THE PLAIN 'ENGLISH' OF IT. 179 



and all this as a mere prelude for an after-amusement 

 to all the ancient tribe of harrows, scufflers, rollers, 

 and clod-crushers, to do supplementally the real work 

 of cultivation, it reminds one of " the house that JACK 

 built." One can hardly blame the iron ribs of any 

 respectable boiler for bursting at the first pull, in a 

 task so utterly at variance with every known law of 

 mechanical advancement, so repugnant to the econo- 

 mics, I had almost said the very ethics of the steam- 

 engine. 



I trust to be some day forgiven for so boldly speak- 

 ing; but I am sorry to think of one useful shilling being 

 thrown away in the attempt, unprofitable even if suc- 

 cessful, of harnessing steam with horse harness, to do 

 horse's work in a horse's way ; the implement itself, 

 whose wretched work it is put to accomplish, being a 

 tool with sentence of death written upon it (be it as 

 ancient as it may), for its tyranny to the subsoil, 

 which bears the whole burthen and injury of its labo- 

 rious path. 



I say the Plough has sentence of death written 

 upon it, because it is essentially imperfect. What it 

 does is little towards the work of cultivation ; but that 

 little is tainted by a radical imperfection damage 

 to the subsoil, which is pressed and hardened by 



N2 



