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Show 282 ATROCIOuS JUDGES. [A. D.1G79. passing sentence of death by the protracted tortures which the law of trea on pre"'cribed. lie had a still great ~r treat in pa. 1ng the like sentence on Richard Langhorne, an eminent Catholic barrister, with whom he had been familiarly acquainted. I-Ic first alldressed gen· erally the whole batch of the prisoners convicted, whom he thus continues to upbraid for trying to root out "the best of religion :" ''I call it the best of religion .. , even for your sakes ; for had it not been for the "'ake of our religion, that teaches us not to make such r equitals a: your"' seems to teach you, you had not had this fair, formal trial, but n1urder would have been returned to you for the murd r you intended to commit both upon the king and mo t of his people. "\Vhat a strange sort of religion is that who e doctrine seems to allow them to be the greatest . aint" in another world who have been the most impudent sinner;-; in this! 1\Iurdcr nnd the blackest of cri1nes were the best 1neans among you to get a 1nan to be canonized a saint hereafter.'' rfhcn he COllle' to his brother lawyer-'' There is one gentleman that tands at the bar whom I am very sorry to see, with allrny h 'art, in thi "' con· clition, becau e of some acquaintance I have had with him heretofore. 'To sec that a rnan who hath understanding in the law, and who hath arrived at :o great an eminency in that profes ion as this gentleman hath done, houlJ not remember that it is not only against the rules of Christianity, but even against the rules of hi profe sion, to att mpt any injury against the person of the king! lie knows it is against all the rules of law to endeavor to introduce a foreign power into this land. So that you have inned both against your conscience and your own certain knowledge." La t of aU, he offers his friend the assistance of a Protestaut divine to A. D. 1679.] GEOI~GE JEFFREYS. 283 prepare him for a speedy departure, and, referring hi1n to the statute whereby the ministration of a Catholic prie tis 1nade illegal, he bi1n elf, though "a layman," gi-res him some "pious advice." Ile had carried the ·ympathies of his audience along with him, for, when he had concluded with the "quartering," he was greeted with a loud hout of applause. Tim:, by the powc1ful us ~ i: lance of the recorder, diu tue government obtain popularity for pro.~ecu ting the plot, till tlte people at last actually did get tired of it, and Shaftesbury was prevented from deriving any fruit from jt beyond the precarious tenure, for a few n\onths, of his office of presiJent of the council. The recorder was equally zealous, on all other occasions, to do what he thought would be agreeable at court. \Vith tho view of repressing public di "'CU ion, he laid down for Jaw, as he said, on the authority of all the judges, "that no person whatsoever could expo"'e to the puLlic knowledge any thing that concerned the atTain; of the public without license from the king, or from such persons a:; he nwy think fit to intrust with th[\t power." The grand jury having several times returned "i[J7Wramus" to an indictment again t one Smith for a. libel, in rc -ped of a Ycry innocent publication, though they were sent out of court to reconsider the finJing, he at la. t exclaimed, " God bless me from such jurymen. I will ..,ee the face of every one of them, and let others see them al ·o." IIe accordingly cleared the bar, and, calling the jurymen one by one, put the que tion to them, and made each of then1 r epeat the word ' 1'gno7·amus." He then went on another tack, and a<1L1re 't;ing the defendant, said, in a coaxing Lone, " Come, 1\Ir. Smith there are two persons besides you whom this jury have brought in ignoramus i |
