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 The Green Bag VOL. XVIII.

No. 3

BOSTON

MARCH, 1906

THE NEW LORD CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND: LORD LOREBURN By EDWARD MANSON THE name of Reid is already illustrious judge; Algernon Charles Swinburne, the in Scottish annals. When, in the poet; Sir Courtenay Ilbert; Andrew Lang, reign of James IV, Blackadder, Archbishop of the brilliant litterateur, whose examination Glasgow, summoned the "Lollards of Kyle" papers were even then, report said, finished to appear before him on a charge of heresy, magazine articles; Sir Francis Jeune, the all of them persons of note, including the late president of the Divorce Division; Mr. Ladies Stair and Polkellie, their defense was Justice Farwell; Sir Kenneth Muir Mac conducted by their leader, one Adam Reid, kenzie; Sir Arthur Godley; Mr. Asquith, and of Burskimming, conducted so ably and with Sir Thomas Raleigh, "Bob Reid" as he such strong judgment and ready wit that has always been affectionately known among the King, who was present, treated the pro his friends, had, in 1864, been elected from ceedings with ridicule, and the accused were Cheltenham to a demyship1 at Magdalen, dismissed with a caution to beware of new and, much to the disgust of the Magdalen doctrines and content themselves with the dons, who knew what a good man they "had faith of the Church. Reid, Bishop of Ork got, had resigned the demyship to enter ney, was as good a patriot as Reid of Burs for the greater prize of the Balliol! "He, kimming was a reformer, and as commissioner Bob Reid," says one of the most distin to negotiate the marriage of Mary with the guished of the Balliol Common Room of Dauphin in 1558, firmly resisted the claim that day, "first became known to us at of the French chancellor that the crown Balliol by the plucky way in which he threw matrimonial should be conferred on the up a Magdalen demyship to stand for the Dauphin and the rights of a legitimate Balliol scholarship which he won. He soon sovereign vested in 'his person. There is a became widely known and extremely popu natural lineage and there is. a spiritual lar as a first-rate cricketer and racquet lineage; and whether the blood of the player, as well as a brilliant scholar. He is, reformer and the patriot runs in Lord Lore- and always has been, one of the simplest, burn's veins or not, he may claim spiritual cheeriest, and pluckiest of mortals." It is, kinship with them as a man of deep and or was then, rare indeed for a Balliol scholar earnest political convictions and staunch in to figure as an athlete. His arena was "the his adherence to such convictions even in the schools." He was weighed down with the nadir of their unpopularity. responsibility of his own greatness; the sense Balliol College in the sixties had become that much was expected of him. "Bob under the inspiring influence of Jowett the Reid" was a splendid exception. For three Mecca of the "intellectuals"; the Balliol 1 Scholarships at Oxford have many names. At the most coveted of all scholarships. Among Magdalen they are known as demyships, at Christ the college's distinguished alumni of that Church as studentship, at Merton as Postmasterperiod were Lord Bowen, the eminent ships.