SIR BOYLE ROCHE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume X, Issue 498, 27 October 1882, Page 9

SIR BOYLE ROCHE.

I WILL now advert to Sir Boyle Roche, who certainly was, without exception, the most celebrated and entertaining antigrammarian in the Irish Parliament. I know him intimately. He was of a very respectable Irish family, and, in point of appearance, a fine, bluff soldier-like old gentlemen. He had numerous good qualities ; and having been long in the army, his ideas were full of honor and bravery. He had a claim to the title of Fermoy, which, however he never pursued ; and was brother to the famou* Tiger Uo-he. who fought some desperate duels abroad, and was n«ar bein°- hansred for it. Sir Boyle was perfectly well-bred ia all his habits ; had bean appointed gentleman-usher at the Irish court, and executed the duties of that office to the day of his death with the utmost satisfaction to himself as well as to everyone in connection with him He w\s married to the eldest daughter of Sir John Cav>. Bart. ; and his lady, who was a has bleu, prematurely injured Sir Boyle's capacity it was said, by forcing him to read Gibboi's •• Rise and Fall of the Roman Kmpire." whereat he was so cruelly puzzled, without being in the least amused, that in his cups he often stigmatized the great histonan as a low fellow, who ought to have been kicked out of cjmpany wherever he was, for turning people's thoughts away from their prayers and tbeir politics to what no one coald make either head or tail of 1 v H 1 S Pfn**"-** bragging that Sir John Cave had given him his Hdert daughter, afforded Curran an opportunity of replying : •« Ay, Sir Boyle, and depend on it. if he had had an older one still he would havegiren her to you." Sir Boyle thought it best to receive the repartee &g a compliment, lest it should come to her ladyship's -ears who, for several years back had prohibited Sir Boyle frotn all allu-' sums to chronology. This baronet had certainly one great advantage ovq> all bull and blander makers ; he seldom launched a blunder from which some flne aphorism or maxim might not be easily extracted. When a debate arose in the Irish House of Commons on the vote of a grant which wai recommended by Sir John Parnell, Chancellor of the Exchequer, as one not likely to be felt burdenpome for rainy years to come, it was observed m reply that the House hai no just right to load posterity with a weight of debt for what coukl ia no degree operate to their advantage. Sir Boyle, eager to defend the measures of the G >vernment, immediately rose, and in a few words put forward the most unanswerable argument which human ingenuity could possibly devise. • What, Mr. Speaker ! " said he. •' ani so we are to begzar ourselves tor fear of vexme posterity ! Now, I would ask the honorable gentleman, and this stdl more houorable House, why wo should put ourselves out of the way to do anything for poster it y ; f, jr what his pogterxty done for m ? " ' Sir Bojle, hearing the roar of laughter which of course followed this sensible blunder, but not being conscious that he had said anything out of the way, was rather puzzled, and conceived that the iiouse had misunderstood him. He therefore begged leave to explain as he apprehended that the gentleman had entirely mistaken his words ; he assured the House " that by posterity h- did not all mean our ancestors, but those who were to come imneiuttelu after then " Upon bearing this explanation, it was impossible to do any serious business for half an hour. Sir Bojle Roche was induced by GovernmcHt t > fi 'ht as bar 1 as possible for the Union^o he did, and I really believe fancied by degrees that he was right. On one occasion a general titter arose at his florid picture of the happiness which must proceed from tkis event " Gentleman,' said Sir Boyle, " may tittaer, and titther, and tittaer! and may thmkit a bad measure ; but their heads at present are hot. and will so remain till they grow cool again ; and so they can't decide right now ; but when the d-ay of judgment comes, then, honorable gentlemen will be satisfied at this moat excellent Union. Bir there are no Whcal degrees between nations, and on this occ*,ioa I can see neither sin nor shame in marrying our otta tist-er " He was a determined enemy to tha French Revolution, and, seldom rose in the house for several years without volunteering some abuse of it. " Mr. Speaker," said hi in a" mood of this kind, -Mf we once permitted the villanous French Maxons to meddle with the buttresses and walls of our ancient constitution, they would never stop nor stay, sir, till they brought the foundation stones tumbling down about the ears of the nation I There." continued Sir Boyle! placing bis hand earnestly on his heart, his powdered head shaking in unison with his loyal zeal, whilst he described tha probable consequences of an invasion of Ireland by the French republicans : " There Mr. Speaker I if these Gallican villains should iavade us, air, 'tig on That very table, maybe, these honorable members mighi see their own destinies lying in heaps atop of one another 1 Here, perhaps, sir the murderous marshal UtK-nen (Mareeillois) would break in. cut us to ounce-meat, and throw our bleeding heads upon that table, to stare us in the faca ! ■ Bir Bovie on another occasion was argaing for the Habeas Corpus Saspeaaion Bill in. Ireland. '< It would surely bo better, Mr fffwhAi* "J ' " t °<- giV '. c DOt only a P art ' *»*• tf necessary, even whole, of our constitution to preserve the remainder " nf rw« th .n TTUnT U Un£ n \° e ,f pel I'°rd1 '° rd Edward Fit *Kerald from the House a£ t a fo T r . haßtr - disrespectful expressions regarding the House l*%* « l^f Dant> ft waa obMsrvab le that the motion was ™t£ tIT fPP° rted b 7b 7 the younger men then in Parliament, including the late Marquis of Ormonde, etc. The Marquis was indeed, one of the strongest supporters of a measure the object of which was a yC T?u nobl t man ' his OWQ «l«»l ! and it was likewise oTest^lr^rH^e" 0 " 00 WMW--tad by "* *»* Sir Boyle Roche labored hard and succeasfully for Lord Edward who was eventually required to make an apology ; it was not, however, considered eufficiently ample or repentant. Sir Boyle was at hia wita end, and at length produced a natural syllogism, which by patting the House m good humor, did more than a host of reasoners could have achieved. « Mr. Speaker," said the baronet, "I think the nooie young mas has ao business to make any apology. He is a

gentleman, and none such should be aske-1 to make an apolojry. because no gentleman could mean to give offence." Never was there a more sensible blunder than the following : " The best way," said Sir Boyle, 'to avoid danger is to meet it plump."— Sir Jonah Barring-