weathercock grown rusty, remains just where he was in the last week of
last October. It is true, that his protest against binding him to his
opinions, and his reservation of a right to whatever opinions he
pleases, remain in their full force. This variability is pleasant, and
shows a fertility of fancy:--

Qualis in æthereo felix Vertumnus Olympo
Mille habet ornatus, mille decenter habet.

Yet, doing all justice to the sportive variability of these weekly,
daily, or hourly speculators, shall I be pardoned, if I attempt a word
on the part of us simple country folk? It is not good for _us_, however
it may be so for great statesmen, that we should be treated with
variable politics. I consider different relations as prescribing a
different conduct. I allow, that, in transactions with an enemy, a
minister may, and often must, vary his demands with the day, possibly
with the hour. With an enemy, a fixed plan, variable arrangements. This
is the rule the nature of the transaction prescribes. But all this
belongs to treaty. All these shiftings and changes are a sort of secret
amongst the parties, till a definite settlement is brought about. Such
is the spirit of the proceedings in the doubtful and transitory state of
things between enmity and friendship. In this change the subjects of the
transformation are by nature carefully wrapt up in their cocoons. The
gay ornament of summer is not seemly in his aurelia state. This
mutability is allowed to a foreign negotiator; but when a great
politician condescends publicly to instruct his own countrymen on a
matter which may fix their fate forever, his opinions ought not to be
diurnal, or even weekly. These ephemerides of politics are not made for
our slow and coarse understandings. Our appetite demands a _piece of
resistance_. We require some food that will stick to the ribs. We call