and as if the assizes
were never to come about.

But with this king _a thousand years were as a day, for he was not
slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness_. So at
length the solemn period approached. Still, however, the people did
not prepare for the solemnity, or rather, they prepared for it much
as some of the people of our provincial towns are apt to prepare
for the annual assize times; I mean by balls and feastings, and they
saw their own trial come on with as little concern as is felt by the
people in our streets when they see the judge's procession enter the
town; they indeed comfort themselves that it is only those in the
prisons who are guilty.

But when at last the day came, and every man found that he was to be
judged for himself; and that somehow or other, all his secrets were
brought out, and that there was now no escape, not even a short
reprieve, things began to take a more serious turn. Some of the
worst of the criminals were got together debating in an outer court
of the grand hall; and there they passed their time, not in
compunction and tears, not in comparing their lives with what was
required in that book which had been given them, but they derived a
fallacious hope by comparing themselves with such as had been still
more notorious offenders.

One who had grown wealthy by rapine and oppression, but had
contrived to keep within the letter of the law, insulted a poor
fellow as a thief, because he had stolen a loaf of bread. "You are
far wickeder than I was," said a citizen to his apprentice, "for you
drank and swore at the ale-house every Sunday night." "Yes," said
the poor fellow, "but it was your fault that I did so, for you took
no care of my soul, but spent all your Sabbaths in jaunting abroad
or in rioting at home; I might have learned, but there was no one to
teach me; I might have followed a good example, but I saw only bad
ones. I sinned against less light than you did." A drunken
journeyman who had spent all his wages on gin, rejoiced that he had
not spent a great estate in bribery at elections, as the lord of his
manor had done, while a perjured elector boasted that he was no
drunkard like the journeyman; and the member himself took comfort
that he had never _received_ the bribes which he had not been
ashamed to _offer_.

I have not room to describe the awful pomp of the court, nor the
terrible sounding of the trumpet which attended the judge's
entrance, nor the si