snares that often caught his superiors, who were not aware of his traps. And he was so fond of success for his clients, that, rather than fail, he would set the court hard with a trick; for which he met sometimes with a reprimand, which he would wittily ward off, so that no one was much offended with him. But Hales could not bear his irregularity of life; and for that, and suspicion of his tricks, used to bear hard upon him in the court. But no ill-usage from the bench was too hard for his hold of business, being such as scarce any could do but himself. With all this, he had a goodness of nature and disposition in so great a degree, that he may be deservedly styled a philanthrope. He was a very Silenus to the boys, as, in this place, I may term the students of the law, to make them merry whenever they had a mind to it. He had nothing rigid or austere in him. If any near him at the bar grumbled at his stench, he ever converted the complaint into content and laughing, with the abundance of his wit. As to his ordinary dealing, he was as honest as the driven snow was white; and why not, having no regard for money, or desire to be rich? and for good-nature and condescension there was not his fellow. I have seen him, for hours and halfhours together, before the court sat, stand at the bar, with an audience of students over against him, putting of cases, and debating so as suited

their capacities, and encouraged their industry. And so in the Temple, he seldom moved without a parcel of youths hanging about him, and he merry and jesting with them.

"It will readily be conceived, that this man was never cut out to be a Presbyter, or any thing that is severe and crabbed. In no time did he lean to faction, but did his business without offence to any. He put off officious talk of government or politics with jests, and so made his wit a catholicon or shield to cover all his weak places and infirmities. When the court fell into a steady course of using the law against all kinds of offenders, this man was taken into the king's business, and had the part of drawing, and perusal of almost all indictments and informations that were there to be prosecuted, with the pleadings thereon, if any were special, and he had the large pleadings in the quo warranto against London. His Lordship had no sort of conversation with him, but in the way of business, and at the bar; but once, after he was in the king's business, he dined with his lordship, and no more, and there he shewed another qualification he had acquired, and that was to play jigs upon an harpsichord; having taught himself with the opportunity of an old virginal of his landlady's; but in such a manner, not for defect, but for figure, as to see him play were a jest. The king, observing him to be of a

free disposition, loyal, friendly, and without greediness, or guile, thought of him to be the ChiefJustice of the King's Bench, at that nice time, and the ministry could not but approve of it. So great a weight was now at stake, as could not be trusted to men of doubtful principles, or such as any thing might tempt to desert them. While he sat in the Court of King's Bench, he gave the rule to the general satisfaction of the lawyers. But his course of life was so different from what it had been, his business so incessant, and withal crabbed, that the constitution of his body, or rather head, could not sustain it, and he fell into an apoplexy and palsy, which numbed his parts, and he never recovered the strength of them. He outlived the judgment in the quo warranto; but was not present, otherwise than by sending his opinion, by one of the judges, to be for the king, who, at the pronouncing of the judgment, declared it to the court accordingly, which is frequently done in like cases."

BURNING OF THE TEMPLE IN THE GREAT FIRE.

The great fire of 1666, extended as far as, and consumed a great part of, the Temple. The best and most minute account of this terrible conflagration is given in Clarendon's Life, from which it appears that the fire was stopped in the Temple. "On Wednesday, about four or five o'clock in the

afternoon, the wind fell; and as in an instant the fire decreased, having burned all the Thames-side to the new buildings of the Inuer Temple next to White Friars, and having consumed them, was stopped by that vacancy from proceeding further into that house; but laid hold on some old buildings which joined to Ram Alley, and swept all those into Fleet-street." Kennet says, " By the favour of God the wind slackened a little on Tuesday night, and the flames meeting with brick buildings at the Temple, by little and little it was observed to lose its force on that side, so that on Wednesday morning we began to hope well, and his Royal Highness, never despairing or slackening his personal care, wrought so well that day, assisted in some parts by the Lords of the Council, before and behind it, that a stop was put to it at the Temple Church, &c." Clarendon relates a very characteristic anecdote of the lawyers on this emergency." The Lord Mayor, though a very honest man, was much blamed for want of sagacity in the first night of the fire, before the wind gave it much advancement, for though he came with great diligence as soon as he had notice of it, yet never having been used to such spectacles, his consternation was equal to that of other men, nor did he know how to apply his authority to the remedying the present distress, and when men who were less terrified with the object

pressed him very earnestly that he would give order for the present pulling down those houses which were nearest, and by which the fire climbed to go further, (the doing whereof at that time might probably have prevented much of the mischief that succeeded,) he thought it not safe, and made no other answer than that he durst not do it without the consent of the owners. want of skill was the less wondered at when it was known afterward, that some gentlemen of the Inner Temple would not endeavour to preserve the goods which were in the lodgings of absent persons, because, they said, it was against the law to break up any man's chamber."

His

The commendable caution evinced in these instances is not without a parallel.—A tanner, it is said, invited a supervisor to dine with him: after pushing the bottles about pretty freely, the visitor took his leave, but in crossing the tanyard, unfortunately fell into a vat, and called loudly for assistance; the tanner speedily ascertained his friend's situation, but declined interfering ; "For," he observed, "if I draw a hide without giving twelve hours' notice I shall be exchequered; but I will go and inform the exciseman."!

LAWS AGAINST WITCHES.

In the very early periods of our law, it appears