greatest uncertainty had prevailed; for himself
Mr. Gladstone leaned to expecting an unfavourable result. The
numbers were, Ayes (for the government), 284; Noes, 287; majority
against the government, 3. It is said that 45 adherents of the
government, or thereabouts, voted against them. It was the Irish
vote that grew continually worse.(285)

(M146) Of the speech in which the debate was wound up Forster says in his
diary: "Gladstone, with the House dead against him and his bill, made a
wonderful speech--easy, almost playful, with passages of great power and
eloquence, but with a graceful play, which enabled him to plant deep his
daggers of satire in Horsman and Co."(286) Speaker Brand calls it "a
magnificent speech, generous, high-minded, and without a taint of
bitterness, although he was sorely tried, especially by false friends." He
vindicated the obnoxious clauses, but did not wish to adhere to them if
opinion from all quarters were adverse, and he admitted that it was the
opposition of members from Ireland that principally acted on his hearers.
His speech contained a remarkable passage, pronouncing definitely against
denominational endowment of university education.

Chapter XII. The Crisis. (1873)

.. alla fortuna, come vuol, son presto..
Pero giri fortuna la sua rota,
Come le piace, e il villan la sua marra.
--_Inferno_, xv. 93.

For fortune as she wills I am ready.. so
let her turn her wheel as she may please,
and the churl his spade.

I

A week of lively and eventful interests followed,--not only interesting in
the life of Mr. Gladstone, but raising points with important
constitutional bearings, and showing a match between two unsurpassed
masters of political sword-play. The story was told generally and
partially in parliament, but the reader who is curious about either the
episode itself, or Mr. Gladstone's modes of mind and action, will find it
worth a little trouble to follow details with some closeness.

_March 11._--H. of C. Spoke 12-2, and voted in a division of
284-287--which was believed to cause more surprise to the opposite
side than it did to me. At 2.45 A.M. I apprised the Queen of our
defeat.

_Thursday, March 12._--Saw the Queen at 12.15. Failed to find
Granville. Cabinet 1-2-3/4. We discussed the matter with a general
tendency to resignation rather than dissolving. Confab. on my