this
ancient Landlord to a quite astonishing degree,--and indeed at
last to an immeasurable and inexpressible degree; for, finding
no limits or utterable words for their sense of his worth, they
took to beatifying and adoring him! 'Infinite admiration,' we
are taught, 'means worship.'

Very singular,--could we discover it! What Edmund's specific
duties were; above all, what his method of discharging them with
such results was, would surely be interesting to know; but are
_not_ very discoverable now. His Life has become a poetic, nay a
religious _Mythus;_ though, undeniably enough, it was once a
prose Fact, as our poor lives are; and even a very rugged
unmanageable one. This landlord Edmund did go about in leather
shoes, with _femoralia_ and bodycoat of some sort on him; and
daily had his breakfast to procure; and daily had contradictory
speeches, and most contradictory facts not a few, to reconcile
with himself. No man becomes a Saint in his sleep. Edmund, for
instance, instead of _reconciling_ those same contradictory facts
and speeches to himself; which means _subduing,_ and, in a
manlike and godlike manner, conquering them to himself,--might
have merely thrown new contention into them, new unwisdom into
them, and so been conquered _by_ them; much the commoner case!
In that way he had proved no 'Saint,' or Divine-looking Man, but
a mere Sinner, and unfortunate, blameable, more or less Diabolic-
looking man! No landlord Edmund becomes infinitely admirable in
his sleep.

With what degree of wholesome rigour his rents were collected we
hear not. Still less by what methods he preserved his game,
whether by 'bushing' or how,--and if the partridge-seasons were
'excellent,' or were indifferent. Neither do we ascertain what
kind of Corn-bill he passed, or wisely-adjusted Sliding-scale:--
but indeed there were few spinners in those days; and the
nuisance of spinning, and other dusty labour, was not yet so
glaring a one.

How then, it may be asked, did this Edmund rise into favour;
become to such astonishing extent a recognised Farmer's Friend?
Really, except it were by doing justly and loving mercy, to an
unprecedented extent, one does not know. The man, it would seem,
'had walked,' as they say, 'humbly with God;' humbly and
valiantly with God; struggling to make the Earth heavenly, as he
could: instead of walking sumptuously and pridefully with
Mammon, leaving the Earth to grow hellish as it lik