LESSON 33
CHARACTER OF MR. PITT

Henry Grattan, 1750-1820, an Irish orator and statesman, was born at Dublin, and graduated from Trinity College, in his native city. By his admiration of Mr. Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, he was led to turn his attention to oratory. In personal appearance, he was unprepossessing; but his private character was without a blemish.

The secretary stood alone. Modern degeneracy had not reached him. Original and unaccommodating, the features of his character had the hardihood of antiquity. His august mind overawed majesty itself. No state chicanery, no narrow system of vicious politics, no idle contest for ministerial victories, sank him to the vulgar level of the great; but overbearing, persuasive, and impracticable, his object was England, his ambition was fame.

Without dividing, he destroyed party; without corrupting, he made a venal age unanimous. France sunk beneath him. With one hand he smote the house of Bourbon, and wielded in the other the democracy of England. The sight of his mind was infinite; and his schemes were to effect, not England, not the present age only, but Europe and posterity. Wonderful were the means by which those schemes were accomplished; always seasonable, always adequate, the suggestion of an understanding animated by ardor and enlightened by prophecy.

The ordinary feelings which make life amiable and indolent, were unknown to him. No domestic difficulties, no domestic weakness, reached him; but, aloof from the sordid occurrences of life, and unsullied by its intercourse, he came occasionally into our system, to counsel and decide. A character so exalted, so strenuous, so various, so authoritative, astonished a corrupt age, and the treasury trembled at the name of Pitt, through all classes of venality. Corruption imagined, indeed, that she had found defects in this statesman, and talked much of the inconsistency of his glory, and much of the ruin of his victories; but the history of his country, and the calamities of the enemy, answered and refuted her.

Nor were his political his only talents. His eloquence was an era in the senate;peculiar and spontaneous; familiarly expressing gigantic sentiments and instructive wisdom; not like the torrent of Demosthenes, or the splendid conflagration of Tully;it resembled sometimes the thunder, and sometimes the music of the spheres. He did not conduct the understanding through the painful subtilty of argumentation, nor was he ever on the rack of exertion; but rather lightened upon the subject, and reached the point by the flashings of the mind, which, like those of the eye, were felt, but could not be followed.

Upon the whole, there was in this man something that could create, subvert, or reform; an understanding, a spirit, and an eloquence, to summon mankind to society, or to break the bonds of slavery asunder, and to rule the wildness of free minds with unbounded authority; something that could establish or overwhelm empires, and strike a blow in the world that should resound through the universe.

STUDY GUIDE

A. Positive words to describe someone—The following are words that the writer used to describe Mr. Pitt. Study them and fill in the blanks.

1. august—inspiring admiration/impressive

2. seasonable—meeting the needs of the occasion

3. exalted—highly respected

4. authoritative—commanding/self-confident

5. spontaneous—acting on sudden impulses from within/doing things that were not planned

6. instructive—giving important information to other people

a) She is ______________because of her great writing skill.

b) He is like a teacher. He is very ______________.

c) His _______________speech made everyone cheer.

d) He often does _____________________things. He doesn't plan them.

e) His timing for the meeting was perfect. It was very _____________.

f) She knows about many subjects, so she is very ________________.

B. Comprehension questions—Answer the following questions with a partner.

1. How do we know the writer thought Mr. Pitt was a good man? Explain.

2. Did Mr. Pitt like to argue? Explain.

3. Was Mr. Pitt a great speaker? How do we know?

4. Use some positive adjectives to describe a person you know.

5. What qualities do you think are important in a friend? Give some examples.

6. Was Mr. Pitt only good at politics? Explain.

C. Find the word—Using the clues, fill in the correct word.

1. paragraph 1: Someone who is different from other people is o __________.

2. paragraph 2: Something that never ends is i ______________.

3. paragraph 3: An issue that is at home or in your native country is d ____________.

4. paragraph 3: Someone who fights against you is your e __________.

5. paragraph 4: Something that is great or wonderful is s ___________.

6. paragraph 5: Forcing people to work for no money is s __________.