At
first he sat motionless, silently observing the crowd; then he drew
forth the ballads and ran his eye over them. He was still engaged in
this study when his notice was attracted by a loud discussion going
forward between a party of men at the nearest table. The disputants,
petty tradesman or artisans by their dress, had evidently been warmed by
a good flagon of wine, and their tones were so lively that every word
reached the listener on the cask.
"Reform, reform!" cried one, who appeared by his dress and manner to be
the weightiest of the company--"it's all very well to cry reform; but
what I say is that most of those that are howling for it no more know
what they're asking than a parrot that's been taught the litany. Now the
first question is: who benefits by your reform? And what's the answer to
that, eh? Is it the tradesmen? The merchants? The clerks, artisans,
household servants, I ask you? I hear some of my fellow-tradesmen
complaining that the nobility don't pay their bills. Will they be better
paid, think you, when the Duke has halved their revenues? Will the
quality keep up as large households, employ as many lacqueys, set as
lavish tables, wear as fine clothes, collect as many rarities, buy as
many horses, give us, in short, as many opportunities of making our
profit out of their pleasure? What I say is, if we're to have new taxes,
don't let them fall on the very class we live by!"
"That's true enough," said another speaker, a lean bilious man with a
pen behind his ear.
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