and at once bared his arm for the operation. On the point of
departure his lordship `edged' in the question about the vote for
his friend, which was, of course, gushingly promised and given.


[8] Sed ego aliquid obsecraturus facile vincor; et mihi tabula
perit ut causa salvetur.--Sidonius Apollinaris, _Epist_.



Although there may not be much Gothic blood among us, it is quite
certain that there is plenty of German mixture in our nation--
taking the term in its very wide and comprehensive ethnology.
Now, Tacitus describes the ancient stout and valiant Germans as
`making gaming with a die a very serious occupation of their
sober hours.' Like the `everlasting Negro,' they, too, made
their last throw for personal liberty, the loser going into
voluntary slavery, and the winner selling such slaves as soon as
possible to strangers, in order not to have to blush for such a
victory! If the `nigger' could blush, he might certainly do so
for the white man in such a conjuncture.

At Naples and other places in Italy, at least in former times,
the boatmen used thus to stake their liberty for a certain number
of years. According to Hyde,[9] the Indians stake their fingers
and cut them off themselves to pay the debt of honour.
Englishmen have cut off their ears, both as a `security' for
a gambling loan, and as a stake; others have staked their lives
by hanging, in like manner! Instances will be given in the
sequel.