登陆注册
5406800000344

第344章 MADAME D'ARBLAY(14)

Burney organist of Chelsea Hospital.When, at the Westminster election, Dr.Burney was divided between his gratitude for this favour and his Tory opinions, Burke in the noblest manner disclaimed all right to exact a sacrifice of principle."You have little or no obligations to me," he wrote; "but if you had as many as I really wish it were in my power, as it is certainly in my desire, to lay on you, I hope you do not think me capable of conferring them, in order to subject your mind or your affairs to a painful and mischievous servitude." Was this a man to be uncivilly treated by a daughter of Dr.Burney, because she chose to differ from him respecting a vast and most complicated question, which he had studied deeply during many years, and which she had never studied at all? It is clear, from Miss Burney's own narrative, that when she behaved so unkindly to Mr.

Burke, she did not even know of what Hastings was accused.One thing, however, she must have known, that Burke had been able to convince a House of Commons, bitterly prejudiced against himself, that the charges were well founded, and that Pitt and Dundas had concurred with Fox and Sheridan, in supporting the impeachment.

Surely a woman of far inferior abilities to Miss Burney might have been expected to see that this never could have happened unless there had been a strong case against the late Governor-General.And there was, as all reasonable men now admit, a strong case against him.That there were great public services to be set off against his great crimes is perfectly true.But his services and his crimes were equally unknown to the lady who so confidently asserted his perfect innocence, and imputed to his accusers, that is to say, to all the greatest men of all parties in the State, not merely error, but gross injustice and barbarity.

She had, it is true, occasionally seen Mr.Hastings, and had found his manners and conversation agreeable.But surely she could not be so weak as to infer from the gentleness of his deportment in a drawing-room, that he was incapable of committing a great State crime, under the influence of ambition and revenge.

A silly Miss, fresh from a boarding school, might fall into such a mistake; but the woman who had drawn the character of Mr.

Monckton should have known better.

The truth is that she had been too long at Court.She was sinking into a slavery worse than that of the body.The iron was beginning to enter into the soul.Accustomed during many months to watch the eye of a mistress, to receive with boundless gratitude the slightest mark of royal condescension, to feel wretched at every symptom of royal displeasure, to associate only with spirits long tamed and broken in, she was degenerating into something fit for her place.Queen Charlotte was a violent partisan of Hastings, had received presents from him, and had so far departed from the severity of her virtue as to lend her countenance to his wife, whose conduct had certainly been as reprehensible as that of any of the frail beauties who were then rigidly excluded from the English Court.The King, it was well known, took the same side.To the King and Queen all the members of the household looked submissively for guidance.The impeachment, therefore, was an atrocious persecution; the managers were rascals; the defendant was the most deserving and the worst used man in the kingdom.This was the cant of the whole palace, from Gold Stick in Waiting, down to the Table-Deckers and Yeoman of the Silver Scullery; and Miss Burney canted like the rest, though in livelier tones, and with less bitter feelings.

The account which she has given of the King's illness contains much excellent narrative and description, and will, we think, be as much valued by the historians of a future age as any equal portion of Pepys's or Evelyn's Diaries.That account shows also how affectionate and compassionate her nature was.But it shows also, we must say, that her way of life was rapidly impairing her powers of reasoning and her sense of justice.We do not mean to discuss, in this place, the question, whether the views of Mr.

Pitt or those of Mr.Fox respecting the regency were the more correct.It is, indeed, quite needless to discuss that question:

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 家有萌宝

    家有萌宝

    这个老是出现在她面前的人到底是谁啊,还有那个见了她就喊妈妈的娃,难道现在还流行买一送一?
  • 回档少年时

    回档少年时

    如果你生之不幸、活之不幸,那是时代的扭曲与被强奸的灵魂,给你打上了不可重来的人生印记。2018,重生有爱,少年归来。书友群:626793087
  • 智商乐园(智商总动员)

    智商乐园(智商总动员)

    智商总动员系列丛书让你在开心中学习,在学习中益智,在益智中快乐,永远是老师、学生和家长的共同追求。本系列丛书是一片快乐的阅读天地,童趣但不幼稚,启智却不教条,它能让你开心一刻,思考一回。在开心中学习,在学习中益智,在益智中快乐,永远是老师、学生和家长的共同追求。翻开《智商总动员》——轻轻松松让你踏上寓学于乐的智慧之旅!
  • 暖王偏爱霸王花

    暖王偏爱霸王花

    全能杀手意外重生,再见人家却是一副禁欲脸的高冷上尊,丝毫没有初次见面时的……一言不合就开撩,就想不明白了,当初高冷禁欲系的男神怎么变成这样了,跟谁学的!最可恶的是每次她都败下阵来……“娘子,去哪?”“跑路……”--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 第一现场

    第一现场

    初夏时节,古城市的长途汽车站、火车站,几乎是在同一时间段内发现了两个大号黑色旅行箱,被人有意丢弃在了候车大厅内!警方马上派员出现场,开箱勘验,发现这两个箱内各装有一具无头无四肢的女性躯干,此案确系为谋杀案无疑!古城警界大侦探丁一川带人开展了对本案的调查,费了九牛二虎之力终于查清尸源——死者竟是一对如花似玉的双胞胎姐妹!姐姐叫吴双双,妹妹叫吴双凤。经查:姐妹两人交往人员广泛,仅警方罗列出的关系人就达上百人之多!究竟是情杀?还是仇杀?层层疑团缠绕着本案,但有一点可以肯定,发现尸箱的现场只是第二现场,那么,真正的第一现场又在哪里呢?大侦探丁一川带领着手下的人马开始了艰难的排查、推理……
  • 医经读

    医经读

    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。
  • 灵本无极

    灵本无极

    修炼灵力者,可以打碎山石,移山填海,粉碎真空修炼灵术者,可以灵魂出壳,附身夺舍,遨游太虚修炼灵力的肉身,就好像是船儿一样,以自己的肉身横渡汪洋彼岸,不死不灭,而修炼灵术的灵魂,则就是水儿一样,以自己的灵魂化身诸天万界,万古不朽。一肉一魂,你要修炼哪一种呢?本书纯属虚构,绝不断更,绝不太监,放心入坑。
  • 婚姻二次方

    婚姻二次方

    相夫教子,却把日子过得如履薄冰。本想着不管日子再难,只要有丈夫的爱,就什么困难都能克服得了。然而……
  • 无限女强:失踪的神眷者

    无限女强:失踪的神眷者

    婚礼前的半小时身为新娘的她因一个莫名电话丢了性命。再次睁开眼才得知她已被选为神眷者并在另一个空间里重塑了生命。在这个神秘的空间,身为神眷者的她只有不断变强,不断挑战艰难的任务才能活下去!为了能够复活并回到现实世界完成婚礼,她又将面临怎样艰难的考验?这又会是一条怎样的强者之路?
  • 佛说贫穷老公经之二

    佛说贫穷老公经之二

    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。