Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century; Social problems
except small modicum of roadmoney, not a gold coin in his
possession. The steelclad Russian Bear emerges, glaring: the
old whitebearded man starts not,--paces on unmoved, looking into
him with those clear old earnest eyes, with that venerable
sorrowful time-worn face; of whom no man or thing need be
afraid, and who also is afraid of no created man or thing. The
fire-eyes of his Burgundian Grace meet these clear eye-glances,
convey them swift to his heart: he bethinks him that probably
this feeble, fearless, hoary Figure has in it something of the
Most High God; that probably he shall be damned if he meddle
with it,--that, on the whole, he had better not. He plunges, the
rough savage, from his warhorse, down to his knees; embraces the
feet of old Anselm: he too begs his blessing; orders men to
escort him, guard him from being robbed, and under dread
penalties see him safe on his way. _Per os Dei,_ as his Majesty
was wont to ejaculate!
Neither is this quarrel of Rufus and Anselm, of Henry and Becket,
uninstructive to us. It was, at bottom, a great quarrel. For,
admitting that Anselm was full of divine blessing, he by no means
included in him all forms of divine blessing:--there were far
other forms withal, which he little dreamed of; and William
Redbeard was unconsciously the representative and spokesman of
these. In truth, could your divine Anselm, your divine Pope
Gregory have had their way, the results had been very notable.
Our Western World had all become a European Thibet, with one
Grand Lama sitting at Rome; our one honourable business that of
singing mass, all day and all night. Which would not in the
least have suited us! The Supreme Powers willed it not so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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