l. His Majesty's manners were those
of a cultivated English gentleman. He was much pleased at hearing that
our government was monarchical, and that the mass of the people were
resolute that it should not be changed; indeed, I was so much encouraged
by the evident pleasure with which he heard me, that I ventured to quote
to him those beautiful lines of Shakespeare's--

"There's a divinity doth hedge a king,
Rough hew him how we may;"

but I was sorry I had done so afterwards, for I do not think his Majesty
admired the lines as much as I could have wished.

There is no occasion for me to dwell further upon my experience of the
court, but I ought perhaps to allude to one of my conversations with the
King, inasmuch as it was pregnant with the most important consequences.

He had been asking me about my watch, and enquiring whether such
dangerous inventions were tolerated in the country from which I came. I
owned with some confusion that watches were not uncommon; but observing
the gravity which came over his Majesty's face I presumed to say that
they were fast dying out, and that we had few if any other mechanical
contrivances of which he was likely to disapprove. Upon his asking me to
name some of our most advanced machines, I did not dare to tell him of
our steam-engines and railroads and electric telegraphs, and was puzzling
my brains to think what I could say, when, of all things in the world,
balloons suggested themselves, and I gave him an account of a very
remarkable ascent which was made some years ago. The King was too polite
to contradict, but I felt sure that he did not believe me, and from that
day forward though he always showed me the attention which was due to my
genius (for in this light was my complexion regarded), he never
questioned me about the manners and customs of my country.

To return, however, to Arowhena. I soon gathered that neither Mr. nor
Mrs. Nosnibor would have any objection to my marrying into the family; a
physical excellence is considered in Erewhon as a set off against almost
any other disqualification, and my light hair was sufficient to make me
an eligible match. But along with this welcome fact I gathered another
which filled me with dismay: I was expected to marry Zulora, for whom I
had already conceived a great aversion. At first I hardly noticed the
little hints and the artifices which were resorted to in order to bring
us together, but after a time they became too