Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/461

 4i8 first brought him under the notice of the Government. Early in 18 19 he was appointed King's Serjeant and Chief-Justice of Chester, and in June of the same year he was appointed Solicitor-General. * Among the earliest du ties he was called upon to perform in this office was that of supporting the prosecution of Queen Caroline. He had before this time acquired for himself a distinguished reputa tion at the bar; but now his talents appeared to much greater advantage than they had yet done. Lord Brougham conducted the Queen's defence, and it was truly a " battle of giants " between the two. In January, 1824, Sir Robert Gifford was appointed Chief-Justice of the Common Pleas, and Copley succeeded him as Attorney-Gen eral; two years later he was made Master of the Rolls; and eight months later still, on the 30th of April, 1827, the great seal was delivered to him, and he was raised to the peerage as Lord Lyndhurst. He had now attained the highest object of a lawyer's ambition. Under three differ ent governments did he hold this exalted office, and for more than thirty years he was supreme in the House of Lords. As a judge, Lord Lyndhurst is undoubt edly entitled to rank among the highest. His knowledge of the law was extensive and correct, and his judgment remarkably sound in the application of that knowledge to the cases which came before him. He had a quickness of perception, amounting almost to intuition, of the real merits of the matter under consideration. His summings up were models of composition and of judi cial statement, and his decisions deserve the highest praise. He was a great favorite with the bar. Always kindly and courteous, he knew no distinctions of either politics or rank, or anything else, when he sat upon the bench. He regarded all as precisely on the same footing. An incident of his con sideration and urbanity of manner may be worth repeating. A case in which a cer tain Mr. Cleave appeared as his own coun

sel was tried before him. Mr. Cleave began by observing that he was afraid he should, before he sat down, give some rather awkward illustrations of the truth of the old adage, that he who acted as his own counsel had a fool for his client. "Ah, Mr. Cleave," said his lordship, in his own peculiarly pleasant manner, — " ah, Mr. Cleave, don't you mind that adage; it was framed by the lawyers!' In private life Lord Lyndhurst was noted for his many generous acts. One may well be mentioned here. One of the most vio lent radicals of the day addressed a letter to his lordship, detailing the distressing cir cumstances in which, through ill health, the infirmities of old age, and the want of even the necessaries of life, he was placed, and solicited charity. Lord Lyndhurst read the letter with attention, and feeling for the painful situation in which the party was placed, handed it to his secretary, saying, "Make out a check on my bankers for five pounds to this poor man." The secretary, on looking at the signature, exclaimed, " My lord, are you aware who this man is?" "No," said his lordship; " I do not recol lect having before seen the man." "Why, this is the notorious radical, G J , who has for so many years been grossly and virulently abusing your lordship." Lord Lyndhurst stretched out his hand for the letter, looked again at the contents for a few moments, and then observed, ad dressing himself to the secretary : "Oh, never mind what he has been saying about me! The poor man seems to be in a very distressed condition. Get the check ready, and send him the money." Upon his retirement, for the third time, from the Chancellorship in 1846, Lynd hurst spent his hours of leisure quietly at Turville Park, about six miles from Henleyon-Thames, where he could gratify his love of country life and farming. He suffered much from cataract. During the greater