Chapter I: Preface

The scope of this volume is indicated by its title--a presentation of the lighter side of law, as it is exhibited from time to time in the witty remarks, repartees, and _bon mots_ of the Bench and Bar of Great Britain, Ireland, and America. The idea of presenting such a collection of legal _facetiæ_ originated with the late Mr. D. Macleod Malloch, and it is greatly to be regretted that by his untimely death, his share of the work had reached the stage of selecting only about one-half of the material included in the book. His knowledge of law, and his wide reading in legal biography, was such as would have increased considerably the value of this volume.

In addition to sources which are acknowledged in the text, I have to mention contributions drawn from the following works: W. D. Adams' _Modern Anecdotes_; W. Andrews' _The Lawyer in History, Literature and Humour_; Croake James's _Curiosities of Law_; F. R. O'Flanagan's _The Irish Bar_; and A. Engelbach's comprehensive and entertaining _Anecdotes of the Bench and Bar_. I am further indebted to Sir James Balfour Paul, Lyon King of Arms, for permission to include "The Circuiteer's Lament," from the privately printed volume _Ballads of the Bench and Bar_, and to the editor of the _Edinburgh Evening Dispatch_ for a number of the more recent anecdotes in the Scottish chapters of the book.

GEO. A. MORTON.

LIST OF CONTENTS

I. THE JUDGES OF ENGLAND PAGE 3

II. THE BARRISTERS OF ENGLAND 67

III. THE JUDGES OF IRELAND 107

IV. THE BARRISTERS OF IRELAND 127

V. THE JUDGES OF SCOTLAND 153

VI. THE ADVOCATES OF SCOTLAND 199

VII. THE AMERICAN BENCH AND BAR 223

LIST OF PORTRAITS

LORD THURLOW _Frontispiece_

_From a painting by Thomas Phillips, R.A.
By permission of the Trustees of the National Portrait
Gallery._

EARL OF ROSSLYN _Page_ 8

EARL OF MANSFIELD 16

EARL OF ELDON 20

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

LORD KENYON 24

LORD ERSKINE 32

LORD WESTBURY 36

LORD BROUGHAM 40

LORD CAMPBELL 44

_By permission of the Trustees of the National Portrait
Gallery, and Mr. Emery Walker._

LORD CHELMSFORD 48

SIR ALEXANDER COCKBURN 52

_By permission of Harry A. Cockburn, Esq._

LORD BRAMPTON (SIR HENRY HAWKINS) 56

THE HON. MR. JUSTICE DARLING 60

_From a photograph by C. Vandyk._

SIR SAMUEL MARTIN 64

THE HON. MR. JUSTICE GRANTHAM 72

_From a photograph by Elliott & Fry, Ltd._

JOHN ADOLPHUS 76

SAMUEL WARREN, Q.C. 80

LORD ROMILLY 88

SERJEANT TALFOURD 96

VISCOUNT CARLETON 112

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

JOHN P. CURRAN 128

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

DANIEL O'CONNELL 144

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

LORD NEWTON 156

LORD ESKGROVE 160

LORD KAMES 164

LORD ELDIN 168

LORD COCKBURN 176

LORD BRAXFIELD 184

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

LORD YOUNG 192

_From a photograph by T. & R. Annan & Sons._

THE HON. HENRY ERSKINE 200

_By permission of the Trustees of the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery._

ANDREW CROSBIE 208

_By permission of the Faculty of Advocates._

THEOPHILUS PARSONS 224

RUFUS CHOATE 232

CHAPTER ONE

THE JUDGES OF ENGLAND

"The man resolv'd and steady to his trust,
Inflexible to ill, and obstinately just,
May the rude rabble's insolence despise,
Their senseless clamours, and tumultuous cries;
The tyrant's fierceness he beguiles,
And the stern brow, and the harsh voice defies,
And with superior greatness smiles."

HORACE: _Odes_.

"The charge is prepared, the lawyers are set;
The judges are ranged, a terrible show."

_Beggar's Opera._

LAW AND LAUGHTER
BY GEORGE A. MORTON
AND D. MACLEOD MALLOCH