If you want to understand why France welcomed Napoleon after the Terror, you had only to be in the House at that moment, and understand the sense of relief, joy, and confidence which came over it when the presence of the Speaker brought it to the sense that at last the reign of Anarchy was over, and order was in the hands of one who could maintain it against all men, and against the whole House if needs be.

And then, to my astonishment, Mr.Gibbs complained of my use of the term "Judas" to Mr.
Chamberlain.

As I have said, all this had passed from everybody's memory, it really had nothing to do with the awful scene which had just been enacted, and, in fact, it was like some sudden return to ancient and forgotten history.

Moreover, it had the disadvantage of conveying an entirely wrong impression of what had really taken place; it shifted back the attention to what was after all more or less playfulness, or at the worst, mere verbal disorder, from the odious, brutal resort to physical violence which had just taken place.

Moreover, it put a wrong complexion on even the verbal disorder, for it put the initiative with me instead of with Mr.Chamberlain, and, finally, it entirely removed from view the gross and scandalous breach of order which Mr.Gibbs and his friends had committed by retaining their seats and refusing to leave the House.
[Sidenote: My apology.] But the great consideration with the Speaker--and, indeed, with everybody else who had the dignity and honour of the House of Commons at heart--was to shove underground as soon, as promptly, as roughly as possible, the corpse of its dignity and reputation; and without making any attempt to explain my conduct--to shift on the responsibility to where it really lay--to draw attention, except by a mere sentence, to that scene of physical violence--I made my apology.