'to form a more
intimate friendship with Clare than with any of the others, and our
mutual liking grew into a strong attachment on both sides. I only remark
this fact as Lord Byron, who had been a friend of Clare's at Harrow,
appears to have shown some boyish jealousy when the latter expressed his
sorrow at my departure for Spain.'

Now and then he turned his gift for composing verses in the direction of
a satire on some political celebrity. He also wrote and spoke the
prologue at private dramatic performances at Woburn during the holiday
season, and took the part of 'Lucy' in 'The Rivals.' A little later, in
the brief period of his father's viceroyalty, he wrote another prologue,
and on this occasion amused an Irish audience by his assumption of the
part of an old woman.

The political atmosphere of Woburn and Woodnesborough as well as his
father's official position, led the boy of fourteen to take a keen
interest in public affairs. His satirical verses on Melville, Pitt,
Hawkesbury, and others, together with many passages in his journal,
showed that his attention was frequently diverted from grammar and
lexicon, field sports and footlights, to politics and Parliament, and
the struggle amongst statesmen for place and power. Although little is
known of the actual incidents of Lord John's boyhood, such straws at
least show the direction in which the current of his life was setting.

Whilst Lord John was the guest of Mr. Fox at Stable Yard, the subject of
Lord Melville's acquittal by the Peers came up for discussion. Next day
the shrewd young critic wrote the following characteristic remark in his
journal: 'What a pity that he who steals a penny loaf should be hung,
whilst he who steals thousands of the public money should be acquitted!'
The brilliant qualities of Fox made a great impression on the lad, and
there can be little doubt that his intercourse with the great statesman,
slight and passing though it was, did much to awaken political ambition.
He also crossed the path of other men of light and leading in the
political world, and in this way, boy though he was, he grew familiar
with the strife of parties and the great questions of the hour. Holland
House opened its hospitable gates to him, and there he met a young
clergyman of an unconventional type--the Rev. Sydney Smith--with whom he
struck up a friendship that was destined to endure. The young schoolboy
has left it on record in that inevitable 'journal' that h