show the King of Terrors fair and beautiful. That Power Whom soft-eyed Pity once led down from Heaven, Then props feeble nature, calms all her fears, Wakes all her hopes, and animates her faith, Till the rapt soul, anticipating Heaven, Sad, however, were Margaret's feelings as she moralised on death, from whose rapacious hands none can escape. Smiling infants, the pride of their mother's hearts, to-day full of life and joy, to-morrow sicken and die. Young men, exulting in strength and youth, and spirits, with the world all before them, and maidens, full of innocent mirth and hope, like the early buds in spring are nipped by some untimely frost, wither and die. Men who have arrived at a green old age, whose strength of constitution has withstood the attacks of illness, yet find that the original sentence, "Thou shalt surely die," cannot be stayed. All go down to the grave dust to dust, ashes to ashes. CHAPTER XI. The Charge is prepared, the lawyers are met, The judges all ranged (a terrible show). THE following dialogue between Hermogenes and Cicero will best describe the injured and innocent wife's feelings. I quote from Angus Burke, who wrote in the year MDCCLVII. : HERMOGENES : Full well you know The sentence is gone forth, and thou shalt stand A fiery trial. Thy accusers hold Close consultation, and the time is fixed When the Court sits to hear the heavy charge. SOCRATES: Know then, my friend, if innocence can plead The hottest bolts, I can sustain the shock The cause célèbre must now attract our attention. At an early hour on the morning of the 20th of June, 18-, Westminster Hall was crowded, and it was quite clear to any casual visitor that a cause célèbre was on the list. The entrance to the Divorce Court was surrounded long before the doors opened by persons anxious to be admitted. A few fortunate individuals contrived, by the use of a silver or golden key, to get admittance, and when the doors were opened, what with barristers, solicitors, solicitors' clerks, and the chosen few, the Court was completely crowded. The case to be heard was Hovingham and Northam." "Hovingham v. Shortly before ten o'clock, Serjeants Scruton and Bramley, Q.C., Mr. Flaxton, Q.C., and their junior, took their seats nearest the witness box. Sir Frederick Wensley, Mr. Haswell, Q.C., and a junior (Mr. Thornby) were retained for the defence; Sir John Henwick appeared for the co-respondent. The solicitor, Mr Sharpness (from the firm of Sharpness, Bosham and Scroby), sat by the side of Lord Hovingham. Mr. Tinsley, at the furthest end of the bench, placed himself next Captain Northam, being the legal adviser of both respondents. Lady Hovingham, accompanied by a host of female friends, was accommodated with a seat near the Bench. All eyes were turned upon her, and a more modest, guiltless-looking lady never appeared in that Court. "Silence! hats off! usher. exclaimed the All rose, and the President took his seat. In opening the case, the learned counsel made some general remarks on the breach of the seventh commandment, pointing out the baseness of a familiar friend abusing the rights of hospitality, thus bringing shame and sorrow on a poor misguided woman. In this harangue Serjeant Scruton indulged in an unbounded fluency of words, which led him into unnecessary amplification, and his arguments did not possess the slightest method. Lucidus ordo was certainly not the merit of his eloquence; the attention was jaded by a verbosity which confused the memory instead of instructing the mind. But how different was the clear, the welladapted language of Sir Frederick Wensley, who spoke for the defence; a desire to amplify never led him to involve himself in words; at the same time perspicuous method gave such a clue to the attention of the jury, that the principles on which he reasoned, as well as his application of them, remained fixed in their memory. Serjeant Scruton evidently felt the weakness of his case; in fact, as he sat down, he whispered to a valued friend "I've done the best I could in such a frivolous case." |