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- 1579
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- 2026-01-30T03:48:16.150Z
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- start_line
- 1542
- text
- reports, more especially as to the epithets, for he well knew how
secretly unpopular may become a master-at-arms--at least, a
master-at-arms in those days, zealous in his function--and how the
blue-jackets shoot at him in private their raillery and wit; the
nickname by which he goes among them (_Jemmy Legs_) implying under the
form of merriment their cherished disrespect and dislike.
In view of the greediness of hate for provocation, it hardly needed a
purveyor to feed Claggart’s passion. An uncommon prudence is habitual
with the subtler depravity, for it has everything to hide. And in case
of any merely suspected injury, its secretiveness voluntarily cuts it
off from enlightenment or disillusion; and not unreluctantly, action is
taken upon surmise as upon certainty. And the retaliation is apt to be
in monstrous disproportion to the supposed offence; for when in anybody
was revenge in its exactions aught else but an inordinate usurer. But
how with Claggart’s conscience? For though consciences are unlike as
foreheads, every intelligence, not excluding the Scriptural devils who
‘believe and tremble,’ has one. But Claggart’s conscience being but the
lawyer to his will, made ogres of trifles, probably arguing that the
motive imputed to Billy in spilling the soup just when he did, together
with the epithets alleged, these, if nothing more, made a strong case
against him; nay, justified animosity into a sort of retributive
righteousness. The Pharisee is the Guy Fawkes prowling in the hid
chambers underlying some natures like Claggart’s. And they can really
form no conception of an unreciprocated malice. Probably, the
master-at-arms’ clandestine persecution of Billy was started to try the
temper of the man; but it had not developed any quality in him that
enmity could make official use of, or ever pervert into even plausible
self-justification; so that the occurrence at the mess, petty if it
were, was a welcome one to that peculiar conscience assigned to be the
private mentor of Claggart; and for the rest, not improbably, it put him
upon new experiments.
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