Posted at NoQuarter 7/19/06
I recently found this short essay in a collection of early modern English prose. I think it must be about King George, the mad King, against whom America revolted in the 1770s. I think it resonates in the present day, in America, and it is still capable of inspiring hope that a truly pluralistic, tolerant, fair society can flourish on these shores.
On the King
The King’s public comportment grows more unseemly by the day※His confused oratories do much to obfuscate, and little to illuminate※His demeanor is often churlish; his sincerity lacking entirely※His smirk is ever present※He dissembles without compunction※He lies with impunity※Little care has he for the commoner※His only real care is the fortunate class, the monied class, his barons and his courtiers※He and his barons dispense political favors in return for riches, a use of power which corrupts absolutely※No use has he for parliament, nor for the judges※He has trampled upon Runnymeade’s triumph, and he dares the learned to unseat him, with their words their only weapons※But words, alas, cannot his power usurp※Too well the scholar knows this※Revolt cannot take hold while the King and his court hold sway over the press, the army, and the sheriffs※Reason, often branded treason in this upside-down world, cannot, it seems, triumph over venal emotions and grasping greed※And yet, the only weapon worth wielding is Truth※Truth cannot be detained indefinitely, unless the truth-teller be swept away along with the words, never to be heard from or seen again※Truth holds promise※Truth, alone, can positively affect the course of history※The great Crusaders knew this, and so they locked the Truth away in church liturgy, and clerical rhetoric※The Lord Jesus Christ knew the Truth※Yet this King, this tyrant, knows not the true Jesus Christ—only a vain shadow of His wisdom guides this ruler※Indeed, this King will use the word of God to cow his opponents, and to turn one set of believers against another, and all believers in Christ against those who do not laud Him—the Muslim, the Jew, the Daoist, the Hindu, the Sikh, the Atheist※But such intolerance will not endure, as long as there are those who will speak Truth to Power, as long as there are those with minds open to the Truth, as long as there are Truths that must be told—about this King, about his wars, about his corruption, about his duplicity, about his dissembling※
This elicited the following response from Chris Vosburg
Canuck Amuck, the "On the King" essay sounds a bit like some of our own Thomas Paine's commentary on the King in his more spirited moments.
In fact, one of Tom's observations in Common Sense on hereditary monarchies (like ours, hee hee) has been ringing in my head since the obnoxious fratboy first campaigned for the Presidency in the 90s.
Tom wrote:
"One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings is that nature disapproves it; otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion."
On the King
The King’s public comportment grows more unseemly by the day※His confused oratories do much to obfuscate, and little to illuminate※His demeanor is often churlish; his sincerity lacking entirely※His smirk is ever present※He dissembles without compunction※He lies with impunity※Little care has he for the commoner※His only real care is the fortunate class, the monied class, his barons and his courtiers※He and his barons dispense political favors in return for riches, a use of power which corrupts absolutely※No use has he for parliament, nor for the judges※He has trampled upon Runnymeade’s triumph, and he dares the learned to unseat him, with their words their only weapons※But words, alas, cannot his power usurp※Too well the scholar knows this※Revolt cannot take hold while the King and his court hold sway over the press, the army, and the sheriffs※Reason, often branded treason in this upside-down world, cannot, it seems, triumph over venal emotions and grasping greed※And yet, the only weapon worth wielding is Truth※Truth cannot be detained indefinitely, unless the truth-teller be swept away along with the words, never to be heard from or seen again※Truth holds promise※Truth, alone, can positively affect the course of history※The great Crusaders knew this, and so they locked the Truth away in church liturgy, and clerical rhetoric※The Lord Jesus Christ knew the Truth※Yet this King, this tyrant, knows not the true Jesus Christ—only a vain shadow of His wisdom guides this ruler※Indeed, this King will use the word of God to cow his opponents, and to turn one set of believers against another, and all believers in Christ against those who do not laud Him—the Muslim, the Jew, the Daoist, the Hindu, the Sikh, the Atheist※But such intolerance will not endure, as long as there are those who will speak Truth to Power, as long as there are those with minds open to the Truth, as long as there are Truths that must be told—about this King, about his wars, about his corruption, about his duplicity, about his dissembling※
This elicited the following response from Chris Vosburg
Canuck Amuck, the "On the King" essay sounds a bit like some of our own Thomas Paine's commentary on the King in his more spirited moments.
In fact, one of Tom's observations in Common Sense on hereditary monarchies (like ours, hee hee) has been ringing in my head since the obnoxious fratboy first campaigned for the Presidency in the 90s.
Tom wrote:
"One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings is that nature disapproves it; otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion."
posted by The Subversive Archaeologist at 12:53 p.m.
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