Ah, the princes, the princes! I tell you,
Lorenzo, it is the princes who have undermined the happiness of the
world with their ideas of absolute power; they are the robbers of all
mankind; for freedom, which is the common property of all men, that
have they, like regular lawless highwaymen, appropriated for themselves
alone. They plundered the luck-pennies of all mankind, and coined them
into money adorned with their likenesses, and now all mankind run after
this money, thinking: 'If I gain that, then shall I have recovered my
part of human happiness which once belonged to all in common!' It has
come to this, Lorenzo, through the rapacity of princes, and yet they
still tremble upon their thrones, and fear that the people may one day
awake from their stupid slumber, all rising as one man, and cry in
the paling faces of their robbers: 'Give back what you have taken from
us--we will have what is ours; we require freedom and human right; we
will no longer remain slaves to tremble before a bugbear; we will be
free children of God, and have no one to fear but the God above us and
the consciences within our own breasts!' Come down, therefore, from your
usurped thrones, become once more human--labor, enjoy, complain, and
rejoice, as other men do; live not upon the sweat of your subjects, but
nourish yourselves by your own efforts, that justice may prevail in the
world, and humanity regain its rights!"
And Ganganelli's eyes flashed, his sunken cheeks were feverishly
flushed, while he was thus speaking.
Pages:
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454