lative of that famous churchman, the patron and idol of the Irish people.

The gentlemen of the long robe were, of course, delighted with the occurrence: they had not for a long time met with so full and fair an opportunity of expending every sentence of their wit, eloquence, law, and logic, as in taking part in this celebrated controversy. I was greatly rejoiced at finding on my table a retainer against the Fellows and parsons of Trinity College, whom I had always considered as a narrow-minded and untalented body of men, getting from £1000 to £1500 a year each for teaching several hundred students how to remain. ignorant of most of those acquirements that a well-educated gentleman ought to be master of: it is true, the students had a fair chance of becoming good Latin scholars, of gaining a little Greek and Hebrew, and of understanding several books of Euclid with three or four chapters of Locke on the Human Understanding, and a sixpenny treatise on logic written by a very good divine, (one of the body) to prove clearly that sophistry is superior to reason.* This being my opinion of them, I felt no qualms of conscience in undertaking the defence of Theophilus Swift, Esq. though most undoubtedly a libeller.) It is only necessary to say, that Lord Clonmell, who had been (I believe) a sizer himself in that university, and in truth, all the judges, (and with good reason) felt indignant at Theophilus Swift's so violently assailing and disgracing, in the face of the empire, the only university in Ireland-thus attacking the clergy though he defended a monster.

An information was in due form granted against Theophilus, and as he could neither deny the fact nor plead a justification to the libel, of course we had but a bad case of it. But the worse the case, the harder an Irish barrister always worked to make it appear a good one. I beg here to observe, that the Irish. bar were never so decorous and mild at that time, as to give up their briefs in desperate cases, as I have seen done in England-politely to save (as asserted) public time, and conciliate their Lordships: thus sending their clients out of court, because they thought they were not defensible. On the contrary, as I have said, the worse the case intrusted to an Irish barrister, the more zealously did he labour and fight for his client. If he thought it indefensible, why take a fee? but his motto was,

Nothing can so completely stamp the character of the university of Dub lin, as their suppression of the only school of eloquence in Ireland-"The Historical Society;" a school from which arose some of the most distinguished, able, and estimable characters that ever appeared in the forum, or in the parliament of Ireland: this step was what the blundering Irish would call—“ad-' vancing backwards."

"while there is life there is hope." During the speeches of these resolute advocates, powder and perspiration mingled in cordial streams adown their writhing features: their mouths, ornamented at each corner with generous froth, threw out halfa-dozen arguments, with tropes and syllogisms to match, whilst English gentlemen would have been cautiously pronouncing one monosyllable, and considering most discreetly what the next should be. In short, they always stuck to their cause to the very last gasp!-and it may appear fabulous to a steady, regular English expounder of the law, that I have repeatedly seen a cause which the bar, the bench, and the jury, seemed to think was irrevocably lost,-after a few hours' rubbing and puffing, (like the exertions of the Humane Society) brought into a state of restored animation; and, after another hour or two of cross-examination and perseverance, the judges and jury have changed their impressions, and sent home the cause quite alive in the pockets of the owner and lawful solicitor.

In making these observations, I cannot but mention a gentleman then at the very head of the bar, as Prime Serjeant of Ireland, Mr. James Fitzgerald. I knew him long in great practice, and never saw him give up one case whilst it had a single point to rest upon, or he a puff of breath left to defend it; nor did I ever see any barrister succeed, either in the whole or partially, in so many cases out of a given number as Mr. Fitzgerald: and I can venture to say, (at least to think) that if the Right Honourable James Fitzgerald had been sent ambassador to Stockholm in the place of the Right Honourable Vesey Fitzgerald, his cher garçon, he would have worked Bernadotte to the stumps, merely by treating him just as if he were a motion in the Court of Exchequer. There was no treaty which the Government of England might have ordered him to insist upon, that he would not have carried, at all events in a degree.

This is a digression: but having been accustomed, for near forty years, to express my regard for that gentleman, and as this is probably the last time I shall ever have an opportunity of doing so, I was determined, in my "last speech," not to be forgetful of my old, and, I really believe, sincere friend.

And now, reader! (I have in my preface stated my objections to the epithet gentle) we will go back to Theophilus Swift, and the college, and the King's Bench. The trial at length came on, and there were decidedly more parsons present than I believe ever appeared in any court of justice of the same dimensions. The court set out full gallop against us: nevertheless, we worked on-twice twelve judges could not have

stopped us! I examined the most learned man of the whole university, Dr. Barret, a little, greasy, shabby, croaking, roundfaced vice-provost: he knew of nothing on earth, save books and guineas-never went out, held but little intercourse with men, and none at all with women. I worked at him unsuccessfully for more than an hour; not one decisive sentence could I get him to pronounce: at length, he grew quite tired of me, and I thought to conciliate him by telling him that his father had christened me. "Indeed!" exclaimed he: "Oh! I did not know you were a christian!" At this unexpected repartee, the laugh was so strong against me, that I found myself muzzled. My colleagues worked as hard as I: but a seventy-horse power could not have moved the court. It was, however, universally admitted that there was but one little point against us out of a hundred which the other side had urged: that point too had only three letters in it: yet it upset all our arguments: that talismanic word "law" was more powerful than two speeches of five hours each; and, by the unanimous concurrence of the court and jury, Theophilus Swift was found guilty of writing, publishing, and undoubtedly proving that certain parsons, Fellows of Dublin University, had been living (conjugally) with certain persons of an entirely different sex: and, in consequence, he was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment in his Majesty's gaol of Newgate, where he took up his residence with nearly two hundred and forty felons and handy pick-pockets.

My poor visionary friend was in a sad state of depression: but heaven had a banquet in store for him which more than counterbalanced all his discomfitures:-an incident that I really think even the oracle of Delphos never would have thought of predicting.

The Rev. Doctor Burrows was,. of all, the most inveterate enemy and active prosecutor of my friend Theophilus: he was one of those who, in despite of God and Queen Elizabeth, had fallen in love, and indulged his concupiscence by uniting his fortunes and person with the object of it-and thereby got within the circle of Swift's anti-moralists. This reverend person determined to make the public hate Theophilus, if possible, as much as he did himself; and forgetting in his zeal, the doctrine of libel, and the precedent which he had himself just helped to establish, set about to slay the slayer, and write a quietus for Theophilus Swift (as he supposed) during the rest of his days! Thus, hugging himself in all the luxury of complete revenge on a fallen foe, Dr. Burrows produced a libel at least as unjustifiable against the prisoner, as the prisoner had promulged against him: and having printed, published, and

circulated the same, his Reverence and Madam conceived they had executed full justice on the enemy of marriage and the clergy. But, alas! they reckoned without their host: no sooner had I received a copy of this redoubtable pamphlet, than I hastened to my friend Theophilus, whom, from a state of despondency and unhappiness, I had the pleasure in half an hour, of seeing at least as happy and more pleased than any king in Europe. It is unnecessary to say more than that I recommended an immediate prosecution of the Rev. Doctor Burrows, for a false, gross, and malicious libel against Theophilus Swift, Esq. Never was any prosecution better founded, or more clearly and effectually supported; and it took complete effect. The reverend prosecutor, now culprit in his turn, was sentenced to one-half of Swift's term of imprisonment, and sent off to the same gaol, The learned Fellows were astounded; the university so far disgraced; and Theophilus Swift immediately published both trials, with observations, notes, critical and historical, &c.

But, alas! the mortification of the reverend Fellow did not end here. On arriving at Newgate (as the governor informed me) the Doctor desired a room as high up as could be had, that he might not be disturbed whilst remaining in that mansion. The governor informed him, with great regret, that he had not even a pigeon-hole in the gaol unoccupied at the time; there being two hundred and forty prisoners, chiefly pick-pockets, many of whom were waiting to be transported; and that, till these were got rid of, he had no private room that would answer his reverence: but there was a very neat and good chamber in which were only two beds-one occupied by a respectable and polite gentleman; and if the Doctor, could manage in this way meanwhile, he might depend on a preference the moment there should be a vacancy. Necessity has no law; and the Doctor, forced to acquiesce, desired to be shown to the chamber. On entering, the gentleman and he exchanged bows-but in a moment both started involuntarily at sight of each other. On one was to be seen the suppressed smile of mental triumph, and on the other the grin of mortification. But Swift (naturally the pink of politeness) gave no reason for an increase of the Doctor's chagrin. As the sunbeams put out a fire, so did a sense of his folly flash so strong upon the Doctor's reason, that it extinguished the blaze of his anger; and the governor having left them, in a short time an eclaircisse.ment took place between these two fellow-lodgers in a room fourteen feet by twelve! I afterwards learned that they jogged on very well together till the expiration of their sentences, and I never heard of any libel published by either the Doctor or Swift afterwards.

PULPIT, BAR, AND PARLIAMENTARY ELO

QUENCE.

Biographical and characteristic sketch of Dean Kirwan-His extraordinary eloquence-The peculiar powers of Sheridan, Curran, and Grattan contrastcd-Observations on pulpit, bar, and parliamentary oratory.

192

A COMPARATIVE scale of the talents of the celebrated men of my day I have frequently attempted, but never with success. Though I knew most of them both in private and public, my mind could never settle itself to any permanent opinion on so complicated a subject. Nevertheless, I quite agree with the maxim of Pope-"that the noblest study of mankind is man! and, consequently, the analysis of human character has ever formed one of my greatest amusements, though all endeavours to reduce my observations to a system have proved decidedly idle. Hence, I have at times grown out of humour with the science altogether, and made up my mind that there never was a more unprofitable occupation than that of determining a public character whilst the individual still lived. It is only after the grave has closed on men-when they can change no more, and their mortal acts are for ever terminated-that their respective natures become truly developed. This is a reflection that must surely force itself upon the mind and heart of every observant

man.

The depressions of adversity generally leave the ostensible character pretty much as it appeared originally, save that it occasionally throws out either abjectness or fortitude, and that talent is sometimes elicited in a greater proportion than the sufferer was imagined to possess. But I have always seen high prosperity the true and almost infallible touchstone: and since I have had leisure to observe the world, its effects upon my fellow-countrymen have proved more remarkable than upon the people of any other country; and indeed, in many instances, thoroughly ridiculous.

Eloquence, a first-rate quality in my scale, is that for which the Irish were eminently celebrated. But the exercise of this gift depends on so many accidental circumstances, and is withal so much regulated by fashion, that its decline is scarcely surprising. So few possess it, indeed, that it has become the interest of the only body in Ireland accustomed to extempore public speaking (the bar,) to undervalue and throw it into the