We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality.

Macaulay’s line is a satirical jab at what he saw as the British public’s cyclical, performative moral outrage—episodes in which popular opinion suddenly becomes censorious and self-righteous, then moves on. Calling it a “spectacle” emphasizes the theatricality: morality is treated less as a steady ethical commitment than as a public show. The word “periodical” suggests recurrence (like a fever), while “ridiculous” implies hypocrisy or disproportion—moral fervor that is loud, punitive, or selective rather than principled. The remark fits Macaulay’s broader Whig skepticism toward moral panics that distort judgment and policy, especially when public sentiment substitutes for careful reasoning.