in reply;
for although great and lucid in statement, he was still more powerful in
reply. Woe to the man who provoked the lion to anger,--he pawed him to
death. His gesture was not very demonstrative, but it was sometimes very
energetic, and when he wanted a cheer for a man or a principle, he
called for it, by a bold flourish of his hand above his head. But
O'Connell stood in little need of the aids which gesture commonly gives
the public speaker; his fine presence and unrivalled voice did
everything for him. It is said he had no ear for music, but his voice
when speaking in public, was the most musical that could be heard: great
in power and compass, rich in tone, ever fresh in the variety of its
cadences, it was as unique and striking as the great man to whom it
belonged; nor was the charming brogue which accompanied it, the least of
its attractions. Another advantage possessed by him has not been so much
remarked upon--the rapid, changeful expression of his features. By
observing O'Connell's face, as he spoke, one could be sure of the tone
and temper of what was coming. Was he about to make an adversary
ridiculous by an anecdote or a witticism? His eyes, his lips, his whole
face suddenly became expressive of humour. Did he intend to turn from
pleasantries to solemn warning, or fierce denunciation? (a usual habit
of his); the dark cloud was sure to cast its shadow across his manly
features, before the thunder came forth.

His style was simple and forcible. He very seldom quoted the classics,
although he was fond of giving passages from the English poets, more
especially from Moore; but the lines which expressed the guiding
principle of his life were taken from Byron:

"Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not
Who would be free themselves must strike the blow."

The moment I read that passage, he once said, I saw it was the motto for
Ireland; and up to 1829, the year of Emancipation, he seldom spoke
without quoting it. He avoided figurative language. He amused his
audience with stories and old sayings which they understood and
appreciated. He brought the shrewd apothegms, familiar at their own
firesides, to bear upon the principles he was inculcating, but flowers
of rhetoric he knew would be feeble weapons for the warfare in which he
was engaged. He once indeed complimented Sheil, by calling him "the
brightest star that ever rose in the murky horizon of his afflicted
country;" but that suited the man and the occa