There can be no doubt that a number of as noble men as ever stood
together on the earth did worship that woman, fight for her, toil for
her, risk all for her, with a pure chivalrous affection which has
furnished one of the most beautiful pages in all the book of history.
Blots there must needs have been, and inconsistencies, selfishnesses,
follies; for they too were men of like passions with ourselves; but
let us look at the fair vision as a whole, and thank God that such a
thing has for once existed even imperfectly on this sinful earth,
instead of playing the part of Ham and falling under his curse,--the
penalty of slavishness, cowardice, loss of noble daring, which surely
falls on any generation which is 'banausos,' to use Aristotle's word;
which rejoices in its forefathers' shame, and, unable to believe in
the nobleness of others, is unable to become noble itself.

As for the 'Alexander and Diana' affectations, they were the language
of the time: and certainly this generation has no reason to find
fault with them, or with a good deal more of the 'affectations' and
'flattery' of Elizabethan times, while it listens complacently night
after night 'to honourable members' complimenting not Queen
Elizabeth, but Sir Jabesh Windbag, Fiddle, Faddle, Red-tape, and
party with protestations of deepest respect and fullest confidence in
the very speeches in which they bring accusations of every offence
short of high treason--to be understood, of course, in a
'parliamentary sense,' as Mr. Pickwick's were in a 'Pickwickian' one.
If a generation of Knoxes and Mortons, Burleighs and Raleighs, shall
ever arise again, one wonders by what name they will call the
parliamentary morality and parliamentary courtesy of a generation
which has meted out such measure to their ancestors' failings?

'But Queen Elizabeth was an old woman then.' I thank the objector