And ever came the necessary sop—
Some contract, loan, monopoly, or pact—
At sight of which all wrongs were laid aside,
And men who had "full powers" used them not,
Forgetting the traditions of their race.
And thus things went from bad to worse, while men
Sat sadly wondering what the end would be,
And at their parlous state, of which no cause
They knew, except the spirit of the land.
But of those latter days, and what befell