Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/249

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GRATTAN. 245 philippic against Mr. Grattan, and his whole political conduct. To this Mr. Grattan made the following reply:—“Sir, the speech of the honourable member has been so disorderly and extraordinary, that the House will permit me to make an immediate reply. He talks of simple repeal, he does not understand that question; he does not know whether that measure was right or wrong. He speaks of renunciation; of that he is equally ignorant. The merits or demerits of either question, or of both questions, surpass his capacity. He has arraigned my conduct, but his observations are as feeble as they are virulent. The member is a melancholy proof, that a man may be scurrilous who has not capacity to be severe. He speaks of the public grant of 50,000l.; and he says, I got that for bungling, what the patentee was so fortunate to complete. He says so, but why he should say so, or on what grounds he talks, he is totally unable to explain; he repeats a sentence which he has heard, but the force of meaning, or foundation for the sentence, the member cannot set forth; the jingle of a period touches his ear; and he repeats i t , and h e knows not why. The calumny urged against me by the member, i s not his own, (Dublin Evening Packet.) Mr. Higgins has said i t better than the honourable gen tleman; the Freeman's Journal has stated i t better, and with much more ingenuity than the honourable gentleman: but Mr. Higgins i s a liar; the Freeman's Journal i s a liar; i t i s not unparliamentary t o say, that the authority from which the gentleman draws his argument, i s a liar, a public, pitiful liar! He said, h e did not mean that the honourable gentleman was a liar, but that the paper from which h e had borrowed his authority, was a liar, a posi tive liar!” Here Mr. Parsons rose, and stepping towards Mr. Grattan, made use o f some words, which, for the honour o f parliament, are not reported. Mr. Grattan sat down. The House immediately called out, “custody! custody s ” and the Speaker ordered the galleries t o b e cleared: i t was near two hours before order was com pletely restored.