"It was a horrible revelation," he said, "that here in this quiet place we were nursing revolution, and had some secret society in full swing amongst us. But then, as the little bit of history brought up the past, I felt the tide of feeling sweeping4 through me, and all the dread5 enthusiasm of the race woke within me:—
'There beside the singing river
That dark mass of men are seen,
Far above their shining weapons
But this is a bad business, sir, for soul and body. What's to be done?"
"A bad business, indeed," I echoed. "But worse for soul than body. These poor fellows will amuse themselves playing at soldiers, and probably catching7 pneumonia8; and there 't will end. You didn't see any policemen about?"
"No. They could be hiding unknown to me."
"Depend upon it, they were interested spectators of the midnight evolutions. I know there are some fellows in the village in receipt of secret service money, and all these poor boys' names are in the Castle archives. But what is worse, this means anti-clericalism, and consequently abstention from Sacraments, and a long train of evils besides. It must be handled gently."
"You don't mean to say, sir," he replied, "that that Continental9 poison has eaten its way in Ireland?"
"Not to a large extent; but it is there. There is no use in burying our heads in the sands and pretending not to see. But we must act judiciously10. A good surgeon never acts hastily,—never hurries over an operation. Lente,—lente."
I saw a smile faintly rippling11 around the corners of his mouth. But I was afraid he might rush matters here, and it would be dangerous. But where's the use? He understood but one way of acting,—to grapple with an abuse and strangle it. "You drop stones," he used to say, "and they turn up armed men."
How he learned their place of meeting I don't know. But Sunday afternoon was a favorite time for the rebels; and the coursing match on the black hills and the rabbit hunt in the plantations12 were only preliminaries to more important and secret work. Whether by accident or design, Father Letheby stumbled on such a meeting about four o'clock one Sunday afternoon. A high ditch and a strong palisade of fir trees hid him from sight, and he was able to hear a good deal, and had no scruple13 in playing the listener. This is what he heard. The village tailor, lame14 in one leg, and familiarly known as "Hop-and-go-one," was the orator16:—
"Fellow countrymen, de time for action has come. From ind to ind of the land, the downtrodden serfs of Ireland are rising in their millions. Too long have dey been juped by false pretences17; too long have the hirelings of England chated and decaved them. We know now what a shimmera,[2] what a fraud, was Home Rule. Our counthry has been dragged at the tail of English parties, who were purshuing their own interests. But 't is all past. No more constitutional agitation18, no more paceful struggle. Lead will do what fine speeches didn't. And if the black militia19, wid dere ordhers from Rome, attimpt this time to interfere20, we know what answer to give dem. De West's awake, and 't isn't priests will set us to sleep agin—"
At this juncture21 the orator was caught by the nape of the neck, and lifted bodily off the turf ditch, which was his forum22. When he looked around, and saw who was his captor, he shrieked23 for mercy; and Father Letheby, dropping him, as one would drop a rat, he scurried24 off as fast as his lame leg would permit, whilst the priest, turning round to the stupefied boys, warned them of their folly25 and madness:—
"God knows, boys," he said, "I pity you. You are bent26 on a desperate and foolish course, the end of which no man can foresee. I know it is useless to reason with you on the score of danger; but I warn you that you are violating the laws of God and the Church, and that no blessing27 comes from such action. And yet," he continued, placing his hand in the breast-pocket of his coat, and drawing out a blue official paper, "this may convince you of your folly; at least, it may convince you of the fact that there is a traitor28 and informer in your midst. Who he is I leave yourselves to conjecture29!"
He read out slowly the name of every young man that had been sworn in that secret society in the parish. The young men listened sullenly30, and swore angrily between their teeth. But they could not deny their betrayal. They were vexed31, humbled32, disgraced; but they had to make some defence.
"The priests are always agin the people," said one keen-looking fellow, who had been abroad.
"That's an utter falsehood," said Father Letheby, "and you know it. You know that priests and people for seven hundred years have fought side by side the battle of Ireland's freedom from civil and religious disabilities. I heard your own father say how well he remembered the time when the friar stole into the farmyard at night, disguised as a pedlar, and he showed me the cavern33 down there by the sea-shore where Mass was said, and the fishermen heard it, as they pretended to haul in their nets."
"Thrue enough for you, your reverence34," said a few others; "'t is what our fathers, and our fathers' fathers, have tould us."
"And now," continued Father Letheby, "look at the consequences of your present folly. Possible imprisonment35 in the dungeons36 of Portland and Dartmoor; exile to America, enforced by the threats of prosecution37; and the sense of hostility38 to the Church, for you know you are breaking the laws. You dare not go to confession39, for you cannot receive absolution; you are a constant terror to your mothers and sisters—and all at the dictation of a few scoundrels, who are receiving secret service money from the government, and a few newspapers that are run by Freemasons and Jews."
"Ah, now, your reverence," said one of the boys, a litterateur, "you are drawing the long bow. How could Irish newspapers be run by Freemasons and Jews?"
"Would you be surprised to hear," said Father Letheby, "that all the great Continental papers are the property of Freemasons and Jews; that all the rancor40 and bitterness stirred up against the Church for the past fifty years has been their work; that the anti-clerical feeling in Germany and in France has been carefully originated and fostered by them; that hatred41 of the Holy See is their motto; and that they have got into Ireland. You can see the cloven foot in the virulent42 anti-religious and anti-clerical articles that you read by the light of the fire at the forge; and yet, the very prayer-books you used at Mass to-day, and the beads43 that rolled through your mothers' fingers, have been manufactured by them. But the Irish are always fools,—never more so than now."
It was a magnificent leap of imagination on Father Letheby's part,—that which attributed to Jews and Freemasons the manufacture of beads and prayer-books on the one hand, and anti-clericalism on the other. Yet there was truth in what he had said. Indeed, there were many indications, as I could point out to him to his surprise, which proved that the anti-Catholic agencies here in Ireland were pursuing exactly the same tactics which had led to the extinguishing of the faith in parts of France and Italy,—namely, the dissemination44 of pornographic literature. They know well that there is but one thing that can destroy Irish faith, and that is the dissemination of ideas subversive45 of Catholic morality. Break down the earthworks that guard the purity of the nation, and the citadel46 of faith is taken. He was very silent all that evening, as I notice all Irish priests grow grave when this awful fact, which is under their very eyes, is made plain to them. It is so easy to look at things without seeing them. Then, as the full revelation of this new diablerie dawned upon him, he grew very angry. I think this is the most charming thing about my curate, that he is a thorough hater of everything cunning and concealed47, and breaks out into noble philippics against whatever is foul48 and vicious. But I know he will be now on the alert; and God help any unfortunate that dares to peddle49 unwholesome wares50 under the necklaces and matches of his basket!
The tailor came duly to report Father Letheby for the drastic treatment he had received. He was rather too emphatic51 in demanding his immediate52 removal, and hinting at suspension. In lieu of that satisfaction, he would immediately institute proceedings53 in the Court of Queen's Bench for assault and battery, and place the damages at several thousand pounds. I listened to him patiently, then hinted that an illiterate54 fellow like him should not be making treasonable speeches. He bridled55 up at the word "illiterate," and repudiated56 the vile57 insinuation. He could read and write as well as any priest in Connaught.
"But you cannot read your own writing?" I said, tentatively.
"Couldn't he? Try him!"
I thrust under his eyes his last letter to the sub-inspector of the district. I thought he would get a fit of apoplexy.
"Now, you scoundrel," I said, folding the letter and placing it beyond reach, "I forgive you all your deception58 and treason. What Father Letheby has got in store for you I cannot say. But I'll never forgive you, you most unscientific and unmathematical artist, for having given me so many shocking misfits lately, until I have looked like a scarecrow in a cornfield; even now you are smelling like a distillery. And tell me, you ruffian, what right had you to say at Mrs. Haley's public house that I was 'thauto—thauto—gogical' in my preaching? If I, with all the privileges of senility, chose to repeat myself, to drive the truths of Christianity into the numskulls of this pre-Adamite village, what is that to you,—you ninth part of a man? Was it not the immortal Homer that declared that every tailor—"
"For God's sake, spare me, your reverence, and I'll never do it again."
"Do you promise to cut my garments mathematically in the future?"
"I do, your reverence." He spoke59 as emphatically as if he were renewing his baptismal vows60 at a great mission.
"Do you promise to speak respectfully of me and my sermons for the future?"
"I do, your reverence."
"Now, go. Exi, erumpe, evade61, or I'll turn you into a Sartor Resartus. I hand you over now, as the judge hands the culprit, to Father Letheby. Don't be too much surprised at eventualities. Do you know, did you ever hear, what the women of Marblehead did to a certain Floyd Ireson? Well, go ask Father Letheby. He'll tell you. And I shall be much surprised if the women of Kilronan are much behind their sisters of Marblehead in dealing62 with such a scoundrel as you."
I proposed this conundrum63 to Father Letheby that same evening: "Why is it considered a greater crime to denounce and correct an evil than to commit it?" He looked at me as if he doubted my sanity64. I put it in a more euphemistic form: "Why is success always the test of merit? To come down from the abstract to the concrete, Why is a gigantic swindler a great financier, and a poor fellow that steals a loaf of bread a felon65 and a thief? Why is a colossal66 liar15 a great diplomatist, and a petty prevaricator67 a base and ignoble68 fraud? Why is Napoleon a hero, and that wretched tramp an ever to be dreaded69 murderer? Why is Bismarck called great, though he crushed the French into a compost of blood and rags, ground them by taxation70 into paupers71, jested at dying children, and lied most foully72, and his minor73 imitators are dubbed74 criminals and thieves? Look here, now, young man! If you, by a quiet, firm, indomitable determination succeed in crushing out and stamping out forever this secret society here, it will redound75 to your infinite credit in all men's eyes. But mark, if with all your energy and zeal76 you fail, or if you pass into a leaderette in some Freemason journal, and your zeal is held up as fanaticism77 and your energy as imprudence, the whole world will regard you as a hot-headed young fool, and will ask with rage and white lips, What is the Bishop78 doing in allowing these young men to take the reins79 into their own hands and drive the chariot of the sun? It is as great a crime to be a young man to-day as it was in the days of Pitt. Nothing can redeem80 the stigma81 and the shame but success. Of course, all this sounds very pagan, and I am not identifying myself with it. I believe with that dear barefooted philosopher, St. Francis, who is to me more than fifty Aristotles, as à Kempis is more than fifty Platos, that a man is just what he is in the eyes of God, and no more. But I am only submitting to you this speculative82 difficulty to keep your mind from growing fallow these winter evenings. And don't be in a hurry to answer it. I'll give you six months; and then you'll say, like the interlocutor in a Christy Minstrel entertainment: 'I give it up.'"
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1
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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2
shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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3
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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4
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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5
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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6
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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7
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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8
pneumonia
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| n.肺炎 | |
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9
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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10
judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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11
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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12
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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13
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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14
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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15
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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16
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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17
pretences
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| n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称 | |
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18
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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19
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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20
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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21
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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22
forum
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| n.论坛，讨论会 | |
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23
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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26
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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27
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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28
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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29
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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30
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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31
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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32
humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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33
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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34
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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35
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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36
dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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37
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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38
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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39
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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40
rancor
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| n.深仇，积怨 | |
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41
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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42
virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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43
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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44
dissemination
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| 传播,宣传,传染(病毒) | |
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45
subversive
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| adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子 | |
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46
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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47
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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48
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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49
peddle
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| vt.(沿街)叫卖，兜售；宣传，散播 | |
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50
wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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51
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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52
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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53
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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54
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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55
bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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56
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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57
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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58
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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59
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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60
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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61
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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62
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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63
conundrum
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| n.谜语；难题 | |
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64
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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65
felon
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| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
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66
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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67
prevaricator
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| n.推诿的人，撒谎的人 | |
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68
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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69
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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70
taxation
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| n.征税，税收，税金 | |
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71
paupers
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| n.穷人( pauper的名词复数 )；贫民；贫穷 | |
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72
foully
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| ad.卑鄙地 | |
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73
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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74
dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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75
redound
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| v.有助于；提；报应 | |
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76
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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77
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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78
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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79
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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80
redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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81
stigma
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| n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头 | |
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82
speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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