Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-05-08
Judge Jefreys and Alice Lisle.

No one who has read Macaulay's History of
England will be likely soon to forget the char
ucter of Jeffieys, the furious and inhuman Judge,
who so ndustriously executed the laws of Eng
la~d, ds''r;s the tyranufcui seign Of James II.
His case may suffice to convince us, that man
may gain for himself most hateful reputation.
while he is acting all the while under the forms
of law. As Chief Justice of the Court of Kings
Bench, it was his business to sec that the laws
OF the realm were executed. He did 50, and in
doing so, he left upon the page of history name
among the most detestable in the British annals.
Before this judge of the realm-this upholder of
law and order, the gentle, goodly, pure minded
Baxter, was arraigned as a cuprit, for breaking
the laws Of England, and after most abusive
trial, was condemned to fine and impris onment.
1t is not at all unlikely that Baxter, had broken
the laws of England. This was very common
circumstance with men of his stamp two hundred
years ago. We had supposed until recently, that
it was the glory and the boast of the sons of New
England that they drew their lineage from such
a stock. But it is now set forth from high pla-
ces, that the only proper use which man can
make of his conscience in relation to govern
ment, is to obey all the laws of that government,
asking no questions about right and wrong. So
it seems that Baxter and men like him are to be
condemned for the course they took
But our object more particularly was to refer
to Jeffreys, in connection with the case indicated
by our title. During the reign. Of James H.,
the Duke of Monmouth, natural son Of Charles
II, rashly invaded England with few followers,
in expectation off general movement in his fa-
vor among the people. HIS object was to over
throw the reigning king and place himself on the
throne. The expedition was disastrous one.
The army of Monmouth was soon broken to
pieces, and he himself was brought to the block.
AS soon as the danger was over, JafFreys with
four other judges, set out upon circuit through
the infected district to bring to summary pun
lshment all who had in any way participated in
this movement. He commenced his operations
at Winchester, by instituting trial against AL
Ice Llsle, respectable widow lady of that place,
whose only crime was, that she had in the kind
ness Of her heart given food and shelter to two
men, who had come to her house weary and
hungry, flying from the broken and routed army
OF Monmouth. They were pursued by soldiers
and were found secreted in her house, The act
OF which she had been guilty, was, according TO
the laws of England, high treason, and was pun
isha5e with death. The trial went forward after
that peculiar mode in which all Jefffeys' trials
were conducted. He louliy abused and insuited
the prisoner, stormed at the witnesses, and when
he saw the hearts of the jury were sinking
within them at the idea of carrying out the law
against woman who had done nothing but q
deed of charity, he raved and clustered until he
eXtorted from them the word guilty, And he
was doubtless right legally. There is no ques-
ton that she had broken the law of the land
Thereupon Jeffreys pronounced sentence of
death upon her, and gave command that she
should be burned alive that very afternoon. But
by the earnest solicitation of those about hin,
he granted a respite of five days. and altered the
mode Of execution so that she was put to death
upon the scalfod All this was done in the
name of the law.
But the world Is not so blinded by this cir
cumstance as not to pronounce Jeffreys mon
ster OF nquity, The world approves the act
for which this woman was condemned. The
British Parliament in later age, touched with
pity and with shame at this legal murder, re-
moved the Act of Attainder, which had passed
upon her, so that the disgrace might be taken
from her family. The government that under
takes to punish an act of Christian kindness like
this, however may bolster itself up at the time,
by talking of the majesty Of law, will in the cs-
timation of after ages be consigned to the inta-
my it deserves, lfJeffreys had stolen about in
England as a private assassin, and actually put
10 death against law, as many persons, as he
condemned to death from the bench, and in the
name of law, he would not have left behind him
name any more execrable than now,-- Congre-
gationaiSi.