eeds and mutual obligations of the
natural life are paramount.

As he concludes this part of his harangue, an amused consciousness
steals over him that he has been washing himself very white; and that
his self-defence has been principally self-praise--at least, to his
listener's ears. So he proceeds to show that his arguments were just, by
showing how easily, being blamed for the one course of action, he might
have been no less censured for the opposite. He imagines that his life
has been written by some romancing historian of the Thiers and Victor
Hugo type; and that in this version, practical wisdom, or SAGACITY, is
made to suggest everything which he has really done, while he unwisely
obeys the dictates of ideal virtue and does everything which he did not.

Hohenstiel-Schwangau (France) had made him her head-servant: president
of the assembly which she had elected to serve her; and he knew that his
fellow-servants were working for their own ends, while he alone was
faithful to his bond. He, doubtless, had his dreams, conjured up by
SAGACITY, of pouncing upon the unfaithful ones, denouncing them to his
mistress, the State, and begging her to allow him to do their work as
well as his own, till such time as the danger was past, and her desire
for a more popular government could be fulfilled. But in so doing he
would have deceived her, and he chose the truth. He knew that he had no
right to substitute himself for the multitude, his knowledge for their
ignorance, his will for theirs; since wise and foolish were alike of
God's creating, and each had his own place and purpose in the general
scheme. (Here and through the following pages, 176-7, the real and the
imaginary Prince appear merged into each other.) He performed his strict
duty, and left things to their natural course.

His position grew worse and worse. His fellow-servants made no secret of
their plans--to be carried into execution when his time of service
should have expired, and his controlling hand been removed from them.
Each had his own mine of tyranny--whether Popedom, Socialism, or
other--which he meant to spring on the people fancying itself free. The
Head Servant was silent. They took fright at his silence. "It meant
mischief." "It meant counterplot." "It meant some stroke of State." "He
must be braved and bullied. His re-election must be prevented; the sword
of office must be wrested from his grasp."

At length his time expired, and _then_ he acted an