It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going
direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like
the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities
insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the
superlative degree of comparison only.
There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain
face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large
jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France.
In both countries it was clearer than crystal to
the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes,
that things in general were settled for ever.