e interest for
Hertford, and represented that constituency until 1885. When, in the spring
of 1878, Lord Salisbury became foreign minister on the resignation of the
fifteenth Lord Derby, Mr Balfour became his private secretary. In that
capacity he accompanied his uncle to the Berlin congress, and gained his
first experience of international politics in connexion with the settlement
of the Russo-Turkish conflict. It was at this time also that he became
known in the world of letters, the intellectual subtlety and literary
capacity of his _Defence of Philosophic Doubt_ (1879) suggesting that he
might make a reputation as a speculative thinker. Belonging, however, to a
[v.03 p.0251] class in which the responsibilities of government are a
traditional duty, Mr Balfour divided his time between the political arena
and the study. Being released from his duties as private secretary by the
general election of 1880, he began to take a rather more active part in
parliamentary affairs. He was for a time politically associated with Lord
Randolph Churchill, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff and Sir John (then Mr) Gorst,
the quartette becoming known as the "Fourth Party," and gaining notoriety
by the freedom of the criticisms directed by its leader, Lord Randolph
Churchill, against Sir Stafford Northcote, Lord Cross and other prominent
members of the "old gang." In these sallies, however, Mr Balfour had no
direct share. He was thought to be merely amusing himself with politics. It
was regarded as doubtful whether his health could withstand the severity of
English winters, and the delicacy of his physique and the languor of his
manner helped to create the impression that, however great his intellectual
powers might be, he had neither the bodily strength nor the energy of
character requisite for a political career. He was the "odd man" of the
Fourth Party, apparently content to fetch and carry for his colleagues, and
was believed to have no definite ambitions of his own. His reputation in
the parliament of 1880-1886 was that of a dilettante, who allied himself
with the three politicians already named from a feeling of irresponsibility
rather than of earnest purpose; he was regarded as one who, on the rare
occasions when he spoke, was more desirous to impart an academic quality to
his speeches than to make any solid contribution to public questions. The
House, indeed, did not take him quite seriously. Members did not suspect
the reserve of strength an