is to me
wholly incredible that anything but a severe regard for truth,
learnt to a great extent from his teaching, could ever have led you
to embody in your portrait of him a delineation of the faults and
weaknesses which mixed with his great qualities."*

--
* My Relations with Carlyle, p. 62.
--

Calling witnesses to the character of such a man as Froude is itself
almost an insult. But there is one judgment so valuable and so
emphatic that I cannot refrain from citing it. The fifteenth Earl of
Derby held such a high position in the political world that his
literary attainments have been comparatively neglected. He was in
truth an omnivorous reader and a cool, sagacious critic, who was not
led astray by enthusiasm, and never said more than he felt. Writing
to Froude on the 20th of October, 1884, Lord Derby described the
Life of Carlyle as the most interesting biography in the English
language, and added, "I think you have finally silenced the foolish
talk about indiscretion, and treachery to a friend's memory. It is
clear that you have done only, and exactly, what Carlyle wished
done: and to me it is also apparent that he and you were right: that
his character could not have been understood without a full
disclosure of what was least attractive in it: and that those
defects--the product mainly of morbid physical conditions--do not
really take away from his greatness, while they explain much that
was dark, at least to me, in his writings." Lord Derby's opinions
were not lightly formed, and he was as much guided by pure reason as
mortal man can be.

Froude's own judgment is given in a letter to Lady Derby, which
contains also much interesting speculation on South African
politics. Lord Derby, it will be remembered, was at that time
Secretary of State for the Colonies.

"October 14th, 1884.--Carlyle in London comes out this week. I loved
and honoured him above all living men, and with this feeling I have
done my best to produce a faithful likeness of him. This is a
consolation to me, if the only one I am likely to have. We shall
see. I am very anxious about South Africa. I have written twice at
length to Lord Derby. Unfortunately my view is the exact opposite to
that which is generally taken. Lord D. is evidently being driven
into active measures against his will. My fear is that there will be
some half-action insufficient to crush the Dutch, and sufficient to
exasperate them. He relies on the promised support o