to all circulation of property, had reduced those before supported by the

factitious wants of society to sudden and hideous poverty, yet when the

boundaries of private possession were thrown down, the products of human

labour at present existing were more, far more, than the thinned generation

could possibly consume. To some among the poor this was matter of

exultation. We were all equal now; magnificent dwellings, luxurious

carpets, and beds of down, were afforded to all. Carriages and horses,

gardens, pictures, statues, and princely libraries, there were enough of

these even to superfluity; and there was nothing to prevent each from

assuming possession of his share. We were all equal now; but near at hand

was an equality still more levelling, a state where beauty and strength,

and wisdom, would be as vain as riches and birth. The grave yawned beneath

us all, and its prospect prevented any of us from enjoying the ease and

plenty which in so awful a manner was presented to us.

Still the bloom did not fade on the cheeks of my babes; and Clara sprung up

in years and growth, unsullied by disease. We had no reason to think the

site of Windsor Castle peculiarly healthy, for many other families had

expired beneath its roof; we lived therefore without any particular

precaution; but we lived, it seemed, in safety. If Idris became thin and

pale, it was anxiety that occasioned the change; an anxiety I could in no

way alleviate. She never complained, but sleep and appetite fled from her,

a slow fever preyed on her veins, her colour was hectic, and she often wept

in secret; gloomy prognostications, care, and agonizing dread, ate up the

principle of life within her. I could not fail to perceive this change. I

often wished that I had permitted her to take her own course, and engage

416

The Last Man