Seite:Marsh Hallig 1856.djvu/100

100THE HALLIG.

their nature. Because the arch hypocrite was driven to
prayer in the hour of extremest need, does it follow
that she ceased to be a hypocrite ? And was she not
during that very prayer in which she called upon the
justice of God, plotting new wrongs ? Was she not
at the same time preparing her folded hands to snatch
some new prey, and to sow upon the field of victory the
dragon's teeth of fresh discord ?"
  "You may be right there," replied Mander, "but, at
the same time, you will acknowledge that by a firm ad-
herence to the principles of morality, many a state
would have insured its own destruction, and has escaped
from it only by adopting a dexterous policy, which ac-
commodated itself to the circumstances and conditions
of the crisis."
  "Very true ; but this is the cause, the evil has gone
so far that the devil can only be cast out through Beel-
zebub the prince of devils, that we are compelled to
take the unworthy weapons of our adversary into our
own hands. But do not forget, that in spite of its po-
litical arts, perhaps even through their very means,
many a state has fallen to ruin, and that we have only
before us the history of countries as it has been mod-
ified by this policy, and therefore can not affirm that
the continual existence of an independent state is
without the range of possibility, were its rulers al-
ways to keep in view and observe in their management
at home and abroad only the strictest justice and the
most conscientious faith."
"I would not advise any government to try the ex-
periment," said Oswald, "until all the others shall agree