Strona 557 z 1391

Either 'the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the

pale cast of thought,' and at the moment when action above all

things is required he is undecided, or general principles are

enunciated by him in order to cover some change of policy; or his

ignorance of the world has made him more easily fall a prey to

the arts of others; or in some cases he has been converted into a

courtier, who enjoys the luxury of holding liberal opinions, but

was never known to perform a liberal action. No wonder that

mankind have been in the habit of calling statesmen of this class

pedants, sophisters, doctrinaires, visionaries. For, as we may be

allowed to say, a little parodying the words of Plato, 'they have

seen bad imitations of the philosopher-statesman.' But a man in

whom the power of thought and action are perfectly balanced,

equal to the present, reaching forward to the future, 'such a

one,' ruling in a constitutional state, 'they have never seen.'