ABBOTT, Archbishop, succeeds Ban- croft to the see of Canterbury; renews complaints against the judges; summoned before the king, 11.
Addison, his character of Lord So- mers, 168.
America, Lord Mansfield's speech on, 185. Lord Ashburton resists the measures against; rebellion of, 292.
Animals, bill against the cruel treat- ment of, 378.
Asaph, St., Dr. Shipley, Bishop of, Jones's letter to, 319. A bili of indictment preferred against him; his daughter marries Jones,
Asaph, St., Dean of, Erskine's de- fence of, 341.
Ashburton, Lord, John Dunning, born 1731, 287. Called to the bar; selects the western circuit; argu- ment against general warrants; elected recorder of Bristol; ap- pointed solicitor-general; returned member for Calne; Lord Mans- field pays him a singular compli ment, 288. The city of London's address to the king on the con- duct of ministers; motion to cen- sure this document opposed by him; defends the right of the subject to petition and remon- strate; presented with the free- dom of the corporation; his answer to their address, 289. Supports Mr. Grenville's bill in cases of contested elections; humorous apology; arguments against the doctrine as to libels; accusation of Lord Mansfield, 290. Speech against the right of the house for committing the Lord Mayor and Alderman Oliver to the Tower, 291. Resists the mea. sures adopted against America; his speech on the rebellion, 292.
Speech on the suspension of the habeas corpus act, 293. Is liberal upon matters of religion; seconds the motion for the relief of the Catholics; supports the bill for an account of pensions granted, 294. Speech for economical reform, 295. Moves an address to the king, 296. Speech on the affair of Sir Hugh Palliser; created a peer, 298. Appointed chancellor of Lancaster; confidential adviser of the premier; receives a pension; speech on the influence of the crown, 299. Marries in 1780; death of his son; health declines, 300. In- terview with Mr. Wallace, dies, 1783; character of, by Sir W. Jones, 301. Character of, by Sir Nathaniel Wraxall, 304. Burke's panegyric on, 306.
Bacon, Sir Francis, his dislike to Coke; appointed solicitor-ge- neral; his letter to Coke, 6. Eager to obtain the office of at- torney-general, 13. Pamphlet against Coke; ambitious and crafty, 16. Created lord keeper; tries to frustrate the restoration of Coke, 27.
Baillie, Captain, Lord Erskine coun- sel for, 331.
Bancroft, Archbishop of Canter- bury, differs from Coke respect- ing the royal authority over the judges, 9.
Bankes, Sir Joseph, Sir William Jones's letter to, 324. Baxter, trial of, 121.
Bennet, Dr.,friend to Jones; Jones's letter to, 307.
Bentham's strictures on Black- stone's Commentaries, 249. Blackstone, Sir William, born, 1723; his progress at school, and at Oxford; becomes a member of
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, 245. 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- em-
well, 1. Chosen speaker 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. Member of the privy council, 16. 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,
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, $77. 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 biographier, 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
« PreviousContinue » |