it has been said, 'all men, especially all women, are born
worshipers;' and will worship, if it be but possible. Possible
to worship a Something, even a small one; not so possible a mere
loud-blaring Nothing! What sight is more pathetic than that of
poor multitudes of persons met to gaze at King's Progresses,'
Lord Mayor's Shews, and other gilt-gingerbread phenomena of the
worshipful sort, in these times; each so eager to worship;
each, with a dim fatal sense of disappointment, finding that he
cannot rightly here! These be thy gods, O Israel? And thou art
so _willing_ to worship,--poor Israel!

In this manner, however, did the men of the Eastern Counties take
up the slain body of their Edmund, where it lay cast forth in the
village of Hoxne; seek out the severed head, and reverently
reunite the same. They embalmed him with myrrh and sweet spices,
with love, pity, and all high and awful thoughts; consecrating
him with a very storm of melodious adoring admiration, and sun-
dyed showers of tears;--joyfully, yet with awe (as all deep joy
has something of the awful in it), commemorating his noble deeds
and godlike walk and conversation while on Earth. Till, at
length, the very Pope and Cardinals at Rome were forced to hear
of it; and they, summing up as correctly as they well could,
with _Advocatus-Diaboli_ pleadings and their other forms of
process, the general verdict of mankind, declared: That he had,
in very fact, led a hero's life in this world; and being now
_gone,_ was gone as they conceived to God above, and reaping his
reward _there._ Such, they said, was the best judgment they
could form of the case;--and truly not a bad judgment.
Acquiesced in, zealously adopted, with full assent of 'private
judgment,' by all mortals.