THE LATE SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH. 507 



and men of letters of France, a distinguished reputation. His facility in 

 the French language was proved by a remarkable instance before he 

 went to India. A cause between two Frenchmen had been referred to 

 arbitration ; he was counsel for the plaintiff. The defendant, a noble 

 emigrant, pleaded his own cause in person. When the parties were 

 assembled before the arbitrator, the defendant complained of the hard- 

 ship to which he was exposed from his imperfect knowledge of English, 

 having to combat a gentleman of such extraordinary talents as he who 

 appeared for his opponent was known to possess. Mr. Mackintosh, to 

 accommodate him, without further preparation, made his speech, and 

 conducted the whole controversy, in French, with a facility and elegance 

 that were applauded by all who heard him. The author, whom he al- 

 ways appeared to me to prefer above all others, was Cicero, with every 

 part of whose writings he was familiar, and retained in his memory most 

 of the passages which he thought distinguished by any peculiar merit. 

 He considered him the greatest master of morals and philosophy, and 

 his works the most universal magazine of wisdom and eloquence ; he 

 thought that if Demosthenes equalled him in force and vehemence of 

 passion, he was far from approaching him in variety, grace, urbanity, 

 imagination, or knowledge. The delight he took in this author, if we 

 may trust the judgment of Quintilian, proved the perfection of his taste. 

 'Multum ille profi cisse se sciat cui Cicero valde placebit .' 



He had chosen the Norfolk circuit, which did not offer a very exten- 

 sive field to his exertions. His progress in the profession of the law at 

 the commencement was not equal to his just pretensions ; he was de- 

 sirous of devoting a portion of his time and his abundant knowledge to 

 giving public lectures on the law of nature and nations. For this pur- 

 pose, he applied to the society of Lincoln's Inn for the use of their hall. 

 There again he was encountered by political prejudice ; difficulties were 

 suggested, and objections urged, of a formal nature, against such an 

 appropriation of the hall ; but the real objection was, the apprehension 

 of the doctrines he might teach. Mr. Perceval once more became his 

 friend, and used his influence with such of the benchers as were known 

 to him, to set them right, and subdue their scruples. Whilst the ne- 

 gociation was pending, however, he composed the preliminary lecture 

 a sort of prospectus of the whole design, and of the principles of the 

 lecturer. Having submitted the manuscript to some of his most inti- 

 mate friends, he was advised to publish it without delay, as the best 

 measure he could adopt to secure the approbation of the public, and ob- 

 tain the consent of the benchers to his application. The effect produced 

 by this publication surpassed our most sanguine hopes. It was received 

 with unmixed applause by all parties, and most highly valued by those 

 who were the best judges. The style was, in simplicity and elegance, a 

 great improvement upon that of the ' Vindicise Gallicse,' which bore too 

 evident marks that the author had, in his early studies, been captivated by 

 ,the vigour of Dr. Johnson. His more mature taste had relished the sweet- 

 ness and delicacy of Addison and the richness of Burke. I am disposed 

 to consider this essay as the most perfect of all his writings. The late 

 Dr. Currie of Liverpool, himself a great example as well as a great 

 critic in the art of composition, in a letter to me on the subject of Mr. 

 Mackintosh's literary attainments, expressed his opinion that this essay 



