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(From Beeton's Dictionary of Biography.)

THOMAS BABINGTON, LORD MACAULAY, the celebrated English historian, orator, essayist, and poet, was the son of Zachary Macaulay, who was a zealous co-operator with Mr. Wilberforce and other philanthropists in the abolition of slavery in the British colonies. He was born at Rothley Temple, in the year 1800. His mother, whose maiden name was Mills, was the daughter of a Quaker, had been a schoolmistress at Bristol, and been trained under the care of the celebrated Hannah More. His father's sister, having been the wife of Thomas Babington, a merchant, the future historian received those names at the baptismal font. From his birth he exhibited signs of superiority and genius, and, more especially, of that power of memory which startled every one by its quickness, flexibility, and range. While he was yet a boy, he was in incessant request to "tell books" to his youthful companions; and at that early date he was in the habit of repeating and declaiming the longest "Arabian Night" as fluently as Schehezerade herself. A little later, he would recite one of Scott's novels, story, characters, and scenery, almost as well as though the book were in his hands. His household books were, however, the Bible

and the Pilgrim's Progress; and many a strong passage in his works of description or vituperation, sprinkled with biblical words, shows how familiar he had been with scriptural phraseology in early youth. From school he went to the university of Cambridge, where he earned reputation by his verses and his oratory, and by his youthful contributions to Charles Knight's Quarterly Magazine. He graduated B.A. in 1822, and M.A. in 1826. He had already entered himself at Lincoln's Inn, and been called to the bar. His real entry into literature was through the gates of the Edinburgh Review, his first effort being a brilliant essay on Milton. During twenty years this first contribution was followed by many others, some upon books, some upon lives of eminent men; of which the best were those on Hastings and Clive, original efforts of his genius working on new material, the gathering of his own eye and ear in the country which they so splendidly describe. His political career was commenced in 1830, under the auspices of Lord Lansdowne, who, seeing an article on the ballot by the young barrister, at once sought him out, and introduced him to Parlia ment as member for Calne. The Government made him secretary of the Board of Control for India, and thus secured his talents for the service of the Whigs. In 1834 he went to India as a member of the Supreme Council; and having in two years and a half made a considerable addition to his fortune, he came back to England to acquire fame. For a few years he pursued both politics and letters, representing Edinburgh in the House of Commons, and writing articles for the Edinburgh Review. A quarrel with his constituents broke his connection with the House of Commons, and restored him to literature. It is true, the citizens of Edinburgh again chose him as their representative in 1852; but he was little more than a nominal member, for he only spoke once or twice, and then on questions of no public moment. During the last twelve years of his life, his time had been almost solely occupied with the History of England, four volumes of which were completed and published, and a fifth left partly ready for the press, and which afterwards appeared. Although he was generally believed to be closely engaged with the continuation of his History, he frequently

turned aside for other literary tasks; such as the memoirs of Oliver Goldsmith, William Pitt, and others, given-literally given―to Mr. Black for his edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Besides the History and the Essays, he wrote a collection of beautiful ballads, including the well-known Lays of Ancient Rome. His parliamentary and miscellaneous speeches have also been given to the world in a more accessible form than in the pages of Hansard. In 1849 he was elected Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow, and about the same time became a bencher of Lincoln's Inn. In 1850 he was appointed honorary professor of ancient history in the Royal Academy; three years later, he was rewarded with the Prussian order of Merit, and, in 1857, his honours culminated in his elevation to the peerage as Baron Macaulay. He died in 1859, in the sixtieth year of his age, and his remains were consigned to the companionship of the glorious dead in Westminster Abbey.

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