the Middle Temple, 1741; aban-
dons his former studies; his
lines on the occasion, 241. 1743,
elected into the society of All
Souls; admitted fellow; delivers
the anniversary speech; called to
the bar, 1746, 243. Appointed
steward of the college manors;
commences doctor of the civil
law, 1750; "Essay on Collateral
Consanguinity;" retires to Ox-
ford; delivers a course of lec-
tures; various appointments, 244.
Tract, "Considerations of Copy-
holders;" elected first Vinerian
professor; introductory lecture;
copies sent to the prince, 245.
The coif pressed upon him; his
refusal; edition of Magna Charta,
and Charter of the Forest; tract
on the law of descents in fee sim-
ple; returned member of parlia-
ment, 1761; declines the office of
chief justice in Ireland; married;
publishes his tracts; appointed
solicitor-general to the queen;
elected bencher of the Middle
Temple; his "Commentaries on
the Laws of England," 1765, 246.
His conference with the Duke of
Newcastle; course of private lec-
tures; his "Analysis," 247. Lord
Mansfield's approval of the Com-
mentaries, 248. They are at-
tacked by many; Bentham's
strictures on them; panegyric on
their style by Mr. Fox; letter to
Mr. Trotter, 249. Resigns his
professorship; returned to parlia-
ment; takes part in the debates;
attacked in a pamphlet; com-
mented on by Junius, 251.
Re-
fuses the office of solicitor-
general; becomes judge of the
common pleas; devotes much
of his time to the subject of prison
discipline, 252. Charge on the
'establishment of penitentiaries,
253. Health declines; death,
1780; judgments; views of poli-
tics, 255. Religious opinions of;
acquirements; private character,
256. His speech in defence of
Lord Mansfield, 203.
Booth's character of Lord Jefferies,
117. Lord Mansfield's letter to
him, 173.
Buckingham, Villiers Lord, Lord
Coke declares him a grievance to
the country, 33.
Burke, his panegyric on Lord Ash-
burton, 306. His speech against
Lord Thurlow, 272.
Burnet's account of the capture of
Lord Jefferies, 135.
Busby, Dr., master of Westminster
school, educates Lord Jefferies,
113.
Butler, his account of Lord Thur-
low's eloquence, 281.
Camden, Lord, his speech against
the law courts, 204.
Catholics, relief of, 294.
Chatham, Lord, his speech on
directing a jury; his answer to
Lord Mansfield, 204.
Clarendon, Lord, resolves to re-
model the bench, 70.
Coke, Edward, born in the year 1550;
called to the bar at an early age;
his first case that of Lord Crom-
well, 1. Chosen speaker; em-
ployed against Essex and South-
ampton, 2.
Violent temper
displayed against Sir Walter
Raleigh, 3. In 1606, conducts
the prosecution against the par-
ties implicated in the gunpowder
conspiracy; violence against the
jesuits, 4. Appointed chief jus-
tice of the common pleas in
1606; his dislike to Bacon, 6.
Maintains his character for in-
tegrity while on the bench; par-
ties appeal for protection to the
courts of common law; justifies
himself and brothers for granting
prohibitions; in 1608, summoned
before his majesty, 9.
Declares
his majesty not learned in the
laws of his realm (see note 2);
offends the king, 10. His name
inserted in the reformed commis-
sion, 11. Refuses to sit; his
service to his country by stripping
illegal courts of the sanction
which a notion of their legality
afforded, 12. Summoned to at-
tend the council; advised to
maintain the power and prero-
gative of the king; his opinion
against the legality of the pro-
clamation, 14. His influence over
the minds of his brother judges,
15.
16.
Member of the privy council,
In 1613, supposed to have
sanctioned the illegal taxation
called a benevolence, 17. De-
clares that a free will grant to
the queen is lawful; bound to
declare the law as it existed;
employed in the discovery of the
murder of Sir Thomas Overbury;
examines 200 witnesses; his in-
dustry and zeal forces an enco-
mium from Bacon, 18. Coke and
the judges reprimanded by the
king; independent spirit of
Coke, 20. Dispute between the
lord chancellor and Coke ;
threatens the lord chancellor
with a præmunire, 21. The
court inflicts punishment on him;
removed from office; his forti-
tude forsakes him; Villiers sup-
posed to have hastened his re
moval, 23. The negotiation of
marriage between Sir John Villiers
and Coke's youngest daughter
renewed, 26. Temper of his wife;
she prefers a complaint against
him in the star-chamber, 27.
Reinstated at the council table,
28. 1620, represents Leskard in
Cornwall; devotes himself to the
service of his country; supports
the cause of freedom and liberty;
opposes the first bill against the
corn laws, 29. Charged with
concealing some examinations
during the trial of the Earl of
Somerset ; sent to Ireland to
enquire into the church esta-
blishment; honourable banish-
ment, 32. Subject of grievances;
the crown demands constant
supplies; takes a conspicuous
part; Buckingham a great
grievance to the country; his
advice prevails; subsidies refused,
and the king dissolves the par-
liament, 33. Created sheriff of
Buckingham; returned knight
of the shire; a suit commenced
against him by Lady Clare;
commons levy taxes under the
name of loans; his speech,
34. A bill to remedy various
grievances; the famous bill of
rights; denounces the favourite,
35. In 1628, retires from public
life; his house searched for se-
ditious papers; several MSS.
carried away; dies 1634, 36.
Appearance, frame, and habits,
37. Unrivalled head of his pro-
fession; characters of Coke and
Bacon compared, 40. His com-
ment on Littleton, 41. Calvin's
case; political cases, 42. His
commentaries on ancient sta-
tutes; founder of the library of
MSS. at Holkham, 43.
Colledge, his trial, 98.
Cowper, his verses on the destruc-
tion of Lord Mansfield's house,
211. Address to Lord Thurlow,
263.
Cromwell, Lord, Coke employed
against him, 1.
Douglas, Lord Thurlow counsel in
the case of, 259.
Ellesmere, Chancellor, his dispute
with Coke, 21.
Erskine, Lord, Thomas, born in
Scotland, 1750; goes to sea; en-
ters the army; married; re-
turns to London, 1772, 329. Be-
comes a fellow-commoner; dis-
plays eloquence; speech on the
trial of Paine, 330. Exhibits di-
ligence; called to the bar, 1778;
employed as counsel by Captain
Baillie; his address to the court
establishes his reputation, 331.
As counsel for Admiral Keppel;
arguments on the freedom of the
press; as counsel for Lord George
Gordon in 1781, 335. Speech of;
becomes a member of parliament;
first speech, 339. Second reading
of the bill; attack upon Mr. Pitt;
opposes Pitt's India bill, 340. De-
fence of the Bishop of St. Asaph,
341. Eloquent passage, 342. Dis-
cussion between the judge and
Mr. Erskine; verdict of the jury;
his speech; Fox's opinion of; ap-
pointed attorney general to the
Prince of Wales, 345. Speech of,
on the trial of Stockdale; trial of
Hastings; speech on, 347. Apo-
logies for excess in language, 350.
Of impeachment, in 1790; supports
the motion for the appointment
of a minister to treat with the ex-
ecutive in France; represents the
life of a soldier, 352. În favour of
reform; called on to defend Mr.
Thomas Paine; calumnious re-
ports, 353. Speech of; Paine
convicted; removed from office
of attorney-general; defence of
Horne Tooke; adverts to his
removal; letter to Mr. Howell,
356. Supports the motion for re-
form; pamphlet on the war with
France; his apology for being a
member of a society; declaims
against informers, 360. His de-
fence of Mr. John Frost; defence
of Mr. Walker in 1794, 363. Case
of Morton v. Fenn, 366. Soci-
eties for procuring reform; the
attorney-general desired to pro-
ceed against them, 367. Counsel
for the accused; speech; defence
of the societies; addresses the
multitude; trial of Mr. Horne
Tooke; defence of, 369. The li-
berty of the subject; returned for
Portsmouth; sudden illness, 371.
Removal of Pitt; case of Williams,
372. Answer of the society; re-
turns their retainer, 373. Pamph-
let, his View of the Causes of the
War with France, composition of;
style of; letter to Dr. Parr, 375.
Rescue of Arthur O'Connor; de-
fended by; trial of Hadfield in
1800; counsel for, 376.
1802, vi-
sits Paris; Napoleon's comment
on, 377. Adheres to the opposition;
against the alliance; receives the
great seal; created a peer; letter
to Mr. Howell, 378. In 1807 re-
signs the seal; bill against cruelty
to animals; speech of, 379. Pecu-
niary wants; Greek cause; pam-
phlets on the subject; his romance
entitled "Armata;" dies, 1823;
succeeded by his son David Mon-
tague; eloquence of, 380. Style
of, 382. Studies the feelings of
the jury; cases of Markham v.
Fawcett, and Howard v. Bing-
ham; counsel for the plaintiff,
386. Trial of Stockdale, 384.
View of the causes of war with
France, 385. Professional charac-
ter of, 387. Religion, 388. Moral
character of; vanity of; his de-
meanour in court; person of, 390.
Essex, Lord, Coke employed against,
Fox, Mr., opposes Lord Mansfield,
181. Sentiments of Lord Thur-
low, 269. His panegyric on the
style of Blackstone's Comment-
aries; his letter to Mr. Trotter,
250. His opinion of Lord Er.
skine's speech, 345.
Frost, Mr. John, Lord Erskine's
defence of, 363.
Garrick contemporary with Sir John
Eardley Wilmot, 229.
Glynn, Mr. Serjeant, Lord Thur-
low's speech against him, 261.
Gordon, Lord George, his trial;
Lord Erskine counsel for, 335.
Grafton, Duke of, Lord Mansfield
opposes, 190.
Grenville, Lord, his bill in cases of
contested elections, 290.
Guilford, Lord Keeper, his life by
his brother; educated under a
schoolmaster at Isleworth; a ri-
gid presbyterian; taught to pray
by the Spirit, 83. Entered St.
John's College, Cambridge, in
1653; applies himself to mathe-
matics and natural philosophy;
in 1665 admitted a student of the
Middle Temple; very intelligent;
his character by his brother,
84. Called to the bar in 1661;
much noticed by Sir Geoffrey
Palmer; writ of error in the
reign of Charles the First; highly
regarded by the court; the bench-
ers jealous of him; complains
of them, 86. They are rebuked;
he is elected a bencher in 1668,
his discretion while on circuit;
his reputation extends; one of
the most rising men at West-
minster; his life at this period,
87. Appointed solicitor-general,
and receives the honour of knight-
hood; confines his practice to the
court of chancery, 88. Marries a
daughter of the Earl of Down;
returned member for Lynn; be.
comes attorney-general, 93. Ac-
quires a general knowledge of the
French, Italian, Spanish, and
Dutch languages; promoted
chief justice of the common
pleas; introduces the clause of ac
etiam into the process of common
pleas; offends the bar, 94. His
reformation of abuses in the law,
96. Tries an old man for a
wizard, 97. His conduct on the
trial of Colledge, 98. Member of
the privy council, 99. Appointed
lord keeper; reforms many abuses
of the court of chancery, and of
the register's office, 101. His
policy at court; his mode of life,
102. On the death of the king
his prospects begin to fail, 104.
Declines in favour; becomes de-
pressed in spirits, 105. Resolves
to quit the great seal; retires
into the country; his disease in-
creases, 106. Dies; his character
by his brother and biographer,
107. Anecdotes concerning him,
111.
Hadfield, trial of; Lord Erskine's
defence of, 376.
Hale, Sir Matthew, born 1609; stu-
dent of Oxford; plunges into dis-
sipation; resolves to enter the
Prince of Orange's army; de-
terred by an accident; induced to
visit London, 60. Becomes ac-
quainted with Serjeant Glanville;
student of Lincoln's Inn in 1629;
devotes sixteen hours a day to
study; remarkable for his strict
religious opinions and conduct, 61.
Attracts the notice of Noy the
attorney-general; secures the
friendship of Selden and John
Vaughan; studies mathematics
and natural philosophy, 62. Called
to the bar; his entrance into
public life, 63. Proposes the life
of Atticus to himself as a model;
takes no part in politics; exerts
himself to liberate his country
engages in state trials; counsel
for the Earl of Strafford and Arch-
bishop Laud; counsel for the
Duke of Hamilton, Lords Hol-
land, Capel, and Craven; threat-
ened for appearing against the
government; his reply, 64. Takes
the covenant in 1643; reduction
of Oxford; tries to save it; takes
the engagement to be true and
faithful to the commonwealth ;
secures the confidence of parlia-
ment, 1651, 1652; the committee
for the reformation of the law; his
associates, 65. Raised to the
bench; presides at the trials of
criminals, 67. Displeasure at his
decisions; his reply, 68. Trial of
Penruddock; his refusal; 1654,
elected one of the knights of the
shire; proposes a resolution in
parliament; refuses to act under
the Protector Richard; returned
one of the members for Oxford,
69. Knight of the shire in the
parliament which recalled Charles
II.; distinguishes himself by a
motion; the motion opposed;
Lord Clarendon resolves to re-
model the bench; Hale declines
to accept office; reasons for his
refusal, 70. Appointed chief ba-
ron of the exchequer, 71. In
1665, his trial of two women in-
dicted for witchcraft; his belief
in witchcraft, 72. 1672, created
chief justice of the court of ex-
chequer; health declines; his
writ of ease; retires from office in
1675; dies, 1676; buried at Al-
derly; was twice married; his
character as a judge,73. His reso-
lutions on being made chief baron;
anecdotes of, 75. Character as a
lawyer, 78. His work on the
Pleas of the Crown: his Analysis
of the civil part of our law; his
treatise De jure maris, de portu-
bus maris; his opinion on the
amendment of the law; the mode
explained by him, 79. His trea-
tise on the Jurisdiction of the
Lords' House of Parliament, pub-
lished by Mr. Hargrave, in 1796,
81. Bequeaths a collection of
MSS. to the library of Lincoln's
Inn; a scholar; chief study,
theology; his work on the pri
mitive Origination of Mankind;
his Contemplations moral and di
vine, 82. His character in private
life, 83.
Hamilton, Duke of, Sir Matthew
Hale counsel for, 64.
Hardwicke, Lord, Sir Eardley Wil-
mot's letter to, 236.
Hastings's trial, Lord Erskine's
speech on, 347.
Holmes, Major, story of, 124.
Horner, Mr., Sir Samuel Romilly's
eulogy on, 407.
Howard v. Bingham, cases against,
386.
Howard, Mr., Sir Samuel Romilly's
letter concerning, 392.
Howell, Mr., Lord Erskine's letter
to, 356.
Hurd, Bishop, his character of
Lord Mansfield, 219.
Jefferies, Lord, born 1648, 113; edu.
cated at St. Paul's free school,
and by Dr. Busby at Westmin-
ster; assumes the bar gown; in-
gratiates the citizens, 114. Ap-
pointed common serjeant, 1670;
sacrifices his political principles;
elected recorder, 1678; made so-
licitor; Welsh judge; chief jus-
tice of Chester; created a baronet,
1681, 115. His cruelty and injus
tice as recorder; an address for
his removal; reprimanded; made
to surrender his office; his cha-
racter as judge, by Booth, 117.
Case against the city of London;
Rye House Plot; trial of Lord
Russell; appointed chief justice,
and member of the privy seal,
1683; created a peer; trial of Al-
gernon Sydney, 119. Trial of Bax-
ter, 121. His conduct in the west
of England; the king's letter to
his brother, 123. Story of Major
Holmes; execution of Mrs.
Lisle, 124. Abuses discovered at
Bristol, 128. Appointed lord chan-
cellor, 130. His advice to re-
establish the high commission
court, 131. Opposes the calling a
parliament, 132. Hated by the
nation; disguises himself; is ap.
prehended; committed to the
Tower, 133. Dies there, 1689; his
capture, Burnet's account of, 134.
Personal character of, 135.
Jesuits, Coke's violence against, 4.
Johnson, Dr., contemporary with
Sir John Eardley Wilmot, 229.
Lord Thurlow interests himself
for him; his offer to Johnson;
Johnson's reply, 286.
Jones, Sir William, his character of
Lord Ashburton, 301. Born in the
year 1746, 306. Educated at Har-
row school, by Dr. Thackeray;
distinguished for diligence in his
studies; his dramatic piece on the
story of Meleager; Dr. Bennett
and Dr. Parr his most intimate
friends, 307. In 1764, enters the
University College, Oxford; mas-
ters the Arabic and Persian lan-
guages, 308. Private tutor to
Lord Althorp; his friendship
for Count Reviczki; translates
the life of Nadir Shah from the
Persian into French, by desire of
the King of Denmark; ad-
vised to resign his situation as
tutor, and apply to the law, 309.
Becomes a student of the Temple;
his letter to Reviczki, 310. His
letter to Dr. Bennett, 311. 1774,
his Commentaries on Asiatic Poe-
try; 1774, called to the bar; com-
pares the systems of law in ancient
and modern times, 312. Ap-
pointed one of the commissioners
of bankrupts; his letter to Schul-
tens, 1777; his version of Isæus ;
disapproves of the conduct of
the government towards Ame..
rica; his Latin ode, published
in 1780, 313. A candidate for the
representation of the University
of Oxford; declines a poll; his
pamphlet on suppressing riots,
with a plan of future defence,
316. His address concerning the
slave trade, 317. His essay on
the law of bailments, 318.
member of the society for consti-
tutional reform; his letter to Dr.
Shipley, bishop of St. Asaph, 319.
His tract, entitled " A Dialogue
between a Farmer and a Country
Gentleman," published by the
dean of St. Asaph; a bill of indict-
ment preferred against the dean;
fearless generosity of Jones; 1783,
appointed judge of the supreme
court of judicature, Bengal; mar-
ries the daughter of the bishop
of St. Asaph, 320. Embarks for
India, 1783; his letter to Lord
Ashburton, 321. His first charge
to the grand jury, 1783; state of
health; letter to Dr. P. Russell,
322. Projects the scheme of the
Asiatic Society; designed the
digest of Hindu and Mahommedan
laws on the model of Justinian;
his letter to Sir J. Macpherson,
323. His translation of the or-
dinances of Menu; his letter to
Sir Joseph Bankes, 324. Dies in
1794; his character; acquire-
ments of, 325.
Junius's comments on Sir William
Blackstone, 251. His Letters, 197.
Keppel, Admiral, Lord Erskine
counsel for, 331.
Laud, Archbishop, Selden a member
of the committee against, 52.
Libels, Lord Ashburton's arguments
against, 290.
Lovat, Lord, Lord Mansfield's speech
on his trial, 175.
Macpherson, Sir J., Sir W. Jones's
letter to, 323.
Magna Charta, Blackstone's edition
of, 246.
Mansfield, Lord, William Murray,
born 1704; king's scholar at West-
minster; called to the bar, 1731;
engaged in an appeal case, 171.
Friendship of Pope and Murray;
Pope alludes to him in two of his
poems, 172. Letter to Booth, 173.
First cause, 174. Presented with
the freedom of Edinburgh; ap.
pointed solicitor-general, 1743;
supports the administration;
speech on the trial of Lord Lovat,
175. Loyalty doubted, 176. An
enquiry instituted; defence, 177.
Pitt his political enemy; his in-
vective against Murray, 178. Mur-
ray's speech on the Bavarian sub-
sidy and regency bill; the style of
Murray, Pitt, and Fox, as orators,
compared by Walpole, 179. Letter
of Lord Chesterfield to his son,
180. Pitt's sarcasm against Mur-
ray;
his politics suspected by the
Whigs; Pitt and Fox oppose his
advancement; created attorney-
general; useful to the Duke of
Newcastle, 181. Appointed chief
justice, and created a peer; great
offers made him by the adminis-
tration; his refusal of, 182. Mem-
ber of the cabinet; his panegyric
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