The Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England from the Earliest Times Till the Reign of King George IV

Mysterious circumstance of Lord Loughborough continuing to hold the Great
Seal after the change of Government, 320. Lord Loughborough's Speech on
the State of the Nation," 321. Q. Ought a Woman divorced for Adultery to

be permitted to marry her Paramour? 321. Lord Loughborough's Justification

of his Conduct in these Transactions, 322. Lord Loughborough delivers up the

Great Seal, and retires, 326.

CHAPTER CLXXV.

CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD LOUGHBOROUGH.

Lord Loughborough's Attempt to continue a Member of the Cabinet, 327. Letter

to him from Lord Sidmouth, forbidding him to attend the Meetings of the Ca-

binet, 327. He becomes a hanger on at Court, 328. His subsequent inglorious

Career in the House of Lords, 329. He is treated with neglect by the new Ad-

ministration, 330. The Duke of Portland's compassion for him, 330. His Re-

sidence at Baylis, near Windsor, $31. His attendance on the King at Weymouth,

331. Pitt's Restoration to Power, 332. Court of George III. at Weymouth,

332. Lord Loughborough's Illness in the Autumn of 1804, 333.
His recovery,

333.

His mode of Life, 333. Q. Whether his Scotch Dialect re-appeared in

his old Age? 333. George III.'s saying when he knew for certain that Lord

Loughborough was dead, 334. His Funeral, 335. Inscription on his Grave,

335. His Character, 335. Natural Abilities, 336. His want of public Prin-

ciple, 336. His changes impolitic as well as unprincipled, 336. He was deficient

in professional Knowledge, 337. Censure upon him for neglecting and opposing

all Law Reform, 338. Letter from Mr. Pitt proposing that Lord Loughborough

should take a Sinecure, 338. He defends the burning of Women for Coining,

339. His brilliant Oratory, 340. His Authorship, 341. His treatise on Prison

Discipline, 342. Was he Junius? 343. The true Junius, 344. Letter from

Lady Francis, to prove that her Husband Sir Philip was Junius, 345. Lord

Loughborough's Denial of ever having written in the Newspapers, 347. Lord

Loughborough said to have been dull in Society, 348. One Mot of his re-

lated, 349. His Mimickry of Erskine, 350. The Estimation in which he was

held by eminent literary Men, 350. Lord Loughborough's Encouragement of

literary Lawyers, 351. His offer to afford pecuniary Assistance to Burke, 352.

His Appointment of Judges, 352. The laudable Disposition of his Church

Patronage, 352. Letter from Lord Nelson to Lord Loughborough, 353. Doubts

as to his Religion, 354. His Person, 354. His Marriages, 355. His Repre-

sentative, 355. Character of him by Sir Egerton Brydges, 355.
By Lord

Brougham, 355. Conclusion, 356. Defence of Lord Loughborough by his

Niece, Miss Cotes, 356.

CHAPTER CLXXVI.

LIFE OF LORD CHANCELLOR ERSKINE FROM HIS BIRTH TILL HE WAS CALLED TO

THE BAR.

Reasons for writing the Life of Lord Erskine before that of Lord Eldon, 367.

His Birth, 368. His Descent, 368. Poverty of his Father, 369. His Infancy

at Edinburgh, 369. His Education at St. Andrew's, 370. Letter to his Brother,

370. Progress of his Studies, 371. Thoughts as to his future Destination, 371.

His Reluctance to go to Sea, 371. His Letter to his Aunt, 372. He enters the

Royal Navy as a Midshipman, 373. He leaves Scotland, 373. In the West

Indies, 373. His Life as a Midshipman, 374. Letter from him while in the

Navy, 375. He is appointed by his Commander Acting-lieutenant, 375. He is

again reduced to be a Midshipman, 375. Death and Funeral of his Father, 375.

He obtains an Ensign's Commission in the Army, 377. His Marriage, 377.

He is sent to Minorca. His Studies there, 377. His great Proficiency in En-

glish Belles Lettres, 378. Returns from Minorca. His Acquaintance with

Dr. Johnson, &c., 378. His Pamphlet on the Abuses of the Army, 380. Great

Success of this Pamphlet, 383. He is promoted to be a Lieutenant in the Army,

383. His Discontent and bad Prospects, 383. Occasion of his Resolution to

study the Law, 383. Advice given to him by Lord Mansfield, 384. Arrange-

ments for his becoming a Lawyer, 384. He is entered of Lincoln's Inn, and is

matriculated at Cambridge, 385. His Residence at Trinity College, 385.

gains the Prize for the English Declamation, 386. Takes his Degree of M. A.,

386. His Study of the Law, 386. His pecuniary Difficulties while a Law

Student, 388. His sudden Transition from Penury to Wealth, 389.

CHAPTER CLXXVII.

CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD ERSKINE TILL HE ENTERED THE HOUSE of

COMMONS.

Erskine's Call to the Bar, 390. His indifferent Prospects, 390. His Retainer in

Rex v. Baillie, 390. His first Brief, 392. Capt. Baillie's Case comes on to be

heard, 392. Erskine's first Speech at the Bar, 393. Effect produced, 396

Erskine's own Account of his Début, 397. He is at once in first-rate Business,

399. He is Counsel on the Trial of Admiral Keppel, 399. Generosity of his

Client, 402. He joins the Home Circuit,- His Prophecy, 403. His Speech at

the Bar of the House of Commons against the Almanack Monopoly, 403. He

is Counsel in a Duelling Case, 404. Lord George Gordon prosecuted for High

Treason, 407. Erskine Counsel for the Prisoner, 408. Erskine's Speech for

Lord George Gordon, 409. His famous Oath in addressing the Jury, 410.

Acquittal of Lord George Gordon, 413.

CHAPTER CLXXVIII.

CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD ERSKINE TILL THE CONCLUSION OF THE CASE

OF THE DEAN OF ST. ASAPH.

Erskine as a Politician, 414. He is returned to Parliament for Portsmouth, 414.

Anticipations as to his Success in the House of Commons, 415. His maiden

Speech, 415. His Failure, 416. Pitt's Display of Contempt for Erskine in the

House of Commons, 416. Erskine and Pitt together at the Bar, 417. Erskine's

Dread of Pitt in Parliament, 418. Erskine's second Speech on the India Bill,

418. Erskine in Opposition when Pitt became Prime Minister, 419. Erskine's

Speech on "the State of the Nation," 420. One successful Attack on Pitt by

Erskine, 422. His fallacious Prophecies about Pitt's India Bill, 424. His

Motion to stop the Supplies, 424. Dissolution. Erskine loses his Seat in Par-

liament, 425. His Silk Gown, 425. Special Retainers, 426. The Dean of

St. Asaph's Case, arising out of Sir W. Jones's Pamphlet, 426. Postponement

of the Trial, 427. Certiorari, 427. Trial at Shrewsbury, 428. Erskine's

Speech to the Jury, 428. Mr. Justice Buller's Charge to the Jury, 431. Scene

on the Delivery of the Verdict, when Buller threatened to commit Erskine, and

Erskine defied him, 432. Erskine's Speech in the Court of King's Bench,

moving for a new Trial, 433. Arrest of Judgment, 435. Consequences of

Erskine's noble Conduct, 435.

CHAPTER CLXXIX.

CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD ERSKINE TILL THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE

STATE TRIALS, IN 1794.

Erskine Counsel at the Bar of the House of Commons in the Westminster Scrutiny,

436. His disrespectful Language to the House of Commons, and Pitt's con-

temptuous Treatment of him, 436. His Ascendancy at the Bar, 437. His

Connection with the Opposition Leaders, 438. He is appointed Attorney General

to the Prince of Wales, 438. His Speech on the Prosecution of Rex v. Mo-

therill, 438. Retirement of Lord Mansfield, 441. Address of the Bar to him,

delivered by Erskine, 441. Lord Mansfield's Answer, 442. Erskine a favourite

with Lord Kenyon, 442. Prosecution by the House of Commons against Stock-

dale, 443. Erskine's great Speech for free Discussion, 444. "THE INDIAN

CHIEF," 448. Erskine's first Visit to Paris, 450. His opinion that an Im-

peachment is abated by a Dissolution of Parliament, 451. He is censured by

Burke, 452. His Speech on Fox's Libel Bill, and on Parliamentary Reform,

452. Schism among the Whigs, 453. Part taken by Erskine, 453. His Statement

of the Sufferings of the Troops during War, 454. His Opposition to the Trai-

torous Correspondence Bill, 454. Prosecution of Paine's "Rights of Man," 455.

Attempts to deter Erskine from being Counsel for the Defendant, 455.

Meeting with Lord Loughborough on Hampstead Heath, 455. His Speech in

Defence of Thomas Paine, 456. Letter from him explaining his Conduct in this

Affair, 459. "Reign of Terror," 460. Rex v. Frost. Erskine's Speech, 461.

Rex v. Morning Chronicle, 463. Rex v. Walker, 466. Erskine's Speech for the

Prisoner, 466. Description of an Armoury to support a Rebellion, 466.

CHAPTER CLXXX.

His

CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD ERSKINE TILL THE CONCLUSION OF THE PROSE-

CUTIONS FOR HIGH TREASON AGAINST THE ADVOCATES FOR A REFORM IN PARLIA-

MENT.

Resolution to prosecute the Members of the Parliamentary Reform Societies for

High Treason, 469. Proceedings in Parliament, 470. Indictments for High

Treason, 471. Erskine assigned as Counsel for the Prisoners, 471. Trial

of Hardy, 471. Erskine's skilful Conduct, 472. His Examination of the

Witnesses, 475. Controversy with Chief Justice Eyre, 476. Erskine's "Speech

which will live for ever," 477. Applause on the Conclusion of his Speech, and

his handsome Conduct to his Opponents, 484. Acquittal of Hardy, 484. Trial

of John Horne Tooke, 485. Demeanour of the Prisoner, 485. Facetic of John

Horne Tooke, during his Trial for High Treason, 487. Erskine's Address to

the Jury in his behalf, 488. Pitt examined as a Witness for Horne Tooke, 492.

Acquittal of Horne Tooke, 492. Trial and Acquittal of Thelwall, 492. Folly

of these Prosecutions, 494. Public Gratitude to Erskine, 494. A Peep at

Erskine in private Life, 495.

CHAPTER CLXXXI.

CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD ERSKINE TILL THE TRIAL OF HADFIELD FOR

SHOOTING AT GEORGE III.

Erskine's improved Position in the House of Commons, 496. His Censure of the

Government Prosecutions, 496. His unsuccessful Oath in the House of Com-

mons, 497.
His Speech against the Extension of the Treason Laws, 497.

Foolish Prosecution instigated by Erskine and the Whigs, for a supposed Breach

of the Privileges of the House of Commons, 499. Erskine "breaks down" in

attempting to answer Pitt, 501. Erskine secedes from the House of Commons,

502.

His Pamphlet "On the Causes and Consequences of the War," 502. His

Exposure of the Inconsistency of Pitt, 503. Prosecution of Stone for High

Treason, 504. He is defended by Erskine, and acquitted, 504. Erskine Coun-

sel for the Bishop of Bangor, indicted for a Riot, 505. Erskine Counsel for the

Prosecution of Blasphemy, 507. His Speech on the Truth of Christianity, 507.

His Quarrel with the Society for the Suppression of Vice, 510. Erskine's

Demeanour as a Witness, 511. His Defence of Lord Thanet and Mr. Cutlar

Fergusson, 513. Mr. Fergusson's Gratitude to Erskine, 515. Scandalous Pro-

secution and Conviction of the Proprietor of the Courier, 516. And of Mr.

Cuthell, the Bookseller, 517.

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