108 LORD KLDON. 



the exertions of Mr. Erskine his powerful and almost super-human 

 eloquence and also the acquittal of the others, who were so ridicu- 

 lously, absurdly, and falsely accused of a treasonable conspiracy. 

 The Attorney-General laboured hard to procure a conviction he was 

 eight hours and a quarter in his opening to the jury he turned and 

 twisted the law of treason and endeavoured, with all his accustom- 

 ed talent and skill, to betray the jury into his own views, and the 

 wishes of his employers. But happily for the unfortunate prisoners, an 

 honest jury stood between the accuser and the accused, and protected 

 those lives that were demanded by an oppressive and sanguinary exe- 

 cutive. It is useless to go through the different acts of his attorney- 

 generalship ; he was a firm adherent to the minister, and one of those 

 who would have thought it treason to differ from him. The effect of 

 this was soon apparent. Difficulties began to take place between 

 Lord Thurlow and Mr. Pitt. The Chancellor opposed the minister, 

 on several important bills ; and, on a representation to the King, the 

 Seal was put in commission. It was afterwards given to Lord Eldon. 

 His life since that period, both political and judicial, has been so 

 frequently and severely canvassed, that every one must have formed 

 an opinion of its merits. 



The same year that he assumed the proud station of Lord High 

 Chancellor of England, lie was elevated to the High Stewardship of 

 the University of Oxford, On the death of Mr. Pitt, in 1806, a 

 Whig administration was formed, and Lord Erskine became his suc- 

 cessor. On the breaking up of the administration, in 1807, Lord 

 Erskine followed his friends and resigned the seal, which was again 

 intrusted to Lord Eldon. His lordship continued its possession until 

 Mr. Canning formed an administration, and then he was succeeded 

 by Lord Lyndhurst, who held the appointment until the Duke of 

 Wellington left office, and the present distinguished Chancellor was 

 placed on the Woolsack. 



Like Erskine, Lord Eldon failed to acquire that accession of fame, 

 by his parliamentary exertions, which has distinguished the present 

 chancellor, and which generally has followed those who owe their 

 elevation to their forensic talents, fame, and genius. But he posses- 

 sed no peculiar strength of intellect no enlargement of mind; his 

 chief merit consisted of extensive knowledge of the law, and the most 

 rigid integrity and impartiality. He was, however, unlike Erskine 

 in other points he was no orator ; his style was simple and unaf- 

 fected. No pomp of words, rhetorical flourishes, brilliant passages, 

 or epigramatic turns, are to be found in his speeches. Not possessed 

 of a rich imagination, or impetuous eloquence, he contented himself 

 with giving utterance to his thoughts in a language at once terse and 

 powerful, but by no means declamatory. He seemed disposed to rely 

 on a plain manly argument, and the energy of reason. He, therefore, 

 did not rise to any great rank in oratory ; and, as he was not possess- 

 ed of that copious and animated language which exalts both the ora- 

 tor and his subject, he seldom if ever reached the sublime, and never 

 dazzled. He is particularly partial to expletives, which perhaps, as 

 much as anything, betrays the paucity of eloquence. In the House 

 of Lords he is rather colloquial, fond of the pathetic, and has been 



