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COKE or COOKE, (SIR EDWARD) Lord chief justice of England, and one of the most eminent lawyers that kingdom has produced, was descended from a respectable family in Norfolk, and born in 1549. After he had studied four years at the University of Cambridge, he was entered a student of the Inner Temple, London. We are told, that the first proof he gave of the quickness of his penetration, and the solidity of his judgment, was his stating the cook's case of the Temple, which it seems had puzzled the whole house, so clearly and exactly, that it was taken notice of, and admired by the bench.

About the year 1578, he was appointed reader of Lyon's Inn, when his learned lectures were much resorted to. His reputation increased so fast, and with it his practice, that when he had been at the bar but a few years, he aspired to a young lady of one of the first families in the kingdom, possessed of a fortune of 133,200 dollars, whom he, in a short time, married.

After this marriage, preferments flowed upon him. The cities of Norwich and Coventry chose him for their recorder; the county of Norfolk for one of their representatives in parliament: and the house of commons for their speaker, in the 35th year of Queen Elizabeth. The Queen appointed him solicitor general in 1592, and attorney general in the year following. In 1603, he was knighted by King James I. and the same year managed the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, at Winchester, whither the term was adjourned on account of the plague being at London. He lessened himself greatly, in the opinion of the world, by his treatment of that unfortunate gentleman, for he exerted a fury and scurility of language against him hardly to be paralleled.

In June 1606, he was appointed lord chief justice of the common pleas; and in 1613, lord chief justice of the king's bench, and one of the privy council. In 1615, he was very vigorous in the discovery and prosecution of the persons employed in poisoning Sir Vol. II, No. 10,

Thomas Overbury in the tower, in 1612. In this affair, he acted with great vigour, and, as some think, in a manner highly to be commended; yet his enemies, who were numerous, and had formed a design to humble his pride and insolence, took occasion to represent him in a bad light, both to prince and people. Many circumstances concurred, at this time, to hasten his fall. He had a contest with the lord chancellor Egerton, in which it was universally allowed, he was much to blame, and had also given offence to the king, by calling his prerogative in question. In fine, his overbearing disposition had rendered him generally obnoxious to those in power, and it was deemed expedient to curb his ambition. He was, therefore, brought before the council, at Whitehall, June 1616, where various charges being exhibited against him, he presented his defence. The business was thoroughly discussed by the council, and their opinion reported to his majesty, who, though he was by no means satisfied with respect to any of the heads, yet, in regard to the former services of his lordship, only decreed-1st. That he should be sequestered from the council table-2d. That he should forbear to ride his summer circuit as justice of the assize-3d. That during this vacation, he should take into consideration and review his books of reports, wherein, as his majesty was informed, there were many opinions highly extravagant, set down as positive and good law; and that after he had made such corrections, as to him should seem proper, he should afterwards privately submit them to his majesty for his decision. To this the lord chief justice made answer, that he did, in all humility, prostrate himself to his majesty's good pleasure, acknowledged the decree to be founded more on clemency than strict justice, thanked their lordships for their goodness towards him, and hoped, that his future behaviour would be such as to deserve their favour. From which answer, we may learn, that Sir Edward, like

H others, who are insolent and overbearing in prosperity, was dejected and fawning in adversity; the same mean and abject spirit influencing their behaviour in both conditions. In October following, he was called before the chancellor and forbid Westminsterhall, and, in November, was removed from the office of lord chief justice.

Low as Sir Edward had now fallen, he had the address, to get himself soon after restored to favour ; which, however, he, upon this occasion, did not long retain for in the year 1621, he vigorously maintained, in the house of commons, that no proclamation was of any force, against the tenour of acts of parliament; and also, in opposition to the well known wishes of the court, strenuously contended for the liberty of speech, and other important privileges of the people. On the 27th December, Sir Edward was committed to the tower, and his papers seized and on the 6th January 1622, he was charged before the council with having concealed some true examinations in the great cause of the Earl of Somerset, and obtruding false ones. He was, however, soon after released, but not without receiv ing high marks of the king's resentment; for, he was a second time, turned out of the privy council, the king giving him this character, that "he was the fittest instrument for a tyrant, that ever was in England;" and yet he had in the house of commons, called the king's prerogative" an overgrown monster." Towards the close of 1623, he was nominated with several others, to whom large powers were given, to go over to Ireland; but this nomination though accompanied with strong expressions of confidence, was made with no other view, than to get him out of the way, for fear he should be troublesome; but he contrived not to go. He remained steadfast to his opinions, nor does it appear, that he ever sought to be reconciled to the court, so that he

was absolutely out of favour at the death of king James.

In the beginning of the next reign, when it was found necessary to call a new parliament, the court party, to prevent his being elected a member, got him appointed sheriff of Buckinghamshire. He laboured all he could to avoid it, but in vain, so that he was obliged to serve the office, and to attend the Judges at the assizes, where he had often presided as lord chief justice. This did not hinder his being elected knight of the shire for Bucks, in the parlia ment of 1623, in which he distinguished himself more than any man in the House of Commons, spoke warmly for the redress of grievances, argued boldly in defence of the liberty of the subject, and strenoussupported the privileges of the house.

After the dissolution of parliament, which hapened the March following, he retired to his house in Buckinghamshire, where he spent the remainder of his days. Whilst he lay on his death bed, his papers and last will were seized by an order of council; nor were any part of them given up to his heirs, till about seven years after his death. He died September 3d, 1634, in his eighty-sixth year, expiring with these remarkable words in his mouth, as his monument informs us: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done."

Sir Edward had great quickness of parts, deep penetration, a faithful memory, and a solid judgment. He committed every thing to writing with an industry beyond example, and published a great deal. He met with many changes of fortune, was sometimes in power, and sometimes out of it. He was, however, so excellent at making the best of a disgrace, that king James used to compare him to a cat, who always fell upon her legs. "His learned and laborious works on the laws," says Fuller, in his Worthies, "will be admired by judicious posterity, while fame has a trumpet left her, or any breath to blow therein." His principal works are-1st. "Reports and cases,

during the most happy reign of the most illustrious and renowned Queen Elizabeth." 2d. "A book of entries." 3d. "His institutes of the laws of England." The first part of this work, is only a translation and commentary upon the "Tenures of Sir Thomas Littleton," one of the judges of the common pleas, in the reign of Edward IV. The second part gives us Magna Charta, the so much boasted palladium of English liberty, and other select statutes, in the languages in which they were first enacted; to which is added, a most excellent and learned commentary, wherein he shews how the common las stood before those statutes were made, how far they are introductory of new laws, and how far declaratory of the old; what were the causes of making them, and, in what degree, at the time of his writing, they were either altered or repealed. The third part contains the criminal law, or pleas of the crown, where, amongst other things, he shews, how far the king may proceed by his prerogative, in regard to pardons and restrictions; and, where the assistance of parliament is necessary. The fourth part contains the jurisdiction of all the courts in England, from the high court of parliament, down to the court-baron. Although this work was written in England, at a remote period, yet it is highly appreciated by the most distinguished counsellors in the United States, and contains much information, which will be deemed highly interesting to gentlemen of leisure, who are fond of investigating such subjects.

COLBERT, (JOHN BAPTISTE Marquis) of Segnelai, one of the greatest statesmen that France ever had, was born at Paris, in 1619, and descended from a family no ways considerable for its splendour or antiquity. His grand-father and father were merchants, and he himself was brought up to the same profession but afterwards became clerk to a notary. In

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