our own
learned sovereign, King James I., when he refused to see the
amiable Pocahontas of Virginia, because she had degraded royalty by
intermarrying with a subject. The respect was paid to the caste, and not
to the individual, to his species, or to his nation.

Let his privileges come from what cause they would, Bob was glad enough
to get out of the presence of Captain Poke--who had already pretty
plainly threatened, in the Stunin'tun dialect, to unship his cauda--into
that of the majesty of Leaphigh. A few minutes afterwards, the doors
were thrown open, and the whole company advanced into the royal
apartments.

The etiquette of the court of Leaphigh differs in many essential
particulars from the etiquette of any other court in the monikin region.
Neither the king, nor his royal consort, is ever visible to any one in
the country, so far as is vulgarly known. On the present occasion,
two thrones were placed at opposite extremities of the salon, and a
magnificent crimson damask curtain was so closely drawn before each,
that it was quite impossible to see who occupied it. On the lowest step
there stood a chamberlain or a lady of the bed-chamber, who, severally,
made all the speeches, and otherwise enacted the parts of the
illustrious couple. The reader will understand, therefore, that all
which is here attributed to either of these great personages, was in
fact performed by one or the other of the substitutes named, and that
I never had the honor of actually standing face to face with their
majesties. Everything that is now about to be related, in short, was
actually done by deputy, on the part of the monarch and his wife.

The king himself merely represents a sentiment, all the power belonging
to his eldest first cousin of the masculine gender, and any intercourse
with him is entirely of a disinterested or of a sentimental
character. He is the head of the church--after a very secular fashion,
however;--all the bishops and clergy therefore got down on their knees
and said their prayers; though the captain suggested that it might be
their catechisms; I never knew which. I observed, also, that all his
law officers did the same thing; but as THEY never pray, and do not
know their catechisms, I presume the genuflections were to beg something
better than the places they actually filled. After this, came a long
train of military and naval officers, who, soldier-like, kissed his
paw. The civilians next had a chance, and then