but in which he exhibited a talent quite peculiar to himself.
Never was there so great a master of what is called
_persiflage_--of that boisterous, droll and pungent banter which,
if not the most elevated species of wit, is certainly that which
is most exhilarating and provocative of laughter. In this he was
unrivalled, and it was heightened by the adjuncts of a voice,
face, and manner irresistibly comical. As the most opposite
characters owned the fascination of this exciting talent, he was
enabled to gratify his inclination for every variety of social
excellence, and to number among his friends and companions many
of the most eminent and accomplished men of his time. From his
earliest youth he had always lived in what was considered the
very best society, and as he eschewed the idea of growing old and
retiring from the stage, he was continually making new
acquaintances, falling into fresh pursuits, and adapting himself
to the prevailing tastes and habits of the day. His father had
stamped upon him his hideous form, but with it his sharp and
caustic wit; he found himself at the outset a member of that
brilliant society of which Hatfield and Cashiobury were the
temples, and Lady Salisbury, Lady Essex, and Mrs. St. John the
presiding divinities. After these had flourished and decayed,
Sefton struck into fresh paths of social enjoyment, and having
successively sought for amusement in hunting, shooting, racing,
gaming, 'besides ten thousand freaks that died in thinking,' he
plunged with ardour into politics, and though he had no opinions
or principles but such as resulted from personal predilections,
and had none of that judgement which can only be generated by the
combination of knowledge with severe mental discipline, he was
enabled by the force of circumstances and an energetic will to
acquire political intimacies, and to a certain degree to play a
political part: of this his friendship with Brougham was the
primary cause. Brougham had been his counsel in some important
cause at Liverpool, and that professional connexion subsequently
ripened into a close alliance, Sefton being naturally delighted
with his brilliant conversation, while Brougham was always highly
diverted with the peculiar humour and drollery of Sefton. So
intimate therefore did they become, and such influence was Sefton
supposed to possess over his mind, that he was employed by Lord
Grey, on the formation of the Whig Government in 1830, to settle
the