LORD MACAULAT, 



33 



determination. The career of a man of letters even sLxty years ago was 

 not a promising one, and there can be no disgrace, nay it is a great honour 

 for a man to seek to place himself above the reach of want. Macaulay 

 was not rich, and he wished to make a provision which might place him 

 above dependence either upon office or his literary labours. He remained 

 in India two years. While there he busied himself about the effect of 

 English rule in India — the aspects of its scenery, and the manners and 

 customs of the natives, thus qualifying him in no ordinary degree with 

 materials from which he wrote two of his most brilliant essays, those on 

 Lord Clive and Warren Hastings. On his return to England he was elected 

 M.P. for Edinburgh — but at the next general election he was rejected 

 partly from circumstances which need not be mentioned now, honourable 

 though they were to him, but chiefly I should say from the plain blunt 

 manner he dealt with his constituents. The following letter addressed to 

 Mr. Black will explain what I mean — 



" I am much gratified by what you say about the race cup. I had 

 abeady written to Craig to say that I should not subscribe, and I am glad 

 my determination meets with your approval. In the first place I am not 

 sure that the object is a good one. In the next place, I am sure that by 

 giving money for such an object, in obedience to such a summons, I 

 should completely change the whole character of my connection with 

 Edinburgh It has been usual enough for rich families to keep a hold 

 on corrupt boroughs by defraying the expense of public amusements. 

 Sometimes it is a ball ; sometimes a regatta. The Derby family used to 



support the Preston races But these are not the conditions on which 



I undertook to represent Edinbiurgh. In return for your generous 



confidence I offer faithful parliamentary service and nothing else I 



should feel this if I were a rich man. But I am not rich If our 



friends want a member who will find them in public diversions they can 

 be at no loss. I know of twenty people who, if you will elect them to 

 Parliament will gladly treat you to a race and a race-ball once a month." 



In 1842 appeared his lays of early Rome — a series of simple 

 ballads on subjects connected with the ancient history of Rome. The 

 great master of prose showed himself at home with this simple kind of 

 poetry. Ballad poetry was the delight of his boyhood, when he would 

 repeat it for hours together. Later in life he knew an enormous quantity 

 of ballad poetry, past and present — and it is impossible now to say how 

 much Macaulay was indebted for ballad poetry for those minute traits of 



