Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/74

 32 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF It 53 chap, of every statesman who would faithfully labour to preserve the peace of Europe. It is a poor use of time to urge a king or an emperor to restrain his ambition and his covetousness, for these are passions eternal, always to be looked for, and always to be combated. For such a prince the only good bridle is the fear of war. Of course it is right enough to appeal to this wholesome fear under the courteous title of 'deference to opinion,' though in truth it is not for the ambitious dis- turber, but rather for those Princes who are show- ing signs of weakness and failing spirit, that the dis- cipline of opinion is really needed. Happily this discipline is not often wanting, for the feelings of nations in regard to the toleration of a wrong coincide with the general weal ; and if men cannot always shame a prince from being guilty of an ignominious defection, they at least take care that the fruit of his delinquency shall be bitter. Europe is severe and slow of forgiveness towards any great Power which, by shrinking from the defence of its own rights, has suffered a harm to be done to another State. It will be seen by-and-by that, in defiance of the opinion of Europe, and without any colour of right, a great Power invaded the territory of a weaker neighbour; but anyone who keeps in mind the principle of the great Usage will have the means of seeing what resources Europe had for repressing this act of violence, and will hold a clue for finding out the quarter to which men had a ri'dit to look for the commencement of resistance.