administration of justice ought to be suspended by war; or as if
it were not criminal in a government to squander the resources of
the state in time of peace. The motion was made by James Brydges,
eldest son of the Lord Chandos, the James Brydges who afterwards
became Duke of Chandos, who raised a gigantic fortune out of war
taxes, to squander it in comfortless and tasteless ostentation,
and who is still remembered as the Timon of Pope's keen and
brilliant satire. It was remarked as extraordinary that Brydges
brought forward and defended his motion merely as the assertion
of an abstract truth, and avoided all mention of the Chancellor.
It seemed still more extraordinary that Howe, whose whole
eloquence consisted in cutting personalities, named nobody on
this occasion, and contented himself with declaiming in general
terms against corruption and profusion. It was plain that the
enemies of Somers were at once urged forward by hatred and kept
back by fear. They knew that they could not carry a resolution
directly condemning him. They, therefore, cunningly brought
forward a mere speculative proposition which many members might
be willing to affirm without scrutinising it severely. But, as
soon as the major premise had been admitted, the minor would be
without difficulty established; and it would be impossible to
avoid coming to the conclusion that Somers had violated his
trust. Such tactics, however, have very seldom succeeded in
English parliaments; for a little good sense and a little
straightforwardness are quite sufficient to confound them. A
sturdy Whig member, Sir Rowland Gwyn, disconcerted the whole
scheme of operations. "Why this reserve?" he said, "Everybody
knows your meaning. Everybody sees that you have not the courage
to name the great man whom you are trying to destroy." "That is
false," cried Brydges; and a stormy altercation followed. It soon