The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-04-25

hilaration when he explained 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 ms 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
Chitiin1l, who was accustomed to act
as broker in infamous contracts of
moro than one kind, lent his aid. He
had conducted many amorous and ma
ny political intrigues, but he assurcdly
never rendered moro scandclous ser
vice to his master than when lie introduc-
ed Jeffreys to Whitehall. The renegade
soon found patron in the obduratc and
revengeful James, but was always re-
garded with scorn and disgust by Charles
whose faults, great as they we're, had
no affinity with insolcnce and cruelty.
'That man, said the king, 'has no learn
ing, no sense, no manners, and more i'm
.pudence than ten carted street-walkcrs. ,
Work was to be done, however, which
could be trusted to no man who rcvcr-
enced law, or was sensible Of shame;
and thus Je'frcys, at an age at which a
barristcr thinks himself fortunate if he
is employed to lead an impotant cause,
was made Chief Justice of the Kings
Bench.
His enemies could not derry that he
possessed some of tho qualities Of a
great judge. His legal knowledge, III
decd, was merely such as he had pick
cd up in practice of no very high kind;
but he had one of those happily consti-
tuted intellects which, across labyrinths
OF sophistry and through masses of i'm
material facts, go, straight to the true
point. Of his intellect, however, he
had seldom the full use. Even in civil
causes his malcvolent and despotic tcm-
per porpctually disordcrcd his Judgment
10 enter his court was to enter the den
of wild beast, which none could tame,
and which was as likely to rage by ca
rcsscs as by attacks. He frequently
poured forth on plaintiffs, and defend
ants torrents of frantic abuse intcrmix-
ed with oaths and curses. His looks
and tones had inspired terror when he
was merely youthful advocate s:rug-
Cling into practice. Now, that he was
at the head of the most folrnidabl: tri-
bunial in the realm, there were few III
deed who did not trcmblc before him.
Even when he was sober, his violence
was sufficiently frighful; but, in gener.
al, his reason was overloaded, and his
evil passions stimulated by the f;.:.cs
of in.o%!cation. His evenings were OF,
dinarily given to revelry. People who
saw him only over his bottle would have
supposed him to be man gross indeed
scottish, and addicted to low company
and low mcrrmcnt, but social and good
humorcd. He was constantly surround
cd, OH such occasions, by buAoons, sclcc
ted for the most part, from among the vi
lest pcttifoggcrs who practiscd before
him. These men ban'crcd and abused
each other for his entertainment. lie
joined in their riball talk, sang catch
es with them, and, when lis head grow
hot, huggcd and kissed them in an ccs
tacy of drunken fondncss. But, thougl
wine seemed to soften his heart, The ct
feet few hours later was VERY differ
cnt. lie often came to the Judgment
seat, having but half slept off his dc
bauch, his checks On fire, his eyes star
ing like those of maniac. When he
was in this state, his boon companion.
of the preceding night, if they wcrc
wise, kept out ofhis way, for tht rccol
lection of the familiarity to which he
had admitted them inhamcd lis malis
nifty, and he was sure to take every OF
portunity of overwhelming them witt
cxccration and invcciivc. Not Tic
least odious of his many pcculiaritic:
was the pleasure which hc took in pub
iicly browbcating and mor,ifyimg those
whom, in his fits Of maudlin tenderness
he had encouraged to presume in his
favor.
The services which the goycrnmcnt
had expected from him were performed
not merely without iiinching, but ca
gcrly and triumphantly. His first cX
ploit was the judicial murder Of Alscr
non Sidney. What followed was il
perfect harmony with this beginning
Respectable Tories lamcntcd the dis
grace which the ba,barity and indoccn
c.y of so great functionary brongh'