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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

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