John Morley: “Gladstone’s courage not to muffle up plain truth, from any spurious notions of national self-esteem.”

I am trying to feel my way through the most difficult problem, the most difficult situation that a responsible Government can have to face.

Do not weary or fret or nag him with your superior wisdom.

Yet they had certainly no less value and truth than they ever had, and perhaps were more needed than ever in face of the present chaos of opinion.

What I endeavoured to show was that King George III., without changing his opinion of the justice of his war against the colonies, was obliged to give it up on account of a change of public opinion, and was not open to blame for so doing.