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Show 250 ATRO 'TOt;. .JUDGE .... [A. D. 1660. he hacl acquired enabled him to take a sn1all cluunber, to fur-ni h it, and to begin bu;-;inc. uncer and spe<·ial pleader. on hi.' own account a. a conv('yTiut it wa.~ in the latter depart-n1ent that he took greatc.~t delight and wa .. the 1nost skilf'ulin ~ Olnuch that he gained the reputation of being familiarly acquainted with all it nty .~ teri cs; and nlthou~·h the ord('r of "special pleaders under the bur" \Va not e ta.Lli ·hed till many years after, l1e wa' 1nueh r' ortecl to by attorneys who wi ·hed by a shan1 plea to get over the tenu, or by a suutle replication to take an undue advantage of the defendant. It ha been untruly said of him, a. of tTeffreys, that he began to practise as a barri~lcr wit bout ever having been called to the uar. In truth, the attorneys who consulted him having observed to him that they should like to haYe hi as ·istance to maintain in court the aslut<~ device. which he reconlmenclcd, and wl1i~h dnllrr ll1<.'n did not compreh •nd, or were a .... ha1ncd of, he rather unwillirvrly li t:itened to their sugge Lion that he should be entc~red of an Inn of Cou1·t, for he never car L1 mncl1 for great proflL or high o{ftt;e. ; and having money enough to buy lJeer anJ toba cco, th only luxuries in which he wi ' heel to indulge, he wonlc1 have preferrecl to continue the J1 u crroo· ern1u 0o·0rr er life w hi<'h he now led • lie wn., do-n1e ticate<l in the i~lmily of a tailor in 13utchcr I{.ow, ncar Te1nple Bar, and "\YHS suppof'ed lo he rather too intimate with the 1nistre .. s of the hou::;c. IIowcvcr, without giving up his lodging here, to whieh he r esolutely stnck till he was made lord chief justice of England, he was prevaile<l upon to enter as a memuer of the :Th1icldle 'remple. _Accordingly, on the 4th of July, lGGO, be was adtnittecl there by the cle"'cription of "l\1r. Edward Saunders, of the county of tlle city of Gloucester, gentleman." The ornission to mention the naDle ) A. D. 166G.] ED fL'XD :SA'CNDER '. 2;)1 of his father 1night haYe given ri ~:e to the report that he was a foundling; but a statetnent of parentage on , uch occa i on~, though u"' ual, was not aLsolutely rer1uired, a. it now i:. lie henceforth attended ' 1noot~,'' and excite tl rrreat admiration by his readi ne 'S in pu lti ng case -, and taking of objections. By his extraordinary good humor and jo\'iality, he likewise stood high in the favor of hi -- l>rother templar;-;. The tenn of study wa then seven years, lial>le to be a1Jl·ic1ged on proof of proficiency; and the bencher: of the JUidc11e Temple had the discernment and the liberal ity to call Saunders to tl1e L~lr when his name had been on their Look little more than four year3. We have a striking proof of the rapidity with which he ~ushed into full Lu inc , . IIe compiled reports of the decisIons of the Court of I{iug'. B ench, beginning with l\[ichaclmus term, 18 Charles II., A. D. 1 GGG, wl1en he lwd onlv been two years aL the bar. These he con tin u d till Easte.,r term, 24 Charle II., A. D. 1 G 72. They contain all the ca es of the slighle. t importanee which came uefore the court during that period; and he was ~ounscl in e\·cry one of them. II is '' bolcl of 1D usn· 1cs~ , appears the 1nore wont1erful wlH'n we consider thnt his h'aison with the tn,ilor'~ wif'e "·as well known ' ('1 ncl n11. g l 1t 11 a Ye Leen expected to damnge h n. n even 1. n tho e profligate time ; and that he o~casi01w11y indu1;rcd to great execs in drinking, o that he nll1."t often have ·omc into court very little acquainted with hi , '' bre\'int," awl must l1~n· e tru ted to his qm.c 1 ( l1e. ~ 1.1 1 f'I nc] 1. ng out t J1 e que ~t•w ns t o Lu e aro5- ued ' 'a nd t o 1l i·S storehou 'es of lenrning 1r 0r the apposi· te authorities. But when we peruse 1n ·s "reports," the my~tery 1· s so 1v e d . |
