ed to
the Council Board again, and this was probably the last occasion
on which he will have to appear in a judicial capacity. It is
remarkable that his last act should be to reverse a judgment of
Brougham's, Brougham being Chancellor and himself nothing. I could
not help looking with something like emotion at this extraordinary
old man, and reflecting upon his long and laborious career, which
is terminating gently and by almost insensible gradations, in a
manner more congenial to a philosophic mind than to an ambitious
spirit. As a statesman and a politician he has survived and
witnessed the ruin of his party and the subversion of those
particular institutions to which he tenaciously clung, and which
his prejudices or his wisdom made him think indispensable to the
existence of the Constitution. As an individual his destiny has
been happier, for he has preserved the strength of his body and
the vigour of his mind far beyond the ordinary period allotted to
man, he is adorned with honours and blessed with wealth sufficient
for the aspirations of pride and avarice, and while the lapse of
time has silenced the voice of envy, and retirement from office
has mitigated the rancour of political hostility, his great and
acknowledged authority as a luminary of the law shines forth with
purer lustre. He enjoys, perhaps, the most perfect reward of his
long life of labour and study--a foretaste of posthumous honour
and fame. He has lived to see his name venerated and his decisions
received with profound respect, and he is departing in peace, with
the proud assurance that he has left to his country a mighty
legacy of law and secured to himself an imperishable fame.

[9] [This must be a mistake. The Chancellor takes rank in
the Privy Council after the Lord President and before
everyone else. Lord Brougham was junior Privy
Councillor in mere seniority, but his office gave him
rank over the others present. His opinion was probably
taken first out of compliment to him, as he had made
the order under review.]

June 15th, 1833 {p.379}

The day before yesterday I had occasion to see the Duke of
Wellington about the business in which we are joint trustees, and
when we had done I said, 'Well, that business in the House of
Lords turned out ill the other day.' 'No; do you think so?' he
said, and then he went into the matter. He said that he was
compelled to make the motion