and not a Tory. Macaulay's writings in Knight's Quarterly Magazine attracted them, and the "piece of secret history was the news of an invitation from the editors of the Edinburgh Review to write for them. His first contribution, the essay on Milton, made him famous. Its very youthful exuberance of enthusiasm for Milton, whom he loved and admired, was warmly welcomed by the friends of the great poet, for they felt the need at that time of some appreciative partisan to contest the harsh judgment set forth in Dr. Johnson's Life of Milton. We still read and admire this brilliant essay, but it is only by remembering the lack of popular reading in Macaulay's time and comparing this essay on Milton with the other essays and biographies of the day that we can understand the surprise and pleasure it gave to the reading public. The grudging compliment of Jeffrey, the reviewer, "The more I think, the less I can conceive where you picked up that style!" shows the impression it made on the critics. From the publication of the Milton in 1825 Macaulay was for twenty years a steady contributor to the Edinburgh Review. In it were first published over forty of his best-known poems and essays, written regularly through all the years that were apparently full of the public duties of a member of Parliament.

Macaulay was called to the bar in 1826, but took

little interest in law, preferring to spend his time under the gallery of the House of Commons. He seems always to have thrown all his tremendous energy into the subject in which he had a present interest, and he refused to dissipate his power even in what at times appeared to others as the things he ought to do. Thus at this time, when he was ostensibly preparing himself to be an advocate, he did little reading in law; but later, when he was sent to India and knew that he was to be a lawgiver there, he mastered on his voyage the necessary branches of the law in principle and minutest detail. One who knew him best said of him: "Throughout life he never really applied himself to any pursuit that was against the grain."

Though he had but little law practice, his fellowship, his writings for the Edinburgh Review, and the Commissionership of Bankruptcy that a friend had secured for him brought him almost one thousand pounds a year, sufficient for the needs of himself and the family, but no more. He was now thirty years old, and all his life he had had a keen interest in political questions. This was the exciting time of the "Rotten Boroughs," when the "Test Act" had just been repealed and the "Reform Bill" was seething, and it is not to be wondered at that Macaulay felt his strength and longed for an opportunity to take an active part;

but it seemed a hopeless longing, as he had no money to buy a seat in Parliament, and among politicians he was almost unknown. Fortunately his writings had made him a friend, Lord Lansdowne, who said: "The Milton and especially the articles on Mill have so impressed me that I wish to be the one to introduce their author to public life by offering him a seat in Parliament for the borough of Calne, and as it is his high moral and private character which has determined me to make the offer, I wish in no respect to influence his votes, but to leave him quite at liberty to act according to his conscience." So in 1830 the House of Commons received one of its great orators and far-seeing statesmen, and Macaulay's wish was gratified.

His first speech was in favor of removing all civil disabilities from the Jews. In this his maiden effort in Parliament he used with great skill his favorite device for overpowering an opponent. Placing his adversary's statements on one side of the scales, he heaps his own counter-statements and deductions on the other, until the listener or reader who is following his argument feels that Macaulay's side of the scales is weighted to the ground, while his opponent's is left in mid-air. This first speech called forth many compliments from the older members, which might have emboldened another man; but though Macaulay loved

to talk he was too modest and had too much common sense to appear on the floor of the House unless his voice seemed to be needed.

His great opportunity arose in the very constitution of the House itself. The House of Commons was formed in the thirteenth century, the summons reading, "two knights from every shire," "two burgesses from every city, borough, and leading town." In the five hundred years since, no reorganization of the House had been made, though some of the boroughs that still sent representatives had lost all of their inhabitants, and other small boroughs had been created by sovereigns who needed votes in the House. On the other hand, many great cities had grown up in districts not provided for originally, and these masses of citizens were still unrepresented. In the eighteenth century such men as Chatham and Burke had worked on the problem of the reform of the House, until this subject had been crowded out by consideration of the troubles with France; but for ten years previous to Macaulay's coming to the House one reform bill after another had been brought forward and rejected. The country was demanding more and more urgently a change; but the Tory Ministry and the House of Lords with the unreformed House of Commons were against it. At the beginning of Macaulay's second session in the House of Commons the Whigs were returned by a

large majority, and the Tory Ministry was forced to resign. Under the new Whig Ministry Lord John Russell's Reform Bill came up. This bill gave a franchise to many hitherto unrepresented cities and boroughs; but the clause in it which disfranchised wholly or partially one hundred and ten boroughs was pronounced, by the leaders of the Opposition, so extravagant that they ridiculed any suggestion that the bill could be passed. March 2, 1831, Macaulay made the first of his speeches on this Reform Bill. As his Milton had won him immediate recognition as a literary man, so this speech gave him distinction at once among the orators and statesmen of England. The Speaker of the House sent for him and told him that he had never seen the House in such a state of excitement. Sir Robert Peel and Sir Thomas Denman complimented him in stately terms. But the greatest compliment paid to this and his following reform speeches was, that the leaders of the Opposition felt called upon to devote more time to answering his speeches than to attacking those of the older debaters. To Macaulay's great satisfaction this Reform Bill carried.

The following years he was, as he always had been, a strenuous worker. Besides his duties in the House he had other official duties, and his political honors had given him entrance to the best London society.