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Show 180 ATrtO CTOUS .n DOES. [.\ . D. l GSO. r evenge. On the n1eet ing of P arlian1ent he eau ~cd a motion to be 1nade in the IIouse of Con1mons for an inquiry into the con<luct of Lord Chief Justice Scroggs in uischarging tho lVIid<.lle ex grand jury and in other 1nattcrs. A committee was accordingly appointed, which pre -ented a report recom- 1nendino- that he should be in1peach ed. The report was b adopted by a large majority, and articles of impeachment were yoted against him. These were et'ght in nu1nl>er. The fi'rst charged in general term '' that the said '\Villiam Scroggs, chief j u tice of the I\:ing' Bench, had t rai lor on ly and. wickedly enJeavorecl to subvert the funde:unental law and the established religion and governtnent of the kingdom of England." The second wa:' for ille;jally cljscharging the grand jury, "whereby the cour--e of ju.-- tice wa . topped maljcjon ly and de ignedly- the pt'escntment of ll1any rapi t ' and other offenders were ob tru cted- and in particular a bill of indictment against t.Tame~, Duke of York, which was then before them, was prevented fron1 being procee de d upon. " The third wa founded on the illegal order for supprc. sing the vVeekly Pacquet new ·paper. 'fhe thr ·e following articles were for granting general warrant.., for intposing arbitrary fine and for illeO'ally refusincr bail 'fhe eventh charged ' 0 0 • him \\'ith defaming and candalizing the w ilne:-;. e~ who proveLl the Popish plot. The last was in the. e words : "YIII. 'Vherea.~ the said Sir \Villi~un Scroo·gs, being advanced to be chief justice of the Court of 1\::ing'~ Bench, ought, by a sober, grave, and virtuous conversation, to have given a good example to the king's liege people, and to demean him elf answerably to the dignity of o eminent n. tation ; yet, on the contrary thereof, he doth, by his freqncnt and notorious excesses an<.l dehauchcrie. , and his profane and athci~tical A. D. J GSO. J 'VILLIA:\I SCROCGS. 181 di "'courses, daily afft·ont Almighty God, eli ·honor hi -- 1nnje. ty, give countenance and encouragement to all manner of vice and wickedness, and bring the highest scandal on the pul>lic justice of the kingd01n." These article· ·were carried to the IIou. e of Peers by Lord Cavendi:::-h, who there, in the nmne of all the Con1mons of England, impeached Chief J u ·t ice ~ croggs for "high trea ~on, and other high crin1e::-; and mi ·demeano r~." The articles being read, the accn ... ell, ·who wa~ present, sitting on the judge'~ woo];..;ack, ·was ordered to withdraw. A 1notion was then n1ad e, that he be comm£tted; but the pre\'iou. question wa-- 1noved and carried, and a n1otion for an aJdress to suspend hin1 frotn his office till hi trial ·bould be oyer, was got rid of in the ~ame n1anner. lie wa then called in, and ordered to flnd hi.- bail in £10,000, to au wcr the articles of impeachment, and to prepare for hi~ trial. Luckily for him, at the end of three days the Parliament was abruptly di:-sol vctl. It would have been <.lillicult to 1nakc out that any of the charge <nnountecl to lu'gh treason ; but in those days men were not at all nice about such di tinction , ancl a dangerous but convenient doctrine prevailed, that, upon an impeachn1en t, the two IIou e of Parlimnent n1ight retrospectively declare any thing to be trea -on, accordiug to their discretion, and punish it capitally. .At any rate, considering that the influence of Shafte.-bury in the Upper IIou ~e was so great, and that Ilalii~tx and the respectal>lc anti-cxclu ·ionist' could not haYe defended or pallialcu the inf~unou conduct of Scrogg", had his ca "e come to a h earing, he could not haY got off without son1e very severe and degrading punishment. Although he escaped a judicial scn1 ence, his character wag so blown upon, and juries regarded him with such horror, and 16 |
