The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09

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that JeFreys was a dissolute man, except
a. regards occasional hard drinking, which
was A vice common in his day and for moro
than a century later. What AL OF his
traducers, from tho author ~ The Bloody
Assizes" and Bishop BnIneI down to the
author OF the artiClr In the last edition of the
Enc~vclopaelin Britannica. utterly fail 70
account for is the extraordinary fact
that Jehreys rose tn be Recorder OF London
ut the age Of 10, Cbief Justice of the Kings
Bench at ths age Of ~, and Lord High
Chancellor Of England at the age OF IS.
although at no time did he promote his
professional ambition hv political servic"
in the House ~ Commons. II we are Ia
believe Lord camphetl, the young Welsh
man accomplished these unparalleled foats
without any merit whatsoPver, an assertion
on the face Of Il absurd. We shall here
outline as briefly AS possible what Mr.. Irving
haa 20 tell us in nearly 100 pages, beca Use
with his help We eau understand how IL
was possible that the remarkable portraits
reproduced in the work before ~ could he
accounted lifelIke.
Georse Jenreys Was born ia lGlS IN Acton
Park 10 DenbighShire. He was ID" fourth
soD Of John Jenrevs. a country gentleman,
the REPRESENTATIVE Of ono Of the Oldest fsmi-
lies among the gentry Of Wales. Some Of
the immediate pTogenitors ~ John Jcnreys
had been High SheriTs and Welsh Judges;
indeed, our sub eCt's eldest brother was 10
be High Sheriff. George Icfreys's mother
Was the daughter Of Sir Thomas Ireland, a
Lancashire gentleman. who had been u
SERGEANT at Law, and an editor Of "Coke's
Reports" 1t il therefore ridiculous to
describe the future Lord Chancellor. a.
eome Of his detractOTs have described him,
"a a man Of obscure and ignoble origin.
The educational advantages which he re-
ceived have also been RTavcly moderated.
es for instance in the Encyclopedia Brit
annica. The truth il that he wac sent to
Shrewsbury School. then the usual pre-
paratory place of instruction for the gentry
OF the neighborhood. whence at the age
" eleven he was removed 10 st. Paul's
School in London. In 1851 he was trans
terred - Westminster al that time under
the master~hip of tn celebrated DIR. Busby.
Here he remained a year. and in March.
1857. was matriculated AT Trinity College,
Cambridge. Here Ne stayed rather more
than a tw~elveu,cn'a. and ia May, 1883,
was entered rs a student At law az the Inner
I tnlDtp. Al INP dye OF ~ ne Mas diltlll-
ted TO the bar. only three years later he
was elected 10y the Aldermen Common
SERGEANT Of the city If London, a magis-
terial position second only 10 that of Re
corder. To attain this post so early il il
clear that he must nave acquired a con-
siderable interest in the city and a certain
standing in his profession. These things
he could not have gained in three years
knnu, lta nau e., tha lar ,,plaaa ha 1aI 49,
his ability and personal advantages made
. reputation which preceded his immediate
practice Of his prot ssion
What these personal advantages we're
Is made manifest, az we have minated.
by the painting in the National Portrait
Gallery. The picture is the likeness of a
refined and delicatelv made young man
The head small and covered by thick brown
hair. the eyes large and dark. the nose
rather long and straight. the upper lin
short, the mouth finely curved. The hands
nro peculiarly small and delicate in shape.
AR. Irving suggest that if only a su efficient
number of people visit the National Por-
trait Gallery there is likely 10 be a revulsion
in favor OF Judge Jeh-eys such "a no apollo
giving or embarrassing can achieve. That
specious thing known a. the verdict of
history" has never received such a decisive
rejoinder as is presented in this portrait of
Jefreys. If to the gifts of good looks,
engaging manners and considerable talent
added good birth and good breeding,
the effect produced 10y the possessor of
these qua liications on the Aldermen of the
CITY Of london can he easily accounted for,
especially il his festive capacities were.
hs We are told. equally well developed.
II is certain that during the whole of his
career. even when he took the side of the
court against the city, Jeffreys retained
the confidence and friendship or Sir Robert
Clayton. who has been called the Prince
Of Citizens, and who certainly was a highly
respectable and estimRble person. We
must then acknowledge il TO he ~indisputable
that the young man who gained and kept
such friends, and who at the age Of %
became a magistrate, cannot have been
wholly drunken n idle during the five
years OF his novitiste,
Another thing should be noted which
it ia hard for Jehreys's traducers to ey-
plain. At the time when he was called to
the bar Sir Matthew Hale was Lord Chief
BARON OF tho Exchequer: three years later
he became Chief Justice OF the Kings
Bench. Now Hale was one OF the very few
mel OF his time who understood the funC-
ton OF q Judge an we understand it to-day
With him impartiality was fanstical in its
scrupuiousness. Extraordinary as it. may
seern, the young lawyer who gained most
upon Hale and won his ear and friendship
was not Francis North, afterward Chief
Justice Of Common Pleas and Lord Keeper
TO whom historians have given a certificate
Of virtue, but George Jefreys. An init
macy arose between them which Roger
Earth can only explain as an example OF
HAls's e~xtravagant love for bizarre and
irregular Wits" Lord ~Campbell's suRges-
ton that Jefreys won over Hale by an
arectation Of religion may be dismissed as
u wsnton supposition. The obvious truth
Is that George Jefreys was a bright. hand
some and competent lawyer. winning a
rapid success in his profession, sufficiently
opposed in temperament to Hale to attract
his liking and sufficiently clever TO display
his best qualities 20 so good a man.
Tho year before he was called TO the bar
Jefreys had been guilty OF an early and
rash marriage, which. however. reflected