GRATTAN. 219 height of injustice. In the attack made upon my per son, I went back, not only to the arguments of two or three days before, but to the conduct of twenty years antecedent; therefore, Sir, I hope, that if animadversions of twenty years are allowed to one, I may have an oppor tunity of referring to arguments used three days ago. With respect to that period of my life, which is dispatched in the word intemperate, I beg gentlemen would consider the situation of public characters, if that is to be their treatment: that period takes in a number of years, and in which the public were pleased to give me their sentence of approbation. Sir, it includes, for I wish to speak to facts, not to take it up upon epithets, it includes the Duke of Bedford's, Lord Halifax's, the Duke of Northumber land's, Lord Hertford's, and Lord Townshend's.” “Now, Sir, as to the fact of intemperance, I will state to you how that stands, and let the gentleman see how plain a tale shall put him down. Of those five admi nistrations, there were three I could not be said, in any sense of the word, to oppose at all; I mean the three first. I certainly voted against the secretary of the day, but oftener voted with him. In Lord Hertford's administ tration, I had attained to a certain view and decided opinion of what was fit, in my mind, to be done for this country. I had fixed upon the great objects of public utility. I endeavoured to attain them, with that spirit and energy, with which it is my character and nature to speak and to act?—as I must take the disadvantages of my nature, I will take the advantages of it too. These three great objects were resisted by that administration; what was the consequence A conflict arose between that administration and me; but that conflict ought not to be called opposition on my part ; no, it ought rather to be called opposition on their's; I was the propounder, and they resisted my propositions. This may be called a con flict, not an opposition to that administration. What were those three objects One was to prove, that the constitution of parliament in this kingdom did still exist;
