s only made his imposture
more evident. The little philosopher with whom he had conversed at
Lady Spirituelle's, and who, being a friend of Flummery Flam, had
now obtained a place under Government, invented the most condemning
evidence. The Marquess of Moustache sent in a state paper, desiring to
be excused from giving evidence, on account of the delicate situation
in which he had been placed with regard to the prisoner; but he referred
them to his former Private Secretary, who, he had no doubt, would afford
every information. Accordingly, the President of Fort Jobation, who had
been brought over specially, finished the business.

The Judge, although his family had suffered considerably by the late
madness for speculation, summed up in the most impartial manner. He told
the jury that, although the case was quite clear against the prisoner,
they were bound to give him the advantage of every reasonable doubt. The
foreman was about to deliver the verdict, when a trumpet sounded, and a
Government messenger ran breathless into Court. Presenting a scroll to
the presiding genius, he informed him that a remarkably able young man,
recently appointed one of the Managers of the Statue, in consequence
of the inconvenience which the public sustained from the innumerable
quantity of edicts of the Statue at present in force, had last night
consolidated them all into this single act, which, to render its
operation still more simple, was gifted with a retrospective power for
the last half century.

His lordship, looking over the scroll, passed a high eulogium upon the
young consolidator, compared to whom, he said, Justinian was a country
attorney. Observing, however, that the crime of high treason had been
accidentally omitted in the consolidated legislation of Vraibleusia, he
directed the jury to find the prisoner 'not guilty.' As in Vraibleusia
the law believes every man's character to be perfectly pure until a jury
of twelve persons finds the reverse, Popanilla was kicked out of court,
amid the hootings of the mob, without a stain upon his reputation.

It was late in the evening when he left the court. Exhausted both
in mind and body, the mischief being now done, and being totally
unemployed, according to custom, he began to moralise. 'I begin to
perceive,' said he, 'that it is possible for a nation to exist in too
artificial a state; that a people may both think too much and do too
much. All here exists in a state of exaggeration.