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Show 12G A'fROC10"GS JUDGEf-'. of him in capite- receiving a rea~onahle complitneut in return. In thi · instance, l\Ir. Atlorney nuL only h~1.d the llcci - ion of the court, l>ut the law on his .·iL1e. Blackstone snys, "The prerogative of c01npelling the king'K Yrt '. als to be knighted, or to pny a fine, wa · expr ' ' ·ly recognized in 1\uliament l>y the blatute de Jlfilitibus, 1 l~u. II., but yet w·as the occasion of heavy murmurs when cxcrteu l>y Clwrle I., among who e many mi~fortunes it wa:;, that ncith r him elf nor his people seemed able to di"tingui ·h l>elwcen the arbitrary stretch and the lerrul exertion of prerogative." -:!< All the e expedients for filling the exchequer proYing unproductive, the last hopes of de. potis1n rest 'd upon Noy, who, having been a patriot, ''"a' eng r to l>e the ,'lave of the court, and propo. e<l his . hip 1noney. lf this . hould l>c .: upporle(l hy the judges, nnd endured by the peoplP, J>ar1iament for eYer after would ha\·e been unne ·e::;sary. IIeath was willing enough to defend iL; lmL the inv 'lltor wa.~ unwilling to . bare the glory or the profit of it wilh another. Luckily, at that very time, a vacancy occurred in the o(ftcc of chief ju::;lire of the Co nun on Plea ; an<l there being an x treme eagcrne ' to get rid of IIeath, notwiLh:tanding his yery zenlon.; services to the crown, he wa: "put uron the eu:-;hion," and "Noy ._uscecded him a attorney general. To qualify him to l>e a judge, it wa.· neee~sary lbat he should 11r;'t bec01ne a se1jeant; and, ac ·ortli ng to nnc·ient cu ·tom, he dislribulcd ring~, dwo 'ing a n1otto whiC'h indic:tteu hi;:; intention .till to put the king above the lnw- '·LeY Regis, vis Legis." On the 2£)th of Oetobcr, 1 G31, he enme in hi · ·~ ~ Bl. Com. U9. Compulsory knighthood was n.bolitihcd by the Long Parliament, 16 Car. T. c. 20. • A. D. 1634.1 ROBET!.T HEATH. 127 parti-colorecl robes to the C01nmon l)lea , and perf'ormecl l1is ceren1oni .· as sc1jcant, and the same day l~ cpL l1i~ fen.~t in Se1jeants' Inn; and afterward:::;, on the 27th oC OctoLer' l1e was sworn in chief j u t.ice. In the four year::, during whieh lle held this oOlc no a~e of public interet occurreu in hi .· own c.ourt; uut he took nn acti,~e part in the Star Chamber, and h::tving pro: ecnkd th<~ Recorder of Salisbury for Lreaking a painted winuow wilhout the Li "'hop's con cut, he now ·entcnt'('<.l hitn for the ofi<~JH'C. The grand scheme of ship 1noney, wh ieh hall been long j 11 preparation, was ready to be brought forward, \vhen, to tlle aston i::;lnnent of the worhl, ] I eat It was r cmove<l Crotn his offlce. l t ha: l>ecn aid that the go,·crnmen t was al'l'aid of his opinion of , hip n1oney, anu wi:.;hed to prefer Fin<'h,- the mo. t profligate of 1ncn, - on wlwm thf'y conl<.l entirely r ely. The truth .. ecms to lw, that he continne<l to enjoy the f~t,·~r and confidence of the go,·crnnwnt, httt that a charge had b 'en brought agaiu:t hin1 of taking bribe::-;, which wa-· so strongly supported by evidence that i t could not l>c o,·crlookeu ' at-though no Parlimncnt wa." itting, or ever lil-C'1y io ,·il, nn<l that the n1ost discrc 't proceeding, eYcn for him~elf', wm' to remove him quiet] y fron1 hi, oflicc. The remo\~al of judges had, under the Stuarts, become so comn1on, that no gr ~n.L sensation was created l>y a new instance of it, ::tntl people ntercly supposed that s01ne secret <.li~pleasure had been given to the king. IIeath pres ntca a p0tition to the king, . clLing iorth hi:-; ~ervices as attorney general in supporting t h ' royal ri o·ht. to lmpri on and to tax the subject, as w ,ll a, the good will he bacl manife ted while he sal on the bench, ancl 'xprc.' ·ing a hope t.hat, as he hac1 been severely punished for hi~ fault, he 1nigl1t |
