A radical contradiction vitiates the political theory of Mr. Belloc. It can be stated thus: the Roman civilisation and the medieval are continuous because in the dark ages the barbarians who dominated in society thought they were Romans and accepted the Roman Empire, although with manifest decadence; the British working classes are in imminent peril of becoming a servile class by the imposition of some elements of slavery, although they will not be called or considered slaves, by themselves or others.

The former thesis (that of Europe and the Faith) assumes that society depends on the formalities of the mind: what it intends to accept. The latter thesis (that of the Servile State) assumes that society depends on what the mind actually accepts, regardless of formalities or aspects.