It was always uppermost in his mind, and
directed all the public actions of his life. Nor did it fail to
communicate itself to those under him, who served him in the like
spirit. When he rode into one of his infantry squares at
Waterloo, as its diminished numbers closed up to receive a charge
of French cavalry, he said to the men, "Stand steady, lads; think
of what they will say of us in England;" to which the men replied,
"Never fear, sir--we know our duty."
Duty was also the dominant idea in Nelson's mind. The spirit in
which he served his country was expressed in the famous watchword,
"England expects every man to do his duty," signalled by him to
the fleet before going into action at Trafalgar, as well as in
the last words that passed his lips,--"I have done my duty;
I praise God for it!"
And Nelson's companion and friend--the brave, sensible, homely-
minded Collingwood--he who, as his ship bore down into the great
sea-fight, said to his flag-captain, "Just about this time our
wives are going to church in England,"--Collingwood too was, like
his commander, an ardent devotee of duty. "Do your duty to the
best of your ability," was the maxim which he urged upon many
young men starting on the voyage of life. To a midshipman he once
gave the following manly and sensible advice:- "You may depend
upon it, that it is more in your own power than in anybody else's
to promote both your comfort and advancement.
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