12

HISTOEr OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XVIII.

liiua.

actuated'by an inordinate, an unscrupulous, a remorselesszeal for what seemed to him to be the interest of the state. Thisexplanation may startle those who have not considered howlarge a proportion of the blackest crimes recorded in historyistobe ascribed to ill regulated public spirit. We daily see men do fortheir party, for their sect, for their country, for their favouriteschemes of political and social reform, what they would not doto enrich or to avenge themselves. At a temptation directlyaddressed to our private cupidity or to our private animosity,whatever virtue we have takes the alarm. But, virtue itselfmay contribute to the fall of him who imagines that it is in hispower, by violating some general rule of morality, to confer animportant benefit on a church, on a commonwealth, on man-kind. He silences the remonstrances of conscience, and hardenshis heart against the most touching spectacles of misery, byrepeating to himself that his intentions are pure, that his objectsare noble, that he is doing a little evil for the sake of a greatgood. By degrees he comes altogether to forget the turpitudeof the means in the excellence of the end, and at length per-petrates without one internal twinge acts which would shock abuccaneer. There is no reason to believe that Dominic would,for the best archbishopric in Christendom, have incited ferociousmarauders to plunder and slaughter a peaceful and industriouspopulation, that Everard Digby would for a dukedom haveblown a large assembly of people into the air, or thatllobes-pierre would have murdered for hire one of the thousands whomhe murdered from philanthropy.

The Master of Stair seems to have proposed to himself atruly great and good end, the pacification and civilisation of the

ship nor enmity in that country, nor so much as knowledge of thesepersons, and who was never noted for cruelty in his temper, shouldhave thirsted after the blood of these wretches.” — Complete History ofEurope, 1707,