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progress　in　the　blending　of　Anglo…Saxon　with　the　Norman　blood；



should　first　cast　a　glance　at　the　condition　of　the　country　before



the　reign　of　Edward　III。　Where　were　then　the　diligence　and　the



habits　of　thrift　of　the　nation？　Those　again　who　would　look　for　them



in　the　constitutional　liberties　enjoyed　by　the　people　will　do　well



to　consider　how　Henry　VIII　and　Elizabeth　treated　their　Parliaments。



Wherein　did　England's　constitutional　freedom　consist　under　the



Tudors？　At　that　period　the　cities　of　Germany　and　Italy　enjoyed　a



much　greater　amount　of　individual　freedom　than　the　English　did。



　　　　Only　one　jewel　out　of　the　treasure…house　of　freedom　was



preserved　by　the　Anglo…Saxon…Norman　race　　before　other　peoples　of



Germanic　origin；　and　that　was　the　germ　from　which　all　the　English



ideas　of　freedom　and　justice　have　sprung　　the　right　of　trial　by



jury。



　　　　While　in　Italy　the　Pandects　were　being　unearthed；　and　the



exhumed　remains　（no　doubt　of　departed　greatness　and　wisdom　in　their



day）　were　spreading　the　pestilence　of　the　Codes　amongst　Continental



nations；　we　find　the　English　Barons　declaring　they　would　not　hear



of　any　change　in　the　law　of　the　land。　What　a　store　of　intellectual



force　did　they　not　thereby　secure　for　the　generations　to　come！　How



much　did　this　intellectual　force　subsequently　influence　the　forces



of　material　production！



　　　　How　greatly　did　the　early　banishment　of　the　Latin　language　from



social　and　literary　circles；　from　the　State　departments；　and　the



courts　of　law　in　England；　influence　the　development　of　the　nation；



its　legislation；　law　administration；　literature；　and　industry！　What



has　been　the　effect　upon　Germany　of　the　long　retention　of　the　Latin



in　conjunction　with　foreign　Codes；　and　what　has　been　its　effect　in



Hungary　to　the　present　day？　What　an　effect　have　the　invention　of



gunpowder；　the　art　of　printing；　the　Reformation；　the　discovery　of



the　new　routes　to　India　and　of　America；　had　on　the　growth　of



English　liberties；　of　English　civilisation；　and　of　English



industry？　Compare　with　this　their　effect　upon　Germany　and　France。



In　Germany　　discord　in　the　Empire；　in　the　provinces；　even　within



the　walls　of　cities；　miserable　controversies；　barbarism　in



literature；　in　the　administration　of　the　State　and　of　the　law；



civil　war；　persecutions；　expatriation；　foreign　invasion；



depopulation；　desolation；　the　ruin　of　cities；　the　decay　of



industry；　agriculture；　and　trade；　of　freedom　and　civic



institutions；　supremacy　of　the　great　nobles；　decay　of　the　imperial



power；　and　of　nationality；　severance　of　the　fairest　provinces　from



the　Empire。　In　France　　subjugation　of　the　cities　and　of　the



nobles　in　the　interest　of　despotism；　alliance　with　the　priesthood



against　intellectual　freedom；　but　at　the　same　time　national　unity



and　power；　conquest　with　its　gain　and　its　curse；　but；　as　against



that；　downfall　of　freedom　and　of　industry。　In　England　　the　rise



of　cities；　progress　in　agriculture；　commerce；　and　manufactures；



subjection　of　the　aristocracy　to　the　law　of　the　land；　and　hence　a



preponderating　participation　by　the　nobility　in　the　work　of



legislation；　in　the　administration　of　the　State　and　of　the　law；　as



also　in　the　advantages　of　industry；　development　of　resources　at



home；　and　of　political　power　abroad；　internal　peace；　influence　over



all　less　advanced　communities；　limitation　of　the　powers　of　the



Crown；　but　gain　by　the　Crown　in　royal　revenues；　in　splendour　and



stability。　Altogether；　a　higher　degree　of　well…being；　civilisation；



and　freedom　at　home；　and　preponderating　might　abroad。



　　　　But　who　can　say　how　much　of　these　happy　results　is　attributable



to　the　English　national　spirit　and　to　the　constitution；　how　much　to



England's　geographical　position　and　circumstances　in　the　past；　or



again；　how　much　to　chance；　to　destiny；　to　fortune？



　　　　Let　Charles　V　and　Henry　VIII　change　places；　and；　in　consequence



of　a　villanous　divorce　trial；　it　is　conceivable　（the　reader　will



understand　why　we　say　'conceivable'）　that　Germany　and　the



Netherlands　might　have　become　what　England　and　Spain　have　become。



Place　in　the　position　of　Elizabeth；　a　weak　woman　allying　herself　to



a　Philip　II；　and　how　would　it　have　fared　with　the　power；　the



civilisation；　and　the　liberties　of　Great　Britain？



　　　　If　the　force　of　national　character　will　alone　account　for



everything　in　this　mighty　revolution；　must　not　then　the　greatest



share　of　its　beneficial　results　have　accrued　to　the　nation　from



which　it　sprang；　namely；　to　Germany？　Instead　of　that；　it　is　just



the　German　nation　which　reaped　nothing　save　trouble　and　weakness



from　this　movement　in　the　direction　of　progress。



　　　　In　no　European　kingdom　is　the　institution　of　an　aristocracy



more　judiciously　designed　than　in　England　for　securing　to　the



nobility；　in　their　relation　to　the　Crown　and　the　commonalty；



individual　independence；　dignity；　and　stability；　to　give　them　a



Parliamentary　training　and　position；　to　direct　their　energies　to



patriotic　and　national　aims；　to　induce　them　to　attract　to　their　own



body　the　閘ite　of　the　commonalty；　to　include　in　their　ranks　every



commoner　who　earns　distinction；　whether　by　mental　gifts；



exceptional　wealth；　or　great　achievements；　and；　on　the　other　hand；



to　cast　back　again　amongst　the　commons　the　surplus　progeny　of



aristocratic　descent；　thus　leading　to　the　amalgamation　of　the



nobility　and　the　commonalty　in　future　generations。　By　this　process



the　nobility　is　ever　receiving　from　the　Commons　fresh　accessions　of



civic　and　patriotic　energy；　of　science；　learning；　intellectual　and



material　resources；　while　it　is　ever　restoring　to　the　people　a



portion　of　the　culture　and　of　the　spirit　of　independence　peculiarly



its　own；　leaving　its　own　children　to　trust　to　their　own　resources；



and　supplying　the　commonalty　with　incentives　to　renewed　exertion。



In　the　case　of　the　English　lord；　however　large　may　be　the　number　of



his　descendants；　only　one　can　hold　the　title　at　a　time。　The　other



members　of　the　family　are　commoners；　who　gain　a　livelihood　either



in　one　of　the　learned　professions；　or　in　the　Civil　Service；　in



commerce；　industry；　or　agriculture。　The　story　goes　that　some　time



ago　one　of　the　first　dukes　in　England　conceived　the　idea　of



inviting　all　the　blood　relations　of　his　house　to　a　banquet；　but　he



was　fain　to　abandon　the　design　because　their　name　was　legion；



notwithstanding　that　the　family　pedigree　had　not　reached　farther



back　than　for　a　few　centuries。　It　would　require　a　whole　volume　to



show　the　effect　of　this　institution　upon　the　spirit　of　enterprise；



the　colonisation；　the　might　and　the　liberties；　and　especially　upon



the　forces　of　production　of　this　nation。（9*）



　　　　The　geographical　position　of　England；　too；　has　exercised　an



immense　influence　upon　the　independent　development　of　the　nation。



England　in　its　relation　to　the　continent　of　Europe　has　ever　been　a



world　by　itself；　and　was　always　exempt　from　the　effects　of　the



rivalries；　the　prejudices；　the　selfishness；　the　passions；　and　the



disasters　of　her　Continental　neighbours。　To　this　isolated　condition



she　is　mainly　indebted　for　the　independent　and　unalloyed　growth　of



her　political　constitution；　for　the　undisturbed　consummation　of　the



Reformation；　and　for　the　secularisation　of　ecclesiastical　property



which　has　proved　so　beneficial　to　her　industries。　To　the　same　cause



she　is　also　indebted　for　that　continuous　peace；　which；　with　the



exception　of　the　period　of　the　civil　war；　she　has　enjoyed　for　a



series　of　centuries；　and　which　enabled　her　to　dispense　with



standing　armies；　while　facilitating　the　early　introduction　of　a



consistent　customs　system。



　　　　By　reason　of　her　insular　position；　England　not　only　enjoyed



immunity　from　territorial　wars；　but　she　also　derived　immense



advantages　for　her　manufacturing　supremacy　from　the　Continental



wars。　Land　wars　and　devastations　of　territory　inflict　manifold



injury　upon　the　manufactures　at　the　seat　of　hostilities；　directly；



by　interfering　with　the　farmer's　work　and　destroying　the　crops；



which　deprives　the　tiller　of　the　soil　of　the　means　wherewithal　to



purchase　manufactured　goods；　and　to　produce　raw　material　and　food



for　the　manufacturer；　indirectly；　by　often　destroying　the



manufactories；　or　at　any　rate　ruining　them；　because　hostilities



interfere　with　the　importation　of　raw　material　and　with　the



exportation　of　goods；　and　because　it　becomes　a　difficult　matter　to



procure　capital　and　labour　just　at　the　very　time　when　the　masters



have　to　bear　extraordinary　imposts　and　heavy　taxatio