ROCHE. 407 to reconnoitre his notions, and endeavour to marshal them into some form for operation, but without effect, all was “confusion worse confounded.” Alucky expedient crossed his fancy, and he was determined to seize the opportunity. There was a ministerial member in the house, a learned Serjeant Stanley, who was usually in the habit of rising towards the end of a long protracted debate, and about three or four in the morning, amusing the House with an important speech of an hour or more, ingeniously compiled from the fragments of other speeches which he had pre viously heard in the course of the discussion : but, having so often played off this manoeuvre, he was a good deal bantered by his senatorial colleagues upon his skill in selection: so that he at last determined to attempt some thing original; and had composed a long speech for the purpose, and anxiously waited to catch the speaker's eye, that he might take the earliest opportunity of delivering his oration, adorned as it was with a l l the flowers o f his wit and fancy. This gentleman just stepped into the coffee-room t o cast a n eye over his composition and refresh his memory. Sir Boyle took a seat near him, and i n the course o f conversation, a s h e darted off i n a hurry t o catch a n opportunity for speaking, unfortunately his speech fell from his pocket o n the floor. Sir Boyle picked i t up, and o n reading i t over, thought i t would admirably suit his own purpose;—“it was just the very thing h e wanted.” A t a second reading his powerful memory rendered him master o f the whole. He returned t o his seat i n the House, and took the earliest opportunity o f delivering the borrowed oration, t o the great astonish ment o f the whole assembly, and t o the utter consternation o f Mr. Stanley, who sat biting his nails with anguish, a t hearing his elaborate performance, which cost him a week t o manufacture, and which had vanished h e knew not how, delivered b y Sir Boyle, and lost t o his own same for ever. The worthy baronet, having finished this oration, amidst the plaudits o f his friends, returned t o the coffee-room, where h e met the mortified composer; and, without WOL, 11. K . K .
