238 GRATTAN. hundred and twenty-one. On the 14th of April, Mr. Grattan, with undaunted perseverance, returned once more to the subject of tythes, and submitted to the House a string of resolutions, which he purposed moving regu larly in the course of the session ensuing. Each resolu tion he followed up with a most impressive comment. Nothing else of importance came before parliament during that session, and it was prorogued on the 14th of April, 1788, to the astonishment of the nation. The ensuing session was opened by the Marquis of Buck ingham, on the 5th of February, 1789, and on the next day some objections to the (usual) address to the lord-lieu tenant were made, which brought on a long and interesting conversation, and opinions were delivered of his excel lency, without any reserve or tenderness to his character or situation. Mr. Grattan's speech, from the commence ment to the end, is a continued display of all those com pounds which render his speeches of invective, so galling and severe, we therefore insert the whole of i t . Prior t o which, however, Mr. Brown, o f the College, said, “that h e came into the House extremely well-disposed t o dilacerate the cha racter o f the viceroy; but really, i t was now left i n s o miserable and mangled a condition, that i t would b e un generous and unmanly, t o attack the small fragment that remained. He could only now talk o f what h e intended t o have done, which had been already anticipated by other assailants. He might have painted the acclamations, with which his administration began; the disgrace, with which i t terminated; the declarations against jobbing; the actual jobbing that succeeded; jobbing i n the closet; coercion i n the offices. A little gnawing, corroding, venomous scrutiny, which ate i t s way into the hearts o f some poor men, who had not strength o f body t o bear violent accusation, o r strength o f mind enough t o retort o n greater offenders; which seemed t o look out for crimes and forfeitures, a s objects o f prey, not o f correction. He might have painted a n economy, which, instead o f apply
