登陆注册
5169600000043

第43章

CONTINENTAL SNOBBERY CONTINUED

We are accustomed to laugh at the French for their braggadocio propensities, and intolerable vanity about La France, la gloire, l'Empereur, and the like; and yet Ithink in my heart that the British Snob, for conceit and self-sufficiency and braggartism in his way, is without a parallel.There is always something uneasy in a Frenchman's conceit.He brags with so much fury, shrieking, and gesticulation; yells out so loudly that the Francais is at the head of civilization, the centre of thought, &c.; that one can't but see the poor fellow has a lurking doubt in his own mind that he is not the wonder he professes to be.

About the British Snob, on the contrary, there is commonly no noise, no bluster, but the calmness of profound conviction.We are better than all the world;we don't question the opinion at all; it's an axiom.And when a Frenchman bellows out, 'LA FRANCE, MONSIEUR, LAFRANCE EST A LA TETE DU MONDE CIVILISE!' we laugh good-naturedly at the frantic poor devil.WE are the first chop of the world: we know the fact so well in our secret hearts that a claim set up elsewhere is simply ludicrous.

My dear brother reader, say, as a man of honour, if you are not of this opinion? Do you think a Frenchman your equal? You don't--you gallant British Snob--you know you don't: no more, perhaps, does the Snob your humble servant, brother.

And I am inclined to think it is this conviction, and the consequent bearing of the Englishman towards the foreigner whom he condescends to visit, this confidence of superiority which holds up the head of the owner of every English hat-box from Sicily to St.Petersburg, that makes us so magnificently hated throughout Europe as we are; this--more than all our little victories, and of which many Frenchmen and Spaniards have never heard--this amazing and indomitable insular pride, which animates my lord in his travelling-carriage as well as John in the rumble.

If you read the old Chronicles of the French wars, you find precisely the same character of the Englishman, and Henry V.'s people behaved with just the cool domineering manner of our gallant veterans of France and the Peninsula.Did you never hear Colonel Cutler and Major Slasher talking over the war after dinner? or Captain Boarder describing his action with the 'Indomptable?'

'Hang the fellows,' says Boarder, 'their practice was very good.I was beat off three times before I took her.' 'Cuss those carabineers of Milhaud's,' says Slasher, 'what work they made of our light cavalry!'

implying a sort of surprise that the Frenchman should stand up against Britons at all: a good-natured wonder that the blind, mad, vain-glorious, brave poor devils should actually have the courage to resist an Englishman.

Legions of such Englishmen are patronizing Europe at this moment, being kind to the Pope, or good-natured to the King of Holland, or condescending to inspect the Prussian reviews.When Nicholas came here, who reviews a quarter of a million of pairs of moustaches to his breakfast every morning, we took him off to Windsor and showed him two whole regiments of six or eight hundred Britons a-piece, with an air as much as to say,--'There, my boy, look at THAT.Those are ENGLISHMEN, those are, and your master whenever you please,' as the nursery song says.

同类推荐
  • 春答

    春答

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明画录

    明画录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 华亭百咏

    华亭百咏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • English Stories London

    English Stories London

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Doctor Thorne

    Doctor Thorne

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 穿越者系统

    穿越者系统

    一个孤儿,刘洋,却在家中看电脑的时候,莫名其妙的穿越了。。。各个位面:奥特曼,铠甲勇士、爱情公寓、天龙八部、西游记、武林外传。。。。。(都是小时候爱看的,大家可以继续补充.新人,新书,写的不好,大家原谅。大家请进穿越者系统QQ群138579993,互相交流发言。也可以给我提意见哦!
  • 春梦录

    春梦录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元好问集

    元好问集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 生死狙击之生化死神

    生死狙击之生化死神

    (本书因特殊原因已改名为《生死狙击之吾名杀神》)“我楚天以忘川死神之名在此起誓!此生必灭异族!佑我人族疆土!扬我人族之威!此誓天地共鉴,日月为证!”
  • 悍妾:锦绣田园来发家

    悍妾:锦绣田园来发家

    穿越到古代。倒霉做人妾。还是一户农户家的小妾。家有公婆,外加一个生病的正妻。奋斗。她要奋斗。“喂,家里没米了,纳你进门的珠钗当掉一只,贴补一下……”轻飘飘的话是她男人说的。“妹子,我的药没了,你能帮我去买点来吧,银子你自己看着办。”正妻一脸孱弱躺在床上,双眼却直盯着她手上剩下唯一的一定银子。“你当我傻,你药吃完了,干嘛不找你男人去要!”她不是吃素的,可不愿意为这个家无私奉献。所有的一切,对她来说都是一场噩梦,想要摆脱,可还有两个拖油瓶。“娘亲你要去哪?”“去找你那个不负责任的爹!你不要拦着我!我想去死……”她怒吼。“可,我们没拦你呀!”两个小包子奸笑地在说。“啊……啊啊……”她快要疯掉了啦!
  • 九阳丹神

    九阳丹神

    三大至尊丹王之一,逍遥丹王,因修道界第一奇功《九阳帝王诀》被众人逼迫致死,两年后重生于一普通世家化名杨震,战强敌,炼神丹,吞天火,终以火神之名,俯瞰天地。
  • 极限脉魂

    极限脉魂

    在世界的另一面中,允满着黑暗,凶魂横行。英勇的猎人在黑暗与光明中穿棱,不断猎杀凶魂,将之堕入永久的封印之中。猎魂白虎族二少逆袭就此展开。
  • 快穿之逆袭女

    快穿之逆袭女

    无cp【全书免费,更新随缘】注:女主绝不傻白甜强者之路——注孤生。且看她快穿之路之茫茫。打得了怪兽,捉得了鬼,虐得了渣渣,踢得了渣男:装得了萝莉(暴力萝莉)扮得了蜀黍:卖得了萌,耍得了帅:……脸…可要可不要是终身代语.永远耍酷永远装嫩永远不知好歹。
  • 你“知道”的太多了

    你“知道”的太多了

    被杀人灭口前,说的最多一句话是什么?那就是“你知道的太多了。”但是,我什么都不知道……。
  • 大方广佛华严经金师子章

    大方广佛华严经金师子章

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。