of some
_acknowledged_ royalty, which _then_ they will acknowledge! The King
coming to them in the rugged _un_formulistic state shall be no King.

For my own share, far be it from me to say or insinuate a word of
disparagement against such characters as Hampden, Elliot, Pym; whom I
believe to have been right worthy and useful men. I have read diligently
what books and documents about them I could come at;--with the honestest
wish to admire, to love and worship them like Heroes; but I am sorry to
say, if the real truth must be told, with very indifferent success! At
bottom, I found that it would not do. They are very noble men, these;
step along in their stately way, with their measured euphemisms,
philosophies, parliamentary eloquences, Ship-moneys, _Monarchies of
Man_; a most constitutional, unblamable, dignified set of men. But the
heart remains cold before them; the fancy alone endeavors to get up some
worship of them. What man's heart does, in reality, break forth into any
fire of brotherly love for these men? They are become dreadfully dull
men! One breaks down often enough in the constitutional eloquence of the
admirable Pym, with his "seventhly and lastly." You find that it may
be the admirablest thing in the world, but that it is heavy,--heavy as
lead, barren as brick-clay; that, in a word, for you there is little or
nothing now surviving there! One leaves all these Nobilities standing
in their niches of honor: the rugged outcast Cromwell, he is the man
of them all in whom one still finds human stuff. The great savage
_Baresark_: he could write no euphemistic _Monarchy of Man_; did not
speak, did not work with glib regularity; had no straight story to
tell for himself anywhere. But he stood bare, not cased in euphemistic
coat-of-mail; he grappled like a giant, face to face, heart to heart,
with the naked truth of things! That, after all, is the sort of man for
one. I plead guilty to valuing such a man beyond all other sorts of men.
Smooth-shaven Respectabilities not a few one finds, that are not good
for much. Small thanks to a man for keeping his hands clean, who would
not touch the work but with gloves on!

Neither, on the whole, does this constitutional tolerance of the
Eighteenth century for the other happier Puritans seem to be a very
great matter. One might say, it is but a piece of Formulism and
Scepticism, like the rest. They tell us, It was a sorrowful thing to
consider that the foundation of our Engl