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226 GRATTAN. same appellation: but he laughed at the folly of the accusation at that time, and so do I now. If I was an incendiary, it was for moving what the parliaments of both kingdoms have since given their sanction to; if that is to be an incendiary, God grant I may continue so! In this administration it was, that I was dismissed from office; now, Sir, I do not know that in general my dis missal from office was thought any disgrace to me; I do not think this House or the nation thought me disho noured by that dismissal. The first day I delivered those sentiments for which I was dismissed, I remember it well, I thought it for my honour, some very honourable and worthy gentlemen, some since dead, and some still alive, one of whom I shall ever love and shall ever lament; one of them is dead since to everything but his own honour and the grateful memory of his country; one of them who thought me so little of the character of an incendiary, that he crossed the House, together with others, to con gratulate me on the honour of my conduct, and to em brace me in open parliament. At that moment I think I stood clear to the imputation of being an incendiary. The character of an incendiary, therefore, seems to have been superinduced upon me of a sudden; it has sprouted out and germinated from that root of much evil, the simple repeal: since that moment only, it seems that I have been going down in the opinion of the public; since that mo ment they have found out that my character and conduct deserve a l l reprobation, and deserve the brand o f being a n incendiary; and yet I can hardly prevail upon myself t o think that i s the case, because, since that moment, I have received more honourable testimonies from every corner o f the kingdom, than that right honourable member has received i n the same period. I shall return once more t o the sentiments o f that beloved character 1 have just de scribed: h e was a man, over whose life, o r over whose grave, envy never hovered: h e was a man, wishing ardently t o serve his country himself, not wishing t o mo nopolise the service, but wishing t o partake and t o com