the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第35章

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se　of　Commons　he　had　a　hereditary；　an　infantine　love。　　Through　his　whole　boyhood；　the　House　of　Commons　was　never　out　of　his　thoughts；　or　out　of　the　thoughts　of　his　instructors。　　Reciting　at　his　father's　knee；　reading　Thucydides　and　Cicero　into　English；　analysing　the　great　Attic　speeches　on　the　Embassy　and　on　the　Crown；　he　was　constantly　in　training　for　the　conflicts　of　the　House　of　Commons。　　He　was　a　distinguished　member　of　the　House　of　Commons　at　twenty…one。　　The　ability　which　he　had　displayed　in　the　House　of　Commons　made　him　the　most　powerful　subject　in　Europe　before　he　was　twenty…five。　　It　would　have　been　happy　for　himself　and　for　his　country　if　his　elevation　had　been　deferred。　　Eight　or　ten　years；　during　which　he　would　have　had　leisure　and　opportunity　for　reading　and　reflection；　for　foreign　travel；　for　social　intercourse　and　free　exchange　of　thought　on　equal　terms　with　a　great　variety　of　companions；　would　have　supplied　what；　without　any　fault　on　his　part；　was　wanting　to　his　powerful　intellect。　　He　had　all　the　knowledge　that　he　could　be　expected　to　have；　that　is　to　say；　all　the　knowledge　that　a　man　can　acquire　while　he　is　a　student　at　Cambridge；　and　all　the　knowledge　that　a　man　can　acquire　when　he　is　First　Lord　of　the　Treasury　and　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer。　　But　the　stock　of　general　information　which　he　brought　from　college；　extraordinary　for　a　boy；　was　far　inferior　to　what　Fox　possessed；　and　beggarly　when　compared　with　the　massy；　the　splendid；　the　various　treasures　laid　up　in　the　large　mind　of　Burke。　　After　Pitt　became　minister；　he　had　no　leisure　to　learn　more　than　was　necessary　for　the　purposes　of　the　day　which　was　passing　over　him。　　What　was　necessary　for　those　purposes　such　a　man　could　learn　with　little　difficulty。　　He　was　surrounded　by　experienced　and　able　public　servants。　　He　could　at　any　moment　command　their　best　assistance。　　From　the　stores　which　they　produced　his　vigorous　mind　rapidly　collected　the　materials　for　a　good　parliamentary　case；　and　that　was　enough。　　Legislation　and　administration　were　with　him　secondary　matters。　　To　the　work　of　framing　statutes；　of　negotiating　treaties；　of　organising　fleets　and　armies；　of　sending　forth　expeditions；　he　gave　only　the　leavings　of　his　time　and　the　dregs　of　his　fine　intellect。　　The　strength　and　sap　of　his　mind　were　all　drawn　in　a　different　direction。　　It　was　when　the　House　of　Commons　was　to　be　convinced　and　persuaded　that　he　put　forth　all　his　powers。　Of　those　powers　we　must　form　our　estimate　chiefly　from　tradition；　for　of　all　the　eminent　speakers　of　the　last　age　Pitt　has　suffered　most　from　the　reporters。　　Even　while　he　was　still　living；　critics　remarked　that　his　eloquence　could　not　be　preserved；　that　he　must　be　heard　to　be　appreciated。　　They　more　than　once　applied　to　him　the　sentence　in　which　Tacitus　describes　the　fate　of　a　senator　whose　rhetoric　was　admired　in　the　Augustan　age：　　〃Haterii　canorum　illud　et　profluens　cum　ipso　simul　exstinctum　est。〃　　There　is；　however；　abundant　evidence　that　nature　had　bestowed　on　Pitt　the　talents　of　a　great　orator；　and　those　talents　had　been　developed　in　a　very　peculiar　manner；　first　by　his　education；　and　secondly　by　the　high　official　position　to　which　he　rose　early；　and　in　which　he　passed　the　greater　part　of　his　public　life。　At　his　first　appearance　in　Parliament　he　showed　himself　superior　to　all　his　contemporaries　in　command　of　language。　　He　could　pour　forth　a　long　succession　of　round　and　stately　periods；　without　premeditation；　without　ever　pausing　for　a　word；　without　ever　repeating　a　word；　in　a　voice　of　silver　clearness；　and　with　a　pronunciation　so　articulate　that　not　a　letter　was　slurred　over。　　He　had　less　amplitude　of　mind　and　less　richness　of　imagination　than　Burke；　less　ingenuity　than　Windham；　less　wit　than　Sheridan；　less　perfect　mastery　of　dialectical　fence；　and　less　of　that　highest　sort　of　eloquence　which　consists　of　reason　and　passion　fused　together；　than　Fox。　　Yet　the　almost　unanimous　judgment　of　those　who　were　in　the　habit　of　listening　to　that　remarkable　race　of　men　placed　Pitt；　as　a　speaker；　above　Burke；　above　Windham；　above　Sheridan；　and　not　below　Fox。　　His　declamation　was　copious；　polished；　and　splendid。　　In　power　of　sarcasm　he　was　probably　not　surpassed　by　any　speaker；　ancient　or　modern；　and　of　this　formidable　weapon　he　made　merciless　use。　　In　two　parts　of　the　oratorical　art　which　are　of　the　highest　value　to　a　minister　of　state　he　was　singularly　expert。　　No　man　knew　better　how　to　be　luminous　or　how　to　be　obscure。　　When　he　wished　to　be　understood；　he　never　failed　to　make　himself　understood。　　He　could　with　ease　present　to　his　audience；　not　perhaps　an　exact　or　profound；　but　a　clear；　popular；　and　plausible　view　of　the　most　extensive　and　complicated　subject。　　Nothing　was　out　of　place；　nothing　was　forgotten；　minute　details；　dates；　sums　of　money；　were　all　faithfully　preserved　in　his　memory。　　Even　intricate　questions　of　finance；　when　explained　by　him；　seemed　clear　to　the　plainest　man　among　his　hearers。　　On　the　other　hand；　when　he　did　not　wish　to　be　explicit；and　no　man　who　is　at　the　head　of　affairs　always　wishes　to　be　explicit；he　had　a　marvellous　power　of　saying　nothing　in　language　which　left　on　his　audience　the　impression　that　he　had　said　a　great　deal。　　He　was　at　once　the　only　man　who　could　open　a　budget　without　notes；　and　the　only　man　who；　as　Windham　said；　could　speak　that　most　elaborately　evasive　and　unmeaning　of　human　compositions；　a　King's　speech；　without　premeditation。　The　effect　of　oratory　will　always　to　a　great　extent　depend　on　the　character　of　the　orator。　　There　perhaps　never　were　two　speakers　whose　eloquence　had　more　of　what　may　be　called　the　race；　more　of　the　flavour　imparted　by　moral　qualities；　than　Fox　and　Pitt。　　The　speeches　of　Fox　owe　a　great　part　of　their　charm　to　that　warmth　and　softness　of　heart；　that　sympathy　with　human　suffering；　that　admiration　for　everything　great　and　beautiful；　and　that　hatred　of　cruelty　and　injustice；　which　interest　and　delight　us　even　in　the　most　defective　reports。　　No　person；　on　the　other　hand；　could　hear　Pitt　without　perceiving　him　to　be　a　man　of　high；　intrepid；　and　commanding　spirit；　proudly　conscious　of　his　own　rectitude　and　of　his　own　intellectual　superiority；　incapable　of　the　low　vices　of　fear　and　envy；　but　too　prone　to　feel　and　to　show　disdain。　　Pride；　indeed；　pervaded　the　whole　man；　was　written　in　the　harsh；　rigid　lines　of　his　face；　was　marked　by　the　way　in　which　he　walked；　in　which　he　sate；　in　which　he　stood；　and；　above　all；　in　which　he　bowed。　　Such　pride；　of　course；　inflicted　many　wounds。　　It　may　confidently　be　affirmed　that　there　cannot　be　found；　in　all　the　ten　thousand　invectives　written　against　Fox；　a　word　indicating　that　his　demeanour　had　ever　made　a　single　personal　enemy。　　On　the　other　hand；　several　men　of　note　who　had　been　partial　to　Pitt；　and　who　to　the　last　continued　to　approve　his　public　conduct　and　to　support　his　administration；　Cumberland；　for　example；　Boswell；　and　Matthias；　were　so　much　irritated　by　the　contempt　with　which　he　treated　them；　that　they　complained　in　print　of　their　wrongs。　　But　his　pride；　though　it　made　him　bitterly　disliked　by　individuals；　inspired　the　great　body　of　his　followers　in　Parliament　and　throughout　the　country　with　respect　and　confidence。　　They　took　him