SCENE I.—_Downing-street, after a Cabinet Meeting._ LORD A.; CLOSEWIND;

SHIFT; SMOOTH; _and other Members of the Cabinet_.

_Lord A._ That point being settled, gentlemen, the sooner you are at your posts the better. The King comes down to dissolve on Friday.[40] But, before we part, we had better {286} decide about this Presidency of the Board of Manufactures. The appointment requires an able man; of _rather_ peculiar attainments. Mr. Turnstile has been mentioned to me; and his claims I am told, are strong:—long devotion to science,—great expense and loss of time for public objects,—high reputation, and weight of opinion, as a man of science.

[40] Parliament is ordinarily dissolved by Proclamation, after having been previously prorogued. However, there is at least one modern instance to justify the historical consistency of the text, namely, that which occurred on the 10th June, 1818, when the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV., dissolved the Parliament in person. The Dramatist cannot therefore be properly accused of drawing heedlessly upon his imagination, though even had he thus far transgressed the boundaries of historical truth, Horace’s maxim might have been pleaded in excuse:—

“Pictoribus atque Poetis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit æqua potestas.”

_Smooth._ I believe that he has left _science_; at least, he wishes it to be so considered. He is my colleague at Shoreditch; and, of course, I wish to support him;—but,—when business is to be done;—and men,—and things, to be brought together,—I own,—I _doubt_—whether a more practical man,—might not——

_Shift._ And _that_ poor Turnstile certainly is not. He must always have _a reason_;—nothing but the _quod erat demonstrandum_; a romancer; if you have anything to do, his first object is _to do it well_. I am quite sure he will not answer our purpose.

_Closewind._ He talks too much about consistency; and on party questions, you are never sure of him: last week he did not divide with us, on either night.

_Lord A._ Well; _I_ am quite indifferent. I did hear of his being at Lord Flumm’s; and after what had just passed in the Lords, a personal friend of mine would, perhaps, have kept away from that quarter. Is there no other person?

_Smooth._ (_Hesitatingly._) Davies Gilbert.

_Shift._ (_Laughing._) Pooh! Pooh! Poor Gilbert! No, that will never do.

_Smooth._ Or—Warburton?

_Shift._ (_Sneering._) Worse and worse!—if _ever_ there was an impracticable——

_Closewind._ But we don’t know that Turnstile is sure of his seat. Smooth, hasn’t MacLeech been talked of for Shoreditch? {287}

_Smooth._ He’s _certain_ of succeeding! The independent gentlemen don’t quite like Turnstile—they wish for Highway—and the split will foil them both. MacLeech—now that he has been mentioned—I must acknowledge, does seem to me to be the _very_ man for the manufactures,—a practical, persevering man of business,—never absent from the House,—excellent Scotch connections,—a cousin of the Duke of Y.’s——.

_Lord A._ That is a good point, certainly. An appointment given there would be candid and liberal;—it might conciliate——

_Closewind._ A very civil, excellent fellow, too. MacLeech, _I_ should say, is the man.

_Shift._ I quite agree with you.

_Smooth._ I confess, I think he will fill the office well. And if it is thought quite necessary that Hume’s motion to reduce the salary,—though it is not large——

_Closewind._ Oh, no! The salary had better remain;—2000 _l._ is not too much. Besides, the _principle_ of giving way is bad.

_Lord A._ Well, gentlemen, let it be so. Smooth, you will let MacLeech know that he has the office.

_Smooth._ And at the present salary?

_Lord A._ Agreed. [_Exeunt._