ed "Pleading," which has been the
delight and the pride of so many ages; developing gradually century by
century, until at last it has perfected itself into the most beautiful
system of evasion and duplicity that the world has ever seen. It ranks
as one of the fine Arts with Poetry and Painting. A great Pleader is
truly a great Artist, and more imaginative than any other. The number of
summonses at Chambers is only limited by his capacity to invent them.
Ask any respectable solicitor how many honest claims are stifled by
proceedings at Chambers. And if I may digress in all sincerity for the
purpose of usefulness, I may state that while recording my dream for the
Press, Solicitors have begged of me to bring this matter forward, so that
the Public may know how their interests are played with, and their rights
stifled by the iniquitous system of proceedings at Chambers.

The Victorian age will be surely known as the Age of Pleading, Poetry,
and Painting.

First, the Statement of Claim. Summons at Chambers to plead and demur;
summons to strike out; summons to let in; summons to answer, summons not
to answer; summonses for all sorts of conceivable and inconceivable
objects; summonses for no objects at all except costs. And let me here
say Mr. Prigg and Mr. Locust are not alone blameable for this: Mr.
Quibbler, Mr. Locust's Pleader, had more to do with this than the
Solicitor himself. And so had Mr. Wrangler, the Pleader of Mr. Prigg.
But without repeating what I saw, let the reader take this as the line of
proceeding throughout, repeated in at least a dozen instances:--

The Judge at Chambers reversed the Master;

The Divisional Court reversed the Judge;

And the Court of Appeal reversed the Divisional Court.

And let this be the chorus:--

"What a very nice point!" said Prigg;

"What a very nice point!" said Locust;

"What a very nice point!" said Gride (Prigg's clerk);

"What a d--- nice point!" said Horatio! (the pale boy).

Summons for particulars.--Chorus.

Further and better particulars.--Chorus.

Interrogatories--Summons to strike out.--Chorus.

Summons for further and better answers.--Chorus.

More summonses for more, further, better, and all sorts of
things.--Chorus.

All this repeated by the other side, of course; because each has his
proper innings. There is great fairness and impartiality in the game.
Something was always going up from the foot of