verdict.

"If upon a thing dubious, there be little unanimity in the
conflicting opinions of one man's mind, how expect it in the uproar
of twelve puzzled brains? though much unanimity be found in twelve
hungry stomachs.

"Judges unobnoxious to the accused! Apply it to a criminal case. Ha!
ha! if peradventure a Cacti be rejected, because he had seen the
accused commit the crime for which he is arraigned. Then, his mind
would be biased: no impartiality from him! Or your testy accused
might object to another, because of his tomahawk nose, or a cruel
squint of the eye.

"Of all follies the most foolish! Know ye from me, that true peers
render not true verdicts. Jiromo was a rebel. Had I tried him by his
peers, I had tried him by rebels; and the rebel had rebelled to some
purpose.

"Away! As unerring justice dwells in a unity, and as one judge will
at last judge the world beyond all appeal; so--though often here
below justice be hard to attain--does man come nearest the mark, when
he imitates that model divine. Hence, one judge is better than
twelve."

"And as Justice, in ideal, is ever painted high lifted above the
crowd; so, from the exaltation of his rank, an honest king is the
best of those unical judges, which individually are better than
twelve. And therefore am I, King Media, the best judge in this land."

"Subjects! so long as I live, I will rule you and judge you alone.
And though you here kneeled before me till you grew into the ground,
and there took root, no yea to your petition will you get from this
throne. I am king: ye are slaves. Mine to command: yours to obey. And
this hour I decree, that henceforth no gibberish of bulwarks and
bulkheads be heard in this land. For a dead bulwark and a bulkhead,
to dam off sedition, will I make of that man, who again but breathes
those bulky words. Ho! spears! see that these knee-pans here kneel
till set of sun."

High noon was now passed; and removing his crown, and placing it on
the dais for the kneelers to look at during their devotions, King
Media departed from that place, and once more played the agreeable
host.

CHAPTER LXI
An Incognito

For the rest of that day, and several that followed, we were
continually receiving visits from the neighboring islands; whose
inhabitants in fleets and flotillas flocked round Odo to behold the
guests of its lord. Among them came many messengers from the
neighboring kings with soft speeches and gifts.

But it w