358 



Memmrs of the hie Lord Tkuflow. [Nov. I, 



lobe hurtful, fo that, even during the 

 Winter, he leldom or never llept iu his 

 houfe in St. JainesVlcjuiu-e. 



Memi'vinie, having purchafcd an eftate 

 in the iieighb)urhoo(t oF Dulwich, Lord 

 Thurlow ordered a houfe to be built on a 

 rifiiig ground fi>r his acwjrainodation. A 

 remiiar ci'tiinatc was accordingly made 

 out by an euiineiit arcliitcft, and tiie 

 iBiinuon complete.'!, but the filial charge 

 ■was fo difproporiionate to the funi oni:;i- 

 iijdly projjofed, that the noble lord e.\- 

 clrtimed " that he would never either en- 

 ter or pay font, but remain in fas farm- 

 lioufe to the day of his death." , 



As he had exhibited gjcat attachment 

 to the King, during the difcuffion of the 

 Regency Bill*, fo he aiierwards enjoyed 

 the intimacy and the conlitlence of the 

 Prince of Wales, and is fuppofed to have 

 fceeii the advifer of ins Royal Highnefs 

 on many critical and important occaiicuis; 

 lie was. accuftomed to meet liini at the 

 liofpitablc houfe of the late Mr. Maciia- 

 lunra, of .'5trea'hnm, and was perfuaded 

 to fit tolloffi for a baft, which is noH' in 

 Carleton Houfe. I'or feveral years pafl 

 bis Lf>rd(liip has divided his time between 

 Duiwich and Brighton, at tiie latter of 

 ivliicli he ufually fpent tome of the fum- 

 nier months; durini; which he rode on the 

 line .Sulfex downs, enjoyed the bracing 

 air of the fca, and occalionally faw and 

 converfed with the heir to the crown. 



In fimiming up the ciinraf tcr of Lord 

 Thurlow, it will be found that this no* 

 blenian was entitled to nuirlrpraife as a 

 Chancellor. The iiitle\ible integrity tliat 

 governed his dccilions was never once 

 railed in f|ueilion, wliile the wifdom by 

 which they were regulated has been al- 

 ways admired. H' w a? eager to deteci, 

 to expofe. if poibhle, and to punilh the 

 jiial-pi-ftriicesof low attornies, and other 

 retainers of the law, who are a dilgrace 

 and an opprobrium to the profelfion. He 

 faw and he lamented the frauds and clii- 

 canerv freouently arifinir out of commif- 

 fions o(' bankruptcy, and w dhed to re- 

 fhain them, although they were fai- Icfs 

 common than at jnefent. lie was parti- 

 cularly fe\ere in tiie cafe of fiich adventu- 

 rers as' had carried ofl" the wards of his 

 court ; and in relpect to another clafs of 

 perfons, who uei'c alfo under the imme- 

 diate guardlanfliip of tlie Chancellor, his 

 coiuhict h;is been recently quoted with 



* His celebrated exclamation of " When 

 I forfike my King in the hour of his diftrefs, 

 m.iv God fotl'ake me '" produced a wonderful 

 clfc'ia. 



great applaufe by Lord Erfkine. It was 

 lie indeed who tint infiituLcd the rule, 

 tiiat in reipect to llippofcd iunitties, the 

 onua probandi ihould attach to the plain- 

 tifT; whereas, when a llatute had been 

 once obtained, the proof of fanity was 

 to reft with the defendant. 



It might be here obferved, that none 

 of Lord Thurlow's dccilions were ever 

 overturned by an appeal to the llonfe of 

 Lords ; but this is a feature not peculisir 

 either to liis character or ftation, for, 

 with a fmgle exception, v.e believe no- 

 thing of this kind has occurred for many 

 years. This, perhaps, anfes out of a 

 cireumltance that calls aloud for amend- 

 ment. Indeed it is an anomaly in our 

 conliitution, that tbofe engaged iu the ad- 

 miniltration of the laws Ihould alFilt in 

 tlieir confection ; and it appears not a 

 little ftrange, that a Judge of an interior 

 tribunsd iliould lit in a court of appeal, 

 and not only defend his own proceedings, 

 but vote, if he fliould fo pleafe, in their 

 julHfication. We lament alfo to behoW 

 the ot'tice of Speaker of the Houfe of 

 Lord.^ annexed to the Chancellorlliip. It 

 is evident to every one wlio has attended 

 to the proceedings of our Courts of Jul- 

 tice, that the Chancery huiinefs is fntU- 

 cient, and perhaps more than fufticient, 

 for the tfilents and attention of any tingle 

 individual ; and it is a cruel circnniltimce 

 for the ^clients in equity, that a Chan- 

 ceiliir Ihould be obliged to leave the court 

 either to attend the Council Board or 

 prelide in the Houfe of Peers. 



The conduct of Lord Thurlow on the 

 woolfack was dii^niticd, yet tlve iinpiVa 

 tience of contradiction, or the accefs ort 

 difeafe, would lometiines produce irrit^ 

 tion. But it is wonderful with what cor- 

 diality the public took his part, wlien ^ 

 noble Duke, who had aUude<l to new fa- 

 milies and upftart lawyers, was reminded 

 of the meretricious claims of one of his 

 own anccftors, in a dignified and manly 

 fpeech delivered by the fubject of this 

 memoir. 



During the firft time that he held the feals 

 Lord Thurlow was accufcd of treating the 

 gentlemen of the bar with a degree of 

 roughnefs and fe\ erity, at which he him>- 

 felt, while in their lituation, would have 

 been the lirft to fpurn. We have l(>me 

 leafoii to fuppofe, however, tliat on his 

 return to otiice he altered his conduct in 

 this inftanco, and ever sifter difplayed 

 more nrbanitv to that refpectable clafs of 

 men, out of which his own fuccetfors were 

 deftined-to bechofen. 



It is well known, tliat- the patronage of 



