Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-02
THE CHEF JUSTICES OF ENGLAND.

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THE CHEF JUSTICES OF ENGLAND.
FROM THE LITERARY WORLD.
The second volume of Lord CAMPBELL's Lives
of the Chief Justices exhibits striking coniras. in
the careers of Scroggs and Jeffreys, and Holt and
Mans6eld-the two former the representatives of
every thing that is conteMptbe in the abuse Of judi
power the two latter every thing that is praise
worthy and noble in its highest exercise. The
readers Of English history are more familiar with
the shameless iniquties Of Jeffreys than with the
consummate wisdom Of Lord Holt or the univer-
sal learning of Lord Mansfield. Jeffreys is more
particularly historical character, in spite Of his
desert Of the obscurest nfamy. Fortunately, how.
ever, his life points moral" which is not
without its use and serves as sort Of beacon-lght
to dishonest judges, who neither fear God nor
regard man. Scroggs, his predecessor in office,
and equal in villany, appears to similar disadvan
tage on Lord Campbel's pages. The accounts Of
his abuses of power and judicial brutality almost
surpass belief, and are 6tly concuded by the mar
rative Of his impeachment and disgrace:
CHIEF yUsTIcr scRoss's OLD xsE.
ellis disgrace caused genersl joy in Westminster Hail. and
over oil England for Jeeys had yet been clothed
in ermine the Of Scoggs the bywo to express
considered lOdlsOmo
He allowed small pension, or retired allowance,
which be did not long enjoy When cashered, finding
sympathy from bis profession, from any class Of the
community be retired to country house which he had pur
chased called Wealde Hail. Brentwood in Essex.
Even here his evil fame caused him to be summed He
considered BY the gentry be without religion and whou,
honor while the peasantry who had heard vague
mors OF bis having put people DEATH believed that he was
murderer, whispered stories Of bis having dealings with evil
spirits and took special to the rick Of meeting
him after dark. His constitution undermined by bis dis
soute habits. and in old age The still solitary selfish
bachelor After lsnguishing in great misery till the 26h
day OF October, l663 be then EXPIRED without relation or
friend to close his eyes, He buried in the prsh church
Of South Weadehe undertaken the sexton, and the
Of the parish alone attending the funeral He left no de-
scendans and he either have been the last Of bis race
or his collateral relations ashamed Of their connexon with
him. had changed their for since his death there has
been Scrcggs in Great Britain Ireland. The word
was long used by to Tighten children andas long
our history studied our language spoken Or read
will call the image Of base and bloody yminded villain
With honorable principles snd steady application, be might
have been respected in his feime and left historical repu
taion behind him. He person of very excellent and
nimbe psrts, and he could both speak and write LAM
guage better than any lawyer of the seventeenth century,
Francis Bacon alone excepted He to have been little
Of the light in which his Judicial conduct would be
viewed for il is curious fact that the published parts Of the
State trials at which be presided all revised and re-
touched by himself; and his speeches, which fill us with
and horror he expected would be regarded as
proos Of his spirit and genius Thank Heaven have
such in generation is better for TO contem
plate dull moral medocry than prodgate eccentrcy, how
ever brilliant il may be.
scroggs may be considered as having been Of
his country by making the character Of wicked Judge
ghtfuly epulsive that he may have deferred many from
giving wsy 70 his bad propensties Dean Swift says have
read somewhere Of eastern king who put judge to death
for niqutous sentence and ordered his hide be stuffed
into cushion, and placed upon the tribunal for the sit
who preferred his fathers Office. fancy such
memorial might not have been unusefu 70 sonof Sir VIII
liam Scogg and that both he and his would often
wriggle in their seats long the cushion lasted
Lord Campbell has laid his principal strength the
lives Of Holt and Mansfield his and all the worlds beau
ideals judges. And, commencing his work to the leisure
Of professional readers devote the rest Of space IN this
notice from his biographies Of those two great u
ninaries Of the law
Lsap RoLrs YOUTH.
g Having prolonged Of his unlicensed rambes round
the country in company with associates reckless as
himself until their purses were all utterly exhausted It was
determined, after divers consultations how TO proceed That
they should part company, and Try to make their way sngy
each by the exercise Of his individual Wits Holt pursuing
his separate route to little inn Of struggling village,
and putting the best face upon the matter commended bis
horse the attentions Of the hoster and boldly bespoke The
best supper and bed the house afforded Stong into the
Kitchen he observed there the daughter Of the andadya
girl Of about thirteen years of ageshvering with 6t Of the
and inqDg Of her mother bow long she had been
ILL he told nearly year, and this in spite Of all the as
ssance that could bo had for he from physicians at
by which the poor widow declared she bad been half
ruined Shaking his bead with much gravity at the mention
OF the DOCTORS he babe her be under further concern for
she might assure herself her daughter should have
smother H Then scrawlng few Greek characters upon
scrap Of parchment and rolling carefully up he directed
that should be bound upon the girls wrist and remain there
till she WELL By good luck, possibly from the effect
Of imagination the ague returned morea least during
week for which Holt remained their guest AT the end Of
that time, having demanded his bill with much confidence
as IL his pockets lined with jacobuses the
hostes n,tesd Of asking payment bewae ed her inability
pay him she ought for the wonderful be had achieved
and her forune in not having lighted him ten mon hs
sooner which would have saved her outlay Of forty
pounds Her guest condescended after much entreaty 10
80. of against bis weeks entertainment the valuable service
be had rendered. and wended meuily on his way The
que Of the story goes relate that when presiding
forty years Afterwards at the asszes Of the county,
wreched, decrept old indicted before him for
wiichcra and charged with being in possession Of pe
viii gave her power spread diseases among the cattle,
those that deased The Chief justice desired that
this formidable implement Of srcey might be handed up 10
hm and there, envcoped in many folds Of dirty linen. be
found the identical piece Of parchment with which he bad
himself played the wizard many years before. The mys
terry forthwith expounded to the jury il agreed with the
story previously told by the prisoner the poor creature
instantly acquitted, and her guests ong-ssndng debt amply
discharged.
He had been early destined the profession Of the law
having been entered The books Of Gsys Inn when
only years old His father was then treasurer Of that
society, and entitled to admit without fee Before he
hadcompeted his first years residence Oxd, such were
his which they called