HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



77 



that Mr. Fox, Avho had so often 

 and so seriously arraigned Mr. 

 Pitt's gOTernment, as unconstitu- 

 tional and tyrannical, should now 

 cordially acquiesce with that gen- 

 tlemau, in forming a new adminis- 

 tration .' How could they meet at 

 the same council tabic, without 

 practising a degree of dissimulation 

 which would be degrading to each 

 of them ? He conjured Mr. Wind- 

 ham, by the memory of his departed 

 friend (Mr. Burke), and by the 

 memory of his departed self, to 

 pause a moment before he would 

 sign and seal his own inconsistency, 

 by joining the advocates of French 

 principles. He considered the a- 

 doption of the motion would im- 

 mediately introduce a worse mi- 

 nistry, than that which now ex- 

 isted. 



Mr. Windham, gave the last 

 speaker credit for singing the fu- 

 neral dirge of the administration, in 

 melodious strains ; 



" lie sang, Darius great and good 

 " By too severe a fate 

 « Fall'n, fall 'n, fall'n, from his high 

 estate." 



In another part of his speech he 

 appeared not to consider the cause 

 of ministers, as absolutely hopeless. 

 It appeared to him that nothing 

 could be fairer, than to move for an 

 investigation, before any direct 

 charge was made against ministers. 

 As the right honourable and learn- 

 ed gentleman had been so much 

 shocked at persons uniting in sen- 

 timent, who had diflfered on other 

 he thought he would do 

 look at a gentleman, who 



topics, 



well to 



sat near him (Mr. Tierncy), who 



had been the friend and companion 



of the admirers of French princi- 



pies, who had been the champion 

 of reform, and of ail those measures 

 which were so obnoxious to the 

 right honourable and learned gen- 

 tleman. 



Mr. Tierney denied, that he had 

 been gnilty of inconsistency. As to 

 the question of parliamentary re- 

 form, it was yet to be seen whether 

 he had or had not ch.anged his sen- 

 timents. He had opposed the late 

 administration, and one very prin- 

 cipal reason of this opposition was, 

 that the right honourable gentleman 

 (Mr. Windham) made a part of it. 

 He believed the country was full a» 

 well defended, as if that right ho- 

 nourable gentleman were still secre- 

 tary at war, and he really believed 

 there was no circumstance that would 

 give the country so much alarm, as 

 his re-appointinent. He believed, 

 that the feelings of the people wera 

 generally with the present minis- 

 ters. 



Mr. Fox, in his reply, observed, 

 that he never heard any motion op- 

 posed with so little ability, or an 

 opposition in which personalities 

 and ribaldry were so much substi- 

 tuted for arguments. Whenever 

 those who opposed him felt them- 

 selves worsted in the argument, they 

 immediately recurred to his sup- 

 posed attachment to French princi- 

 ples, or to the coalition administra- 

 tion. The learned gentleman (the 

 attorney general) had declaimed fu- 

 riously against coalition, and union 

 of parties ; but, for his part, when 

 the duke of Portland, lord Fitzwil- 

 liam, and many other valuable 

 friends of his, had joined the late 

 administration, however sensibly he 

 was affected by the loss, he never 

 imputed it to any principle, but an 

 honourable difference of opinion. — 

 The learned gentleman," however, 



onlj 



