230 THE SCOTCH BAR. [1800. 



but far from severe ; and, like his brother's, his 

 acquaintance was confined to the English classics. 

 His speaking was of a very high order. The lan- 

 guage was admirable, expressive, wholly without 

 affectation, fluent, never verbose, and his manner 

 perfect both in action and delivery. It was impos- 

 sible to have more variety, or to suit the style more 

 perfectly to the subject and the occasion. In state- 

 ment and explanation he excelled, and his illustra- 

 tions were copious. 



His wit was renowned, and as it made him the life 

 of society, placed him as the first favourite of the 

 Courts ; but it also was used in excess, partly owing 

 to the audience whom he addressed, the fifteen judges, 

 who required to be relieved in their dull work, and as 

 soon as he began, expected to be made gay. Hence a 

 very great mistake was committed by bystanders, or 

 generally by those who either heard, or heard of, his 

 speeches, and fancied they were all joke, all to amuse 

 the Court, or at best to turn his adversary and his 

 arguments into ridicule. He was a most argumen- 

 tative speaker; and if he sometimes did more than 

 was necessary, he never for an instant lost sight of 

 the point to be pressed on his audience by all the 

 means he could employ, and which really were every 

 weapon of eloquence except declamation and appeals 

 to the tender feelings. Of course a great cause placed 

 him more under restraint, and more called forth his 

 exertions; yet it was singular how much he would- 

 sometimes labour even the most ordinary matters. 



