THE PRESENT CRISIS OF SPAIN. 317 



gary. Prussia cannot rely on her oppressed Polish and Silesian pos- 

 sessions ; and the emperor of Russia is not so powerful as he is com- 

 monly represented by those who are affected with the fashionable 

 malady of Russo-phobia ; in fact, the scantiness of the military re- 

 sources of the czar was clearly proved during the late conquest of the 

 Polish independence, where the Russian army would have been de- 

 feated by Polish valour had not Prussia and Austria helped the Mus- 

 covites, and had not bribery and treason frustrated the most sanguine 

 hopes of Poland. 



As for France, whatever may be the naturally despotic inclination of 

 her present tyrant-king, she cannot interfere with safety and impunity 

 against the popular constitution of Spain ; and, although Louis Phi- 

 lippe has already shown 'openly to the world his utter want of principle 

 and his infamous perfidy, he dares not condescend to the secret so- 

 licitations of his cousin despots of the north, and march an army 

 against free Spain 



It is true that the citizen-king is at present surrounded by the most 

 unpopular and most brutal ministers that ever disgraced a constitu- 

 tional cabinet, and that at the head of his council figures Count 

 Mole (unworthy descendant of Mole in the Fronde), the avowed 

 friend of the despot potentates, and rather averse to England ; but 

 it is also certain that Louis Philippe cannot firmly rely either on the 

 army or his brother shop-keepers and stock-jobbers of France, and 

 much less on the people of Paris, who alone made him what he is be- 

 cause they were deceived by his promises and hypocrisy; and, if he 

 were now madly to undertake the task of Villele towards Spain, a 

 new revolution would soon put an end, not only to his tyranny, but 

 to the whole of his unpopular family. 



However the mock-patriot king of France, seconded by his tools 

 Mole and Guizot, r will probably attempt to undermine the popular 

 government of Spain by the medium of his diplomatic agents. Di- 

 plomacy we consider one of the most dangerous and most immoral 

 inventions of civilization, and as it is founded entirely on hypocrisy, 

 cunning, and intrigue, we very seldom may expect from its effects 

 any real advantage for the general well-being and prosperity of 

 mankind. 



In fact, Machiavelli says that candour, honesty, and truth must be 



perfect strangers to a good diplomatist ; and for this reason Talley- 



and, Pozzo 'di Borgo, Nesselrode, Metternich, Guiseneau, and 



