Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1800-1837 -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Political fiction
Unluckily, the next occasion which brought him to his feet, was of a
kind to give point to the feeling against him. On a certain Thursday,
Sergeant Wathen moved that the Borough of Chippinge be removed from
Schedule A, to Schedule B—his object being that it might retain one
member; and Vaughan, thinking the opening favourable, rose, intending
to make a few remarks in a strain to which the House, proverbially fond
of a personal explanation, is prone to listen with indulgence. For the
motion itself, he had not much hope that it would be carried: in a
dozen other cases, a similar motion had failed.
“It can only be,” he began—and this time the sound of his voice did not
perturb him—“from a strict sense of duty, Mr. Bernal, it cannot be
without pain that any Member—and I say this not on my account only, but
on behalf of many Honourable Members of this House——”
“No! No! Leave us out.”
The words were uttered so loudly and so rudely that they silenced him;
and he looked in the direction whence they came. At once cries of “No,
no! Divide! No! No!” poured on him from all parts of the House,
accompanied by a dropping fire of catcalls and cockcrows. He lost the
thread of his remarks, and for a moment stood abashed and confounded.
The Chairman did not interfere and for an instant it looked as if the
young speaker would be compelled to sit down.
But he recovered himself, gaining courage from the very vigour with
which he was attacked; and which seemed out of proportion to his
importance. The moment a lull in the fire of interruption occurred, he
spoke in a louder voice.
“I say, sir,” he proceeded, looking about him courageously, “that it is
only with pain, only under the _force majeure_ of a love of their
country, that any Member can support the deletion from the Borough Roll
of this House, of that Constituency which has honoured him with its
confidence.”
“Divide! Divide!” roared many on both sides of the House. For the
Tories were uncertain on which side he was speaking.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo-doo-doo!”
But this fresh burst of disapproval found him better prepared. Firmly,
though the beads of perspiration stood on his brow, he persisted. “And
if,” he continued, “in the case which appeals so nearly to himself an
Honourable Member sees that the standard which justifies the survival
of a representative can be reached, with what gratification, sir,
whether he sits on this side of the House or on that——”
“No! No! Leave us out!” in a roar of sound. And “Divide! Divide!”
“Or on that,” he repeated.
“Divide! Divide!”
“Must he not press its claims and support its interests?” he persisted
gallantly. “Ay, sir, welcome in the event of success a decision at once
just, and of so much advantage, I will not say to himself——”
“It never will be to you!” shrieked a voice from the darker corner
under the opposite gallery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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