tural! For your human Solecism, be it Person or
Combination of Persons, is ever, by law of Nature, uneasy; if verging
towards bankruptcy, it is even miserable:--and when would the meanest
Solecism consent to blame or amend itself, while there remained another
to amend?

These threatening signs do not terrify Lomenie, much less teach him.
Lomenie, though of light nature, is not without courage, of a sort. Nay,
have we not read of lightest creatures, trained Canary-birds, that
could fly cheerfully with lighted matches, and fire cannon; fire whole
powder-magazines? To sit and die of deficit is no part of Lomenie's
plan. The evil is considerable; but can he not remove it, can he not
attack it? At lowest, he can attack the symptom of it: these rebellious
Parlements he can attack, and perhaps remove. Much is dim to Lomenie,
but two things are clear: that such Parlementary duel with Royalty is
growing perilous, nay internecine; above all, that money must be had.
Take thought, brave Lomenie; thou Garde-des-Sceaux Lamoignon, who hast
ideas! So often defeated, balked cruelly when the golden fruit seemed
within clutch, rally for one other struggle. To tame the Parlement, to
fill the King's coffers: these are now life-and-death questions.

Parlements have been tamed, more than once. Set to perch 'on the peaks
of rocks in accessible except by litters,' a Parlement grows reasonable.
O Maupeou, thou bold man, had we left thy work where it was!--But apart
from exile, or other violent methods, is there not one method, whereby
all things are tamed, even lions? The method of hunger! What if the
Parlement's supplies were cut off; namely its Lawsuits!

Minor Courts, for the trying of innumerable minor causes, might be
instituted: these we could call Grand Bailliages. Whereon the Parlement,
shortened of its prey, would look with yellow despair; but the Public,
fond of cheap justice, with favour and hope. Then for Finance, for
registering of Edicts, why not, from our own Oeil-de-Boeuf Dignitaries,
our Princes, Dukes, Marshals, make a thing we could call Plenary Court;
and there, so to speak, do our registering ourselves? St. Louis had his
Plenary Court, of Great Barons; (Montgaillard, i. 405.) most useful to
him: our Great Barons are still here (at least the Name of them is still
here); our necessity is greater than his.

Such is the Lomenie-Lamoignon device; welcome to the King's Council,
as a light-beam in great darkness. The device seem