Next to  Sermak himself, Lewis Bort  was the most active  in rallying thosedissident elements  which had  fused into the  now-vociferous Action Party.
Yet he had not  been one of the deputation that had called on Salvor Hardinalmost half a year  previously. That this was so was not due to any lack ofrecognition of his efforts;  quite the contrary. He was absent for the verygood  reason  that  he  was  on  Anacreon's  capital  world  at  the  time.
He visited  it as a private citizen. He saw no  official and he did nothingof importance. He merely  watched the obscure comers of the busy planet andpoked his stubby nose into dusty crannies.
He arrived home toward  the end of a short winter day that had started withclouds and  was finishing  with snow and  within an hour was  seated at theoctagonal table in Sermak's home.
His  first  words  were  not calculated  to  improve  the  atmosphere of  agathering  already  considerably  depressed  by the  deepening  snow-filledtwilight outside..
"I'm afraid,"  he said,  "that our position  is what is  usually termed, inmelodramatic phraseology, a 'Lost Cause.'""You think so?" said Sermak, gloomily.
"It's gone  past thought, Sermak.  There's no room for  any other opinion.""Armaments? began Dokor Walto,  somewhat officiously, but Bort broke in atonce.
"Forget that.  That's an  old story." His  eyes traveled round  the circle.
"I'm referring  to the people. I admit that it  was my idea originally thatwe attempt  to foster  a palace rebellion  of some sort to  install as kingsomeone more favorable to  the Foundation. It was a good idea. It still is.
The only trifling flaw  about it is that it is impossible. The great SalvorHardin saw to that."Sermak   said   sourly,   "If   you'd   give   us   the   details,   Bort?
"Details!  There aren't  any! It isn't  as simple  as that. It's  the wholedamned  situation  on  Anacreon.  It's  this religion  the  Foundation  hasestablished. It works!""Well!""You've got  to see  it work to appreciate it. All you  see here is that wehave  a  large  school  devoted  to  the  training  of  priests,  and  thatoccasionally a special show is put on in some obscure comer of the city forthe benefit  of pilgrims and that's all.  The whole business hardly affectsus as a general thing. But on Anacreon?
Lem Tarki smoothed his prim little Vandyke with one finger, and cleared histhroat. "What kind of religion is it? Hardin's always said that it was justa fluffy  flummery to get them to accept  our science without question. Youremember, Sermak, he told us that day?
"Hardin's explanations,"  reminded Sermak,  "don't often mean  much at facevalue. But what kind of a religion is it, Bort?"Bort considered. "Ethically, it's fine. It scarcely varies from the variousphilosophies of the old  Empire. High moral standards and all that. There'snothing to complain about from that viewpoint. Religion is one of the greatcivilizing  influences of  history and  in that respect,  it's fulfilling?
"We  know  that,"  interrupted Sermak,  impatiently.  "Get  to the  point.""Here  it is."  Bort was a  trifle disconcerted,  but didn't show  it. "Thereligion ?which the  Foundation has fostered and encouraged, mind you ?isbuilt on  on strictly authoritarian lines.  The priesthood has sole controlof the  instruments of science we have  given Anacreon, but they've learnedto  handle these  tools  only empirically.  They believe  in  this religionentirely, and in the  ... uh ... spiritual  value of the power they handle.
For instance, two months ago some fool tampered with the power plant in theThessalekian Temple  ?one of the large ones.  He contaminated the city, ofcourse.  It  was considered  divine  vengeance by  everyone, including  thepriests.""I remember. The papers  had some garbled version of the story at the time.
I don't see what you're driving at.""Then, listen,"  said Bort,  stiffly. "The priesthood forms  a hierarchy atthe apex of which is the king, who is regarded as a sort of minor god. He'san absolute monarch by divine right, and the people believe it, thoroughly,and the priests, too.  You can't overthrow a king like that. Now do you getthe point?""Hold  on," said Walto,  at this point.  "What did  you mean when  you saidHardin's done all this? How does he come in?"Bort glanced at his  questioner bitterly. "The Foundation has fostered thisdelusion assiduously. We've put all our scientific backing behind the hoax.
There isn't  a festival at which the king does  not preside surrounded by aradioactive aura shining forth  all over his body and raising itself like acoronet above his head. Anyone touching him is severely burned. He can movefrom  place to  place  through the  air at  crucial moments,  supposedly byinspiration of  divine spirit. He fills the  temple with a pearly, internallight at  a gesture. There is  no end to these  quite simple tricks that weperform for  his benefit; but even the  priests believe them, while workingthem personally.""Bad!" said Sermak, biting ............