But there sprang from the blood of the martyr a race
Which for virtue and courage unrival'd has shone;
Its honors still worn with a patriot grace,
Still loved by the people, revered by the throne.
And see where in front of the battle again
A Russell, sweet liberty's champion, appears;
While myriads of freemen compose his bright train,
And the blessing still lives through the long lapse of years.
V
RICHARD COBDEN
[During the parliamentary session of 1846 when the bill for the
repeal of the Corn Law was passing through its parliamentary
stages, Mr. Cobden's letters from London to personal friends and
to his wife afford frequent glimpses of his interest, his
suspense, and his final exultation.]
"London, February 19th. To T. H. Ashworth: Your letter has
followed me here. Peel's declaration in the House that he will
adopt immediate repeal if it is voted by the Commons, seems to me
to remove all difficulty from Villiers's path; he can now propose
his old motion without the risk of doing any harm even if he
should not succeed. As respects the future course of the league,
the less that is said now about it publicly the better. If Peel's
measure should become law, then the Council will be compelled to
face the question, 'What shall the League do during the three
years?' It has struck me that under such circumstances we might
absolve the large subscribers from all further calls, put the
staff of the League on a peace footing, and merely keep alive a
nominal organization to prevent any attempt to undo the good work
we have effected.
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