XV.

THE BLACK BOOKS OF LINCOLN'S INN.

One

ONE need not be a member of this famous Inn of Court, or a lawyer at all, or even an historian or antiquary to feel gratitude to the Honourable Society for allowing the publication of its records. has only to cherish an interest in one's fellow man to find something fascinating in every page of the farrago. The records in the three volumes already printed run from 1422 to 1775. In those three centuries and a half the greatest changes pass over the English constitution, both in Church and State, and there are slight indications now and then that the changes are realised within the Society; but for the most part the life of the Society goes on and takes its own course untroubled by dynastic revolutions. Only once or twice when the Keeper of the Black Book happens to fancy himself as a writer is any notice taken of events outside the domestic life of the Inn. The first of such excursions is in 1542, when Mr. Atkyns gives an account of the Duke of Norfolk's raid into Scotland, because a certain 'Sr Robert

Bowes, Knyght, felowe of this Hous' was taken prisoner; but this venture into the field of history seems to have interfered with Mr. Atkyns's discharge of his proper duties, for he was fined 10s. the next year for neglecting to enter the Pensioner's, Treasurer's and Steward's Accounts. In 1543 there is an elaborate and belated history of the 'Seidge of Bullan'; perhaps entered here because the then keeper Mr. Morgan had been himself present at the siege, and now at last had found his chance of recording his impressions, for he concludes: There mought be moche more landes and worthie things herin spoken of the Kinges grace than any wyt of my pen can set forth; for, as I there hard say, he sayde hymself he wolde never depart thens tyll the towne were goten.' Mr. Towneshend in 1547 betters both these precedents by an account, covering six folio pages, of the doings at the Coronation of Edward II., including a great dinner to the judges at Lincoln's Inn, which is characterised as 'not Epicuryous nor verray sumptuous, but yet moderatly, discreetly and sufficiently ordred.' His account closes with what the margin calls 'a Godly and good prayer' for long life and various blessings (notably an uniformyte in all Godlynes') to 'the moste woorthy and indolent Prynce and Kyng, or naturall and most dradde. sovereigne lorde.' With Mr. Towneshend the passion to turn chronicler seems to have expired, and in future great historical events are only referred to as

they affect the Society. The Armada is inferred in the entry of a payment of 37. IIS. for a quarter of the charges for the rails and cloth for a stand for members of the Inns of Court when the Queen went to hear a sermon at St. Paul's. The Civil War is indicated by a two years' lacuna, and then by various memoranda about the debts of the House, and the selling of plate. The Restoration is subtly expressed by the addition of '12 Charles II' to the date of the first council meeting in May 1660; and in a more commonplace way by an order for the expulsion of the regicides Millington, Corbet, Love, and Garland; and perhaps by the following mysterious order: 'that Oliver St. John, Esq., be desired to take downe his staircase into the garden, and to walle up his back doore into Chancery Lane.'

Materials for biography, it need hardly be said, lie thickly strewn throughout these records, and even when the details are too trivial for the biographer, they are interesting to the student of human nature. Most of us think, for example, of the great Speaker Lenthall with something that approaches awe. What a humanising touch is found in the entry under date May 25, 1641, 'Three dripping panns lent to Mr. Speaker, and one old one.' If the books of the hospitable Society are to be trusted, the pans were never returned, not even the old one. Then again the believer in the persistence of family qualities finds here an excellent opportunity of testing his theories.

He finds, for example, in the index the great name of Darwin, and turns up the reference to find he has unearthed the great grandfather of the naturalist. Is there, he cries, any indication of interest in the emotions of men or animals? Here is the passage:

On May 11th, 1719, complaint was made at the Council that Robert Darwin, Esq., a Barrister of the Society, did bring a dog into the Hall at dinner time, tho' informed of the order [against it] which was screened for the better publication. And the Porter offering to put the said Order in execution, and to turne his dog out of the Hall, the said Mr. Darwin did offer to fling a pot at the Porter's head, and threatened to knock him downe; whereby the said Porter was intimidated.'

surely a most interesting and successful experiment upon the passions by this Mr. Darwin, foreshowing his great descendant's achievement. For another example the curious reader may consult the references to Winston Churchill in ii. 406 ff., which give evidence of remarkable intrepidity in the face of danger; and to Thomas Huxley, in ii. 263, who seems to have had as incisive a method of arguing as his distinguished namesake this century.

Again, the reader who is learned in architecture will find much to interest him in the gradual growth of the Society's buildings, in the laying out of the walks, in the building of the new chapel from designs by Mr. 'Indigo' Jones, and its repair within half a century by Mr. Christopher Wren, a member of the House. The statistician will revel in the tables of accounts, and indeed everybody is statistician enough

to take a pleasure in the discovery that in 1508 a hundred five penny nails cost fivepence. The Church and State man will be delighted to notice how punctually the Inn adapted itself to all changes in religion: burning what it had adored, under Mary, and again adoring what it had burnt, under Elizabeth. And, of course, lawyers will find abundant gratification in tracing out the slow evolution of their present privileges and customs. But to the general reader the disciplinary entries are likely to be the most entertaining. They show, what does not, of course, need showing, but what is nevertheless always interesting to have shown, that our national characteristics have a way of persisting through a good many centuries of change of dress. It is interesting, for example, to look down a list of excuses for nonattendance at lecture and hear in them the mild expostulating voice of the undergraduate of to-day. Here is a schedule belonging to 30 Henry vi. 1451– 52 in Mr. Baildon's translation from the original dog latin; the fine varies according to the number of law lectures avoided :

Received from Thomas Swylyngton his fine because his father was seriously ill, as he has sworn, reduced to 6s. 8d.

Received from Holland his fine, in consideration that the death of his mother was the cause of his absence, reduced to 13s. 4d.

From Chesilden in consideration that he was much annoyed by Dykby [male vexatus fuit per Dykby] reduced to 20s.

From Soulby, in consideration that he was seriously put