reprinted pieces-第45部分
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honourable friend says) that he should waste another argument upon
the man who professes that he cannot understand it! 'I do NOT;
gentlemen;' said our honourable friend; with indignant emphasis and
amid great cheering; on one such public occasion。 'I do NOT;
gentlemen; I am free to confess; envy the feelings of that man
whose mind is so constituted as that he can hold such language to
me; and yet lay his head upon his pillow; claiming to be a native
of that land;
Whose march is o'er the mountain…wave;
Whose home is on the deep!
(Vehement cheering; and man expelled。)
When our honourable friend issued his preliminary address to the
constituent body of Verbosity on the occasion of one particular
glorious triumph; it was supposed by some of his enemies; that even
he would be placed in a situation of difficulty by the following
comparatively trifling conjunction of circumstances。 The dozen
noblemen and gentlemen whom our honourable friend supported; had
'come in;' expressly to do a certain thing。 Now; four of the dozen
said; at a certain place; that they didn't mean to do that thing;
and had never meant to do it; another four of the dozen said; at
another certain place; that they did mean to do that thing; and had
always meant to do it; two of the remaining four said; at two other
certain places; that they meant to do half of that thing (but
differed about which half); and to do a variety of nameless wonders
instead of the other half; and one of the remaining two declared
that the thing itself was dead and buried; while the other as
strenuously protested that it was alive and kicking。 It was
admitted that the parliamentary genius of our honourable friend
would be quite able to reconcile such small discrepancies as these;
but; there remained the additional difficulty that each of the
twelve made entirely different statements at different places; and
that all the twelve called everything visible and invisible; sacred
and profane; to witness; that they were a perfectly impregnable
phalanx of unanimity。 This; it was apprehended; would be a
stumbling…block to our honourable friend。
The difficulty came before our honourable friend; in this way。 He
went down to Verbosity to meet his free and independent
constituents; and to render an account (as he informed them in the
local papers) of the trust they had confided to his hands … that
trust which it was one of the proudest privileges of an Englishman
to possess … that trust which it was the proudest privilege of an
Englishman to hold。 It may be mentioned as a proof of the great
general interest attaching to the contest; that a Lunatic whom
nobody employed or knew; went down to Verbosity with several
thousand pounds in gold; determined to give the whole away … which
he actually did; and that all the publicans opened their houses for
nothing。 Likewise; several fighting men; and a patriotic group of
burglars sportively armed with life…preservers; proceeded (in
barouches and very drunk) to the scene of action at their own
expense; these children of nature having conceived a warm
attachment to our honourable friend; and intending; in their
artless manner; to testify it by knocking the voters in the
opposite interest on the head。
Our honourable friend being come into the presence of his
constituents; and having professed with great suavity that he was
delighted to see his good friend Tipkisson there; in his working…
dress … his good friend Tipkisson being an inveterate saddler; who
always opposes him; and for whom he has a mortal hatred … made them
a brisk; ginger…beery sort of speech; in which he showed them how
the dozen noblemen and gentlemen had (in exactly ten days from
their coming in) exercised a surprisingly beneficial effect on the
whole financial condition of Europe; had altered the state of the
exports and imports for the current half…year; had prevented the
drain of gold; had made all that matter right about the glut of the
raw material; and had restored all sorts of balances with which the
superseded noblemen and gentlemen had played the deuce … and all
this; with wheat at so much a quarter; gold at so much an ounce;
and the Bank of England discounting good bills at so much per
cent。! He might be asked; he observed in a peroration of great
power; what were his principles? His principles were what they
always had been。 His principles were written in the countenances
of the lion and unicorn; were stamped indelibly upon the royal
shield which those grand animals supported; and upon the free words
of fire which that shield bore。 His principles were; Britannia and
her sea…king trident! His principles were; commercial prosperity
co…existently with perfect and profound agricultural contentment;
but short of this he would never stop。 His principles were; these;
… with the addition of his colours nailed to the mast; every man's
heart in the right place; every man's eye open; every man's hand
ready; every man's mind on the alert。 His principles were these;
concurrently with a general revision of something … speaking
generally … and a possible readjustment of something else; not to
be mentioned more particularly。 His principles; to sum up all in a
word; were; Hearths and Altars; Labour and Capital; Crown and
Sceptre; Elephant and Castle。 And now; if his good friend
Tipkisson required any further explanation from him; he (our
honourable friend) was there; willing and ready to give it。
Tipkisson; who all this time had stood conspicuous in the crowd;
with his arms folded and his eyes intently fastened on our
honourable friend: Tipkisson; who throughout our honourable
friend's address had not relaxed a muscle of his visage; but had
stood there; wholly unaffected by the torrent of eloquence: an
object of contempt and scorn to mankind (by which we mean; of
course; to the supporters of our honourable friend); Tipkisson now
said that he was a plain man (Cries of 'You are indeed!'); and that
what he wanted to know was; what our honourable friend and the
dozen noblemen and gentlemen were driving at?
Our honourable friend immediately replied; 'At the illimitable
perspective。'
It was considered by the whole assembly that this happy statement
of our honourable friend's political views ought; immediately; to
have settled Tipkisson's business and covered him with confusion;
but; that implacable person; regardless of the execrations that
were heaped upon him from all sides (by which we mean; of course;
from our honourable friend's side); persisted in retaining an
unmoved countenance; and obstinately retorted that if our
honourable friend meant that; he wished to know what THAT meant?
It was in repelling this most objectionable and indecent
opposition; that our honourable friend displayed his highest
qualifications for the representation of Verbosity。 His warmest
supporters present; and those who were best acquainted with his
generalship; supposed that the moment was come when he would fall
back upon the sacred bulwarks of our nationality。 No such thing。
He replied thus: 'My good friend Tipkisson; gentlemen; wishes to
know what I mean when he asks me what we are driving at; and when I
candidly tell him; at the illimitable perspective; he wishes (if I
understand him) to know what I mean?' … 'I do!' says Tipkisson;
amid cries of 'Shame' and 'Down with him。' 'Gentlemen;' says our
honourable friend; 'I will indulge my good friend Tipkisson; by
telling him; both what I mean and what I don't mean。 (Cheers and
cries of 'Give it him!') Be it known to him then; and to all whom
it may concern; that I do mean altars; hearths; and homes; and that
I don't mean mosques and Mohammedanism!' The effect of this home…
thrust was terrific。 Tipkisson (who is a Baptist) was hooted down
and hustled out; and has ever since been regarded as a Turkish
Renegade who contemplates an early pilgrimage to Mecca。 Nor was he
the only discomfited man。 The charge; while it stuck to him; was
magically transferred to our honourable friend's opponent; who was
represented in an immense variety of placards as a firm believer in
Mahomet; and the men of Verbosity were asked to choose between our
honourable friend and the Bible; and our honourable friend's
opponent and the Koran。 They decided for our honourable friend;
and rallied round the illimitable perspective。
It has been claimed for our honourable friend; with much appearance
of reason; that he was the first to bend sacred matters to
electioneering tactics。 However this may be; the fine precedent
was undoubtedly set in a Verbosity election: and it is certain that
our honourable friend (who was a disciple of Brahma in his youth;
and was a Buddhist when we had the honour of travelling with him a
few years ago) always professes in public more anxiety than the
whole Bench of Bishops; regarding the theological and doxological
opinions of every man; woman; and child; in the United Kingdom。
As we began by saying that our honourable friend has got in again
at this last election; and that we are delighted to find that he
has got in; so we will conclude。 Our honourable friend cannot come
in for Verbosity too often。 It is a good sign; it is a great
example。 It is to men like our honourable friend; and to contests
like those from which he comes triumphant; that we are mainly
indebted for that ready interest in politics; that fresh enthusiasm
in the discharge of the duties of citizenship; that ardent desire
to rush to the poll; at present so manifest throughout England。
When the contest lies (as it sometimes does) between two such men
as our honourable friend; it stimulates the finest emotions of our
nature; and awakens the highest admiration of which our heads and
hearts are capable。
It is not too much to predict that our honourable friend will be
always at his post in the ensui