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1、THELADY,ORTHETIGER?byFrankR.StocktonIntheveryoldentimetherelivedasemi-barbaricking,whoseideas,thoughsomewhatpolishedandsharpenedbytheprogressivenessofdistantLatinneighbors,werestilllarge,florid,anduntrammelled,asbecamethehalfofhimwhichwasbarbaric.Hewasamanofexuberan
2、tfancy,and,withal,ofanauthoritysoirresistiblethat,athiswill,heturnedhisvariedfanciesintofacts.Hewasgreatlygiventoself-communing,and,whenheandhimselfagreeduponanything,thethingwasdone.Wheneverymemberofhisdomesticandpoliticalsystemsmovedsmoothlyinitsappointedcourse,hi
3、snaturewasblandandgenial;but,whenevertherewasalittlehitch,andsomeofhisorbsgotoutoftheirorbits,hewasblanderandmoregenialstill,fornothingpleasedhimsomuchastomakethecrookedstraightandcrushdownunevenplaces.Amongtheborrowednotionsbywhichhisbarbarismhadbecomesemifiedwasth
4、atofthepublicarena,inwhich,byexhibitionsofmanlyandbeastlyvalor,themindsofhissubjectswererefinedandcultured.Butevenheretheexuberantandbarbaricfancyasserteditself.Thearenaofthekingwasbuilt,nottogivethepeopleanopportunityofhearingtherhapsodiesofdyinggladiators,nortoena
5、blethemtoviewtheinevitableconclusionofaconflictbetweenreligiousopinionsandhungryjaws,butforpurposesfarbetteradaptedtowidenanddevelopthementalenergiesofthepeople.Thisvastamphitheater,withitsencirclinggalleries,itsmysteriousvaults,anditsunseenpassages,wasanagentofpoet
6、icjustice,inwhichcrimewaspunished,orvirtuerewarded,bythedecreesofanimpartialandincorruptiblechance.Whenasubjectwasaccusedofacrimeofsufficientimportancetointeresttheking,publicnoticewasgiventhatonanappointeddaythefateoftheaccusedpersonwouldbedecidedintheking'sarena,a
7、structurewhichwelldeserveditsname,for,althoughitsformandplanwereborrowedfromafar,itspurposeemanatedsolelyfromthebrainofthisman,who,everybarleycornaking,knewnotraditiontowhichheowedmoreallegiancethanpleasedhisfancy,andwhoingraftedoneveryadoptedformofhumanthoughtandac
8、tiontherichgrowthofhisbarbaricidealism.Whenallthepeoplehadassembledinthegalleries,andtheking,surroundedbyhiscourt,sathighuponhisthroneofro
