Mr. Hartley, sir, is a character, that must do honour to his
country and to human nature. With a strong and independent
judgment, with a capacious and unbounded benevolence, he devoted
himself from earliest youth for his brethren and fellow
creatures. He has united a character highly simple and
inartificial, with the wisdom of a true politician. Not by the
mean subterfuges of a professed negociator; not by the dark,
fathomless cunning of a mere statesman; but by an extensive
knowledge of the interest and character of nations; by an
undisguised constancy in what is fit and reasonable; by a clear
and vigorous spirit that disdains imposition. He has met the
accommodating ingenuity of France; he has met the haughty
inflexibility of Spain upon their own ground, and has completely
routed them. He loosened them from all their holdings and
reserves; he left them not a hole, nor a corner to shelter
themselves. He has taught the world a lesson we had long wanted,
that simple and unaided virtue is more than a match for the
unbending armour of pride, and the exhaustless evolutions of
political artifice."
FINIS.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Four Early Pamphlets, by William Godwin
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account