Page:Convocation Addresses of the Universities of Bombay and Madras.djvu/332

 cacy can ever be consistent with personal honour; but this opinion is probably influenced mainly by a mistaken notion of what the Advocators duty is, or by the recollection of some particular instance or instances, rare and exceptional, in which the individual Advocate has forgotten his duty and abused his privilege. So easy is it, gentlemen, for a very small number of evil-doers to bring discredit on any brotherhood to which they belong! But I am convinced that it is enough to appeal to the character of the English Bar as a body, in refutation of the opinion to which I have referred. There is no doubt what tho view is which that body now entertains of the Advocate's duty. On a recent occasion it was exhibited in a very marked manner. The English Bar were entertaining an illustrious French Advocate, M. Berryer, and in the ancient hall of the Middle Temple there was a very large assembly of English Advocates and Judges to do honour to their guest. Amongst those present was one venerable in age and laden with honours, who had presided over the deliberations of the House of Lords and sat in the chief seat of Justice, and who, in the midst of a life of marvellous activity, both in Parliament and at the Bar, had found time for voluminous authorship in many departments of learning; but on this (as he had on other occasions) he gave expression to a sentiment which met with no response from that great meeting. Not even the admiration and respect felt for Lord Brougham could extract any token of assent to his opinion, when he said that the first great quality of an Advocate was "to reckon everything subordinate to the interests of his client."

But when the present Lord Chief Justice of England rose shortly afterwards, and in terms of eloquent indignation repudiated the notion that the Advocate was under an obligation to sacrifice everything to the interests of his client, the hall rang with cheers; and I cannot do better than read to you the words which met with such cordial assent:—"Much as I admire (he said) the great abilities of M. Berryer, to my mind his crowning virtue, as it ought to be that of every Advocate, is, that he has throughout his career conducted his cases with untarnished honour. The arms which an Advocate wields he ought to use as a warrior, not as an assassin. He ought to uphold the interests of his clients per fas, but not per nefas. He ought to know how to reconcile the interests of his client with the eternal interests of truth and justice." Act, gentlemen, upon these principles. Remember that your vocation is to aid in the administration of justice, and equally whether you are Advocates or Judges, let your motto be "Fiat Justitia."