other people as substitutes was too much. We didn't know who'd
be substituted next. The English backed up Blackstone, of
course. The French army backed up Bonaparte. The inoffensive
citizens were aroused in behalf of Joseph, for they saw at
once whither they were drifting if the substitute idea was
carried out to its logical conclusion; and in half an hour
the administration was on the defensive, which, as you know,
is a very, very, very bad thing for an administration."

"It is, if it desires to be returned to office," said I.

"It is anyhow," replied Boswell through the medium of the keys.
"It's in exactly the same position as that of a humorist who
has to print explanatory diagrams with all of his jokes. The
administration papers were hot over the situation. The king
can do no wrong idea was worked for all it was worth, but
beyond this they drew pathetic pictures of the result of all
these deplorable tendencies. What was Hades for, they asked,
if a man, after leading a life of crime in the other world,
was not to receive his punishment there? The attitude of
the opposition was a radical and vicious blow at the vital
principles of the sphere itself. The opposition papers coolly
and calmly took the position that the vital principles of Hades
were all right; that it was the extreme view as to the power
of the Emperor taken by that person himself that wouldn't go in
these democratic days. Punishment for Bonaparte was the correct
thing, and Bonaparte expected some, but was not grasping enough
to want it all. They added that recent fully settled ideas as
to a humane application of the laws required the bunching of
the indictments or the selection of one and a fair trial based