The Dancing Chancellor. vocative of honest laughter. He once had a very sober-minded student who did not always take in a joke. Having passed a satisfactory examination upon his admission to the Bar, the Judge gave the young man
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some sound advice, and with a merry twinkle in his eye, concluded with this remark : "Young man, remember the leading rule in a lawyer's practice, never to lie without a retainer."
THE DANCING CHANCELLOR. WHAT was the astonishment of cour writing masques, and took a part in per tiers, of lawyers, and of citizens, forming them. He was one of five students when on Saturday, the 29th of April, 1587, of the Inner Temple who wrote a play, en it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had titled "Tancred and Gismund," which in the chosen for the keeper of her conscience, to year 1568 was acted by that society before preside in the Chancery and the Star Cham the Queen. ber and the House of Lords, and to super When he became a great man, his flatter intend the administration of justice through ers pretended that he never meant to make out the realm, a gay, foppish cavalier never the law a profession, and that he was sent called to the bar, and chiefly famed for his to an Inn of Court merely to finish his handsome person, his taste in dress, and skill education in the mixed society of young in dancing — Sir Christopher Hatton! In men of business and pleasure there to be the long reign of Elizabeth no domestic oc met with; but there can be no doubt that, currence seemed so strange as this appoint as a younger brother of a poor family, it ment; but, with the exception of her choice was intended that he should earn his bread of Burghley for her minister, she was much by " a knowledge of good pleading in ac influenced in the selection of persons for tions real and personal "; and the news of high employment by personal favor. the manner in which he dedicated himself Before Sir Christopher was made Lord to dancing, which made his fortune, must Chancellor, he had been the Queen's Vice- j have caused heavy hearts under the paternal roof in Northamptonshire. Chamberlain, and one of her especial favor ites, and it was said he was the only one of Some of the courtiers at first thought that her troupe of gallants who remained single the appointment was a piece of wicked pleasantry on the part of the Queen; but for her sake. when it was seen that she was serious, all While he spent much of his time in dic joined in congratulating the new Lord Chan ing and gallantry, there were two amuse ments to which Sir Christopher particularly cellor, and expressing satisfaction that her Majesty had been emancipated from the devoted himself, and which laid the founda tion of his future fortune. The first was prejudice that a musty old lawyer only was dancing, which he studied under the best fit to preside in Chancery; whereas that masters; and in which he excelled beyond court being governed, not by the strict rules any man of his time. The other was the of law, but by natural equity, justice would be much better administered there by a stage. He constantly frequented the thea tres, which, although Shakespeare was still gentleman of plain, good sense and knowl a boy at Stratford-on-Avon, were beginning edge of the world. Meetings of the Bar to flourish; and he himself used to assist in were held, and it was resolved by many ser
