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Apropos to Mary Blandy's death, "Elia" has a quaint anecdote of Samuel Salt, one of the "Old Benchers of the Inner Temple." Salt was warned beforehand by his valet to avoid all allusion to the subject, and promised to be specially careful.
Turned out of Parliament; made to resign his Benchership; his gown taken from him by the Benchers; driven to America by his creditors to get his living; not allowed to practise in the Supreme Court in America. At forty-five years of age his life had foundered. He returns to England for what! Simply to find his recklessness had blasted his life, and then ?
Attorney General Noy for his signature, with that of the other benchers, he was pleased to advise with me about a patent the king had commanded him to draw, upon which he gave me a fee for it out of his little purse, saying, 'Here, take those single pence, which amounted to eleven groats, 'and I give you more than an attorney's fee, because you will be a better man than the Attorney General.
It is no less probable that his fine musical taste enabled him to see that the Middle Temple benchers were in the right, and gave especial weight to his words when he spoke against Harris's instrument. Though Jeffreys delighted in music, he does not seem to have held its professors in high esteem.
In June, 1685, the benchers of the Middle Temple, made a written declaration in favor of Father Smith, and urged that his organ should be forthwith accepted.
Around the hoary walls of the Temple cluster memories of many a strange custom or quaint observance. The revels at Yule-tide, St. Stephen's Day, New Year's Day, and Twelfth Night were not surpassed anywhere in "merrie England." Feasts, masques, and play-acting at various times greatly scandalized the more sober and staid among the benchers.
On some days the list of deaths is very serious, and in some cases we are losing men we can hardly spare. A great many of our leading actors in fact, most of them are dead. And there has been a heavy loss, too, among the literary class and in the legal profession. There was a very painful scene last week at the dinner of the Benchers of Gray's Inn.
Each Inn consists of a hall, a chapel, a law-library, a set of rooms for the benchers, and a large number of houses, divided into small suites known as "chambers," and occupied chiefly by barristers, solicitors, and students, though tenancy is not restricted to these classes.
As I have an instinctive awe of old Benchers, I was passing him with that sort of subindicative token of respect which one is apt to demonstrate towards a venerable stranger, and which rather denotes an inclination to greet him, than any positive motion of the body to that effect a species of humility and will-worship which I observe, nine times out of ten, rather puzzles than pleases the person it is offered to when the face turning full upon me strangely identified itself with that of Dodd.
Michael whispered a word or two to one of the Masters, and David was presently summoned to attend the Benchers and their distinguished guests in the inner chamber to which they withdrew for wine and dessert. Rossiter made room for him, and he had to drink a glass of port with the Benchers. Every one was very gracious. Rossiter said: "I was a sort of godfather to him, don't you know.
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