74 INNS of 
been at; and, having finilhed this compliment, the reader 
himfelf, in another grave oration, magnified the impor¬ 
tant affiftar.ee he had derived, in the fulfilment of his of¬ 
fice, from the gentlemen of the fociety ; after this, having 
received the thanks of the bench, “ they all together fit 
down to fupper; at what time (and not before) the rea¬ 
der is an abfolute and confirmed bencher, and hath voice 
with the reft in all lucceeding parliaments.” 
A reader, by the ancient orders of the houfe, w'as 
obliged in his turn to read a fecond time, and was then 
called a double reader ; his expences, however, in the latter 
event, were more moderate, and he had a greater allow¬ 
ance from the houfe. ' 
The benchers of this inn of court are poflefled of great 
privileges. They are governors of the houfe, and in par¬ 
liament have power to bind the reft, as well as out of par¬ 
liament, at the bench-table, to punilh tranfgrefl'ors by 
fine, forfeiture of their chambers, and expulfion. They 
may come within the. bar at the chapel of the rolls among 
the ferjeants at law and the king’s council, and are heard 
by the mafter of the rolls in preference to other members. 
Any member of this fociety made recorder of London, 
takes precedence as a reader, though otherwife not in his 
turn, an inftance of which happened in 1635, when fir 
Henry Calthorp, the queen’s folicitor-general, being made 
recorder of London, was declared by the bench to be the 
next Lent reader, before Mr. Lathum, who was then the 
city-ferjeant and his immediate ancient. Afterwards, on 
the death of fir Walter Pye, fir Henry Calthorp being 
made king’s attorney of the court of wards, and refigning 
the recorderffiip,the term following Mr. Lathum would not 
give way to him, but took his room according to hisfeniofity. 
Serjeants at law have always been chol'en from among 
the readers, and in this event are placed at the upper end 
of the bench-table as elefled to that office, though the 
new-made ferjeant is ftill accounted a bencher, and in 
commons, till he receives the coif, when he takes leave of 
the houfe with the following fotemnity. In the morning- 
all the members of the fociety meet in the hall, where 
likewife comes the ferjeant elect. The treafurer of the 
houfe then makes a grave and learned fpeech, and at the 
conclufion of it prefents him, as the gift of the whole fo¬ 
ciety, with a purfe of ten pounds railed by a collection of 
iiis. ivd. each member, which is received by him with a 
congratulatory oration. Yet, though the new-made fer¬ 
jeant, in confequence of his dignity, takes leave of the 
fociCty, he is ftill in part a member; that is to fay, he 
keeps his chamber till he is affigned one in one of the fer¬ 
jeants’ inns. This is, however, faid to be rather a matter 
of favour than of right. If he is fufpended from his de¬ 
gree, or accepts another office, as attorney or folicitor ge¬ 
neral, he returns again into commons without any new 
admittance. When a ferjeant of this fociety is made a 
judge, he is accompanied to Weftminfter Hall by all the 
fellow-s of the houfe; and they are at liberty, after he is 
poflefled of his dignity, to rtqueft his advice and affiftance 
in fuch matters as refpeft the welfare of the fociety. 
Befides the benchers, there are another defeription of 
members, called ajfociates, who fit at (he bench-table, but 
have noA'oice in the government of the houfe. Thefe 
are perfons who hold eminent offices, and receive this fa¬ 
vour by courtefy. They are not bound to obferve any rules 
like the members of the houfe, and are in faft a kind of 
vifitors. By an order made in the reign of James, aflo- 
ciates for their admittance were to pay to the treafurer a 
fine of an hundred marks. 
The chief entrance to this inn is by Middle-Temple 
Lane, a long narrow ftreet which reaches to the water- 
iide, and divides the two houfes. It has a front in the man¬ 
ner of Inigo Jones, of brie’ ornamented with four large 
ftone pilafters of the Ionic :, with a pediment ; but is 
much too narrow, and, b mg lofty, wants proportion; the 
palfage to which it leads alio, although defigned for car¬ 
riages, is crowded, inconvenient, and mean. This gate¬ 
way was erected in place of one deftroyed by a great fire, 
COUR TV 
and which is reported to have been built by fir Amiss 
Powlet, anceftor of the prefent earl Powlet, on a fingular 
occafion. It feems fir Arnias, about the year 1501, 
thought fit to put cardinal Wolfey, then parfon of Ly- 
mington, into the ftocks. This affront was not forgot¬ 
ten when the cardinal came into power; and in 1515, on 
account of that ancient grudge, he was fent for up to 
London, and commanded to await the favourite’s orders. 
In confequence he lodged five or fix years in this gate- 
way, which he rebuilt; and, to pacify his eminence, he 
adorned the front with the cardinal’s cap, badges, cogni¬ 
zance, and other devices, “in a very glorious manner.” 
The principal and only building of importance in the 
Middle Temple is the great hall, though it contains feve- 
ral courts or fquares filled with very handfome chambers, 
befides gardens, a fountain, &c. The foundation of the hall 
was laid in 1562, and the edifice completed in 1572, in the 
treafurerfhip of Edmund Plowden; but the curious carved 
fereen at the lower end was not put up till 1574. The 
latter was paid for by a contribution of 20s. from each 
bencher, 10s. from each barrifter, and from every other 
member 6s. Sd. The hall is the largeft and fineft room 
of the kind in any of the inns of court, being one hun¬ 
dred feet long, including the palfage, forty-four feet wide, 
and in height upwards of fixty feet. The roof is venera¬ 
bly conftrudled of timber, and the other decorations of 
the interior are in a ftyle of correfpondent grandeur; but 
what adds particularly to the fplendour of its appearance 
is, its fine ftained windows. Thefe contain the armorial 
bearings of one hundred and fifty-four perfons, members 
of this fociety, moft of whom were men of eminence, and 
among them feveral of royal and noble rank; the great 
bay window at the fouth-weft end, alone, contains thirty 
coats of arms, and, when illuminated by the fun, has an. 
uncommonly rich effeff. Along the iides, which are 
wainfeotted to a conliderable height, are the arms and 
names of the readers, from Richard Swaine, dated 1597, 
to 1804. This place is ftill preferved, and the readers an, 
nually elected ; but the leisures or readings, as before 
obferved, have been long difufed. There are upwards of 
two hundred and fifty of thefe memorials. The oldeft: 
date in the windows is 1540. This coat of arms was pro¬ 
bably removed from the former hall which ftood on this 
fite. Among the more modern ones are thofe of the lord 
chancellors Cowper, Yorke, and Somers, the late lord 
chief juftice Kenyon, lord Afiiburton, fir Pepper Arden 
(afterwards lord Aivanley), and the prefent lord chan¬ 
cellor. The arms of the laft four are the work of Mr. 
Pearfon, and are very beautiful. 
Befides .thefe decorations, the hall contains excellent 
buffs of the twelve Ctefars, in imitation of bronze, and 
full-length portraits of the following perfonages : Charles I. 
and the duke d’Epernon, (Vandyke,) a very large picture, 
from which a print has been engraved by Baron; king 
Charles II. the duke of York afterwards James II. Wil¬ 
liam III. queen Anne, and king George II. There is like- 
wife at the upper end, near the great window, an ancient 
painting of the “ Judgment of Solomon,” of confiderable 
merit, with a Latin inlcription beneath. The mufic-gal- 
lery at the entrance muff not be forgotten ; it is’of right 
wainlcot, fupported by columns of the Doric order, fluted, 
and the pedeftals enriched with figures in alto relievo ; the 
intercolumniations, the pannels over the doors, and all 
the other parts of this beautiful fereen, are moft elaborately 
carved : above it hang feveral fuits of 'nifty armour, 
matchlocks, &c. Tliemafly oak tables and benches with 
which this apartment was anciently furnilhed itill remain, 
and fo may do for ceffturies, unlefs violently deftroyed, 
being of wonderful ftrenglh. In the parliament-chamber 
are painted all the arms of the treafurers fincethe firft who 
poflefled the office; it is likewile adorned with fome of 
Gibbons’s carving. Thefe rooms are both excellently 
well kept. 
In the Temple halls were held feveral of the great feaft$ 
and hofpitable Chriftmaflmgs of ancient times. Thefe 
Chriltmaffiugs 
