The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane · Chapter
I: The World Outside explained
Zachariah Coleman, a poor printer in Clerkenwell, witnesses the departure of Louis XVIII from London amid a cheering crowd.
What happens
Zachariah Coleman, a poor printer in Clerkenwell, witnesses the departure of Louis XVIII from London amid a cheering crowd. He refuses to remove his hat, is attacked by a drayman, and is rescued by a well-dressed stranger, Major Maitland. Later, Maitland visits Zachariah's home, discusses politics, and invites him to join the 'Friends of the People'. The chapter explores Zachariah's inner life—his capacity for love, his religious faith, and his quiet heroism in enduring a joyless existence.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Resilience
Zachariah's quiet endurance of a joyless life, his sullen pride in not knowing God's purposes, and his determination to live without complaint despite footsore and wounded spirit.
Political Reform and Revolution
Major Maitland's invitation to the 'Friends of the People' and the discussion of political clubs, reform, and the temper of the people.
Religion and Hypocrisy
Zachariah's deep religious faith, his belief in predestination, and the contrast with Maitland's profane language and the crowd's misplaced loyalty to a king.
Characters to notice
- Zachariah Coleman
A poor printer, small and lean, with white complexion and blackened hands. He refuses to cheer Louis XVIII, is struck by a drayman, and is rescued by Major Maitland. He is a man of deep religious faith and quiet endurance.
- Major Maitland
A well-dressed man in a bottle-green coat who defends Zachariah in the crowd, then visits his home. He is a member of the 'Friends of the People' and invites Zachariah to join.
- Mrs. Zachariah
Zachariah's wife, present during Major Maitland's visit. She is startled by Maitland's casual use of God's name but remains silent.
Key passages
“Oh my hero! Perhaps somewhere or other—let us hope it is true—a book is kept in which human worth is duly appraised, and in that book, if such a volume there be, we shall find that the divinest heroism is not that of the man who, holding life cheap, puts his back against a wall, and is shot by Government soldiers, assured that he will live ever afterwards as a martyr and saint: a diviner heroism is that of the poor printer, who, in dingy, smoky Rosoman Street, Clerkenwell, with forty years before him, determined to live through them, as far as he could, without a murmur, although there was to be no pleasure in them.”
The narrator suggests that true heroism lies not in dramatic martyrdom but in the quiet endurance of a poor printer like Zachariah, who faces a long, joyless life without complaint.
Highlights the theme of suffering and resilience, contrasting public heroism with private endurance.
“Is there anything more touching than the waste of human loyalty and love? As we read the history of the Highlands or a story of Jacobite loyalty such as that of Cooper’s Admiral Bluewater, dear to boys, we sadden that destiny should decree that in a world in which piety is not too plentiful it should run so pitifully to waste, and that men and women should weep hot tears and break their hearts over bran-stuffing and wax.”
The narrator reflects on the tragic waste of genuine human devotion when it is misdirected toward unworthy figures like Louis XVIII.
Critiques misplaced loyalty and the futility of idealism, tying to the political and religious themes of the chapter.