Chapter I: Preface

When Sir Thomas Upmore came, and asked me to write a short account of his strange adventures, I declined that honour; partly because I had never seen any of his memorable exploits. Perhaps that matters little, while his history so flourishes, by reason of being more creditable, as well as far more credible, than that of England, for the last few years.

Still, in such a case, the man who did the thing is the one to tell it. And his veracity has now become a proverb.

My refusal seemed to pain Sir Thomas, because he is so bashful; and no one can see him pained, without grieving for his own sake also, and trying to feel himself in the wrong.

This compelled me to find other arguments; which I did as follows:--

"First, my dear sir, in political matters, my humble view's are not strong, and trenchant--as yours are become by experience--but exceedingly large, and lenient; because I have never had anything at all to do with politics.

"Again, of science,--the popular name for almost any speculation, bold enough,--I am in ignorance equally blissful, if it were not thrilled with fear. What power shall resist the wild valour of the man, who proves that his mind is a tadpole's spawn, and then claims for that mind supreme dominion, and inborn omniscience? Before his acephalous rush, down go piled wisdom of ages, and pinnacled faith, cloud-capped heights of immortal hope, and even the mansions everlasting, kept for those who live for them."

"All those he may upset," replied Sir Thomas, with that sweet and buoyant smile, which has saved even his supernatural powers, from the sneers of those below him; "or at least, he may fancy that he has done it. But to come to facts,--can he upset, or even make head, or tail, of such a little affair as I am? Not one of his countless theories about me has a grain of truth in it; though he sees me, and feels me, and pokes me in the side, and listens, as if I were a watch run down, to know whether I am going. I assure you, that to those who are not frightened by his audacity, and fame, his 'links of irrefragable proof' are but a baby's dandelion chain. In chemistry alone, and engineering, has science made much true advance. The main of the residue is arrogance."

"In that branch of science, we are all Professors," I answered, to disarm his wrath; knowing that, in these riper years, honest indignation wrought upon his system, as youthful exultation once had done; and I could not afford to have a hole made in my ceiling. "However, Sir Thomas, I shall stick to my resolve. Though your life--when its largeness is seen aright--will be an honour to the history of our race, justice comes before honour; and only you can do justice to it."

Humility, which competes with truth, for the foremost place in his character, compelled him to shake his head at this; and he began again, rather sadly.

"My purpose is a larger one, than merely to talk of my own doings. I want to put common sense into plain English, and to show--as our medical men show daily--that the body is beyond the comprehension of the mind. The mind commands the body to lie down, and be poked at, and probed, and pried into, with fifty subtle instruments, or even to be cut up, and analysed alive; and then understands never the more of it. If the mind can learn nothing of the body it lives in, grows, rejoices, and suffers with, how can it know all about it, for millions of years before either existed? How can it trace their joint lineage up to a thing, that had neither a head, nor a body?

"Go to; what I offer is not argument, but fact; and I care not the head of their ancestor for them. But if I write it, will you remove whatever may offend a candid mind?"

"If you offend no mind but that," said I, being fresh from a sharp review of something I had written; "you will give small offence indeed; and to edit you will be a sinecure."

Both these predictions have proved correct; except indeed that a few kind readers of sadly unscientific mind have hankered for some explanation of parts which they failed to witness.

The reply is truly simple--"if you were not there the fault was yours; here are the facts as in evidence, better supported, and less strange, than those you accept without a wink; and perhaps your trouble in realising a case of specific levity proceeds from nothing but your own excessive specific gravity."

R. D. BLACKMORE.

1885.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE
I. SIGNS OF EMINENCE 1

II. _ITUR AD ASTRA_ 10

III. THE DAWN OF SCIENCE 16

IV. THE PURSUIT OF SCIENCE 25

V. "GRIP" 43

VI. TRUE SCIENCE 54

VII. THE GREAT WASHED 65

VIII. FOR CHANGE OF AIR 75

IX. _THALATTA!_ 86

X. THE NEW ADMIRAL 96

XI. LARGE IDEAS 106

XII. TWENTIFOLD TOWERS 119

XIII. WHALEBONES 131

XIV. A SILLY PAIR 145

XV. POLITICAL OECONOMY 156

XVI. NO EXTRAS 166

XVII. SELF-DEFENCE 178

XVIII. AH ME! 189

XIX. COMFORT 199

XX. BOIL NO MORE 209

XXI. THE SEAT OF LEARNING 219

XXII. HEREDITARY LAWS 229

XXIII. A COUNTY MEETING 237

XXIV. OLD BONES, AND YOUNG ONES 247

XXV. ON THE ROCKS 256

XXVI. BENEATH THEM 266

XXVII. PLEASANT, AND UNPLEASANT THINGS 277

XXVIII. THE WELFARE OF THE FAMILY 286

XXIX. BECAUSE HE HAD NO PITY 295

XXX. PERFIDY 303

XXXI. FREE TRADE 314

XXXII. A PAIR OF BLUE EYES 326

XXXIII. STRONG INTENTIONS 338

XXXIV. _FAMES FAMÆ_ 350

XXXV. NATIONAL EMERGENCY 362

XXXVI. VOTE FOR TOMMY! 371

XXXVII. SUNNY BAY 379

XXXVIII. PREPARE 386

XXXIX. FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BENEFIT 393

XL. FAIR COUNSEL 398

XLI. THE RIGHT WAY TO SURRENDER 406

XLII. SPARS 415

XLIII. THE BATTLE, AND THE BREEZE 421

XLIV. THE ENGLISH LION 435

TOMMY UPMORE.