a churl by his father's
curse, on account of his gross barbarism towards his father. _Japhet_
and _Shem_, Noah made gentlemen. From the offspring of gentlemanly
Japhet came _Abraham_, _Moyses_, and the Prophets, and also the King of
the right line of Mary, of whom that only absolute gentleman[X] Jesus
was borne; perfite God and perfite man according to his manhood, King of
the land of Juda, and the Jewes, and _gentleman_ by his Mother Mary,
princess of coate Armour."
[X] One of our oldest dramatists speaks of our Saviour in an earnest
sense as "the _first true gentleman_ that ever lived."]
[Footnote 27: NOTE 27. Page 374.
I vehemently suspect myself guilty of a slight anachronism here; this
ancient and illustrious monarchy having been mediatized by the congress
of Vienna in 1815--its territories now forming part of the parish of
Hahnroost, in the kingdom of ----.]
[Footnote 28: NOTE 28. Page 399.
_Ante_, p. 265.]
[Footnote 29: NOTE 29. Page 415.
[Greek: Mêdeia], 1036-9. _Anglicé_: Alas, alas, my children! why do you
fondly fix your eyes upon me? Why beams upon me _that last smile_ of
yours? Oh, woe! woe! is me! What shall I do? For now that I have seen
the bright eyes of my little ones, my heart is broken!]
[Footnote 30: NOTE 30. Page 415.
Ezek. xii. 18.]
[Footnote 31: NOTE 31. Page 453.
Since this work was published, a very important statute (6 and 7 Vict.
c. 85) was passed, in the year 1843, for removing the incompetency to
give evidence, by reason of any crime, or _interest_.]
[Footnote 32: NOTE 32. Page 456.
When once a man's necessities have compelled him to subscribe his name
to the three magical letters "I. O. U.," he is liable for the sum
specified in it to any one simply producing it, though it be addressed
to no one, and no proof be given that "U" means the plaintiff, (see
_Curtis_ v. _Rickards_, Manning and Grainger, 46; and _Douglas_ v.
_Hone_, 12 Adolphus and Ellis, 641,) unless the defendant be able to
adduce clear evidence impeaching the plaintiff's right to recover.]
[Footnote 33: NOTE 33. Page 461.
The late venerable and gifted Lord Stowell, in the case of _Evans_ v.
_Evans_, 1 Consistory Reports, p. 36.]
[Footnote 34: NOTE 34. Page 466.
Some have imagined this to be an allusion to a disclosure pretended by
M. Thiers, a few years ago, _after the death of Lord Holland_, to have
been made to him by that nobleman, of what had passed at a Cabinet
council!!]
END OF VOL. II.
End of Project Gutenberg's Ten Thousand a-Year (Vol. 2), by Samuel Warren