te of credit in 1884. Every one of these was special, and
was shown in each case respectively to be special by the sequel:
no one of them had reference to the notion of establishing
dominant military or even naval power in Europe. Their amounts
were various, but were adapted to the view taken, at least by me,
of the exigency actually present.(305)

II

While the House after so many months of toil was still labouring manfully
upon English bills, two of them of no secondary importance, it was decided
by his family and their advisers that Mr. Gladstone should again try the
effects of Biarritz, and thither they went on January 13. Distance,
however, could not efface from his mind all thought of the decision that
the end of the session would exact from him. (M183) Rumours began to fly
about in London that the prime minister upon his return intended to
resign, and they were naturally clad with intrinsic probability. From
Biarritz a communication was made to the press with his authority. It was
to this effect, that the statement that Mr. Gladstone had definitely
decided, or had decided at all, on resigning office was untrue. It was
true that for many months past his age and the condition of his sight and
hearing had in his judgment made relief from public cares desirable, and
that accordingly his tenure of office had been at any moment liable to
interruption from these causes, in their nature permanent.

Nature meanwhile could not set back the shadow on the dial. On his coming
back from Biarritz (February 10) neither eyes nor ears were better. How
should they be at eighty-five? The session was ending, the prorogation
speech was to be composed, and the time had come for that "natural break"
between the cessation and renewal of his official obligations, of which we
have already heard him speak. His colleagues carried almost to importunity
their appeals to him to stay; to postpone what one of them called, and
many of them truly felt to be, this "moment of anguish." The division of
opinion on estimates remained, but even if that could have been bridged,
his sight and hearing could not be made whole. The rational and sufficient
cause of resignation, as he only too justly described it, was strong as
ever. Whether if the cabinet had come to his view on estimates, he would
in spite of his great age and infirmities have come to their view of the
importance of his remaining, we cannot tell. According to his wo