To fancy that Northumberland in the thirteenth century would have consented to ally itself with Somersetshire for the choice of a chief magistrate is absurd; it would scarcely have allied itself to choose a hangman.
Bagehot illustrates the absurdity of expecting distant regions to unite in choosing a leader in historical contexts.
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More from Walter Bagehot
The power of free interchange of ideas being wanting, the ideas themselves were barren.
Savages waste away before modern civilisation; they seem to have held their ground before the ancient.
One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.
All savage religions are full of superstitions founded on luck.
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