on, and such
a character in the nineteenth century, when every public man must be
more or less talented, more or less brilliant, would be an impossibility
even to a genius. A rival lawyer and political opponent, Sir Charles
Wetherell is reported to have said of him that he knew a little of
everything but law; and although this statement was spiteful and untrue,
there is no doubt of the truth of Mr. Greville's remarks, that his duty
as Chancellor was confined to appeals which _must_ come before him,
lunacy and other matters over which he had sole jurisdiction, and that
"nobody ever thought of bringing an original cause into his court."[115]
We think we may even go farther than this, and say that no lawyer of the
present day would dream of relying on Lord Brougham's decisions.
O'Connell said of him, "I pay very little attention to anything Lord
Brougham says. He makes a greater number of foolish speeches than any
other man of the present generation. There may be more nonsense in some
one speech of another person, but in the number, the multitude of
foolish speeches, Lord Brougham has it hollow. I would start him ten to
one--ay, fifty to one--in talking nonsense against any prattler now
living."

Some amusing examples of his restless anxiety to figure on all occasions
in the character of an Admirable Crichton are given by Mr. Charles
Greville, whose "Memoirs" stand in much the same relation to the graphic
satires of the nineteenth century as the "Odes" of Dr. Walcot do towards
the caricatures of James Gillray. "Dined," says Mr. Greville (under date
of 7th June, 1831), "with Sefton yesterday, who gave me an account of a
dinner at Fowell Buxton's on Saturday to see the brewery, at which
Brougham was the _magnus Apollo_. Sefton is excellent as a commentator
on Brougham; he says that he watches him incessantly, never listens to
anybody else when he is there, and _rows_ him unmercifully afterwards
for all the humbug, nonsense, and palaver he hears him talk to
people.... They dined in the brewhouse and visited the whole
establishment. Lord Grey was there in star, garter, and ribbons. There
were people ready to show and explain everything. But not a bit.
Brougham took the explanation of everything into his own hands; the mode
of brewing, the machinery, down to the feeding of the cart-horses.
After dinner the account books were brought, and the young Buxtons were
beckoned up to the top of the table by their father to hear the word