“I fear ’tis the essence of which I am made.  My energies will have outlet or tear me to pieces.  When there is work to do, my nostrils quiver like a war-horse’s at the first roar and smoke—­”

“Your modesty does you infinite honour; the truth is, you have the holy fire of patriotism in an abnormal degree.  I have it, but I still am normal.  I have made sacrifices and shall make more, but my ego curls its lip.  Yours never does.  That is the difference between you and most of us.  Hundreds of us are doggedly determined to go through to the bitter end, sacrifice money, youth and health; but you alone are happy.  That is why we love you and are glad to follow your lead.  But, I repeat, how can you labour with such undying enthusiasm for the good of human kind when you know what they amount to?”

“Some are worth working for, that is one point; I don’t share your opinion of general abasement, for the facts warrant no such opinion.  And the battle of ideas, the fight for certain stirring and race-making principles,—­that is the greatest game that mortals can play.  And to play it, we must have mortals for puppets.  To create a new government, a new race, to found what may become the greatest nation on the earth,—­what more stupendous destiny?  Even if one were forgotten, it would be worth doing, so tremendous would be the exercise of the faculties, so colossal the difficulties.  I would have a few men do it all; I have no faith in the uneducated.  The little brain, half opened by a village schoolmaster, is pestilential; but in the few with sufficient power over the many,—­from whom will be evolved more and more to rank with the first few,—­in those I have faith, and am proud to work with them.”

“Good.  I’d not have a monarchy, but I’d have the next thing to it, with a muzzle on the rabble.  Perhaps I, too, have faith in a few,—­in yourself and George Washington; and in Madison, our own Gibraltar.  But the pig-headed, selfish, swinish—­well, go on with your present plans.  ’Tis to hear those we met to-night, not to analyze each other.  Tell us all, that we may not only hope, but work with you.”

“The army first.  If retirement on half pay is impossible, then full pay for, say six years,—­and the arrears,—­paid upon the disbanding of the army.  Washington, by the exercise of the greatest moral force, but one, that has appeared in this world, has averted a civil war—­I am persuaded that horror is averted, and I assume that the country does not care eternally to disgrace itself by letting its deliverers, who have suffered all that an army can suffer, return to their ruined homes without the few dollars necessary for another start in life.  I have resigned my claim to arrears of pay, that my argument may not be weakened.  Then a peace establishment.  Fancy leaving our frontiers to the mercy of state militia!  I shall urge that the general government have exclusive power over the sword, to establish certain corps of infantry, artillery, cavalry, dragoons,