216 GRATTAN. tongue of a bad character that can defame me. I main tain my reputation in public and in private life; no man, who has not a bad character can say I ever deceived him, no country has ever called me cheat. I will suppose a public character, a man not now in this House, but who formerly might have been here; I will suppose it was his constant practice to abuse every man who differed from him, and to betray every man who trusted him; I will suppose him active; I will begin from his cradle, and divide his life into three stages—in the first, he was intem perate; in the second, corrupt; and in the third, sedi tious. “Suppose him a great egotist, his honour equal to his oath, and I will stop him and say, Sir, your talents are not so great as your life is infamous; you were silent for years, and you were silent for money: when affairs of consequence to the nation were debating, you might be seen passing by these doors like a guilty spirit, just wait ing for the moment of putting the question, that you might hop in and give your venal vote; or, at times, with a vulgar brogue, apeing the manner, and affecting the infirmities of Lord Chatham; o r , like a kettle-drummer, lather yourself into popularity t o catch the vulgar; o r you might b e seen hovering over the dome, like a n ill omened bird o f night, with sepulchral notes, a cadaverous aspect, and broken beak, ready t o stoop and pounce upon your prey: you can b e trusted b y n o man; the people cannot trust you; the ministers cannot trust you; you deal out the most impartial treachery t o both
you tell the nation i t i s ruined b y other men, while i t i s sold b y you; you fled from the embargo; you fled from the mutiny bill; you fled from the sugar bill; I therefore tell you i n the face o f your country, before a l l the world, and t o your beard, you are not a n honest man.” Mr. Flood.— “I have heard a very extraordinary ha rangue indeed, and I challenge any man t o say, that any thing half s o unwarrantable was ever uttered i n this House. The right honourable gentleman s e t out with
