Above all things, Professor Dicey was a Unionist, and his
influence on the Unionist controversy, and especially over the late Duke of Devonshire, was very great indeed. The present writer was throughout the. Unionist controversy in close touch with Professor Dicey.and.marked the sense of justice with which he viewed the whole matter—a, sense of justice which, however, did not prevent him from passionately desiring, to maintain the Union. The. Union, Professor Dicey believed, was quite as necessary to the welfare of Ireland as to that of the United King- dom. He was always somewhat of a pessimist on the Irish Question, and unfortunately, as it has turned out, his pessimism was well founded. What he felt from the beginning was that sooner or later a Parliamentary situationswould arise in whicha portion of those professing Unionist- views would find it convenient to throw over their principles and so make the form of government which in truth divided Ireland least, and also the United Kingdom least, impossible.
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