sed to the Rockingham, made the testimony more
valuable.

Burke's second speech was equally the subject of admiration. A second
letter from Marriott, with whom he had had some conversation
expressive of his own diffidence, at least as to his manner, in
addressing the House, mentions once more the opinion of Dr Hay, for
whose taste Marriott seems to have had great deference. "His opinion,"
he writes, "is, that nothing could be more remote from awkwardness or
constraint than your manner; that your style, ideas, and expression,
were peculiarly your own; natural and unaffected, and so different
from the cant of the House, or from the jargon of the bar, that he
could not imagine any thing more agreeable; that you did not dwell
upon a point till you had tired it out, as is the way of most
speakers, but kept on with fresh ideas crowding upon you, and rising
one out of another, all leading to one point, which was constantly
kept in view to the audience; and, although every thing seemed a kind
of new political philosophy, yet it was all to the purpose and
well-connected, so as to produce the effect; and that he admired your
last speech the more as it was impromptu. I thought he was describing
to me a Greek orator, whose select orations I had translated four
times when I first went to the university, and therefore marked the
traits of this character. It was impossible for me not to communicate
to you a decision from so great a master himself, though differing
from you in party, that you may go on in a way you have begun, with
such glory to yourself, and to which you add so much by being so
little sensible of it."

In 1766 the Rockingham ministry was suddenly dashed to the ground, and
all its connexions, of course, went down along with it. The marquis
was a man of great estate and excellent intentions, but his ministry
realized the Indian fable of the globe being painted on a
tortoise--the merit of the political tortoise being, in this instance,
to stand still, while its ambition unfortunately was to move. The
consequence naturally followed, that the world took its own course,
and left the tortoise behind. But Burke had distinguished himself so
much that offers of office were made to him from the succeeding
administration. Those he declined, and commenced that neutral
existence which, with the majority of politicians, is worse than none.
There was a weakness in Burke's character which did him infinite
mischief for the first ten