world？　　Not　a　first…rate　keeping　of　the　peace；　this；　we　begin　to　surmise！　At　least　it　seems　strange　to　us。
  For　we；　and　the　overwhelming　majority　of　all　our　acquaintances；　in　this　Parish　and　Nation　and　the　adjacent　Parishes　and　Nations；　are　profoundly　conscious　to　ourselves　of　being　by　nature　peaceable　persons；　following　our　necessary　industries；　without　wish；　interest　or　faintest　intention　to　cut　the　skin　of　any　mortal；　to　break　feloniously　into　his　industrial　premises；　or　do　any　injustice　to　him　at　all。　　Because　indeed；　independent　of　Government；　there　is　a　thing　called　conscience；　and　we　dare　not。　　So　that　it　cannot　but　appear　to　us；　〃the　peace；〃　under　dexterous　management；　might　be　very　much　more　easily　kept；　your　Lordship；　nay；　we　almost　think；　if　well　let　alone；　it　would　in　a　measure　keep　_itself_　among　such　a　set　of　persons！　And　how　it　happens　that　when　a　poor　hardworking　creature　of　us　has　laboriously　earned　sixpence；　the　Government　comes　in；　and　（as　some　compute）　says；　〃I　will　thank　you　for　threepence　of　that；　as　per　account；　for　getting　you　peace　to　spend　the　other　threepence；〃　our　amazement　begins　to　be　considerable；and　I　think　results　will　follow　from　it　by　and　by。　　Not　the　most　dexterous　keeping　of　the　peace；　your　Lordship；　unless　it　be　more　difficult　to　do　than　appears！
  Our　domestic　peace；　we　cannot　but　perceive；　as　good　as　keeps　itself。　　Here　and　there　a　select　Equitable　Person；　appointed　by　the　Public　for　that　end；　clad　in　ermine；　and　backed　by　certain　companies　of　blue　Police；　is　amply　adequate；　without　immoderate　outlay　in　money　or　otherwise；　to　keep　down　the　few　exceptional　individuals　of　the　scoundrel　kind；　who；　we　observe；　by　the　nature　of　them；　are　always　weak　and　inconsiderable。　　And　as　to　foreign　peace；　really　all　Europe；　now　especially　with　so　many　railroads；　public　journals；　printed　books；　penny…post；　bills　of　exchange；　and　continual　intercourse　and　mutual　dependence；　is　more　and　more　becoming　（so　to　speak）　one　Parish；　the　Parishioners　of　which　being；　as　we　ourselves　are；　in　immense　majority　peaceable　hard…working　people；　could；　if　they　were　moderately　well　guided；　have　almost　no　disposition　to　quarrel。　　Their　economic　interests　are　one；　〃To　buy　in　the　cheapest　market；　and　sell　in　the　dearest；〃　their　faith；　any　_religious_　faith　they　have；　is　one；　〃To　annihilate　shamsby　all　methods；　street…barricades　included。〃　　Why　should　they　quarrel？　　The　Czar　of　Russia；　in　the　Eastern　parts　of　the　Parish；　may　have　other　notions；　but　he　knows　too　well　he　must　keep　them　to　himself。　He；　if　he　meddled　with　the　Western　parts；　and　attempted　anywhere　to　crush　or　disturb　that　sacred　Democratic　Faith　of　theirs；　is　aware　there　would　rise　from　a　hundred　and　fifty　million　human　throats　such　a　_Hymn　of　the　Marseillaise_　as　was　never　heard　before；　and　England；　France；　Germany；　Poland；　Hungary；　and　the　Nine　Kingdoms；　hurling　themselves　upon　him　in　never…imagined　fire　of　vengeance；　would　swiftly　reduce　his　Russia　and　him　to　a　strange　situation！　　Wherefore　he　forbears；and　being　a　person　of　some　sense；　will　long　forbear。　　In　spite　of　editorial　prophecy；　the　Czar　of　Russia　does　not　disturb　our　night's　rest。　　And　with　the　other　parts　of　the　Parish　our　dreams　and　our　thoughts　are　of　anything　but　of　fighting；　or　of　the　smallest　need　to　fight。
  For　keeping　of　the　peace；　a　thing　highly　desirable　to　us　；　we　strive　to　be　grateful　to　your　Lordship。　　Intelligible　to　us；　also；　your　Lordship's　reluctance　to　get　out　of　the　old　routine。　　But　we　beg　to　say　farther；　that　peace　by　itself　has　no　feet　to　stand　upon；　and　would　not　suit　us　even　if　it　had。　　Keeping　of　the　peace　is　the　function　of　a　policeman；　and　but　a　small　fraction　of　that　of　any　Government；　King　or　Chief　of　men。　　Are　not　all　men　bound；　and　the　Chief　of　men　in　the　name　of　all；　to　do　properly　this：　　To　see；　so　far　as　human　effort　under　pain　of　eternal　reprobation　can；　God's　Kingdom　incessantly　advancing　here　below；　and　His　will　done　on　Earth　as　it　is　in　Heaven？　　On　Sundays　your　Lordship　knows　this　well；　forgot　it　not　on　week…days。　　I　assure　you　it　is　forevermore　a　fact。　　That　is　the　immense　divine　and　never…ending　task　which　is　laid　on　every　man；　and　with　unspeakable　increase　of　emphasis　on　every　Government　or　Commonwealth　of　men。　　Your　Lordship；　that　is　the　basis　upon　which　peace　and　all　else　depends！　　That　basis　once　well　lost；　there　is　no　peace　capable　of　being　kept；the　only　peace　that　could　then　be　kept　is　that　of　the　churchyard。　Your　Lordship　may　depend　on　it；　whatever　thing　takes　upon　it　the　name　of　Sovereign　or　Government　in　an　English　Nation　such　as　this　will　have　to　get　out　of　that　old　routine；　and　set　about　keeping　something　very　different　from　the　peace；　in　these　days！
  Truly　it　is　high　time　that　same　beautiful　notion　of　No…Government　should　take　itself　away。　　The　world　is　daily　rushing　towards　wreck；　while　that　lasts。　　If　your　Government　is　to　be　a　Constituted　Anarchy；　what　issue　can　it　have？　　Our　one　interest　in　such　Government　is；　that　it　would　be　kind　enough　to　cease　and　go　its　ways；　_before_　the　inevitable　arrive。　　The　question；　Who　is　to　float　atop　no…whither　upon　the　popular　vertexes；　and　act　that　sorry　character；　〃carcass　of　the　drowned　ass　upon　the　mud…deluge〃？　is　by　no　means　an　important　one　for　almost　anybody；hardly　even　for　the　drowned　ass　himself。　　Such　drowned　ass　ought　to　ask　himself；　If　the　function　is　a　sublime　one？　　For　him　too；　though　he　looks　sublime　to　the　vulgar　and　floats　atop；　a　private　situation；　down　out　of　sight　in　his　natural　ooze；　would　be　a　luckier　one。
  Crabbe；　speaking　of　constitutional　philosophies；　faith　in　the　ballot…box　and　such　like；　has　this　indignant　passage：　　〃If　any　voice　of　deliverance　or　resuscitation　reach　us；　in　this　our　low　and　all　but　lost　estate；　sunk　almost　beyond　plummet's　sounding　in　the　mud　of　Lethe；　and　oblivious　of　all　noble　objects；　it　will　be　an　intimation　that　we　must　put　away　all　this　abominable　nonsense；　and　understand；　once　more；　that　Constituted　Anarchy；　with　however　many　ballot…boxes；　caucuses；　and　hustings　beer…barrels；　is　a　continual　offence　to　gods　and　men。　　That　to　be　governed　by　small　men　is　not　only　a　misfortune；　but　it　is　a　curse　and　a　sin；　the　effect；　and　alas　the　cause　also；　of　all　manner　of　curses　and　sins。　　That　to　profess　subjection　to　phantasms；　and　pretend　to　accept　guidance　from　fractional　parts　of　tailors；　is　what　Smelfungus　in　his　rude　dialect　calls　it；　'a　damned　_lie_；'　and　nothing　other。　　A　lie　which；　by　long　use　and　wont；　we　have　grown　accustomed　to；　and　do　not　the　least　feel　to　be　a　lie；　having　spoken　and　done　it　continually　everywhere　for　such　a　long　time　past；but　has　Nature　grown　to　accept　it　as　a　veracity；　think　you；　my　friend？　　Have　the　Parcae　fallen　asleep；　because　you　wanted　to　make　money　in　the　City？　　Nature　at　all　moments　knows　well　that　it　is　a　lie；　and　that；　like　all　lies；　it　is　cursed　and　damned　from　the　beginning。
  〃Even　so；　ye　indigent　millionnaires；　and　miserable　bankrupt　populations　rolling　in　gold；whose　note…of…hand　will　go　to　any　length　in　Threadneedle　Street；　and　to　whom　in　Heaven's　Bank　the　stern　answer　is；　'No　effects！'　Bankrupt；　I　say；　and　Californias　and　Eldorados　will　not　save　us。　　And　every　time　we　speak　such　lie；　or　do　it　or　look　it；　as　we　have　been　incessantly　doing；　and　many　of　us　with　clear　consciousness；　for　about　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　now；　Nature　marks　down　the　exact　penalty　against　us。　　'Debtor　to　so　much　lying：　　forfeiture　of　existing　stock　of　worth　to　such　extent；approach　to　general　damnation　by　so　much。'　　Till　now；　as　we　look　round　us　over　a　convulsed　anarchic　Europe；　and　at　home　over　an　anarchy　not　yet　convulsed；　but　only　heaving　towards　convulsion；　and　to　judge　by　the　Mosaic　sweating…establishments；　cannibal　Connaughts　and　other　symptoms；　not　far　from　convulsion　now；　we　seem　to　have　pretty　much　_exhausted_　our　accumulated　stock　of　worth；　and　unless　money's　'worth'　and　bullion　at　the　Bank　will　save　us；　to　be　rubbing　very　close　upon　that　ulterior　bourn　which　I　do　not　like　to　name　again！
  〃On　behalf　of　nearly　twenty…seven　millions　of　my　fellow…countrymen；　sunk　deep　in　Lethean　sleep；　with　mere　owl…dreams　of　Political　Economy　and　mice…catching；　in　this　pacific　thrice…infernal　slush…element；　and　also　of　certain　select　thousands；　and　hundreds　and　units；　awakened　or　beginning　to　awaken　from　it；　and　with　horror　in　their　hearts　perceiving　where　they　are；　I　beg　to　protest；　and　in　the　name　of　God　to　say；　with　poor　human　ink；　desirous　much　that　I　had　divine　thunder　to　say　it　with；　Awake；　arise；before　you　sink　to　death　eternal！　　Unnamable　destruction；　and　banishment　to　Houndsditch　and　Gehenna；　lies　in　store　for　all　Nations　that；　in　angry　perversity　or　brutal　torpor　and　owlish　blindness；　neglect　the　eternal　message　of　the　gods；　and　vote　for　the　Worse　while　the　Better　is　there。　　Like　owls　they　say；　'Barabbas　will　do；　any　orthodox　Hebrew　of　the　Hebrews；　and　peaceable　believer　in　M'Croudy　and　the　Faith　of　Leave…alone　will　do：　　the　Right　Honorable　Minimus　is　well　enough；　he　shall　be　our　Maximus；　under　him　it　will　be　handy　to　catch　mice；　and　Owldom　shall　continue　a　flourishing　empire。　'〃
  One　thing　is　undeniable；　and　must　be　continually　repeated　till　it　get　to　be　understood　again：　　Of　all　constitutions；　forms　of　government；　and　political　methods　among　men；　the　ques