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The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson-Part6_Robert Southey(1774-1843)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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said Nelson, "pardon me, my prince, when I presume to recommend



that he may stand in your royal favour as if he had never sailed with

you, and that at some future day you will serve him. There only



wants this to place your conduct in the highest point of view. None

of us are without failings--his was being rather too hasty; but that,



put in competition with his being a good officer, will not, I am bold

to say, be taken in the scale against him. More able friends than



myself your royal highness may easily find, and of more consequence

in the state; but one more attached and affection" target="_blank" title="n.友爱；慈爱">affectionate is not so easily



met with: Princes seldom, very seldom, find a disinterested person

to communicate their thoughts to: I do not pretend to be that person;



but of this be assured, by a man who, I trust, never did a dishonourable

act, that I am interested only that your royal highness should be the



greatest and best man this country ever produced."

Encouraged by the conduct of Lord Howe, and by his reception at



court, Nelson renewed his attack upon the peculators with fresh spirit.

He had interviews with Mr. Rose, Mr. Pitt, and Sir Charles Middleton,



to all of whom he satisfactorily proved his charges. In consequence,

if is said, these very extensive public frauds were at length put



in a proper train to be provided against in future; his representations

were attended to; and every step which he recommended was adopted; the



investigation was put into a proper course, which ended in the

detection and punishment of some of the culprits; an immense



saving was made to government, and thus its attention was directed to

similar peculations in other arts of the colonies. But it is said also



that no mark of commendation seems to have been bestowed upon

Nelson for his exertion. It has been justly remarked that the spirit



of the navy cannot be preserved so effectually by the liberal honours

bestowed on officers when they are worn out in the service, as by an



attention to those who, like Nelson at this part of his life, have only

their integrity and zeal to bring them into notice. A junior officer,



who had been left with the command at Jamaica, received an additional

allowance, for which Nelson had applied in vain. Double pay



was allowed to every artificer and seaman employed in the naval

yard: Nelson had superintended the whole business of that yard with



the most rigid exactness, and he complained that he was neglected.

"It was most true," he said, "that the trouble which he took to detect



the fraudulent practices then carried on was no more than his duty;

but he little thought that the expenses attending his frequent journeys



to St. John's upon that duty (a distance of twelve miles) would have

fallen upon his pay as captain of the BOREAS." Nevertheless, the sense



of what he thought unworthy usage did not diminish his zeal. "I,"

said he,"must buffet the waves in search of--What? Alas! that



they called honour is thought of no more. My fortune, God knows,

has grown worse for the service; so much for serving my country!



But the devil, ever willing to tempt the virtuous, has made me offer, if

any ships should be sent to destroy his Majesty of Morocco's ports, to



be there; and I have some reason to think that, should any more

come of it, my humble services will be accepted. I have invariably



laid down, and followed close, a plan of what ought to be uppermost

in the breast of an officer,--that it is much better to serve an



ungrateful country than to give up his own fame. Posterity will do him

justice. A uniform course of honour and integrity seldom fails of



bringing a man to the goal of fame at last."

The design against the Barbary pirates, like all other designs



against them, was laid aside; and Nelson took his wife to his father's

parsonage, meaning only to pay him a visit before they went to France;



a project which he had formed for the sake of acquiring a competent

knowledge of the French language. But his father could not bear to



lose him thus unnecessarily. Mr. Nelson had long been an invalid,

suffering under paralytic and asthmatic affection" target="_blank" title="n.友爱；慈爱">affections, which, for several



hours after he rose in the morning, scarcely permitted him to speak.

He had been given over by his physicians for this complaint nearly



forty years before his death; and was, for many of his latter years,

obliged to spend all his winters at Bath. The sight of his son, he



declared, had given him new life. "But, Horatio," said he, "it would




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