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to him. A man so gifted and true-hearted could hardly fail of 

 meeting with worthy love and honourable friendship ; and in these 

 blessings he amply shared. The mutual devoted love and noble 

 companionship that was given to him in his wife formed indeed 

 the keystone of his happiness ; yet friendship was to him no empty 

 word. Deservedly so, for he could claim the affectionate regard of 

 those that really knew him, above all of Henry Hallam and Sir 

 Robert Inglis, and of Hudson and Anna Gurney. Nor did he escape 

 the notice of distinguished men. While quite young, Byron had 

 remarked of him, that he would be at the tip-top of whatever pur- 

 suit he embarked in. Describing an ideal translator of ancient Ger- 

 man poetry, Scott mentioned Palgrave's name. Later in life we find 

 Dr. Arnold proposing to put questions to him on our history, as the 

 person who could answer them better than any one else. 



An animated talker in society, at home he was not less ready to 

 amuse and to instruct. He was so bright and playful, so exceeding 

 in kindness and indulgence, that he was there as a boy among his 

 children, sharing in their talk, joining in their arguments, or telling 

 stories, allegories of his own invention or scenes from history. He 

 ever glowed with kindness and sympathy; but latterly animation 

 was dimmed by sorrow from which there was no recovery, and by 

 the commencement of that gradual decay of mind and body of which 

 he died. In 1847 he parted with a very dear son for the East ; about 

 five years after that, the best part of his life was buried in his wife's 

 grave. The remaining years were chiefly marked by declining powers 

 and the death of friends, and did but speak to the truth of Hallam' s 

 sad words, " time can never reinstate us to the position of domestic 

 happiness." The latter portion of his official life was, however, 

 smoothed to him by the most considerate kindness of Sir John 

 Romilly, a comparative stranger till his appointment as Master of 

 the Rolls. 



A mind such as Palgrave's, that adhered instinctively to truth for 

 its own sake, however antagonistic to popular fancy, that turned 

 rather towards the oppressed and humble than to the successful, 

 that was naturally averse to party feeling, and distrustful of the idol 

 of the day, such a mind, so endowed with wisdom not of this world, 

 so many-sided and imaginative, could not expect to be generally ap- 

 preciated, or to cause any immediate effect, or to reap the fruit of 



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