circuit, and through his kind offices received a brief as his junior in an important cause-offices not perhaps in those days so severely reprobated as they now are by the stern etiquette of the profession. The leader's accidental illness threw upon Mr. Pratt the conduct of the cause; and his great eloquence, and his far more important qualifications of legal knowledge and practical expertness in the management of business, at once opened for him the way to a brilliant fortune. His success was now secure.

NICE DEFINITION.

HALE, in his "Pleas of the Crown," says: "There was one arraigned before me at Cambridge for burglary, and upon the evidence it appeared he crept down a chimney: I was doubtful whether this were burglary, and so were some others: but upon examination it appeared, that in his creeping down, some of the bricks of the chimney were loosened, and fell down in the room, which put it out of the question, and direction was given to find it burglary; but the jury acquitted him of the whole fact."

A CHANCELLOR'S START IN LIFE. THURLOW, it is related, had travelled on circuit for some years with little notice, and with no opportunity to put forth his abilities; when the housekeeper of the Duke of N. was prosecuted for stealing a great deal of linen with which she had been entrusted. An attorney of little note and practice conducted the woman's case. He knew full well that he could ex

A CHANCELLOR'S START IN LIFE. 119 pect no hearty co-operation in employing any of the leading counsel; it was a poor case, and a low case; and it could not be supposed that they, "the foremost men of all the bar," would set themselves "tooth and nail," against the duke, who, in himself, his agents, and his friends, made the greatest part of every high legal and political assemblage in the county. The attorney looked round, therefore, for some young barrister who had nothing to lose, and might have something to win; and he fixed upon Thurlow. Thurlow read over the brief with the highest glee, and had an interview with the prisoner. As he entered the court, he jogged a briefless one, and said, in his favourite slang language "Neck or nothing, my boy, to-day. I'll soar or tumble!"

The opening speech of the eminent counsel for the duke, and the evidence, completely convicted the woman. The articles stolen were brought into court. When Thurlow rose to cross-examine the leading witness, before he asked a question, he merely, bending his black brows upon the man, turned round, and desired to look at the things that were said to be stolen. They were before him all the time, and were then presented to him; and, without a word, he carelessly tossed them again upon the table before him. He now closely questioned the witness, as to points of honour and honesty; then, in a minute or two, again asked to see the things. He was informed that they had already been handed to him, and that they were now before him. "I mean," said he, with well assumed ignorance, "the things that this unhappy woman is accused of having stolen." The witness, with great self-sufficiency and knowledge, as if to prove his own correctness, pointed them out upon the table before him. "And what else?" said he. He was arswered that they were the whole. "And you, Mr. Witness," said he, with a sneer," are the man of great trust, of accredited honour and honesty; and full of your own consequence, and in high feather, you come here to follow up a prosecution against a fellow-servant, and a confidential one, (you tell me,) whom

you have indicted as a felon, for taking these rags," exhibiting some cloth that happened to be torn ; " and this is the sum and substance of her offence! And all these witnesses," pointing to a group who had pushed themselves forward, "have been brought into this honourable court, to affix the ownership of the high and mighty noble duke and duchess to these cast-off, worn-out clothes! And here comes this fine gentleman to swear to the robber of that," holding up the garment, "which he himself would not accept as a gift! Shame! say I; and I am certain every one of your hearts, gentlemen of the jury, re-echo my indignant feeling. Shame! say I, on every one of the party," pausing to give one of his looks to each individual, "that is concerned in such a business! Why, it is more like a conspiracy against this poor destitute woman, against whom I lament to see my very honourable and learned brethren," pointing to the other counsel, "here arrayed-it is more like a conspiracy (not that my learned friends have lot, or part, or feeling in the business-more like a conspiracy against this woman, than any the least act of felony on her part! These clothes! I pray you, look at them, gentlemen of the jury; these clothes!! Can you conceive, gentlemen, that if you were a Duke and Duchess of N-you would ever have offered a housekeeper, a woman of credit and respectability,-a fellowservant of this fine gentleman before you-such worn-out rags as these? Would you have thought it worthy of consideration, if such a servant had thought proper to appropriate to her own use a cart-load of such trumpery? If the poor woman did remove out of sight such trash as this, all I say is, that she seems to have had more respect for the credit and honour of that noble house, than any of those people whose ridiculous pretensions to honesty have persecuted her, and exhibited themselves here. Gentlemen and ladies, witnesses! I have done with you; you may all leave the court!"

They were all glad to take him at the first word, and in a few minutes not one of them was to be seen. "I have heard," he continued, "of the pride of a noble house and of its poverty being nearly allied; but here we have all the poverty and none of the pride!" Some one unluckily said that the things were not all in that torn state. "What!" said he, with the utmost contempt, looking to the party, "is there any one that wishes to exhibit his devoted baseness? Let him not whisper here behind my back, but come forward, and get into the box." He paused, and had no further interruption. "To you, gentlemen of the jury, I appeal. I ask you if you have seen enough of the rage

A CHANCELLOR'S START IN LIFE. 121

of this noble family?" and he pulled out one of the worst pieces of the linen, and held it at arm's length, during the greater part of a taunting speech of the same kind; then throwing it away contemptuously from him,-"Away, away! I say, with these rags of the noble family of N- "-and some one gathered up

all together, and took them out of court ;-" and God grant that they may never rise up in judgment against them! Poor, weak, foolish woman! she took them as her perquisite. Perquisite, indeed! her folly was her fault; for you have seen they were not worth the taking.

"Gentlemen of the jury,-I cannot believe that you will lend yourselves to such a grovelling persecution-persecution as this. I pause not to investigate where the evil spirit arose, in principals or agents, against this injured and calumniated female. If the great ones of our earth will disgrace themselves-if they will listen to the suggestions of envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, I trust that you, more humble members of the community, will not be partakers of these evil passions. Where the prosecutor has sustained no personal fear and no personal loss, it is impossible that any offence can have been committed. You are not twelve despots sitting upon a case of high treason against the game-laws, and are to have your consciences racked to bring in a verdict of trespass, where no damage can be proved; you are not required to strain right against justice and honesty. What is the offence? How is our Lord the King or his subjects aggrieved? Those rags! I know not what the splendid household of the duke may require for matches or tinder; for this is all the value that can be attached to them. Shall we call for them back again, lest the Duke and Duchess should lose their recovered treasure? I am not disposed to dispute their right; for, even if they were the perquisite of the housekeeper, I am convinced that she would not get a farthing emolument for those tattered remnants of nobility. Of one thing I am well assured, that there is not a sufficiency of sound linen in the whole to make lint enough to cover the wound that the reputation of the noble Duke and Duchess has sustained in this disgraceful prosecution. Gentlemen, I will trouble you no further. I confidently expect your verdict."

The woman was acquitted, and from that day the powers of Thurlow, in voice, sarcasm, gesture, and all the superior intonations of brow-beating, which raised him to the most dangerous pinnacle of legai

greatness, became known, and rapidly advanced him to fame, and the grandchildren of his father to be enrolled among the established peers of the realm.*

LORD LYNDHURST'S GENEROSITY.

66

IN or about the year 1834, one of the most violent Radicals of the day addressed a long letter to Lord Lyndhurst, detailing the distressing circumstances in which he was placed through ill health, and the infirmities of old age, and soliciting charity. His lordship read the letter attentively, and handed it to his secretary, saying, "Make out a check on my bank for five pounds, for this poor man." The secretary, on looking at the signature, exclaimed, "My lord, are you aware who this man is?" "No," said his lordship; "I do not recollect having before seen the name." 66 Why, this is the notorious Gwho has been for many years so grossly and virulently abusing your lordship." Lord Lyndhurst stretched out his hand for the letter, looked again at the contents for a few seconds, and then observed to his secretary, "Oh, never mind what he has been in the habit of saying about me; the poor man seems to be in a very distressed condition; get the cheque ready, and send him the money."

A number of years since, when Mr. Cleave, the news

From "The Double Trial." In a note it is stated that the foregoing anecdote was told to the writer by the late James Burton, Esq., of Lockeridge House, a seat of the Marquess of Aylesbury's, near Marlborough. Mr. Burton married a daughter of the celebrated actress, Mrs. Cibber, by General Sloper, from whom Mr. Burton is believed to have received the account.