head of the reforming party, would be the statesman
best qualified to undertake such an enterprise and most likely to carry
it to an early success. His first business, however, would clearly be
to convince the Duke of Wellington that Catholic Emancipation was
inevitable, and this work he at once set himself to accomplish. He had
some trouble in bringing the Duke over to his own opinions, but the
Duke became convinced in the end, and, indeed, both at that time and
after, the Duke was always inclined to follow Peel's guidance, on the
plain, practical, soldierly principle that Peel understood political
affairs much better than he did, {76} and that Peel's advice was always
sure to be sound and safe. So the Duke, too, became convinced that
Catholic Emancipation must be accepted as inevitable, and that the
sooner it was carried through the better. But Wellington was strongly
opposed to the idea of handing over the work to Lord Grey. He showed
that it would be hardly possible to induce King George to accept the
services of Lord Grey for such a purpose. The King was known to
dislike Lord Grey, whose stern, unbending manners could not be welcome
to a sovereign unaccustomed to the dictation of so uncourtierlike an
adviser as the leader of the Whig party.

[Sidenote: 1828--The Oath of Supremacy]

Wellington's idea was that, as the thing had to be done, it had better
be done by Peel and himself, and he almost implored Peel not to desert
him at such a crisis. Peel could not resist the personal and brotherly
appeal thus made to him by one for whom he had so profound a respect,
and the result was that the two agreed to work together as they had
been doing, and to make Catholic Emancipation the business of their
Government. But then the King had to be won over, and nobody knew
better than Wellington did how difficult this task must be. Yet he did
not despair. He had had some experience of the King's resistance and
the only means by which it could be got over. Again and again he had
had occasion to urge on the sovereign the adoption of some course to
which George, at first, was obstinately opposed, and he knew that quiet
persistence was the only way of carrying his point. His plan was to
avoid argument as much as possible, to state his case concisely to the
King, and allow the King to take his full time in pouring forth his
protestations that he never could and never would consent to such a
policy. The King was very fond