New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-30

moodily through the hot London streets and
pausing on Tower Hill to buy With grim dehb-
Grafton the broad blade that ia to be sunk IN the
heart of Buckingham? The short, swart hs-
ure of military taciturnity. or RhaoaDahthihe
energy and gravity lives again. and not mere
liz as the spectacular assassin. rising suddenly
into view with political significance and as sud
denly subsiding but man, an angry. uou-
bled man, thinking deeply wondering what ne
shall do to rid the State OF its incubus and
standing quietly on Tower Hill. pricing the kafe
amid a crowd of Londoners very like himself
This book is full of such human. living images
For one of them we turn to earlier page.
whereon James is still occupying the writer's
mind He says of the King:
He is a man Of swift discernment, ready SYM
pathy, ready faculty in every kind; vision clear
as a lynx's, if il were deep enough, CourtierS
repeat His Majesty's repartees and speeches;
ever seen such head Of wit? He with his
lynx eyes. detected in Monteagle's letter some
prophecy of 'suddenness." prophecy of-prob-
able gunpowder barrels and found Guy Faux
and his cellar. and dark lantern His Majesty
think it chiefly was. He detected the Sleeping
Preacher a sneakng college graduate, of semi
Puritan tendencies. who pretended 10 preach IN
his sleep. He was great in lawsuits of logical
acumen rarely paralleIed; your most tangled
skein Of law pleading or other embroiled logic
once hanS III on the royal Judgment, ne VIII VIM
it off for you to the inmost thrum. He delights
in doing lawsuits presiding over conferences,
testfying to himself and to others what divine
lynx faculty he has. He speaks like second
Solomon: translucent with logic. radiant with
wit with ready ingenuity. and prismatic play OF
colors. GunpOwder plots, sleeping preachers.
what or whom will he not detect? No impostor
or imposture. you would say. can well live be-
fore this King. None. except. alas, that one
semi-impOstOr already lived in hi n, with a falr
stock of Unconscious impostures laid up these
from within did yearn responsive to their KIN
dred who lived without In this sense, impostors
and impOstures had good time Of it with King
James; many bright speciositieS were welcome;
and certain rude nobenesses were Indignantly
radiated forth and hidden go TO chaos. IL
is another feature of this poor king that he was
of hot temper. man promptly sympathetic. To-
quacious, most vehement, most excitable. can be
transported into mere rage and frenzy on small
occasions: will swear like Ernulphus call
the gods and devils TO witness what a life he
has Of it: will fling himself down and bite the
grass" say courtiers merely because his game
has escaped him in the wood" Consider it.
My game is gone, may all the devils follow 1t;
and you. We blockheads maledictum sit, And
then, when the fit is past. how His Majesty re-
penis of it, in the saddest silence, with pious
CALCULATIONS to Heaven for forgiveness Poor
King, his tongue is too Dig for him. his eyes
are vgiant gogge-eyes: physically and spirit
ually the joints and life apparatus are l-com-
pacted in him.
Upon one occasion Carlyle finds himself come
what in sympathy with the quick frenzies Of
King James. 1t is when His Majesty unjustly
assaults his devoted Scotch valet John GLIB.
and having discovered his fault orders his
eauerries to ride like the wind and the whrl-
wind" to overtake the departing Glib and bring
him back. His Majesty blubbers over him in
an uncomfortable tempest of tears. o Glib.
Glib falls down on his knees to him. 10 John
Glib. swears he will n r. rise again till Glib
forgive him" The scene is ludcrous. but it
touched Carlyle. Think of it," he says; lit is
very unmajestc. and yet have known pattern
characters of the Solomon and other sorts who