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Show 378 ATROCIO"GS JUDGES. [A. D. 16 8. h aring counsel on the nlCI·it~, it was to be left to the deter-mination of the jury. ... Th chief ju:tice, thinking to ca>Ty it all his own wny, wa.terriLly baffied, not only by the sympathy of the audience with the bi ·hop·, which evidently made an impression on t!Je j n ry, but by the unexpected hone ty of one of hi.-· brother judges, l\Ir. J u, tice John Powell, who hnd been a qui t man, unconncct d with politic , and, being a profound lawyer, hncl be n appointed to keep the Court of ICing's Bench from fldling into univer a! contempt. Sir Robert awyer beginning to comment upon a part of the declaration which the bi,hops objected to, " that fron1 henceforth the execution of all laws again t nonconformity to the religion e tablished, or the excr< ·i e of any other religion, should he <u pcnded," Wright, ('. J. exclaimed, "I mu t not uffer this; they intend to disput the king' po~ver of su pending la\-v ." Powell, J.-" l\fy lord, they mu t ncce. arily f.'t!l upon the point; for, if the king hath no such power, (a' clearly he hath not, in my judgment ) the natural con equence will be that thi., petition i -- no diminution of the king' regal power, and so not editions or libellous." W:rt"gllt, 0. J.-" Brother, I know you are fu ![ of that doctrine ; but, however, my lord the hi -hops f'ha II have no occa ion to say that I deny to ·hear their cou11 · ·I. Brother, you hall have your will for once; I will hear them; let them talk till they are ·weary." Powell, J. _' I desire no greater liberty to be granted them than what, in ju tice, the court ought to grant; that i;;, to hear them in defence of their eli en ts." AR the :peeche, for the defendants proceeded, and were producing a great effect upon all who heard them the solicitor general made a very irregular remark, accomp' anied by a A.D.l08 .] ROBERT 'VRTGIIT. 379 fictitiou yawn-'' 'Ve ~h a ll be here t ill mjclnight." The chief jtrticc, in tea 1 of r eprimanding him, chimed in with th impertinence, saying, "They have no 1n ind to have an end of the cau e, for th y have kept it up three hours longer than they need to have clone." ~SerJeant Pem,berton.-" l\Iy lord, this case does r equire a great deal of patience." TVrigllt, G. J.- " It does so, brother, and the court has had a g rea t deal of patience ; but we must not sit here only to h ear . peech c~." In trying to put down another coun el, who wn. n1aking w ~y with the jury, he observed, " If you , ay anything 1nor e, pray let me advi~·e you one thing - don't say the same thing over and over again ; for, after so mucl 1 ti·m e spen t , 1' t I' s i rl·~ ~ omc to all company, a well as to me." vVhen it ca1ne to the r eply of \Villiams, tl1C renerradc · ol i- ct. tor general, who 1· n 1n ·s c1a y 11 ac1 b ec n "ac \Vhio()' an.d , omc-thing In ore," he laid down doctrin e.· which called for th ~h~ reprobation of Judge Powell, and even shocked th " clnet . . . _, · 1 tl . t I>e t1 ' Jllstlce lumself, for he uen1 c l(t any tion c-ould lawful.l y be presented to the king except by the lord ' and common: ln Parliament asse1nbled. P ou'cll, ,[. - " Thi~ is · trange doctrine. Shall not the subj let have liberty to p ~tition the ki~g but in Parlian1ent? If that be law, the subject is in a mJ ... - er ab l e case." TV'r t·g l t t , G.• •T .• - " Brother ' l•e t Jlim. .g o ,o n ;T wl ee will hear him out, though I approve not of l11. ' po ILIOn. 1 unabashed Williams conti. nue d , " Tl1 e lord· . Jn(a y addrc the king in Parliament and the commons nuty clo it ; but tlJ ere- fore that the bishop may c1o 1. t ou t o f P·'u lia' ment ' do. es not follow. I'll tell you what they ... honld Juwe done : 1~ they ·were commanded to do anyt In ·n g agm· n ~ t t h i r con. Clence. ", they should have acqtn.e scecl ti.l l t l 1e n1ee rI n t0>' of the Parha- |