Of patriotism he did not know the meaning;--few, perhaps, do, beyond a feeling that they would like to lick the Russians, or to get the better of the Americans in a matter of fisheries or frontiers.

But he invented a pseudo-patriotic conjuring phraseology which no one understood but which many admired.

He was ambitious that it should be said of him that he was far-and-away the cleverest of his party.

He knew himself to be clever.

But he could only be far-and-away the cleverest by saying and doing that which no one could understand.