Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/108

 66 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF 1853 CHAP, charm. He had discarded in some measure his IV. the aid of foreigners, and took a pride in his own people, and understood their worth. In the great empire of the North religion is closely blended with the national sentiment, and in this compos- ite shape it had a strong hold upon the Czar. It did not much govern him in his daily life, and his way of joining in the service of the Church seemed to disclose something like impatience and disdain, hut no one doubted that faith was deeply rooted in his mind. He had the air of a man raised above the level of common worshippers, who ima- gined that he was appointed to serve the cause of his Church by great imperial achievements, and not by humble feats of morality and devotion. It will be seen but too plainly that the Emperor Nicholas could be guilty of saying one thing and doing another; and it may be supposed, therefore, that at once and in plain terms he ought to be charged with duplicity ; yet there are circum- stances which make one falter in coming to such a conclusion. He had reigned, and had person- ally governed, for some seven-and-twenty years ; and although during that period he had done much to raise bitter hatred, the most sagacious statesmen in Europe placed faith in his personal honour. It is certain that he had the love of truth. "When he sought to speak of what he deemed fair and honourable, he travelled into our language for the word which spoke his meaning, and claimed to have the same standard of upright-
 * predecessor's system of governing .Russia through