Literary work-Tancred; or, the New Crusade'-Modern philo- sophy-The 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'—' Life of Lord George Bentinck 'Disraeli's religious views-Revela- tion as opposed to Science-Dislike and dread of Rationalism— Religion and statesmanship-The national creed the supplement of the national law-Speech in the theatre at Oxford-Disraeli Indifference to money-Death of Isaac Disraeli-Purchase of Hughenden Mrs. Brydges Willyams of Torquay-An assigna- tion with unexpected results-Intimate acquaintance with Mrs. Willyams-Correspondence-Views on many subjects-The Fall of the Whigs in 1867-Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer -Reform Bill why undertaken-Necessities, real or fancied, of a Party Leader-Alternatives-Split in the Cabinet-Disraeli carries his point-Niagara to be shot-Retirement of Lord Derby-Disraeli Prime Minister Various judgments of his Gladstone-Decay of Protestant feeling in England-Protestant character of the Irish Church-The Upas Tree-Mr. Gladstone's Irish policy-General effect on Ireland of the Protestant Establishment-Voltaire's opinion-Imperfect results-The character of the Protestant gentry-Nature of the proposed The calm of satisfied ambition-A new novel-' Lothair'-Survey of English society-The modern aristocracy-Forces working on the surface and below it-Worship of rank-Cardinal Grandison-Revolutionary Socialism--Romeward drift of the The exhausted volcanoes-Mr. Gladstone's failure and unpopularity —Ireland worse than before-Loss of influence in Europe— The Election of 1874-Great Conservative majority-Disraeli again Prime Minister with real power-His general position as a politician-Problems waiting to be dealt with-The relations between the Colonies and the Empire-The restoration of the authority of the law in Ireland-Disraeli's strength and Disraeli's weakness-Prefers an ambitious foreign policy-Russia and Turkey-The Eastern question-Two possible policies and the effects of each-Disraeli's choice-Threatened war with Russia -The Berlin Conference-Peace with honour-Jingoism and fall of the Conservative party-Other features of his adminis- tration-Goes to the House of Lords'as Earl of Beaconsfield and receives the Garter-Public Worship Act-Admirable distri- CHAPTER XVII Retirement from officeDignity in retreat-Hughenden Lord Beaconsfield as a landlordFondness for country life-' En. dymion' - Illness and death Attempted estimate of Lord Beaconsfield-a great man? or not a great man ?Those only great who can forget themselves-Never completely an Englishman-Relatively great, not absolutely-Gulliver among Lilliputians-Signs in 'Sybil' of a higher purpose, but a purpose incapable of realisation Simplicity and blamelessness in private life-Indifference to fortune-Integrity as a statesman and administrator PAGE 254 · 263 LORD BEACONSFIELD CHAPTER I Carlyle on Lord Beaconsfield-Judgment of the House of CommonsFamily History-The Jews in Spain - Migration to VeniceBenjamin D'Israeli the Elder-Boyhood of Isaac Disraeli. CARLYLE, speaking to me many years ago of parliamentary government as he had observed the working of it in this country, said that under this system not the fittest men were chosen to administer our affairs, but the 'unfittest.' The subject of the present memoir was scornfully mentioned as an illustration; yet Carlyle seldom passed a sweeping censure upon any man without pausing to correct himself. 'Well, well, poor fellow,' he added, 'I dare say if we knew all about him we should have to think differently.' I do not know that he ever did try to think differently. His disposition to a milder judgment, if he entertained such a disposition, was scattered by the Reform Bill of 1867, which Carlyle regarded as the suicide of the English nation. In his Shooting Niagara' he recorded his own verdict on that measure and the author of it. For a generation past it has been growing more and more evident that there was only this issue; but now the B issue itself has become imminent, the distance of it to be guessed by years. Traitorous politicians grasping at votes, even votes from the rabble, have brought it on. One cannot but consider them traitorous; and for one's own poor share would rather have been shot than have been concerned in it. And yet, after all my silent indignation and disgust, I cannot pretend to be clearly sorry that such a consummation is expedited. I say to myself, Well, perhaps the sooner such a mass of hypocrisies, universal mismanagements, and brutal platitudes and infidelities ends, if not in some improvement then in death and finis, may it not be the better? The sum of our sins increasing steadily day by day will at least be less the sooner the settlement is. Nay, have I not a kind of secret satisfaction of the malicious or even of the judiciary kind (Schadenfreude, "mischief joy," the Germans call it, but really it is "justice joy" withal) that he they call Dizzy is to do it; that other jugglers of an unconscious and deeper type, having sold their poor mother's body for a mess of official pottage, this clever, conscious juggler steps in? Soft, you, my honourable friends: I will weigh out the corpse of your mothermother of mine she never was, but only step-mother and milch cow-and you shan't have the pottage—not yours you observe, but mine." This really is a pleasing trait of its sort; other traits there are abundantly ludicrous, but they are too lugubrious even to be momentarily pleasant. A superlative Hebrew conjuror spell-binding all the great lords, great parties, great interests of England to his hand in this manner, and leading them by the nose like helpless mesmerised somnambulist cattle to such issue! Did the world ever see a flebile ludibrium of such magnitude before? Lath-sword and scissors of Destiny, Pickle |