dency, his perseverance,
and man's ignoblest, his inertia; whatsoever of noble and
ignoble Conservatism there is in men and Nations, strongest
always in the strongest men and Nations: all this is as a road
to thee, paved smooth through the abyss,--till all this _end._
Till men's bitter necessities can endure thee no more. Till
Nature's patience with thee is done; and there is no road or
footing any farther, and the abyss yawns sheer--

Parliament and the Courts of Westminster are venerable to me;
how venerable; grey with a thousand years of honourable age!
For a thousand years and more, Wisdom and faithful Valour,
struggling amid much Folly and greedy Baseness, not without most
sad distortions in the struggle, have built them up; and they
are as we see. For a thousand years, this English Nation has
found them useful or supportable; they have served this English
Nation's want; _been_ a road to it through the abyss of Time.
They are venerable, they are great and strong. And yet it is
good to remember always that they are not the venerablest, nor
the greatest, nor the strongest! Acts of Parliament are
venerable; but if they correspond not with the writing on the
Adamant Tablet, what are they? Properly their one element of
venerableness, of strength or greatness, is, that they at all
times correspond therewith as near as by human possibility they
can. They are cherishing destruction in their bosom every hour
that they continue otherwise.

Alas, how many causes that can plead well for themselves in the
Courts of Westminster; and yet in the general Court of the
Universe, and free Soul of Man, have no word to utter!
Honourable Gentlemen may find this worth considering, in times
like ours. And truly, the din of triumphant Law-logic, and all
shaking of horse-hair wigs and learned-sergeant gowns having
comfortably ended, we shall do well to ask ourselves withal, What
says that high and highest Court to the verdict? For it is the
Court of Courts, that same; where the universal soul of Fact and
very Truth sits President;--and thitherward, more and more
swiftly, with a really terrible increase of swiftness, all causes
do in these days crowd for revisal,--for confirmation, for
modification, for reversal with costs. Dost thou know that
Court; hast thou had any Law-practice there? What, didst thou
never enter; never file any petition of redress, reclaimer,
disclaimer or demurrer, written as in thy heart's blo