FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



instance of this. At a municipal banquet given 

 to the Society at Cardiff, one of the early toasts 

 was " The Houses of Parliament," to which a 

 Member of the Commons replied. When he sat 

 down, there was a loud call for Lord Tredegar 

 to speak for the Upper House. His lordship was, 

 however, nominated for another toast later on, 

 and as, although he was an excellent speaker, 

 he always effaced himself when he could, he did 

 not want to hold forth twice. But, as the call 

 for him was persistent, he rose, and, after the 

 warmth of his reception had subsided, and there 

 was an expectant silence, he simply gave utterance 

 to the one word " Resurgam " and sat down, 

 amid a roar of laughter. When he rose again, 

 later on, he made amends for his previous reticence 

 by the appositeness and humour of his remarks. I 

 remember one instance in his speech of the latter 

 quality. With delightful seriousness, he recalled 

 how, in the course of his early classical studies, he 

 read of a battle in Greek history in which the 

 combatants were so absorbed in pursuing the fray 

 that even an earthquake in their midst, happening 

 at the same time, was quite unnoticed, and did 

 not stop the fighting for a single instant. He said 

 he had found its parallel in the Bath and West 

 show yard that day, on which, as they all knew, the 

 great sporting event of the year, the Derby, was 

 run. Yet no steward took the slightest cognizance 

 of this ; every one was at his post, and so wrapt 

 up" in his duties that, so far as the stewards were 

 concerned, the greatest race in the world might 

 never have come into existence. In view of the 

 sporting instincts of all Englishmen, he could 



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