Captains with unanimous votings: this is considered to be all
the law and all the prophets, at present.

If a man could shake out of his mind the universal noise of
political doctors in this generation and in the last generation
or two, and consider the matter face to face, with his own
sincere intelligence looking at it, I venture to say he would
find this a very extraordinary method of navigating, whether in
the Straits of Magellan or the undiscovered Sea of Time. To
prosper in this world, to gain felicity, victory and improvement,
either for a man or a nation, there is but one thing requisite,
That the man or nation can discern what the true regulations of
the Universe are in regard to him and his pursuit, and can
faithfully and steadfastly follow these. These will lead him to
victory; whoever it may be that sets him in the way of
these,--were it Russian Autocrat, Chartist Parliament, Grand
Lama, Force of Public Opinion, Archbishop of Canterbury, M'Croudy
the Seraphic Doctor with his Last-evangel of Political
Economy,--sets him in the sure way to please the Author of this
Universe, and is his friend of friends. And again, whoever does
the contrary is, for a like reason, his enemy of enemies. This
may be taken as fixed.

And now by what method ascertain the monition of the gods in
regard to our affairs? How decipher, with best fidelity, the
eternal regulation of the Universe; and read, from amid such
confused embroilments of human clamor and folly, what the real
Divine Message to us is? A divine message, or eternal regulation
of the Universe, there verily is, in regard to every conceivable
procedure and affair of man: faithfully following this, said