120 LIFE AND HABIT. 



ments. Nevertheless, each of the three parts into 

 which England was divided would show signs of 

 provincial life for which it would find certain imperfect 

 organisms ready to hand. Bristol, Birmingham, Liver- 

 pool, and Manchester, accustomed though they are to 

 act in subordination to London, would probably take up 

 the reins of government in their several sections ; they 

 would make their town councils into local govern- 

 ments, appoint judges from the ablest of their magis- 

 trates, organise relief committees, and endeavour as 

 well as they could to remove any acetic acid that 

 might be now poured on Wiltshire, Warwickshire, or 

 Northumberland, but no concert between the three 

 divisions of the country would be any longer possible. 

 Should we be justified, under these circumstances, in 

 calling any of the three parts of England, England ? 

 Or, again, when we observed the provincial action to 

 be as nearly like that of the original undivided nation 

 as circumstances would allow, should we be justified in 

 saying that the action, such as it was, was not politi- 

 cal ? And, lastly, should we for a moment think that 

 an admission that the provincial action was of a lond 

 fide political character would involve the supposition 

 that England, undivided, had more than one " ego " as 

 England, no matter how many subordinate " egos " 

 might go to the making of it, each one of which 

 proved, on emergency, to be capable of a feeble 

 autonomy ? 



M. Ribot would seem to take a juster view of the 

 phenomenon when he says (p. 222 of the English 

 translation) — 



