Lift OF BACOX. 



worldly advancement, (h) by which he may decide un- 



subject by the servants of the crown is to be sought for from these tribunals, 

 the j udges of the land become not unfrequently the arbitrators between the 

 king and the people, on which account they ought to be independent of 

 either ; or, what is the same thing, equally dependent upon both : that is, 

 if they be appointed by the one, they should be removeable only by the 

 other. This was the policy which dictated that memorable improvement 

 in our constitution, by which the judges, who before the revolution held 

 their offices during the pleasure of the King can now be deprived of them 

 only by an address from both houses of parliament, as the most regular, 

 solemn, and authentic way by which the dissatisfaction of the people can 

 be expressed. Paley. 



To the community this is of importance. 1. To secure his impartiality. 

 2. Because not seemly for him to be haggling as hucksters, and labouring 

 for his subsistence. 



To make this independency of the judges complete, the public salaries 

 of their office ought not only to be certain both in amount and continuance, 

 but so liberal as to secure their integrity from the temptation of secret 

 bribes ; which liberality will answer also the further purpose of preserving 

 their jurisdiction from contempt, and their characters from suspicion, as 

 well as of rendering the office worthy of the ambition of men of eminence 

 in their profession. Paley. 



When the present condition of the judges is compared with that when 

 the crown had a power of dismissing them at pleasure, a great step appears 

 to be gained towards the upright administration of justice. Their places 

 and salaries are now secured for life, except upon an address from both 

 houses of parliament, which nothing but flagrant misconduct on their parts 

 can be supposed to produce, and they may pronounce sentence without 

 any fear of the loss of dignity or emolument. 



(A) Hobbs says a judge should have a contempt of unnecessary riches 

 and preferments. Their fortunes should be above temptation, and their 

 spirits above private influence. 



He should be incapable of promotion. Sir William Jones, the late judge 

 in India, in one of his letters to Sir James Macpherson respecting some 

 promotion that appears to have been offered to him, expresses himself in 

 the following terms : &quot; If the whole legislature of Britain were to offer me 

 a different station from that which I now fill, 1 should gratefully and 

 respectfully decline it. The character of an ambitious judge is, in my 

 opinion, very dangerous to public justice ; and if I were sole legislator, it 

 should be enacted that every judge as well as every bishop should remain 

 for life in the place which he first accepted.&quot; 



Lord Teignmouth s Life of Sir W. Jones. 



