Volume III Part 10 (1/2)

[3] [In addition to other reasons, which are obvious, against this proceeding, it would have been an unprecedented thing to call on an iust, in the e has ever been appointed to one of the assessorshi+ps of the Judicial Committee, except Sir Alexander Johnston, who had been Chief Justice of Ceylon; but Sir Alexander refused to accept the stipend (400 a year) attached to the office, and never did receive it]

Septe came to town to receive the address of the City on the Queen's return--the most ridiculous address I ever heard The Queen was too ill to appear Her visit to Ger the life she led--always up at six and never in bed till twelve, continual receptions and ceremonies Errol told me she showed theen--a hole that an English housemaid would think it a hardshi+p to sleep in

Stanley (not the ex-Secretary, but the Under-Secretary) told ht an anecdote of Melbourne which I can very easily believe When the King sent for hiht it a damned bore, and that he was insaid, 'Why, damn it, such a position never was occupied by any Greek or Roman, and, if it only lasts two months, it is orth while to have been Priland' 'By God that's true,' said Melbourne; 'I'll go' Young is his private secretary--a vulgar, faable industry and a h to be shocked at the coarseness, while his indolence is acco[5] knows s; nobody knohence he coin, but he was a purser in the navy, and made himself useful to the Duke of Devonshi+re when he went to Russia, who recommended him to Melbourne He was a writer and runner for the newspapers, and has always been an active citizen, struggling and striving to get on in the world, and probably with no inconsiderable dexterity I know nothing of his honesty, for or against it; he seear and fa about public reed that by far the ablest, and at the saham and O'Connell, and that the latter is probably on the whole the most devoid of principle

Their characters and adventures would be worthy of a Plutarch

[5] [To,'

because you saw hio to]

Septee Head: HOLLAND HOUSE]

At Holland House yesterday, where I had not been these two years

Met Lord Holland at Court, who hty uncivil that I left off ain as if there had been no interruption, and as if we had been living together constantly Spring Rice and his son, Melbourne, and Palmerston dined there; Allen was at Dulwich, but careat deal of very good talk, anecdotes, literary criticis, though hardly sufficiently striking to be put down, unless as for a portion of a whole course of conversations of this description A vast depression cah I was amused, and I don't suppose I uttered a dozen words It is certainly true that the atmosphere of Holland House is often oppressive, but that was not it; it was a painful consciousness of my own deficiencies and of my incapacity to take a fair share in conversation of this description I felt as if a language was spoken before h to talk in it ether ignorant, and when the ht into comparison, and Lord Holland cut jokes upon Allen for his enthusiastic admiration of the 'De Moribus Germanorum,' it was not that I had not read the poets or the historian, but that I felt I had not read them with profit I have not that familiarity with either which enables me to discuss their merits, and a painful sense came over me of the difference between one who has superficially read and one who has studied, one who has laid a solid foundation in early youth, gathering knowledge as he advances in years, all the stores of hisso orderly disposed that they are at all tiether a quantity of loose reading, as vanity, curiosity, and not seldo thus without systeested mass of matter, which proves anted to be of small practical utility--in short, one must pay for the follies of one's youth He astes his early years in horse-racing and all sorts of idleness, figuring away a the dissolute and the foolish,the learned and the wise Some instances there are of men who have united both characters, but it will be found that these have had frequent laborious intervals, that though they may have been vicious, they have never been indolent, and that their minds have never slumbered and lost by disuse the power of exertion

Reflections of this sort make me very uncomfortable, and I am ready to cry with vexation when I think on her order of merit, and indifferent to a nobler kind of praise, I should be happier far; but to be tormented with the sentiment of an honourable as, and at the same time so sunk in sloth and bad habits as to be incapable of those exertions without which their objects are unattainable, is of all conditions the worst I sometimes think that it would be better for ht have been (if one a better system of moral discipline), if I was still lower than I araded caste; and then again, when I look forward to that period which is fast approaching--

Whena sprightlier age-- Coe--

I ah far below the wise and the learned, I ah h left to appear respectably in the world, and that I have at least preserved that taste for literary pursuits which I cling to as the greatest of blessings and the best security against the tedium and vacuity which are the indispensable concoe Head: CONVERSATION AT HOLLAND HOUSE]

As a slight but imperfect sketch of the talk of Holland House I will put down this:--

They talked of Taylor's new poem, 'Philip van Artevelde'

Melbourne had read and admired it The preface, he said, was affected and foolish, the poe in Milman There was one fine idea in the 'Fall of Jerusalem'--that of titus, who felt himself propelled by an irresistible ireat agent always pervading their dra Rice, as enthusiastic about hienius of raded every subject None of thee; his lectures were very tiresoreatpreaching in the streets Irving had called on Melbourne, and eloquently reiven to puppet-shows and other sights not to be prevented; that the cohways,” and that they must obey God rather than man' Melbourne said this was all very true and unanswerable 'What _did_ you answer?' I asked 'I said, ”You e and Goulburn, who is a saint and gave lectures in his roo e III's letters to Lord North; the King liked Lord North, hated the Duke of Richh and Lord Thurlow Thurloas always 'endeavouring to under underhand with his eneht, and never think of what you are to say to excuse it beforehand'--a good maxim The Duke of Rich in his closet, told him that 'he had said that to him which if he was a subject he should not scruple to call an untruth' The King never forgave it, and the Duke had had the i his enemy for life This Duke of Rich the Ah the fleet, when the King was there, with Aave Fox for putting the Duke of Portland instead of hi the riots in 1780 on account of Admiral Keppel, Tom Grenville burst open the door of the Ade and destruction of papers Lord Grey a little while ago attacked his could not be done now During the Windsor election they hired a ton (Lord Wellesley) over Windsor Bridge, and Fitzpatrick said it would be so fine to see St Patrick's blue riband floating down the streaton could swier mob After dinner they discussed wone the best; the only three of a high class are Madane, Madame de Stael, and (Bobus Smith said) Sappho, but of her not above forty lines are extant: these, however, are unrivalled; Mrs Soreat in the exact sciences Lady Holland would not hear of Madareed as to Miss Austen that her novels are excellent Quintus Curtius is confirmed by Burnes' travels in Bokhara, but was reckoned no authority by the greatest scholars; Lord Melbourne said Mitford had expressed his confidence in his there is no reason to believe that any king before Edward III understood the English language; the quarrel between Beckett and King Henry II was attributed (by so between Normans and Saxons, and this was the principal motive of the quarrel and the murder of the Archbishop Klopstock had a _sect_ of ade froe, to ask hie in one of his works which they could not understand He looked at it, and then said that he could not then recollect what it was that he meant when he wrote it, but that he kneas the finest thing he ever wrote, and they could not do better than devote their lives to the discovery of its e Head: LORD MELBOURNE'S LITERARY CONVERSATION]

At Holland House again; only Bobus Sreeable enough Melbourne's excellent scholarshi+p and universal information remarkably display they which sho deeply his mind is impressed with literary subjects

After dinner there was much talk of the Church, and Allen spoke of the early reformers, the Catharists, and how the early Christians persecuted each other; Melbourne quoted Vigilantius's letter to Jerome, and then asked Allen about the 11th of Henry IV, an Act passed by the Coue between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely at the beginning of Shakespeare's 'Henry V,' which Lord Holland sent for and read, Melbourne knowing it all by heart and proard says of this statute that the Co to co sharply rebuked theies Melbourne quoted Tooke's 'Diversions of Purley,' which he seeet what other topics were discussed, but after Lady Holland and Melbourne and Allen went to bed, Lord Holland, Bobus, and I sat down, and Lord Holland told us reat orators of his early days Fox used to say Grey was thegot into a scrape early in his Parliaation; it was about his letter to the Prince being sent by a servant during the Regency discussions Fox thought his own speech in 1804 on going to ith France the best he ever er) was not so eloquent as Chathahts, does not soar so high' No poas ever equal to Chathareater in the Commons than it was afterwards in the Lords When Sir Tho the House on soar' so often that there was at last a laugh as often as he did so, Chathary, and at last his wrath boiled over When Robinson sat down Pitt rose, and with a tone and ar--I say sugar Who laughs now?' and nobody did laugh Once in the House of Lords, on a debate during the Aht be awakened from his slumbers There was a cry of 'Order! order!' 'Order, my Lords?' burst out Chatham, 'Order? I have not been disorderly, but I _will_ be disorderly I repeat again, I hope that his Majesty may be awakened from his slumbers, but that he may be awakened by such an awful apparition as that which drew King Priaht and told hiretted much that he had never heard Lord North, whoreat opponents; his tereat Tommy Townshend, a violent, foolish felloas always talking strong language, said in so will satisfy me but to have the noble Lord's head; I will have his head' Lord North said, 'The honourable gentleman says he will have h the honourable gentleman says he will have my head, I can assure him that I would on no account have his'