III. THE DABCHICKS. I 79 



hunting and ' la chasse ' have brought upon 

 ^the so-called upper classes of England and 

 . France ; until, from knights and gentlemen, 

 they have sunk into jockeys, speculators, 

 usurers, butchers by battue ; and, the English 

 especially, now, as a political bod}', into what 

 I have called them in the opening chapter 

 of 'The Bible of Amiens,' — "the scurviest 

 louts that ever fouled God's earth with their 

 carcases." 



The language appears to be violent. It 

 is simply brief, and accurate. But I never 

 meant it to remain without justification, and I 

 will give the justification here at once. 



Take your Johnson, and look out the ad- 

 jective Scurvy, in its higher or figurative sense. 



You find the first quotation he gives is from 

 * Measure for Measure,' spoken of the Duke, in 

 monk's disguise : 



" I know him for a man divine and holy ; 

 Not scurvy, nor a temporary meddler." 



In which passage, Shakspeare, who never 

 uses words in vain, nor with a grain less than 

 their full weight, opposes the divineness of 

 men, or their walking with God, to the scurvi- 

 ness of men, or their wallowing with swine ; 



