various times, took the form of" The British Spy," " A Protest against the traducers of Mr. Madison," " The Old Bachelor," a series of essays upon topics of current interest, "The Life of Patrick Henry," and an un published play entitled, " The Path of Pleas ure." As a writer, his fame chiefly rests upon his " Life of Henry." In this work he was handicapped by the fact that Henry's life, with a few exceptions, was almost wholly devoid of interesting incident. He was a natural genius, and not the welltrained, thoroughly educated man he had been imagined. His was not a character to elicit strong personal affection, and the ma terials available to the biographer's hand were often conflicting and irreconcilable in their statement of facts. As a man the estimate of his contem poraries marks William Wirt as one of the ablest and most lovable characters in public
or private life. Thomas Jefferson prophesied that, should he consent to take a seat in Congress, he would lead his party in the Lower House and might ultimately gain for himself any position in the military, judicial, diplomatic, or civil departments which he might desire. Daniel Webster offered his tribute to the unsullied honor, patient labor, persuasive eloquence, and extensive learning of his rival; Chief Justice Marshall acknowl edged the debt which the Supreme Court of the United States had often owed to Mr. Wirt for his diligent research and lucid rea soning upon questions argued before it; and John Quincy Adams, in addressing the House of Representatives, on the occasion of Mr. Wirt's death, uttered a sentiment in praise of his friend singularly appropriate to one who had risen to the highest pinnacle of fame in his profession,— " Nothing was want ing to his glory; he was wanting to ours."
LAW BOOKS IN THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH. ADJUDGED cases in this reign are re ported all through it by Anderson, Moore, Leonard, Owen and Noy. Some principal cases in the first part of it are in Plowden, and in the latter part they are in greater number in Coke. The former part of this reign is also reported in Dyer, Dalison, Benloe and the book called " New Benloe." And the latter part in Godbolt, Brownlow and Goldesborough; but more particularly and regularly, from the twentyfourth year to the end, by that concise and judicious reporter, Sir George Croke. All through this reign there are scattered cases in Jenkins, and here and there in Cary, Saville, Hutton and Popham, and some in Keilway. The books published in this reign in creased the law library to some size and
value. Some persons who had been in the habit of taking notes of what passed in Court had come to a resolution of pub lishing them for the use of the profession. The first who did this was Mr. Edmund Plowden, who printed the first part of his adjudged cases, under the title of " Com mentaries," in 1 57 1; and the second part about seven years after. The success and applause with which this first attempt was received encouraged the executors of Sir James Dyer, who had been Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, to print some of the notes he had left behind him. This was done in 1585, under the title of" Reports," so that this was the first book that bore that name. These were followed by Sir Edward Coke's " Reports" (for so he called them), which were printed in 1601 and 1602; then
