Authors, English -- 19th century -- Biography; Clergy -- England -- Biography; Smith, Sydney, 1771-1845
"Though I deprecate the bad effects of fanaticism, I earnestly pray
that our young Sovereign may evince herself to be a person of deep
religious feeling: what other cure has she for all the arrogance and
vanity which her exalted position must engender? for all the flattery
and falsehood with which she must be surrounded? for all the
soul-corrupting homage with which she is met at every moment of her
existence? what other cure than to cast herself down in darkness and
solitude before God--to say that she is dust and ashes--and to call
down the pity of the Almighty upon her difficult and dangerous life.
This is the antidote of kings against the slavery and the baseness
which surround them; they should think often of death--and the folly
and nothingness of the world, and they should humble their souls
before the Master of masters, and the King of kings; praying to Heaven
for wisdom and calm reflection, and for that spirit of Christian
gentleness which exalts command into an empire of justice, and turns
obedience into a service of love."
Thus he recapitulates and concludes:--
"A young Queen, at that period of life which is commonly given up to
frivolous amusement, sees at once the great principles by which she
should be guided, and steps at once into the great duties of her
station. The importance of educating the lower orders of the people is
never absent from her mind; she takes up this principle at the
beginning of her life, and in all the change of servants, and in all
the struggle of parties, looks to it as a source of permanent
improvement. A great object of her affections, is the preservation of
peace; she regards a state of war as the greatest of all human evils;
thinks that the lust of conquest is not a glory, but a bad crime;
despises the folly and miscalculations of war, and is willing to
sacrifice every thing to peace but the clear honour of her land.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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