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lavengro-第154部分

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them a compliment。'



'By supposing they would put me in the stocks。  Well; I call it 

abusing them; to suppose they would do any such thing … stocks; 

indeed! … there are no stocks in all the land。  Put me in the 

stocks! why; the President will come down to the quay; and ask me 

to dinner; as soon as he hears what I have said about the King and 

Church。'



'I shouldn't wonder;' said I; 'if you go to America you will say of 

the President and country what now you say of the King and Church; 

and cry out for somebody to send you back to England。'



The Radical dashed his pipe to pieces against the table。  'I tell 

you what; young fellow; you are a spy of the aristocracy; sent here 

to kick up a disturbance。'



'Kicking up a disturbance;' said I; 'is rather inconsistent with 

the office of spy。  If I were a spy; I should hold my head down; 

and say nothing。'



The man in black partially raised his head; and gave me another 

peculiar glance。



'Well; if you aren't sent to spy; you are sent to bully; to prevent 

people speaking; and to run down the great American nation; but you 

shan't bully me。  I say; down with the aristocracy; the beggarly 

British aristocracy。  Come; what have you to say to that?'



'Nothing;' said I。



'Nothing!' repeated the Radical。



'No;' said I; 'down with them as soon as you can。'



'As soon as I can!  I wish I could。  But I can down with a bully of 

theirs。  Come; will you fight for them?'



'No;' said I。



'You won't?



'No;' said I; 'though; from what I have seen of them; I should say 

they are tolerably able to fight for themselves。'



'You won't fight for them;' said the Radical triumphantly; 'I 

thought so; all bullies; especially those of the aristocracy; are 

cowards。  Here; landlord;' said he; raising his voice; and striking 

against the table with the jug; 'some more ale … he won't fight for 

his friends。'



'A white feather;' said his companion。



'He! he!' tittered the man in black。



'Landlord; landlord;' shouted the Radical; striking the table with 

the jug louder than before。  'Who called?' said the landlord; 

coming in at last。  'Fill this jug again;' said the other; 'and be 

quick about it。'  'Does any one else want anything?' said the 

landlord。  'Yes;' said the man in black; 'you may bring me another 

glass of gin and water。'  'Cold?' said the landlord。  'Yes;' said 

the man in black; 'with a lump of sugar in it。'



'Gin and water cold; with a lump of sugar in it;' said I; and 

struck the table with my fist。



'Take some?' said the landlord; inquiringly。



'No;' said I; 'only something came into my head。'



'He's mad;' said the man in black。



'Not he;' said the Radical。  'He's only shamming; he knows his 

master is here; and therefore has recourse to these manoeuvres; but 

it won't do。  Come; landlord; what are you staring at?  Why don't 

you obey your orders?  Keeping your customers waiting in this 

manner is not the way to increase your business。'



The landlord looked at the Radical; and then at me。  At last; 

taking the jug and glass; he left the apartment; and presently 

returned with each filled with its respective liquor。  He placed 

the jug with beer before the Radical; and the glass with the gin 

and water before the man in black; and then; with a wink to me; he 

sauntered out。



'Here is your health; sir;' said the man of the snuff…coloured 

coat; addressing himself to the one in black; 'I honour you for 

what you said about the Church of England。  Every one who speaks 

against the Church of England has my warm heart。  Down with it; I 

say; and may the stones of it be used for mending the roads; as my 

friend William says in his Register。'



The man in black; with a courteous nod of his head; drank to the 

man in the snuff…coloured coat。  'With respect to the steeples;' 

said he; 'I am not altogether of your opinion; they might be turned 

to better account than to serve to mend the roads; they might still 

be used as places of worship; but not for the worship of the Church 

of England。  I have no fault to find with the steeples; it is the 

Church itself which I am compelled to arraign; but it will not 

stand long; the respectable part of its ministers are already 

leaving it。  It is a bad Church; a persecuting Church。'



'Whom does it persecute?' said I。



The man in black glanced at me slightly; and then replied slowly; 

'The Catholics。'



'And do those whom you call Catholics never persecute?' said I。



'Never;' said the man in black。



'Did you ever read Foxe's BOOK OF MARTYRS?' said I。



'He! he!' tittered the man in black; 'there is not a word of truth 

in Foxe's BOOK OF MARTYRS。'



'Ten times more than in the FLOS SANCTORUM;' said I。



The man in black looked at me; but made no answer。



'And what say you to the Massacre of the Albigenses and the 

Vaudois; 〃whose bones lie scattered on the cold Alp;〃 or the 

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes?'



The man in black made no answer。



'Go to;' said I; 'it is because the Church of England is not a 

persecuting church; that those whom you call the respectable part 

are leaving her; it is because they can't do with the poor 

Dissenters what Simon de Montfort did with the Albigenses; and the 

cruel Piedmontese with the Vaudois; that they turn to bloody Rome; 

the Pope will no doubt welcome them; for the Pope; do you see; 

being very much in want; will welcome … '



'Hollo!' said the Radical; interfering; 'what are you saying about 

the Pope?  I say; hurrah for the Pope; I value no religion three 

halfpence; as I said before; but if I were to adopt any; it should 

be the Popish as it's called; because I conceives the Popish to be 

the grand enemy of the Church of England; of the beggarly 

aristocracy; and the borough…monger system; so I won't hear the 

Pope abused while I am by。  Come; don't look fierce。  You won't 

fight; you know; I have proved it; but I will give you another 

chance … I will fight for the Pope; will you fight against him?'



'Oh dear me; yes;' said I; getting up and stepping forward。  'I am 

a quiet peaceable young man; and; being so; am always ready to 

fight against the Pope … the enemy of all peace and quiet; to 

refuse fighting for the aristocracy is a widely different thing 

from refusing to fight against the Pope; so come on; if you are 

disposed to fight for him。  To the Pope broken bells; to Saint 

James broken shells。  No Popish vile oppression; but the Protestant 

succession。 Confusion to the Groyne; hurrah for the Boyne; for the 

army at Clonmel; and the Protestant young gentlemen who live there 

as well。'



'An Orangeman;' said the man in black。



'Not a Platitude;' said I。



The man in black gave a slight start。



'Amongst that family;' said I; 'no doubt; something may be done; 

but amongst the Methodist preachers I should conceive that the 

success would n
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