3D2 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



shrunk from his grasp ; and persons 

 of" this description were his only 

 enemies. But his dauntless intre- 

 pidity, and his noble disdain of 

 vulgar popularity, held up a shield 

 ;igainst their malice ; and no fear 

 of consequences ever drove him 

 from that n anly and honourable 

 course, which the rectitude and 

 purity of Ins mind induced him to 

 pursue. As an orator, he was 

 simple, elegant, prompt, and 

 graceful. His geniuswas so fertile, 

 and his reading so extensive, that 

 there were few subjects on which 

 he could not instruct, amuse, and 

 persuade. He was frequently (as 

 lias justly been observed) "at 

 once entertaining and abstruse, 

 drawing illustrations promiscu- 

 ously from familiar life, and the 

 recondite parts of science ; nor was 

 it unusual to hear him through 

 three adjoining sentences, in the 

 first witt}', in the second meta- 

 physical, and in the last scholas- 

 tic." But his eloquence derived 

 its principal power from the 

 quickness of his apprehension, and 

 the philosophical profundity of his 

 mind. Of this his speech on Mr 

 Curwen's bill (May, 1809) is an 

 eminent instance ; for it unques- 

 tionably contains more moral and 

 political wisdom than is found in 

 any similar performance which 

 has appeared since the death of 

 B'lr. Burke, and may be placed on 

 the same platform with the most 

 admired productions of that dis- 

 tinguished orator. In private life 

 no man perhaps of any age had a 

 greater number of zealous friends 

 and admirers. In addition to his 

 extraordinary talents and accom- 

 plishments, the grace and happi- 

 ness of his address and manner 

 gave an irresistible charm to his 

 conversation ; and few, it is believ- 

 ed, of either sex (for his address 



to the ladies was inimitably elegant 

 and graceful) ever partook of his 

 society without pleasure and ad- 

 miration, or quitted it without 

 regret. His brilliant imagination, 

 his various knowledge, his acute- 

 ness, his good taste, his wit, his 

 dignity of sentiment, and his 

 gentleness of manner (forhc never 

 was loud or intemperate) made 

 him universally admired and re- 

 spected. To crown all these virtues 

 and accomplishments, it may be 

 added, that he fulfilled all the 

 duties oflife, the lesser as well as the 

 greatest, with the most scrupulous 

 attention ; and was always parti- 

 cularly ardent in vindicating the 

 cause of oppressed merit. But his 

 best eulogy is the general senti- 

 ment of sorrow which agitated 

 every bosom on the sudden and 

 unexpected stroke which termi- 

 nated in his death. During the 

 nineteen days of his sickness, his 

 hall was daily visited by several 

 hundred successive enquirers con- 

 cerning the state of his health ; 

 and that part of Pall Mall, in 

 which his house was situated, was 

 thronged with carriages filled with 

 ladies, whom a similar anxiety 

 brought to his door. Every morn- 

 ing, and also at a late hour every 

 evening, when his physicians and 

 surgeons attended, several apart- 

 ments in his house were filled with 

 friends, who anxiously waited to 

 receive the latest and most accu- 

 rate accounts of the progress or 

 abatement of his disorder. This 

 sympathetic feeling extended 

 almost through every class, and 

 even reached the throne, for his 

 majesty frequently enquired con- 

 cerning the state of his health, 

 pronouncing on him this high eu- 

 log}"-, that " he was a genuine pa- 

 triot, and a truly honest man." Of 

 the fatal malady which put an end 



