四季随笔-the private papers of henry ryecroft(英文版)-第20章

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y　speaking；　lies　in　a　recognition　of　expediency；　plemented　by　respect　for　the　established　fact。　One　of　the　facts　particularly　clear　to　them　is　the　suitability　to　their　minds；　their　tempers；　their　habits；　of　a　system　of　polity　which　has　been　established　by　the　slow　effort　of　generations　within　this　sea…girt　realm。　They　have　nothing　to　do　with　ideals：　they　never　trouble　themselves　to　think　about　the　Rights　of　Man。　If　you　talk　to　them　（long　enough）　about　the　rights　of　the　shopman；　or　the　ploughman；　or　the　cat's…　meat…man；　they　will　lend　ear；　and；　when　the　facts　of　any　such　case　have　been　examined；　they　will　find　a　way　of　dealing　with　them。　This　characteristic　of　theirs　they　call　mon　Sense。　To　them；　all　things　considered；　it　has　been　of　vast　service；　one　may　even　say　that　the　rest　of　the　world　has　profited　by　it　not　a　little。　That　Unmon　Sense　might　now　and　then　have　stood　them　even　in　better　stead　is　nothing　to　the　point。　The　Englishman　deals　with　things　as　they　are；　and　first　and　foremost　accepts　his　own　being。
This　Jubilee　declares　a　legitimate　triumph　of　the　average　man。　Look　back　for　threescore　years；　and　who　shall　affect　to　doubt　that　the　time　has　been　marked　by　many　improvements　in　the　material　life　of　the　English　people？　Often　have　they　been　at　loggerheads　among　themselves；　but　they　have　never　flown　at　each　other's　throats；　and　from　every　grave　dispute　has　resulted　some　substantial　gain。　They　are　a　cleaner　people　and　a　more　sober；　in　every　class　there　is　a　diminution　of　brutality；　education……stand　for　what　it　may……has　notably　extended；　certain　forms　of　tyranny　have　been　abolished；　certain　forms　of　suffering；　due　to　heedlessness　or　ignorance；　have　been　abated。　True；　these　are　mere　details；　whether　they　indicate　a　solid　advance　in　civilization　cannot　yet　be　determined。　But　assuredly　the　average　Briton　has　cause　to　jubilate；　for　the　progressive　features　of　the　epoch　are　such　as　he　can　understand　and　approve；　whereas　the　doubt　which　may　be　cast　upon　its　ethical　plexion　is　for　him　either　non…existent　or　unintelligible。　So　let　cressets　flare　into　the　night　from　all　the　hills！　It　is　no　purchased　exultation；　no　servile　flattery。　The　People　acclaims　itself；　yet　not　without　genuine　gratitude　and　affection　towards　the　Representative　of　its　glory　and　its　power。　The　Constitutional　pact　has　been　well　preserved。　Review　the　record　of　kingdoms；　and　say　how　often　it　has　e　to　pass　that　sovereign　and　people　rejoiced　together　over　bloodless　victories。
XXI
At　an　inn　in　the　north　I　once　heard　three　men　talking　at　their　breakfast　on　the　question　of　diet。　They　agreed　that　most　people　ate　too　much　meat；　and　one　of　them　went　so　far　as　to　declare　that；　for　his　part；　he　rather　preferred　vegetables　and　fruit。　〃Why；〃　he　said；　〃will　you　believe　me　that　I　sometimes　make　a　breakfast　of　apples？〃　This　announcement　was　received　in　silence；　evidently　the　two　listeners　didn't　quite　know　what　to　think　of　it。　Thereupon　the　speaker；　in　rather　a　blustering　tone；　cried　out；　〃Yes；　I　can　make　a　very　good　breakfast　on　TWO　OR　THREE　POUNDS　OF　APPLES。〃
Wasn't　it　amusing？　And　wasn't　it　characteristic？　This　honest　Briton　had　gone　too　far　in　frankness。　'Tis　all　very　well　to　like　vegetables　and　fruits　up　to　a　certain　point；　but　to　breakfast　on　apples！　His　panions'　silence　proved　that　they　were　just　a　little　ashamed　of　him；　his　confession　savoured　of　poverty　or　meanness；　to　right　himself　in　their　opinion；　nothing　better　occurred　to　the　man　than　to　protest　that　he　ate　apples；　yes；　but　not　merely　one　or　two；　he　ate　them　largely；　BY　THE　POUND！　I　laughed　at　the　fellow；　but　I　thoroughly　understood　him；　so　would　every　Englishman；　for　at　the　root　of　our　being　is　a　hatred　of　parsimony。　This　manifests　itself　in　all　sorts　of　ludicrous　or　contemptible　forms；　but　no　less　is　it　the　source　of　our　finest　qualities。　An　Englishman　desires；　above　all；　to　live　largely；　on　that　account　he　not　only　dreads；　but　hates　and　despises；　poverty。　His　virtues　are　those　of　the　free…handed　and　warm…hearted　opulent　man；　his　weaknesses　e　of　the　sense　of　inferiority　（intensely　painful　and　humiliating）　which　attaches　in　his　mind　to　one　who　cannot　spend　and　give；　his　vices；　for　the　most　part；　originate　in　loss　of　self…respect　due　to　loss　of　secure　position。
XXII
For　a　nation　of　this　temper；　the　movement　towards　democracy　is　fraught　with　peculiar　dangers。　Profoundly　aristocratic　in　his　sympathies；　the　Englishman　has　always　seen　in　the　patrician　class　not　merely　a　social；　but　a　moral；　superiority；　the　man　of　blue　blood　was　to　him　a　living　representative　of　those　potencies　and　virtues　which　made　his　ideal　of　the　worthy　life。　Very　significant　is　the　cordial　alliance　from　old　time　between　nobles　and　people；　free；　proud　homage　on　one　side　answering　to　gallant　championship　on　the　other；　both　classes　working　together　in　the　cause　of　liberty。　However　great　the　sacrifices　of　the　mon　folk　for　the　maintenance　of　aristocratic　power　and　splendour；　they　were　gladly　made；　this　was　the　Englishman's　religion；　his　inborn　pietas；　in　the　depths　of　the　dullest　soul　moved　a　perception　of　the　ethic　meaning　attached　to　lordship。　Your　Lord　was　the　privileged　being　endowed　by　descent　with　generous　instincts；　and　possessed　of　means　to　show　them　forth　in　act。　A　poor　noble　was　a　contradiction　in　terms；　if　such　a　person　existed；　he　could　only　be　spoken　of　with　wondering　sadness；　as　though　he　were　the　victim　of　some　freak　of　nature。　The　Lord　was　Honourable；　Right　Honourable；　his　acts；　his　words　virtually　constituted　the　code　of　honour　whereby　the　nation　lived。
In　a　new　world；　beyond　the　ocean；　there　grew　up　a　new　race；　a　scion　of　England；　which　shaped　its　life　without　regard　to　the　principle　of　hereditary　lordship；　and　in　course　of　time　this　triumphant　Republic　began　to　shake　the　ideals　of　the　Motherland。　Its　civilization；　spite　of　superficial　resemblances；　is　not　English；　let　him　who　will　think　it　superior；　all　one　cares　to　say　is　that　it　has　already　shown　in　a　broad　picture　the　natural　tendencies　of　English　blood　when　emancipated　from　the　old　cult。　Easy　to　understand　that　some　there　are　who　see　nothing　but　evil　in　the　influence　of　that　vast　monwealth。　If　it　has　done　us　good；　assuredly　the　fact　is　not　yet　demonstrable。　In　old　England；　democracy　is　a　thing　so　alien　to　our　traditions　and　rooted　sentiment　that　the　line　of　its　progress　seems　hitherto　a　mere　track　of　ruin。　In　the　very　word　is　something　from　which　we　shrink；　it　seems　to　signify　nothing　less　than　a　national　apostasy；　a　denial　of　the　faith　in　which　we　won　our　glory。　The　democratic　Englishman　is；　by　the　laws　of　his　own　nature；　in　parlous　case；　he　has　lost　the　ideal　by　which　he　guided　his　rude；　prodigal；　domineering　instincts；　in　place　of　the　Right　Honourable；　born　to　noble　things；　he　has　set　up　the　mere　Plebs；　born；　more　likely　than　not；　for　all　manner　of　baseness。　And；　amid　all　his　show　of　loud　self…confidence；　the　man　is　haunted　with　misgiving。
The　task　before　us　is　no　light　one。　Can　we；　whilst　losing　the　class；　retain　the　idea　it　embodied？　Can　we　English；　ever　so　subject　to　the　material；　liberate　ourselves　from　that　old　association；　yet　guard　its　meaning　in　the　sphere　of　spiritual　life？　Can　we；　with　eyes　which　have　ceased　to　look　reverently　on　worn…out　symbols；　learn　to　select　from　among　the　grey…coated　multitude；　and　place　in　reverence　even　higher　him　who　〃holds　his　patent　of　nobility　straight　from　Almighty　God〃？　Upon　that　depends　the　future　of　England。　In　days　gone　by；　our　very　Snob　bore　testimony　after　his　fashion　to　our　scorn　of　meanness；　he　at　all　events　imagined　himself　to　be　imitating　those　who　were　incapable　of　a　sordid　transaction；　of　a　plebeian　pliance。　But　the　Snob；　one　notes；　is　in　the　way　of　degeneracy；　he　has　new　exemplars；　he　speaks　a　ruder　language。　Him；　be　sure；　in　one　form　or　another；　we　shall　have　always　with　us；　and　to　observe　his　habits　is　to　note　the　tenor　of　the　time。　If　he　have　at　the　back　of　his　dim　mind　no　living　ideal　which　lends　his　foolishness　a　generous　significance；　then　indeed……videant　consules。
XXIII
A　visit　from　N…。　He　stayed　with　me　two　days；　and　I　wish　he　could　have　stayed　a　third。　（Beyond　the　third　day；　I　am　not　sure　that　any　man　would　be　wholly　wele。　My　strength　will　bear　but　a　certain　amount　of　conversation；　even　the　pleasantest；　and　before　lo