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THE FIRST DEFENCE 13
and, as much as the nature of the thing will bear, for their
equality, than for their oppression and utter ruin under one
man's dominion. Let me therefore enter upon this noble cause
with cheerfulness grounded upon the assurance that on the
5 other side are cheating, and trickery, and ignorance and outlandishness,
and on my side the light of truth and reason, and
the practice and theory of the best historic ages.
So much by way of introduction. And now, since our affair
is with critics, let us consider first the title of this choice
10 volume. What does it say ? "A Royal Defence for Charles the
First, to Charles the Second." You undertake a wonderful
piece of work, whoever you are—to plead the father's cause
before his own son: a hundred to one but you carry it! But,
Salmasius, though you hide from legal process as you for-
15 merly did under an assumed name, and do now under no
name at all—I yet summon you to appear before another tribunal
and before other judges, where perhaps you shall not
get those "Bravo's" and "Hear Hear's" which you are wont
to hanker after so desperately in your classroom. But why this
20 royal defence dedicated to the king's own son ? We need not
put him to the torture; he confesses: "At the king's expense,"
says he. Mercenary and costly advocate! so you would not
write a defence for Charles the father, whom you pretend to
have been the best of kings, to Charles the son, the most indi-
25 gent of kings, but it must be at the king's own expense ? You
old rogue, in calling it the "King's Defence" you certainly
contrived not to have yourself laughed at; for, as you have
sold it, 'tis no longer yours, but lawfully the King's indeed,—