the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第27章

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e；　he　was　decidedly　their　inferior。　　They　transacted　business　in　their　closets；　or　at　boards　where　a　few　confidential　councillors　sate。　　It　was　his　lot　to　be　born　in　an　age　and　in　a　country　in　which　parliamentary　government　was　completely　established。　　His　whole　training　from　infancy　was　such　as　fitted　him　to　bear　a　part　in　parliamentary　government；　and；　from　the　prime　of　his　manhood　to　his　death；　all　the　powers　of　his　vigorous　mind　were　almost　constantly　exerted　in　the　work　of　parliamentary　government。　　He　accordingly　became　the　greatest　master　of　the　whole　art　of　parliamentary　government　that　has　ever　existed；　a　greater　than　Montague　or　Walpole；　a　greater　than　his　father　Chatham；　or　his　rival　Fox；　a　greater　than　either　of　his　illustrious　successors；　Canning　and　Peel。　Parliamentary　government；　like　every　other　contrivance　of　man；　has　its　advantages　and　disadvantages。　　On　the　advantages　there　is　no　need　to　dilate。　　The　history　of　England　during　the　hundred　and　seventy　years　which　have　elapsed　since　the　House　of　Commons　became　the　most　powerful　body　in　the　state；　her　immense　and　still　growing　prosperity；　her　freedom；　her　tranquillity；　her　greatness　in　arts；　in　sciences；　and　in　arms；　her　maritime　ascendency；　the　marvels　of　her　public　credit；　her　American；　her　African；　her　Australian；　her　Asiatic　empires；　sufficiently　prove　the　excellence　of　her　institutions。　　But　those　institutions；　though　excellent；　are　assuredly　not　perfect。　　Parliamentary　government　is　government　by　speaking。　　In　such　a　government；　the　power　of　speaking　is　the　most　highly　prized　of　all　the　qualities　which　a　politician　can　possess：　　and　that　power　may　exist；　in　the　highest　degree；　without　judgment；　without　fortitude；　without　skill　in　reading　the　characters　of　men　or　the　signs　of　the　times；　without　any　knowledge　of　the　principles　of　legislation　or　of　political　economy；　and　without　any　skill　in　diplomacy　or　in　the　administration　of　war。　　Nay；　it　may　well　happen　that　those　very　intellectual　qualities　which　give　a　peculiar　charm　to　the　speeches　of　a　public　man　may　be　incompatible　with　the　qualities　which　would　fit　him　to　meet　a　pressing　emergency　with　promptitude　and　firmness。　　It　was　thus　with　Charles　Townshend。　　It　was　thus　with　Windham。　　It　was　a　privilege　to　listen　to　those　accomplished　and　ingenious　orators。　　But　in　a　perilous　crisis　they　would　have　been　found　far　inferior　in　all　the　qualities　of　rulers　to　such　a　man　as　Oliver　Cromwell；　who　talked　nonsense；　or　as　William　the　Silent；　who　did　not　talk　at　all。　　When　parliamentary　government　is　established；　a　Charles　Townshend　or　a　Windham　will　almost　always　exercise　much　greater　influence　than　such　men　as　the　great　Protector　of　England；　or　as　the　founder　of　the　Batavian　commonwealth。　　In　such　a　government；　parliamentary　talent；　though　quite　distinct　from　the　talents　of　a　good　executive　or　judicial　officer；　will　be　a　chief　qualification　for　executive　and　judicial　office。　　From　the　Book　of　Dignities　a　curious　list　might　be　made　out　of　Chancellors　ignorant　of　the　principles　of　equity；　and　First　Lords　of　the　Admiralty　ignorant　of　the　principles　of　navigation；　of　Colonial　ministers　who　could　not　repeat　the　names　of　the　Colonies；　of　Lords　of　the　Treasury　who　did　not　know　the　difference　between　funded　and　unfunded　debt；　and　of　Secretaries　of　the　India　Board　who　did　not　know　whether　the　Mahrattas　were　Mahometans　or　Hindoos。　　On　these　grounds；　some　persons；　incapable　of　seeing　more　than　one　side　of　a　question；　have　pronounced　parliamentary　government　a　positive　evil；　and　have　maintained　that　the　administration　would　be　greatly　improved　if　the　power；　now　exercised　by　a　large　assembly；　were　transferred　to　a　single　person。　　Men　of　sense　will　probably　think　the　remedy　very　much　worse　than　the　disease；　and　will　be　of　opinion　that　there　would　be　small　gain　in　exchanging　Charles　Townshend　and　Windham　for　the　Prince　of　the　Peace；　or　the　poor　slave　and　dog　Steenie。　Pitt　was　emphatically　the　man　of　parliamentary　government；　the　type　of　his　class；　the　minion；　the　child；　the　spoiled　child；　of　the　House　of　Commons。　　For　the　House　of　Commons　he　had　a　hereditary；　an　infantine　love。　　Through　his　whole　boyhood；　the　House　of　Commons　was　never　out　of　his　thoughts；　or　out　of　the　thoughts　of　his　instructors。　　Reciting　at　his　father's　knee；　reading　Thucydides　and　Cicero　into　English；　analysing　the　great　Attic　speeches　on　the　Embassy　and　on　the　Crown；　he　was　constantly　in　training　for　the　conflicts　of　the　House　of　Commons。　　He　was　a　distinguished　member　of　the　House　of　Commons　at　twenty…one。　　The　ability　which　he　had　displayed　in　the　House　of　Commons　made　him　the　most　powerful　subject　in　Europe　before　he　was　twenty…five。　　It　would　have　been　happy　for　himself　and　for　his　country　if　his　elevation　had　been　deferred。　　Eight　or　ten　years；　during　which　he　would　have　had　leisure　and　opportunity　for　reading　and　reflection；　for　foreign　travel；　for　social　intercourse　and　free　exchange　of　thought　on　equal　terms　with　a　great　variety　of　companions；　would　have　supplied　what；　without　any　fault　on　his　part；　was　wanting　to　his　powerful　intellect。　　He　had　all　the　knowledge　that　he　could　be　expected　to　have；　that　is　to　say；　all　the　knowledge　that　a　man　can　acquire　while　he　is　a　student　at　Cambridge；　and　all　the　knowledge　that　a　man　can　acquire　when　he　is　First　Lord　of　the　Treasury　and　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer。　　But　the　stock　of　general　information　which　he　brought　from　college；　extraordinary　for　a　boy；　was　far　inferior　to　what　Fox　possessed；　and　beggarly　when　compared　with　the　massy；　the　splendid；　the　various　treasures　laid　up　in　the　large　mind　of　Burke。　　After　Pitt　became　minister；　he　had　no　leisure　to　learn　more　than　was　necessary　for　the　purposes　of　the　day　which　was　passing　over　him。　　What　was　necessary　for　those　purposes　such　a　man　could　learn　with　little　difficulty。　　He　was　surrounded　by　experienced　and　able　public　servants。　　He　could　at　any　moment　command　their　best　assistance。　　From　the　stores　which　they　produced　his　vigorous　mind　rapidly　collected　the　materials　for　a　good　parliamentary　case；　and　that　was　enough。　　Legislation　and　administration　were　with　him　secondary　matters。　　To　the　work　of　framing　statutes；　of　negotiating　treaties；　of　organising　fleets　and　armies；　of　sending　forth　expeditions；　he　gave　only　the　leavings　of　his　time　and　the　dregs　of　his　fine　intellect。　　The　strength　and　sap　of　his　mind　were　all　drawn　in　a　different　direction。　　It　was　when　the　House　of　Commons　was　to　be　convinced　and　persuaded　that　he　put　forth　all　his　powers。　Of　those　powers　we　must　form　our　estimate　chiefly　from　tradition；　for　of　all　the　eminent　speakers　of　the　last　age　Pitt　has　suffered　most　from　the　reporters。　　Even　while　he　was　still　living；　critics　remarked　that　his　eloquence　could　not　be　preserved；　that　he　must　be　heard　to　be　appreciated。　　They　more　than　once　applied　to　him　the　sentence　in　which　Tacitus　describes　the　fate　of　a　senator　whose　rhetoric　was　admired　in　the　Augustan　age：　　〃Haterii　canorum　illud　et　profluens　cum　ipso　simul　exstinctum　est。〃　　There　is；　however；　abundant　evidence　that　nature　had　bestowed　on　Pitt　the　talents　of　a　great　orator；　and　those　talents　had　been　developed　in　a　very　peculiar　manner；　first　by　his　education；　and　secondly　by　the　high　official　position　to　which　he　rose　early；　and　in　which　he　passed　the　greater　part　of　his　public　life。　At　his　first　appearance　in　Parliament　he　showed　himself　superior　to　all　his　contemporaries　in　command　of　language。　　He　could　pour　forth　a　long　succession　of　round　and　stately　periods；　without　premeditation；　without　ever　pausing　for　a　word；　without　ever　repeating　a　word；　in　a　voice　of　silver　clearness；　and　with　a　pronunciation　so　articulate　that　not　a　letter　was　slurred　over。　　He　had　less　amplitude　of　mind　and　less　richness　of　imagination　than　Burke；　less　ingenuity　than　Windham；　less　wit　than　Sheridan；　less　perfect　mastery　of　dialectical　fence；　and　less　of　that　highest　sort　of　eloquence　which　consists　of　reason　and　passion　fused　together；　than　Fox。　　Yet　the　almost　unanimous　judgment　of　those　who　were　in　the　habit　of　listening　to　that　remarkable　race　of　men　placed　Pitt；　as　a　speaker；　above　Burke；　above　Windham；　above　Sheridan；　and　not　below　Fox。　　His　declamation　was　copious；　polished；　and　splendid。　　In　power　of　sarcasm　he　was　probably　not　surpassed　by　any　speaker；　ancient　or　modern；　and　of　this　formidable　weapon　he　made　merciless　use。　　In　two　parts　of　the　oratorical　art　which　are　of　the　highest　value　to　a　minister　of　state　he　was　singularly　expert。　　No　man　knew　better　how　to　be　luminous　or　how　to　be　obscure。　　When　he　wished　to　be　understood；　he　never　failed　to　make　himself　understood。　　He　could　with　ease　present　to　his　audience；　not　perhaps　an　exact　or　profound；　but　a　clear；　popular；　and　plausible　view　of　the　most　extensive　and　complicated　subject。　　Nothing　was　out　of　place；　nothing　was　forgotten；　minute　details；　dates；　sums　of　money；　were　all　faithfully　preserved　in　his　memory。　　Even　intricate　questions　of　finance；　when　explained　by　him；　seemed　clear　to　the　plainest　man　among　his　hearers。　　On　the　other　hand；　when　he　did　not　wish　to　be　explicit；and　no　man　who　is　at　the　head　of　affairs　always　wishes　to　be　explicit；he　had　a　marvellous　power　of　saying　nothing　in　language　which　left　on　his　audience　the　impression　that　he　h