rtune: in the deepest recesses of the
soul that spirit is aroused which remembers its eternal and
imperishable rights, and again war and murder rage; fury excites fury,
life becomes cheap, martyrdom a pleasure; and if there be evil foes,
they look with a scornful and fiendish laugh from the summits of the
mountains down on this hideous massacre, where the very last traces of
love, godly fear, and humility are covered with reeking blood. Do you
mean that it is thus I must be a Christian, in order to justify the
cruelty of my party; or to be a good subject, must I lend a hand to
these executioners of the Marshal? In this case, indeed, is our respect
for the king, as well as our worship of God infinitely different."

Edmond had listened to this long harangue of his father, without
testifying any signs of impatience; at length said he, sighing deeply:
"We are standing then on two opposite shores, a wide stream between
us; I understand your meaning so little, that I even shrink with
fear from it, for according to that, our holy religion may vanish in
the empty folly of every fool, who has the arrogance to set himself up
for a teacher, and just enough ability to mislead the ignorant,
novelty-hunting populace; thus then might indeed the sacred edifice of
the state with its, by heaven itself, consecrated representative sink
into the dust, if every malcontent is permitted to dispute with him
those rights by which the king is king, and if lie finds an opportunity
to rob him of them. Then come chaos and anarchy bringing in their train
the hellish fiends of murder, vengeance, fire, and sword, in order to
destroy and slay the friends of the throne, the nobles and the priests.
Oh! my father, to this only then their doctrine tends. Can my king be
no more to me my visible god on earth, to whom I blindly and
unreservedly submitted my whole heart with all its impulses, can I no
longer believe, that to him alone belongs all responsibility? In this
case I can neither act, nor think. Must my church, for which
innumerable miracles, and thousands of the sublimest spirits speak and
confirm it, yield to contemptible communities of yesterday, out of
whatever corner they creep, who seek with gross deception and delirious
ravings to cover and decorate their pitiful wretchedness;--no, I would
just as soon fly to the unenlightened heathens of the North Pole, and
attach myself to their absurd faith."

"Miracles!" exclaimed the old Lord, "and what th