er me a compeew features, as re to trace out, o knew him in of a mistake. at the table rk that happy f putting the themselves; I e more for his not been the ,and learned urse of life. endingly to his humour with h, which cost a subscription eral hilarity of the small talk y; he was, in ree displeased was no great anecdotes of re; but he told I am inclined of conversation his professional that he shouldde rest of mind pon fresh exeras accompanied mmendation of was a kind of

the clearest method. He affected no sallies of the imagination, or bursts of passion; much less would he condescend to personal abuse, or to petulant altercation. All was clear, candid reason, letting itself so candidly into the minds of his hearers as to carry information and conviction with it. In a word, his public senatorial character very much resembled that of Messala, of whom Cicero says, addressing himself to Brutus, Do not imagine, Brutus, that for worth, honour, and a warm love of his country, any one is comparable to Messala.' So that his eloquence, in which he wonderfully excels, is almost eclipsed by those virtues, and even in his display of that faculty his superior good sense shows itself most; with so much care and skill has he formed himself to the truest manner of speaking! His powers of genius and invention are confessedly of the first size; yet he almost owes less to them than to the diligent and studious cultivation of judgment. In the commerce of private life Lord Mansfield was easy, friendly, and very entertaining, extremely sensible of worth in other men, and ready on all occasions to countenance and patronise it."

The judicial character of Lord Mansfield has been the subject of repeated panegyrics. The very long period during which he presided over the court of king's bench, his commanding talents, his high personal character, and his eloquence, all contributed to the great reputation which he enjoyed. No judge ever impressed so forcibly upon the jurisprudence of this country the peculiar qualities of his own mind. In scarcely any other instance can the influence of any judge of the courts of common law be traced by any marked improvement in the principles of law, or in the practice of the courts. With Lord Mansfield it was widely different; and many of the most important branches of modern law derive their character, and almost their existence, from his genius. The law of insurance has been frequently mentioned as an instance of the admirable manner in which his powerful mind created a system of law adapted to all the exigencies of society. When his lordship was raised