Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-07-11
BROUGHAM AND MACAULAY.
The Delicious and Continuous Row Be-
tween These Great Men.
Napier Correspondence-The Inside History OF
ho Edtnhurgh Rayipw

the Edinburgh Review.
! Brougham's judgment of Macaulay is
perhaps the most remarkable of all.
His jealousy OF him has been an open
secret for fifty years. That Macaulay
complained bitterly of Brougham is
we'll known to readers Of Trevelyan's
Life of Macaulay, where a letter is
printed in which he says Brougham's
language to the editor of the Review,
when translated into plain English. is
this: II must write about this French
revolution, and l will write about it.
If you have told Macaulay to do it, you
may tell him to let it alone. If he has
written an article he may throw it
behind the CRATE. He would not him.
self have the assurance to compare his
own claims with him. | am a man,
who act prominent part in the world;
he is nobody. If he must be reviewing,
there is my speech about the West
Indies. Set him to write puff on that.
What have people like him to do, en-
cept TO eulogize people like me?"
Eight wears afterward Macaulay writes
(now IL Trevelyan): 81 know and have
known for long time that ne (Brough-
amy hates me. If, during the last ten
years, | have gained any reputation
either in politics or in letters, If have
had any success in life, it has been
without his help and countenance, and
often in spite of his utmost exertion
TO keep me down." Both men, in 1888,
wished to write on the Earl of Chatham.
Brougham's article was accepted, but
not without misgivings lest it should
enrage Macaulay and his friends. To
that effect Mr.. Napier wrote letter to
Brougham, and received an immediate
reply. Says Brougham:
"That you have done anything very
adventurous in encountering the wrath
Of the Macaulay party, / really don't
much apprehend. That he has any
better right to monopolize Lord Chat
nam, | more than doubt. That he
would have done it better also doubt;
for if truth, which he never is in search
of, be better in history than towering
sentences, and producing an effect by
eternal point and glitter, l. am assured
that the picture have done, poor as it
is, may stand by any he or Empson
may have done. = What possible
right can any Of these silly slaves have
to object to my opinion being-what
it truly is--against the Holland House
theory Of Lord Chatham's madness.
| know that Lord Grenvile treated it
with contempt. | know others now
living who do so too, and | know that
SO stout whig as Sir p. Francis was
clearly of that opinion, and he knew
Lord Chatham personally, had every
ground to believe that Horace Walpole,
a vile, malignant and unnatural wretch,
though very clever writer of letters,
was nine-tenths of the Holland House
authority for the tale. | knew that a
baser man in character, or a meaner in
capacity than the first Lord Holland
existed not, even IN those days Of job
and mediocrity. Why, then, was |
bound to takea false view because Lord
Hollands family have inherited his
hatred of great rival?'
When Macaulay returned from India,
he did not call on Lord Brougham,
which seems to have annoyed Brougham
he is the second or third greatest bore
in society | have ever known, and |
have little time to be bored don't at
all lament; but | certainly know that
he is by others despiscd for it as he is
pretty sure one day to hear" In the
same year Macaulay writes of him:
ITO be sure he has done wonders this
session. A mere tongue, without a
party and without n character, in an
unfrlendly audience, and with an I'M
friendly press, never did half so much
before" In 1912 Brougham writes
again Of Macaulav as bore" in So
cety:
He is absolutely renowned in SO
ciety rs the greatest bore that ever yet
appeared"
An article from Macaulay on Lord
Chatham was published, neverth eless,
in 1914, and was the last work he did
for the Repiew Jeffrey pronounced it
"a great paper" In April, 1913, Ma
caulay writes that Brougham is all
but mad. One of his freaks has been
making up violently to me. After a
complete cut-for we had not spoken
for years-he saw me in the house OF
lords, ran to the bar, caught my hand,
clapped me on the shoulder, all but
embraced me, praised my verses, urged
me to speak more in parliament and
SO on" ey'sjudgment of Brougham
is this: "Who would not mourn for
Brougham! and who does not rejoice
that the time is not yet come when the
land is to be darkened by the extinction
of so great light? wish to heaven
its course were better ordered. \ glor-
ious planet he might have been, but
disdaining to be less than sun, he has
run the wild career of comet, threat
ening all systems with disturbance
and what will the end be?" Macaulay
had little sympathy with Carlyle. AS
to Carlyle" he says in 1882, che might
as well write in Irving's unknown tongue
at ence."
Free Speech in Japan.
Freedom of sneech is n privilege