we should say in wisdom; in the union of that virtue which has ripened under the hardy discipline of principles, with that knowledge which has constantly sifted and refined its old treasures, and as constantly gathered new."

"Interesting as it is to contemplate such a man in his public character and official functions, there are few great men to whom one is brought near, however dazzling may be their talents or actions, who are not thereby painfully diminished in the estimate of those who approach them. The mist of distance sometimes gives a looming size to their character, but more often conceals its defects.

To

be amiable as well as great,-to be kind, gentle, simple, modest, and social, and at the same time to possess the rarest endowments of mind, and the warmest affections, is a combination devoutly to be wished, but seldom met. Yet Chief Justice Marshall was in the domestic circle exactly what a wife, a child, a brother, and a friend would most desire."

"Il possedait, au plus haut dégré, ces facultés brillantes qui président aux arts d'imagination mais qui constituent aussi, ou qui fécondent l'esprit d'invention, dans tous les genres; cette vivacité, et cette énergie de conception qui rendent une nouvelle vie aux objets, en les exprimant, et qui les embellisent encore, en les faisant revivre. Toutefois et par une rencontre - aussi heureuse que rare, il était également doué de ces qualités éminentes, qui forment les penseurs. Exercé aux méditations profondes il était capable de suivre avec incroyable persévérance les deductions les plus étendues; il savant atteindre par un regard pénétrant, les distinctions les plus délicates, et quelquefois les plus subtiles."-De Gerando.

ONE of the most brilliant luminaries of the law came near hiding his legal talents under a bushel. William Pinckney, of Annapolis, in Maryland," commenced the study of medicine, but happily discovered that he had mistaken his vocation, and turned his attention to the legal profession. He seems to have lost no time in fitting himself for it, as we learn that, at the age of twentytwo, he was admitted to the bar.

Let us see with what equipments he was provided for

10 William Pinckney was born a. D. 1764.

the forensic field. He was carefully instructed in classical studies by a private teacher, to whom he afterward rendered the warmest tribute of gratitude and affection. For three years he pursued his legal studies under Mr. Justice Chase, an eminent lawyer of the Maryland bar. During this time he disciplined his mind by the cultivation of logic, so that no fallacies could be imposed upon his understanding. He became acute in his perception of truth, and dexterous in the use of arguments for its support. He had perfect command of his native language, and poured it forth in a rich, melodious voice, accompanied by an animated and graceful delivery. To all these he added a person dignified and manly, and a fine, strong physiognomy. It is not surprising, therefore, that his first efforts at the bar were hailed as omens of future distinction.

In 1796, Mr. Pinckney was induced to leave his professional pursuits and accept the appointment of Commissioner to Great Britain. He went with his family to London, where he resided for eight years.

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In one of his letters written during this absence, he says,- It is my most earnest wish to return home without loss of time, and to apply in earnest to my profession, for the purpose of securing, while my faculties are unimpaired, a competence for my helpless family. A few years of professional labor will bring me into the sere and yellow leaf of life, and if I do not begin speedily, I

shall begin too late. I am used to adverse fortune, and know how to struggle with it; my consolations cannot easily desert me-the consciousness of honorable views, and the cheering hope that Providence will yet enable me to pass my age in peace. It is not of small importance to me that I shall go back to the bar cured of every propensity that could divert me from business-stronger than when I left it—and, I trust, somewhat wiser. In regard to legal knowledge, I have been a regular and industrious student for the last two years, and I believe myself to be a much better lawyer than when I arrived in England."

In another letter he makes some remarks on party spirit, which it would be well for every young American to reflect upon conscientiously.

"I am prepared," says Mr. Pinckney, "on my return, to find the spirit of party as high and phrensied as the most turbulent would have it. I am even prepared to find a brutality in that spirit which in this country (England) either does not exist, or is kept down by the predominance of a better feeling. I lament that this is so; and I wonder that it is so-for the American people are generous and liberal, and enlightened. We are not, I hope, to have this inordinate zeal, this extravagant fanaticism entailed upon us, although really, one might almost suppose it to be a part of our political creed, that internal tranquillity, or rather the absence of domestic

discord, and a rancorous contention for power, was incompatible with the health of the state, and the liberty of the citizen. I profess to be temperate in my opinions, and shall put in my claim to freedom of conscience; but when both sides are intolerant, what hope can I have that this claim will be respected?"

Mr. Pinckney returned to the United States in 1804, and "immediately resumed with renewed ardor his professional pursuits. During his long residence in England, he had never laid aside his habits of diligent study, and had availed himself of opportunities for intercourse with the accomplished lawyers of that country. He was in the constant habit of attending the debates in the two houses of Parliament; a higher standard of literary attainments than had been thought necessary to embellish and adorn the eloquence of the bar in his own country, was held up to his observation. He employed his leisure hours in endeavoring to supply what he now found to be the defects of his early education, by extending his knowledge of English and classical literature. He devoted peculiar attention to the subject of Latin prosody and English elocution, aiming, above all, to acquire a critical knowledge of his own language-its pronunciation—its terms and significations-its synonymes; and, in short, its whole structure and vocabulary. By these means, he added to his natural facility and fluency, a copiousness and variety of elegant and appropriate diction, which