ft 



DESTRUCTION OF THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. *469 



munity, including along with this as full protection of person and 

 property as any other form of government could give. 



If it is true that " words are things/' it seems equally reasonable to 

 believe that allegories are realities that events which are not causes in 

 their nature become causes of important changes from the impressions 

 they produce on the mind, disposing it to a different course of action. 

 Equally great events with that here anticipated have arisen from 

 much lighter causes. The emperor Charles V. was led, by observing 

 the impossibility of making two watches exactly agree, to reflect on 

 the hopelessness of the great object in which his life had been spent, 

 that of endeavouring to make all men of one creed ; and would that 

 the same application of the fact, whether as to religion or politics, 

 were made on the present occasion ! not extending their liberality to 

 indifference, but learning that degree of moderation which, with a 

 very decided preference of its own opinions, can yet endure the 

 existence of very different ones in others, and not think, with many 

 of our time, that they must never be at peace till they have put down 

 all who differ from them. This applies more peculiarly to Ireland, 

 where this difference is the most marked, and a perfect union the 

 most impossible; but it is applicable, more or less, to the whole 

 kingdom ; the main difference being that the subject of it in the one 

 case is religion, and in the other politics. It is most fervently to be 

 hoped that the new parliament w r ill avoid the gross errors of the late 

 one, wasting their time (which belongs to their country) in frivolous 

 questions and personalities, which have nothing whatever to do with 

 that which is the only proper business of parliament, the interests of 

 their country, and (as far as is within their influence) of the world 

 at large. The fault of this does not merely fall on those who bring 

 forward such questions, but thos^who condescend to answer them; 

 and if they would only make this rule, never to give a place to a 

 trifling question when there is a weighty one to be considered, they 

 would do a great deal towards raising the character of the future 

 parliament over the late one, the reformed parliament having been 

 equally superior to all preceding ones in integrity, and inferior to all 

 or most of them in talent and dignity. Here, therefore, there is an 

 opportunity for them to unite both, or at least to avoid the evils of 

 each, which would itself be doing a great deal towards raising the 

 character of the House in the public estimation. The same applies 

 in some degree to the House of Lords ; and in both cases it is more 

 particularly to the Whig party that we address ourselves, on many 

 accounts : both because it is the most well-meaning of any, the most 

 true to the real spirit of the constitution, and, happily for the country, 

 has at present the upper hand, and may always retain it, if it would 

 but unite to its own integrity and patriotism something of the talent 

 and tact shown by its opponents, both in speaking and acting. Whe- 

 ther they would restore the name of their party to the dignity it 

 once possessed for instance, in the time of Burke or even rescue it 

 from the contempt it had fallen into for the last half century, is no 

 great matter : if they could raise the dignity of the party and its 

 representatives, or in plainer language, of the good and patriotic part 

 of the community over the selfish and unprincipled, they would do 



*3 P 



