ctant, hopeful, almost
suppliant. Her words are the words of truth and soberness. She asks a
blessed oblivion of the past, and in that oblivion our interest is deeper
even than hers. You have been asked to-night to abide by the traditions of
which we are the heirs. What traditions? By the Irish traditions? Go into
the length and breadth of the world, ransack the literature of all
countries, find if you can a single voice, a single book, in which the
conduct of England towards Ireland is anywhere treated except with
profound and bitter condemnation. Are these the traditions by which we are
exhorted to stand? No, they are a sad exception to the glory of our
country. They are a broad and black blot upon the pages of its history,
and what we want to do is to stand by the traditions of which we are the
heirs in all matters except our relations with Ireland, and to make our
relation with Ireland to conform to the other traditions of our country.
So we treat our traditions, so we hail the demand of Ireland for what I
call a blessed oblivion of the past. She asks also a boon for the future;
and that boon for the future, unless we are much mistaken, will be a boon
to us in respect of honour, no less than a boon to her in respect of
happiness, prosperity and peace. Such, sir, is her prayer. Think, I
beseech you; think well, think wisely, think, not for the moment, but for
the years that are to come, before you reject this bill."

The question was put, the sand glass was turned upon the table, the
division bells were set ringing. Even at this moment, the ministerial
whips believed that some were still wavering. A reference made by Mr.
Parnell to harmonious communications in the previous summer with a tory
minister, (M125) inclined them to vote for the bill. On the other hand,
the prospect of going to an election without a tory opponent was no weak
temptation to a weak man. A common impression was that the bill would be
beaten by ten or fifteen. Others were sure that it would be twice as much
as either figure. Some on the treasury bench, perhaps including the prime
minister himself, hoped against hope that the hostile majority might not
be more than five or six. It proved to be thirty. The numbers were 343
against 313. Ninety-three liberals voted against the bill. These with the
two tellers were between one-third and one-fourth of the full liberal
strength from Great Britain. So ended the first engagement in this long
campaign. As I