Year: 1860

''' ""''"S' WIG WIN hoi SoPacieJ W ~ DhSi


of the fact and inquire upon what custom


was founded-whether it was REASONABLE,


or unreasonable, just or Unjust, true o.


false. 1t was patent to them that il ex


isted, and they felt and knew without


reasoning upon it that it was power il
the land over them and surrounding them
compelling obedience by force that wa;
resistless. We who live in new country
and under form of government different
in many respects from any that has evel
before been framed-a government found
ed upon an idea, and relying solely upon
public opinion for support-a government
finding and dealing with people inhabit-
ing a new world, and from the very cir
cumstances surrounding them compelled
to new habits Of thought and action
throwing off old customs, forms and OBJ
servances, and striking boldly out into
that which is new and untred-with
scarcely enough of reverence among us 70
preserve conservatism-we, / say, who
are thus placed have but faint idea Of
the force with which old forms and usages
sway the minds of the people in those
older countries where systems of govern
ment and action have been handed down
from one generation to another until ira
dition has become dim, and the parch-
ments wherein the authority is found,
damp with the mould of ages. Perhaps
no more striking illustration of the force
which custom obtains in those old coun-
tries has ever been given than is afforded
in the interview between the Danish king
and Laartes. Claudius, naturally cow
ard and tortured with guilt, knowing well
the bold and desperate character of him
with whom he had TO deal-knowing too
that Laartes believed him to have caused
the death of Polonius, and hearing him
with the multitude forcing his way thro'
guards and antechambcrs to his very pres
ence, swearing revenge, and SO reckless of
results that to use his own language he
dared damnation-Claudius the usurper,
the deliberate assassin, adulterer, poltroon,
even then, when men with clear con-
sciences and firm nerves might well have
trembled, turned to the panic stricken and
guilty Queen and allays her fright by tell
ing her "There's divinity doth hedge a
king"


Whatever his opinion may have been
respecting the protection of Providence
over rightful monarchs he had no reason
TO believe that protection would be ex-
tended TO him. He was no king. He was
an usurpcr. The crown covering his tenn
pies was red with brothers blood. The
rightful king he had sent even then on a
voyage TO England, and as he supposed
to death, and if supernatural protection
could aid him when standing before the
desperate Laartes, he had every reason to
believe that protection would come from
hell instead Of heaven. And yet, das-
tard as he was, placed in greater peril
than he had ever been before, he stood
there cool and firm, calmly answering the
questions of Laartes, absolying himself
from the murder of the old minister, and
for one brief moment in his life showing
a glimmering of manhood and courage.
We know that it was false, assumed, un-
natural-but where did he attain the con-
fidence to make even the assumption? We
have already seen that it did not arise
from any idea that q divinity was pro-
tecting him. II arose solely from be-
lief in the reverence of the people for the
kingly oflice-the fear and awe with
which they had been accustomed to look
upon it. Analyze it rs you may, the
conduct of the king in that scene can on
ly be accounted for by accrediting him
with faith in the power of custom.


Now William Makepeace Thackeray
has not informed us that Martin Lambert
went into any such cogitations as are here
set forth, at the time he felt such con-
tempt for George III, and apologized
10 himself by inuendo for being his sub
ject. All | have to say about that, is, he
might have done so if he had a mind to,
and | am not responsible for his sins Of
omission. But of one thing am very
confident, which is, that it did occur 10 the
old man that in many Of those old Gus
toms the good and evil were so inextrica-