admire, gentlemen, in the present King, his love of peace—­I admire in him his disposition to economy, and I admire in him, above all, his faithful and honourable conduct to those who happen to be his ministers.  He was, I believe, quite as faithful to the Duke of Wellington as to Lord Grey, and would, I have no doubt, be quite as faithful to the political enemies of Lord Grey (if he thought fit to employ them) as he is to Lord Grey himself.  There is in this reign no secret influence, no double ministry—­on whomsoever he confers the office, to him he gives that confidence without which the office cannot be holden with honour, nor executed with effect.  He is not only a peaceful King, and an economical King, but he is an honest King.  So far, I believe, every individual of this company will go with me.

* * * * *

“There is an argument I have often heard, and that is this—­Are we to be afraid?—­is this measure to be carried by intimidation?—­is the House of Lords to be overawed?  But this style of argument proceeds from confounding together two sets of feelings which are entirely distinct—­personal fear and political fear.  If I am afraid of voting against this bill, because a mob may gather about the House of Lords—­because stones may be flung at my head—­because my house may be attacked by a mob, I am a poltroon, and unfit to meddle with public affairs.  But I may rationally be afraid of producing great public agitation; I may be honourably afraid of flinging people into secret clubs and conspiracies—­I may be wisely afraid of making the aristocracy hateful to the great body of the people.  This surely has no more to do with fear than a loose identity of name; it is in fact prudence of the highest order; the deliberate reflection of a wise man, who does not like what he is going to do, but likes still less the consequences of not doing it, and who of two evils chooses the least.

“There are some men much afraid of what is to happen; my lively hope of good is, I confess, mingled with very little apprehension; but of one thing I must be candid enough to say that I am much afraid, and that is of the opinion now increasing, that the people are become indifferent to reform; and of that opinion I am afraid, because I believe in an evil hour it may lead some misguided members of the Upper House of Parliament to vote against the bill.  As for the opinion itself, I hold it in the utmost contempt.  The people are waiting in virtuous patience for the completion of the bill, because they know it is in the hands of men who do not mean to deceive them.  I do not believe they have given up one atom of reform—­I do not believe that a great people were ever before so firmly bent upon any one measure.  I put it to any man of common sense, whether he believes it possible, after the King and Parliament have acted as they have done, that the people will ever be content with much less than the present bill