470* DEST11UCTION OF THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. 



quite enough. And one of the most certain ways of doing this would 

 be to drown all mere party considerations, and to favour and pro- 

 mote and trust the former in preference to the latter ; making their 

 particular opinions quite a matter of secondary consideration. Aris- 

 totle, in speaking of the characters necessary to a dramatic poem, in- 

 stead of classing them by their age, nation, &c., in the minute detail 

 that Horace and most critics do, says, with that large and discrimi- 

 nating comprehension of his subject which distinguishes him above 

 all other critics in either poetry or philosophy, that they can be only 

 of three main classes good, bad, or indifferent; showing in this his 

 superior knowledge of poetry as well as philosophy. But if this is 

 true in poetry, how infinitely more so is it in politics, which is really 

 only philosophy brought into action, and has been admirably defined 

 by the great philosopher himself, as " the art of rendering men happy" 

 (just as moral philosophy is the art of rendering them virtuous, and 

 theology of rendering them religious), a definition equally felicitous, 

 both for its comprehensiveness, simplicity, and truth, with that men- 

 tioned just above. 



One last piece of advice which we would strongly urge on all 

 friends of their country is, that each would fairly weigh his own 

 talents and importance ; and not only choose that province for which 

 he is most fit, but know when he can best serve his country by keep- 

 ing in the background altogether ; and imitate the wise conduct of 

 one of their party (Mr. Blackburne), who deserves to be recorded for 

 having, as he said to his constituents, alwavs given his vote, but never 

 his speech, when he had found his sentiments better expressed by an- 

 other ; a rule which it would be even for their own interests to observe, 

 since thus, whenever they did speak, they would be listened to with 

 attention. 



To conclude, with recurring to the subject we set out from : it 

 has been remarked that after the great fire of London, not only was 

 the town rebuilt better than before, but was never again visited by 

 the plague. Let us hope that both parallels will be renewed in this 

 case: that the new building when it is erected will be one worthy of 

 its object, both in its exterior and interior ; and that in the very next 

 meeting of parliament, we shall no longer see it disgraced by fooleries, 

 and animosities, and party-hatreds j and that, that worst of plagues, 

 corruption, which has till lately been the ruling principle of both 

 Houses, will be still more completely banished from those august, 

 important, and interesting assemblies ; that all the three powers of 

 King, Lords, and Commons, will know and be content with the 

 bounds of their own prerogatives, which are quite ample enough 

 without trenching on each other ; and raise this country to that state 

 of unrivalled prosperity and happiness, not nominal and apparent, but 

 real, both at home and abroad, which it is so pre-eminently qualified 

 above all other countries to attain. 





