of Portugal; and in short the whole,
or at present very nearly the whole, of that industry of protocolling,
diplomatizing, remonstrating, admonishing, and "having the honor to
be,"--has sunk justly in public estimation to a very low figure.

For in fact, it is reasonably asked, What vital interest has England
in any cause now deciding itself in foreign parts? Once there was a
Papistry and Protestantism, important as life eternal and death eternal;
more lately there was an interest of Civil Order and Horrors of the
French Revolution, important at least as rent-roll and preservation of
the game; but now what is there? No cause in which any god or man of
this British Nation can be thought to be concerned. Sham-kingship, now
recognized and even self-recognized everywhere to be sham, wrestles
and struggles with mere ballot-box Anarchy: not a pleasant spectacle to
British minds. Both parties in the wrestle professing earnest wishes of
peace to us, what have we to do with it except answer earnestly, "Peace,
yes certainly," and mind our affairs elsewhere. The British Nation has
no concern with that indispensable sorrowful and shameful wrestle now
going on everywhere in foreign parts. The British Nation already, by
self-experience centuries old, understands all that; was lucky enough
to transact the greater part of that, in noble ancient ages, while the
wrestle had not yet become a shameful one, but on both sides of it there
was wisdom, virtue, heroic nobleness fruitful to all time,--thrice-lucky
British Nation! The British Nation, I say, has nothing to learn there;
has now quite another set of lessons to learn, far ahead of what
is going on there. Sad example there, of what the issue is, and how
inevitable and how imminent, might admonish the British Nation to
be speedy with its new lessons; to bestir itself, as men in peril of
conflagration do, with the neighboring houses all on fire! To obtain,
for its own very pressing behoof, if by possibility it could, some real
Captaincy instead of an imaginary one: to remove resolutely, and replace
by a better sort, its own peculiar species of teaching and guiding
histrios of various name, who here too are numerous exceedingly, and
much in need of gentle removal, while the play is still good, and the
comedy has not yet become _tragic_; and to be a little swift about it
withal; and so to escape the otherwise inevitable evil day! This Britain
might learn: but she does not need a protocolli