man, and stimulated by the prospect of a thousand guineas, set his wits to work to contrive the best methods to gain his end. At last he hit upon this happy thought, that he would consult the first judge of his age, Lord Chief Justice Hale." Accordingly, he hastened up to London, and laid open the cause and all its circumstances. The judge, who was a great lover of justice, heard the case attentively, and promised him all the assistance in his power. 5. The lawyer having taken leave, the judge contrived matters so as to finish all his business at the King's Bench," before the assizes began at Chelmsford. When within a short distance of the place, he dismissed his man and horses, and sought out for a single house. He found one occupied by a miller. After some conversation, and making himself quite agreeable, he proposed to the miller to change clothes with him. As the judge had a very good suit on, the man had no reason to object. 6. Accordingly the judge shifted himself from top to toe, and put on a complete suit of the miller's best. Armed with a miller's hat, and shoes, and stick, away he marches to Chelmsford, and procured good lodging, suitable for the assizes that should come on next day. When the trials came on, he walked, like an ignorant country-fellow, backward and forward along the county hall. He had a thousand eyes within him, and when the court began to fill, he found out the poor fellow who was the plaintiff. 66 7. As soon as he came into the hall, the miller drew up to him. Honest friend," said he, "how is your cause like to go, to-day?" "Why," replied the plaintiff, "my cause is in a very precarious situation, and if I lose it, I am ruined for life." 66 Well, honest friend," replied the miller, "if you will take my advice, I will let you into a secret, which, perhaps, you do not know; every Englishman has the right and privilege to except against any one juryman through the whole twelve; now do you insist upon your privilege, Sir Matthew Hale. See p. 139. The English court of judicature, in which the lord chief justice presides as the king's deputy. without giving a reason why, and, if possible, get me chosen in his room, and I will do you all the service in my power." 8. Accordingly, when the clerk had called over the names of the jurymen, the plaintiff excepted to one of them. The judge on the bench was highly offended with this liberty. 'What do you mean," said he, "by excepting against that gentleman?" "I mean, my lord, to assert my privilege as an Englishman, without giving a reason why." 9. The judge, who had been highly bribed, in order to conceal it by a show of candor, and having a confidence in the superiority of his party, said, "Well, sir, as you claim your privilege in one instance, I will grant it. Whom would you wish to have in the room of that man excepted?" After a short time taken in consideration, "My lord," says he, "I wish to have an honest man chosen ;"— and, looking round the court, 66 My lord, there is that miller in the court, we will have him, if you please." Accordingly the miller was chosen. 10. As soon as the clerk of the court had given them all their oaths, a little dexterous fellow came into the apartment, and slipped ten guineas into the hands of eleven jurymen, and gave the miller but five. He observed that they were all bribed, as well as himself, and said to his next neighbor, in a soft whisper, "How much have you got?" "Ten pieces," said he. But he had concealed what he had got himself. The cause was opened by the plaintiff's counsel, and all the scraps of evidence they could pick up were adduced in his favor. 11. The younger brother was provided with a great number of witnesses and pleaders, all plentifully bribed, as weil as the judge. The evidence deposed that they were in the self-same country when the brother died, and saw him buried. The counsellors pleaded upon this accumulated evidence; and everything went with a full tide in favor of the younger brother. The judge summed up the evidence with great gravity and deliberation. "And now, gentlemen of the jury," said he, “lay your heads together, and bring in your verdict as you shall deem most just." 12. They waited but a few minutes before they deter mined in favor of the younger brother. The judge said, "Gentlemen, are you agreed; and who shall speak for you?" "We are all agreed, my lord,” replied one; "our foreman shall speak for us." "Hold, my lord," replied the miller, "we are not all agreed.” Why," said the judge, in a very surly manner, "what's the matter with you? what reasons have you for disagreeing?" 13. 66 I have several reasons, my lord," replied the miller. The first is, they have given to all these gentlemen of the jury ten broad pieces of gold, and to me but five; which, you know, is not fair. Besides, I have many objections to make to the false reasonings of the pleaders, and the contradictory evidence of the witnesses." Upon this, the miller began a discourse, which discovered such vast penetration of judgment, such extensive knowledge of law, and was expressed with such energetic and manly eloquence, that it astonished the judge and the whole court. 14. As he was going on with his powerful demonstrations, the judge, in a surprise of soul, stopped him. "Where did you come from, and who are you?" "I came from Westminster Hall," replied the miller; " my name is Matthew Hale. I am lord chief justice of the King's Bench. I have observed the iniquity of your proceedings this day; therefore, come down from a seat which you are no ways worthy to hold. You are one of the corrupt parties in this iniquitous business. I will come up this moment and try the cause all over again." 15. Accordingly, Sir Matthew went up, with his miller's dress and hat on, began the trial from its very commencement, and searched every circumstance of truth and falsehood. He evinced the elder brother's title to the estate from the contradictory evidence of the witnesses, and the false reasoning of the pleaders; unraveled all the sophistry to the very bottom, and gained a complete victory in favor of truth and justice. LESSON CIX.7 CHARACTER OF MR. BROUGHAM." 1. BROUGHAM is a thunderbolt. He may come in the dark, he may come at random, his path may be in the viewless and graspless air, but still, give him something solid, let him come in contact with the earth, and be it beautiful or barren it feels the power of his terrible visitation. You see not, or rather you heed not, the agent which works; but just as when the arch-giant of physical destroyers rends his way, you see the kingdoms of nature yielding at his approach, and the mightiest of their productions brushed aside as though they were dust, or torn as though they were gossamer. 2. While he raises his voice in the house, while he builds firmly and broadly the bases of his own propositions, and snatches from every science a beam to enlarge and strengthen his work; and while he indignantly beats down and tramples upon all that has been reared by his antagonist, you feel as if the wind of annihilation were in his hand, and the power of destruction in his possession. 3. There cannot be a greater treat than to hear Brougham upon one of those questions which give scope for the mighty swell of his mind, and which permit him to launch the bolts of that tremendous sarcasm, for which he has not now, and perhaps never had, an equal in the house. When his display is a reply, you see his long and lathy figure drawn aside from others, and coiled up within itself like a snake, and his eyes glancing from under the slouched hat, as fiery and as fatal as those of the basilisk; you mark the twin demons of irony and contempt playing about the tense and compressed line of his mouth. 4. Up rises the orator slowly and clumsily. His body a Brougham (Brow'am); an eminent English statesman and orator, born 1779. » Gossamer, a filmy substance, like cobwebs, floating in the air. c Basilisk; a kind of serpent, with a very pointed head and fiery eyes, said to have been found in the deserts of Africa. It is supposed by some that this animal, as described by the ancients, was fabulous. swung into an attitude which is none of the most graceful His long and sallow visage seems lengthened and deepened in its hue. His eyes, his nose and mouth, seem huddled together, as if, while he presses every illustration into his speech, he were at the same time condensing all his senses into one. There is a lowering sublimity in his brows, which one seldom sees equalled; and the obliquity of the light shows the organization of the upper and lateral parts of his forehead, proud and palpable as the hills of his native north. 5. His left hand is extended with the palm, prepared as an anvil, upon which he is ever and anon to hammer, with the forefinger of his right, as the preparation to that full swing which is to give life to every muscle, and motion to every limb. He speaks! In the most powerful and sustained, and at the same time the most close, clear, and logical manner, does he demolish the castle which his opponent had built for himself. You hear the sounds, you see the flash, you look for the castle, and it is not. Stone after stone, turret after turret, battlement after battlement, and wing after wing, are melted away, and nothing left save the sure foundation, upon which the orator himself may build. LESSON CX. 110 GENIUS WAKING. 1. SLUMBER'S heavy chain hath bound thee; Feebler wings are gathering round thee; Shall they hover higher? From inglorious dreams? O, could glory so appal thee With his burning beams! 2. Thine was once the highest pinion |