Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 01.pdf/494

Rh THE EVOLUTION OF A BARRISTER.

VERY interesting book has recently been published in London, entitled "Bench and Bar," written by Mr. Serjeant Robinson. In one chapter he gives an insight into the process by which certain of the liege subjects of Her Majesty acquire the right to disguise themselves in the costume of the wig and gown. He relates his own experience as follows:—

"I entered as a student at the Middle Temple in April, 1833. There are four distinct establishments that have the exclusive privilege of granting the degree. A candidate must attach himself to one of them, although it is quite immaterial by which of the four portals he seeks to enter the profession. These Inns of Court, as they are called, are Lincoln's Inn, the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, and Gray's Inn. There are several other establishments called Inns, such as Clement's Inn, Staple Inn, Clifford's Inn, New Inn, Barnard's Inn, etc.; but they are not Inns of Court, and have nothing to do with the Bar, except that some of them are dependencies of the four superior ones, while others, originally in the same predicament, have now a totally separate existence.

"Any one wishing to become a student at an Inn of Court had (I speak in the past tense, although I believe the mode of proceeding is much the same now as it was formerly) to furnish himself with a certificate of respectability signed by two barristers, who vouched for his eligibility in that respect. He had then to go through the formality of what was technically called an examination, the crucial part of which occupied about a minute and a half. One or two questions in Latin or in general literature were put to him in the perfunctory style in which one asks a passing acquaintance after his health, being quite indifferent as to what answer he might give. The pursuit of knowledge by the examiner as to a youth's proficiency was not very ardent in those days, and the most superficial candidate for the honors of admission might have come off with great credit to himself.

"I believe the examination now is just a trifle nearer the real thing, but I never yet heard of any man being plucked in this preliminary 'little go.' If I had, I should expect the next intelligence I got of him would date from an idiot asylum.

"The next important step was the payment of one hundred pounds into the treasury of your elected Inn, while you entered into a stringent bond with two sureties that you would obey the rules and regulations of the establishments, attend church (in my case the Temple) every Sunday with strict regularity, and pay up your commons and other dues whenever they were demanded. As to the third of these stipulations the sureties were mere substitutions,—if you did not pay your debts, they would pay for you: but it was never understood that they could observe the rules of the Inn for you, or even that they could go to church for you when you were profligate enough to stay away.

"These preliminaries satisfactorily got through, no future penance was required to qualify you for a call to the bar, except a certain display of assiduity in eating and drinking, and it was prescribed in this wise. It was necessary that you should keep twelve terms, and, as there were four terms in the year, this stage lasted three years.

"A term was of three or four weeks' duration, and in the middle of each there was what was called a Grand week, and the remainder was divided into periods called half-weeks.

"Now, keeping a term meant that you had dined in the hall at least once in Grand week, and also once in each of two half-weeks. To partake of these dinners was de rigueur, but they need not be in consecutive terms. You might take your time about them; spread them over ten years if you liked, but to render yourself eligible for a call you must have completed your tally of twelve. Keeping a term then was not so harrowing a curriculum as many are found to be in these educational times.

"The dinners took place every day in term time, Sundays included. Each day at five o'clock the Benchers in their gowns walked in procession up the hall and took their seats on the dais, where their dinners were served. One long row of tables, each accommodating twelve persons, ran down the sides of the hall. The Bar were seated at the upper end according to seniority, and below them sat the students.