MIGUEL. When we were alone, he kissed my hand affectionately and humbly, and said that henceforward he could consider me in no other light than as king of Portugal and Algarve, and not so much in pursuance of the powers entrusted to me by my august brother MOTHER. August blockhead! my choler rises into my throat! The constitutional mule! Miguel! Miguel! deserve the title of the Most Faithful, deserve to sit among the other kings of Europe, and dethrone the lamplighter. Did not prince Metternich give you this counsel? MIGUEL. In truth he did no such thing. MOTHER. Pretty prince! fine counsellor! what is the man fit for? what did he say then? MIGUEL. He said he did not consider me the true and worthy possessor of the Lusitanian sceptre, so much from any regard to the appointment of Don Pedro, his imperial majesty of the Brazils, while there were restrictions upon me which his Imperial wisdom shewed no disposition to remove... MOTHER. What would you have? how could he speak more plainly or more sensibly, in diplomatic language? Procede, procede. MIGUEL. .. as from the prodigious genius I had displayed in matters requiring pah! pah! cried he, no voice can express it. Such kings want no advisers; they are only impediments to the royal spirit. What a stroke will it be of your Majesty's, to raise or countenance a slight disturbance in Lisbon, whereby the English troops will be detained from assisting the insurgents and scismatics in Greece, and from oppressing the poor catholics in Armenia, and in the East and West Indies, and in Ireland and Sumatra. MOTHER. He deserves the name he has acquired in Europe .. MIGUEL. Why so hard upon him, mother, all on a sudden? MOTHER. Hard upon him! I say again he deserves it, for the clearness and rectitude of his views. In regard to the fifty pieces, they being the fruit of the gaming-table, might be placed by me in holier hands than those they came from, and may help to bring down on us the benediction of heaven. Being king, you cannot want them. MIGUEL. Mother, you always prevail: do with 'em as you please. MOTHER. I will spend them in prayers to turn the hearts of the English. They have many things in common with us: they are baptized and take snuff: they might be brought over to our doctrines, if God would have any thing to say to them after so long and obstinate a rebellion. Well, my son, you promise to take the oath tomorrow and to cancel it the day following. Solemnly. MIGUEL. MOTHER. God bless you then! and Saint Miguel remind him! Here is a little list of names it may be as well to look over . . some trifling fines from the proud and wealthy a few imprisonments for those who are only heirs, longer or shorter in proportion to the ages of their fathers: very rare executions; some thirty or forty, it may be, for those who bring the axe on their necks by having such stiff ones. Let us hear mass directly in the chapel. I am hungry; and dinner is ready at noon to a moment. |