Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-02-17


bully ever known in his profession.
All tenderness for the feelings of others,
all sense of the becoming, were obliterated
from his mind. He acquired boundess
command Of the rhetoric in which the vul-
gar express hatred and contempt. The pro-
fusion of maIcdictions and vituperative epi-
thets which composed his vocabulary could
hardly have been rvalled in the fish mar
ket or the bear garden. His countenance
and his voice must always have been una
miable but these natural advantages-for
such he seems to have thought them---he
had improved to such degree that there
weSe few who, in his paroxysms of rage,
could see or hear him without emotion.--
Impudence and fcrocity sat upon his brow.
The glare of his eyes had fascination for
the unhappy victim on whom they were
fixed; yet his brow and eye were said to
be less terrible than the savage lines of his
mouth. His yell of fury, as was said by
one who had often heard it, sounded like
the thunder of the judgment day. These
qualifications he carried, while still young
man, from the bar to the bench. He early
became common sergeant, and then recor-
der of London. As Judge of the city ses-
sions he exhibited the same propensitiCs
which aiterward, in higher post, gained
for hun an unenviabe immortality. Al
ready might be remarked in him the most
odious vice which is incident to human ma
ture, delight III misery merely as misery.
There was fiendish eXultation in the way
in which he pronounced sentence on often
ders. Their weeping and imploring SEEM
ed to titillate him voluptuously: and he
loved to scare them into fits by dilating
with luxurient amplifcation on all the de-
tails Of what they were 10 suffer. Thus, when
he had an opportunity Of ordering an un-
lucky adventures to be whipped at the
CARTS tail, Hangman,' he would exclaim, u
charge you to pay particular attention to
this lady! Scourge her soundly, man
Sc1urge her till the blood runs down! 1t
is Christmas, cold time for madam to strip
in See that you warm her shoulders
thoroughly He was hardly less facetious
when he passed Judgment on Ludowick
Muggeton, the drunken tailor who lancied
himself a prophet. Impudent rogue ,
roared JefIreys, 'thou shalt have an easy,
easy, easy punishment" One part OF this
easy punishment was the pillory, in which
the wretched fanatic was almost killed with
brickbats.
By this time the nature of Jei1reys had
been hardened 10 that temper which tyrants
require in their worst implements. He had
hitherto looked for professional advance
ment to the corporation of London. He
had hitherto prolessed himself Round
head, and had always appeared to be in a
higher state of exhiaration when he ey-
planned to popish priests that they were to
be cut down alive, and We're to see their
own bodies burned, than when he passed
ordinary sentences of death. But, as soon
as he had got all that the city could give,
he made haste to sell his forehead of brass
and his tongue of venom to the court
Chilinch, who was accustomed to act as
broker in infamous contracts OF more than
one kind, lent his aid. He had conducted
many amorous and many political intrigues
but he assuredly never rendered a more
scandalous service to his masters than wher
he introduced JelIreys to Whitehall. The
renegade soon found patron in the obdu-
rate and revengeiul James, but was Away
regarded with scornand disgust by Charles
whose faults, great as they were, had nc
affinity with insoence and cruelty. 'Tha
man. said the king, 'has no learning, ne
sense, no manners, and more impudenct
than ten carted street walkers Work wa
to be done, however, which could be trust
ed 10 no man who reverenced law or wa
| Ia Of md Iafir at
age at which barrlster thinks himself for
tunate if he is employed 10 lead an mpor
tant cause, was made Chief Justice of th,
Kings Bench.
His enemies could not deny that he pos
sessed some of the qualities of great judge
His legal knowledge, indeed, was merel,
such as he had picked up in practice of n,
very high kind; but he had one of thos
happily constituted intelects which, acros
labyrinihs of sophistry and through masse
of immaterial facts, 90 straight to the tru
point. Of his intellect, however, he ha
seldom the full use. Even in civil caus
his malevolent and despotic temper per
petually disordered his judgment. To en-
ter his court was to enter the den of a will
beast, which none Gould tame, and whicl
was as likely to be reused to rage by cares
/, ses as by attacks. He frequently poure
forth on plaintiffs and defendants, barrisler
and attorneys, witnesses and jurymen, tor
rents of frantic abuse, intermixed with oath,
and curses. His looks and tones had in
: spired terror when he was merely a youn
! advocate struggling into practice Nov
that he was al the head of the most formi
dable tribunal in the realm, there were fey
indeed who did not tremble before him.
Even when he was sober, his violence wa
sufficiently frightful; but, in general, hi
reason was overloaded, and his evil pas
sions stimulated by the fumes Of intoXica
ton. His evenings were ordinarily give
to revelry. People who saw him onl,
over his bottle would have supposed him t
be man gross indeed, scottish, and addict
ed to low company and low merriment, bu
social and good humored. He was con
stantly surrounded on such occasons by bul
5 ICONS, selected for the most part, fror
2 among the vilest pettifoggers who practise
4 ! baf,.a him Thas.. mar. han ntaraA nj oh,