232 The Eighth General 3[eeting. 



wife and children were added to this charming and refined society, 

 to the last there remained the same excellent spirit and the same 

 graceful manner. After reverting to the intimacy which had for 

 many years existed between Lord Herbert and himself, both in 

 public and private, he could not help observing that he considered 

 him to have been the most perfect model of a Christian and a 

 gentleman it had ever been his good fortune to meet with. He 

 would now make a remark which he trusted would not be considered 

 inappropriate on that occasion. They all knew the great part which 

 the ancestors of Lord Herbert had performed in the history of this 

 country, and that among them were men of the first character for 

 ability ; but perhaps the greatest of all was Sir Philip Sidney. It 

 is true that comparatively little is known in our day of his public 

 career to justify the wonderful amount of his fame. But there is 

 one thing with which we cannot help being struck, and that was 

 his remarkable likeness in character to Lord Herbert. Sir Philip 

 Sidney was we are told, " the Mirror of Knighthood," which meant 

 that he was possessed of all that was becoming in the character of a 

 gentleman — generosity, courtesy, and self-controul. One of the 

 most remarkable features in the character of Lord Herbert, was the 

 entire abnegation of self, and the perfect controul which he possessed 

 over all his feelings. Such was the harmony of his character, that 

 whenever he was brought into party collisions — and, he too, like all 

 public men, had to suffer from those asperities to which all statesmen 

 are exposed — no man had ever reason to feel that he had acted 

 with asperity in return. Therefore if Sir Philip Sidney was looked up 

 to as one of the great stars during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 

 surely the name of Lord Herbert may equally be referred to as 

 that of one who was the " Mirror of Knighthood " in the reign of 

 Queen Victoria. He trusted they would pardon him for detaining 

 them so long on this subject, but he felt more than ever how im- 

 possible it is to express in words our feelings, when those feelings 

 were strong. There was one remark which he wished to make before 

 he sat down. He trusted they w»uld not allow the feelings which 

 pervaded their minds at the present time to evaporate in words. 



