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"If common fame may be credited on this occafion, it is faid, that as foon as the learned counfel had finished their arguments, the chancellor (in his military capacity) ordered the drums to beat a few minutes, the mufic of which drove, as he was pleafed to fay, a great deal of the law-arguments out of his head, and enabled him the bet ter, in the capacity of chancellor, to decide with firmnefs, and form his own decree. Be that as it may, the probability of the fact, as well as of the effect of a noife, feems to acquire additional ftrength by a modern anecdote. A very dignified legal character in this country, diftinguished not only for fterling fenfe, but alfo for effufions of wit and pleafantry, when a famous cafe of appeal was determined in dom. procerum against his decree, in ftepping into his coach, ordered his coachman to drive faft over the ftones, adding, afide to his officers, The noife will drive all difagreeable ideas out of my head.' The plan fucceeded very well till an old woman at the crofling into St. Martin's-lane, occafioned the coachman humanely to ftop. The lordkeeper, wondering at the cause, or dered his purfe-bearer to afk the coachman why he drew up, who replied, I know my mafter would not have me kill the poor old She is almost under the 'horfes feet.' The lord-keeper, The lord-keeper, finding he was not any longer in danger, wittily replied, Suppofe ' he had killed her-take her to the House of Lords, and they will undo all we had done.'

woman.

"Again lord Mansfield is faid to have given wholesome and pithy advice to a friend who was prevailed on to act in the commiffion of the peace: Keep your reafons within your own breast; be not too hafty ⚫ in common cafes of granting war

'rants before you have tried the effect of a fummons; and, above all, be careful that good intentions are the governing principle, fince we generally judge of the intentions of a magiftrate.'

"The late Mr. Madan, who, about the year 1756, changed his bar gown for a clerical one, having written a pamphlet, wherein he ar raigned the mistaken lenity of the judges in too frequently reprieving capital offenders, was prefent, either as a magiftrate or one of the grand jury, at the affizes held at EaftGrinstead in Suffex, fome years ago, which proved to be a maiden

one.

On the theriff exprefling his happiness in prefenting the white gloves to his lordship, as the emblem of purity, the chief juftice pleasantly obferved, Mr. Madan too will have a fingular pleasure on this occafion, because there is no condemned prifoner to be reprieved.'

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"Many other apophthegms ftand upon record; but the pleafantry of converfation lofes confiderably by being narrated or detailed; and poffibly cafe and pleafantry of this nature may not be deemed to be within the line of duty of a biographer, whofe province is, to relate what he has heard and feen with accuracy and fidelity, and to introduce effufions of wit, for the very useful purpose intended by nature, that of recommending and adorning truth."

"We now approach to a period which produces an event difgraceful to the age and country in which the fact was committed.

"An union of folly, enthufiafm, and knavery, had excited alarms in the minds of fome weak people, that encouragements were given to the profeffors of the Catholic faith, inconfiftent with the Proteftant re ligion and true policy.

"The

"The act of parliament which excited this clamour had paffed with little oppofition through both houses, and had not received any extraordinary fupport from lord Mansfield. But the minds of the public were inflamed by artful reprefentations, and the rage of deluded mobs was directed against the most eminent perfons in the kingdom.

"Who could have thought that fuch outrages would have difgraced fo enlightened a period as 1780? Pofterity will fcarcely credit the audacious threatenings of this memorable year-a year pregnant with mifchiefs, rapine, and riots, which were practied and perpetrated, not only in the fhades of night, where riot and confufion are generally hatched, and where thefe pefts of fociety love to dwell, but even in the very face of noon-day. A year ever to be remembered with aftonishment and horror. aftonishment, when it is confidered by what a small number of rioters, and by what pigmy-champions in general, houfes were demolished, contributions levied openly in the moft public iquares; and the doors and gates of the strongest prifons, Newgate itfelf not excepted, opened wide to pour forth new forces well trained and ready to enter upon the most desperate fervice.

With

"With horror, as long as the many calamitous circumstances are recollected to which each day of riot gave birth; one of which, not only Weftminster Hall, in general, but every intelligent reader will ferioufly lament, and which the author of these sheets must ab imo cordis ever deplore; from his knowledge of the invaluable lofs of hooks and manufcripts which perifhed in the conflagration of the earl of Manffield's houte, and which would have diffufed a fplendor over thefe pages,

which cannot by any poffibility now be caft, elucidated, or fupplied. The rich fruits of many years fine harvests were in a moment destroyed; and nothing but poor gleanings, in private ftudies, are left for the labourer of the prefent day.

"This annus mirabilis, 1780, cannot fail to excite curiofity in readers of every denomination. A faithful detail of the ruinous confufion, which was happily put an end to in a very few days, may, when contrafted with the complete anarchy of late years, pregnant with the most dreadful outrages, mur-. ders, and affaffinations, in another country, not only stamp a degree of credibility on the moft extravagant and feemingly incredible events of the riots in London in 1780, but alfo fully evince this great truth— that, from whatever caufes riot and anarchy spring, the effects will (if they are not ferioufly and timely prevented) be invariably the fame

will, like Pandora's box, diffuse far and wide the evils of defolation, mifery, and ruin! But, as it is foreign to the purpose of this publi cation to write or even attempt to portray a faint fketch of hiftorical events, the author muft beg permiffion to confine his obfervations on this memorable period to fuch a plain detail of facts as fell within his own knowledge on the one hand, and as will throw light, on fuch tranfactions wherein the earl of Mansfield was either in his pri vate or judicial capacity principally and perfonally interested.

"On the evening of the fecond day's riot, Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Brookfbank, and another magifrate for the county of Middlesex, dif charged their duty as vigilant magiftrates, by waiting on the lord chief justice of England at his house in Bloomsbury-fquare. They found his lordship in conference with his

phatically to exclaim, 'Tis d-d
foolish to run our breafts against
bayonets-d'ye fee how they are

'windows?' Thefe pithy exclama-
tions, and the fight of a few point-
ed bayonets, had a wonderful ef-
fect. And the captain of the com-
pany of guards, who was my au-
thor, told me with fome humour,
that, as detachments of the guards
were wanted in almost every part
of the metropolis, he thought it
fair to play the old foldier, and to
multiply his handful of men in the
beft manner he was able. A gar-
den-door in the lord chancellor's
houfe, which communicated with
the fields, was very convenient for
this purpose. He placed three or
four centinels at the parlour-win-
dows, as has been noticed; and all
the reft, being ufered through the
garden into the fields, wheeled
round by the duke of Bolton's house
and Queen's-fquare to Ormond-
ftreet again. But, ere they re-en-
tered, the few rioters then affem-
bled heard the captain of the guard
afk the corporal, When will the
next detachment arrive? The an
fwer was, Please your honour, in
a trice they are almoft in fight.'
The corporal could fpeak with
greater precifion, fince in fact the
men had Hardly been ever out of
his fight-though perfectly con-
cealed by art, as if under the fable
cloud of night, from the rioters;
by one of whom, probably their
captain, the watch-word was given,
Let us decamp to the corner of
Bloomsbury.'

yery refpectable and near neighbour the archbishop of York. Their painful embaffy was, to announce that the avowed defign of the riot-ready to pink us at the parlourers that evening was to deftroy by fire the houses of the lord chancellor, and lord chief justice, and one or two more, which were marked, and then well known. The magi ftrates having made an humble tender of their affiftance and advice; the lord chief justice asked (as the author was credibly informed), what his grace the archbishop propofed to do. The anfwer was worthy of a Briton: To defend myself and 'my family in my own manfion, ' while I have an arm to be raised ' in their defence.' The reply was, Tis nobly faid: but, while an archbishop, like a true churchmilitant, is ftrong enough to pro'tect himself-a feebler man, and an old man, muft look up to the 'civil power for protection.' This conceffion having been made, the magiftrates took a fair occafion to recommend the admiffion of a detachment of the guards into the houfe; but whether the noble owner thought their admiffion might make the enraged mob more defperate, or that it would be more efficient to keep the guards at a fmall diftance, in the veftry room of Bloomfbury church, until they were really wanted, is not in the power of the author to determine. The lord high chancellor preferred the admiffion of a ferjeant's guard into his houfe in Great Ormond-ftreet; and by the circuitous marches of this fmall body of men from Ormond-fireet to the duke of Bolton's, and counter-marches from Bolton houfe to Ormond-street, in a very fhort fpace of time, the rioters had every reafon to believe, and one of them was heard to proclaim to his brethren, the chancellor's houfe is brim-full of the guards;' and em1797.

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"The fatal confequence is too well known; and the irreparable lofs of all lord Mansfield's books, and manufcripts, we repeat with forrow, is ever to be deplored.

"In this inftance we can only lament, that fo great a lawyer and ftatefman was not, in this hour of D

immi.

imminent danger, fo great a gene ral as the then lord chancellor.

"So unexpected was this daring outrage on order and government, that it burst on lord Mansfield with

on his lordship's refignation of the
high office of chief juftice, was to
the following effect:
'My Lord,

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"It was our wish to have waited

out his being prepared in the flight-perfonally upon your lordship in a eft manner to refift it. He efcaped with his life only, and retired to a place of fafety, where he remained fone time. On the 14th day of June, the last day of term, he again took his feat in the court of King's Bench. The reverential filence,' fays Mr. Douglas, which was obferved when his lordship refumed his place on the Bench, was expreffive of fentiments of condolence and respect, more affecting than the most eloquent addrefs the 'occasion could have suggested.'

"The amount of lord Mansfield's lofs which might have been eftimated, and was capable of a compenfation in money, is known to have been very great. This he had a right to recover against the hundred. Many others had taken that courfe; but his lordship thought it more confiftent with the dignity of his character, not to refort to the indemnification provided by the legiflature."

"In 1784, the preffure of fome bodily infirmities for the first time admonished the venerable peer to feek relaxation and relief from the falutary fprings and the vivifying Loft air of Tunbridge."

body, to have taken our public leave of you, on your retiring from the office of chief juftice of England; but, judging of your lordship's feelings upon fuch an occafion by our own, and confi'dering, befides, that our numbers might be inconvenient, we defire in this manner affectionately to af'fure your lordship, that we regret, with a juft fenfibility, the lofs of a magiftrate, whofe confpicuous and exalted talents conferred dignity upon the profeffion; whofe enlightened and regular admini ftration of justice made its duties lefs difficult and laborious, and 'whose manuers rendered them pleafant and refpectable.

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But, while we lament our lofs, we remember, with peculiar fa tisfaction, that your lordship is not cut off from us by the fudden ftroke of painful diftemper, or the more diftreffing ebb of thofe ex'traordinary faculties which have fo long diftinguifhed you amongst men; but that it has pleafed God to allow to the evening of an useful and illuftrious life, the pureft enjoyments which nature has ever allotted to it-the unclouded reflections of a fuperior and unfading mind over its varied events, and the happy confcioufnefs, that

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it has been faithfully and eminent

"He retired in 1788 from the diftinguished office of lord chief juftice of the King's Bench, which he had held more than thirty years with a reputation and splendour un-ly devoted to the highest duties of rivalled. 'human fociety, in the most diftinguifhed nation upon earth. May the feafon of this high fatisfac

"The very affectionate and pathetic addrefs from the bar, figned

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lengthened days of your activity and ftrength!"

by the counsel who had practifedtion bear its proportion to the in the court of King's Bench during fome part of the period of his prefiding there, which was tranfmitted to him at Kenwood by Mr. Erskine,

"To which addrefs lord Manf. field, without detaining the fer

vant five minutes, returned the fol- alleged, foftened the rigor of law, lowing anfwer:

Dear Sir,

"I cannot but be extremely flattered by the letter which I this mo⚫ment have the honour to receive. If I have given fatisfaction, it is "owing to the learning and candour of the bar. The liberality and integrity of their practice freed the judicial investigation of ⚫ truth and justice from many difficulties. The memory of the af⚫ fiftance I have received from them, and the deep impreffion which the extraordinary mark they have now given me of their approbation and affection, has made upon my mind, will be a fource of perpe'tual confolation in my decline of life, under the preffure of bodily infirmities, which made it my duty ' to retire.

I am, Sir, with gratitude to you, and the other gentlemen, Your most affectionate and ob'liged humble fervant,

'MANSFIELD.'

6 Kenwood, June 15, 1788.

"Of lord Mansfield's benevolent qualities, if a fair eftimate is to be made from his patronizing merit wherever he found it, and where he had the least reafon to think that his patronage would be of real fervice, his whole life will appear with great luftre, exhibiting a regular fyftem of general benevolence, an unclouded effulgence of benignity, and an innate love of conferring favours on all thofe, who were zealous to obtain a good report, and who deferved it.

"In his judicial capacity it may be affirmed, without partiality or encomiaftic hyperbole, that his great outline of conduct as a judge was to make the rigid rules of law fubfervient to the purposes of fubflantial juftice. He was not the first who, as fome have erroneously

by the interpofition of principles of equity. But, although he did not introduce novelty by this practice, candor must allow that he cultivat ed and improved this practice more fuccefsfully, and in a greater degree, than any of his predeceffors. He prefided in his high ftation dur ing a period of thirty years and upwards, with the dignity of a great judge, and with an attachment to the court wherein he prefided, which could not be diffolved by repeated offers of the cuftody of the great feal. In many emergencies, and in times of difficulty and dan ger, he difcovered an intrepidity of mind, and delivered his fentiments with a decided tone of voice, which at once commanded admiration, and filenced the tongue of malevo lence, not unfrequently apt to attribute to him the want of firmnefs.

"His judgments were introdu ced with all the embellishments which the law on the fubject, and which deep learning, could fupply. His great and unremitted at eution, to improve and render plain and perfpicuous the rules of the court wherein he prefided, will be acknowledged and revered as long as the rules themselves or the love of good order fhall exift in our excellent conftitution. And, in fine, if he has left the practice of the higheft court of judicature yet improv able, it must be allowed, that he has left the rules and orders of that court replete with so much excellence, that they cannot fail to prompt his fucceffors to emulate him, and to make farther improvements."

"In fine, The fummary of lord Mansfield's legal and private charac may be given in few words. "In all he faid or did there was happy mixture of good-nature,

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