Page:James Thomason (Temple).djvu/27

Rh him as the grave ruler in the seat of power; but of what was the great man inwardly thinking? The upper current of his thoughts sped swift and strong towards national affairs; the under current moved noiselessly towards the wife gone before to heaven, the motherless children in England, the Judgment Throne before which he and his must one day stand.

His handwriting is characteristic, not bold nor flowing, but regular and refined, strong as fibre, like thin metal wire. In his private notes without number, and his lengthy memoranda, not a word is slurred over, every letter is formed, and no alteration is found anywhere.

In frame he was spare and slim, but in stature he was a head and shoulders above ordinary men. This height was diminished in middle life by an accident on horseback, which caused him to stoop slightly; and, though not actually lame, he usually walked with some support from a stick. He looked like one who in youth had outgrown his strength, and such unhappily proved to be the case. His health seldom failed, but was never robust; and his physique, though far from weak, was not quite strong enough for the arduous part he had to fulfil in life. His habits were sufficiently active for his work, but he was not addicted to field sports or to violent exercise out of doors. Though not quite an equestrian, he rode much at certain seasons, and he traversed repeatedly on horseback the broad territories under his charge. Despite some inevitable drawbacks, he had nervous