THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



to form a statue, without having learnt the statuary's art ! 

 " In time of war," adds the sage, " no less than the safety of 

 the whole community is intrusted to the general ; and it is in 

 his power, either to procure to it many and great advan- 

 tages, by a prudent discliarge of the duties of his station, or 

 involve his country, through misconduct, in the very deepest 

 distress ; and, therefore, that man must be worthy of no 

 small punishment, who whilst he is unwearied in his endea- 

 vours to obtain this honour, takes little or no thought about 

 qualifying himself properly for executing a trust of such vast 

 importance." ' 



' I remember the passage you allude to,' replied Mr. Beaumont 

 Raby, ' and also that the lecture of Socrates wrought so power- 

 fully on the young gentleman, that he immediately applied 

 himself to the gaining instruction, which qualified him for the 

 post ; and why should not my nephew have done so also ? The 

 history of our country tells us that youth is no bar to a display 

 of either talent or of action ; and, if you recollect, when Homer 

 calls Agamemnon venerable, it is not in reference to his years, 

 but to his knowledge and acquirements.' 



' Well,' resumed the Baronet, ' all I can say on the subject 

 is, that, amongst my acquaintance (indeed, I might have been 

 in the House myself, but I was aware of my own incapacity to 

 do good), three very good fellows, in their way, had seats in 

 Parliament as soon as they came of age ; but I have yet to 

 learn that either of them did anything beyond the value of 

 their vote. One of them, in fact, disappointed me ; for, being 

 rather a cleverish fellow, I thought he would have made a good 

 speech, and knowing it was his intention to make one, I went 

 into the gallery one night to hear him. But what was the 

 result ? In the fii'st place, having had a dinner party that 

 evening, he was more than half drunk ; and knowing that the 

 motion he was about to speak on would not be called till after 

 midnight, he went first to the Opera. Now, whether it was 

 that, being musical, the line singing of Catalani had quite 

 bothered his brains, or the eflect of wine, I cannot pretend 

 to say, but this I know, he made sad work of it. He not onl}^ 

 hemm'd and ha'd to an extent scarcely ever heard before ; kept 

 turning ] and twisting about his cocked-hat as if, as Addison 

 humoroiisly says, he had been cheapening a beaver instead of 

 addressing a senate ; but at length got so bewildered among 



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