And, as the
result, Lord Drummond was Prime Minister in the House of Lords,--
with Sir Timothy Beeswax acting as first man in the House of
Commons.
It cannot be denied that Sir Timothy had his good points as a
politician. He was industrious, patient, clear-sighted,
intelligent, courageous, and determined. Long before he had had a
seat in the House, when he was simply making his way up to the
probability of a seat by making a reputation as an advocate, he
had resolved that he would be more than an Attorney-General, more
than a judge,--more, as he thought it, than a Chief Justice; but at
any rate something different. This plan he had all but gained,--and
it must be acknowledged that he had been moved by a grand and
manly ambition. But there were drawbacks to the utility and beauty
of Sir Timothy's character as a statesman. He had no idea as to
the necessity or non-necessity of any measure whatever in
reference to the well-being of the country. It may, indeed, be
said that all such ideas were to him absurd, and the fact that
they should be held by his friends and supporters was an
inconvenience.
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