British foreign secretary Lord Palmerston is attacked in Parliament
for his conduct of foreign affairs, but survives with a stirring
speech known as the 'Civis Romanus sum speech', in which he
compared the British Empire to the Roman, reminding his listeners
that a Roman citizen existed under its protection wherever they
were on Earth.
Citation:
Editors. "Lord Palmerston survives a Parliamentary attack on his foreign policy".
The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 December 2011
[http://litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=18240, accessed 19 June 2013.]