llan now became strongly of the contrary opinion. So Mr. Dunning and
Mr. John Lee were retained. The former had been solicitor-general, and
was a man of mark and ability in the profession. When the hearing came
on, the Cockpit presented such a spectacle that Franklin felt assured
that the whole affair had been "preconcerted." The hostile courtiers
had been "invited, as to an entertainment, and there never was such an
appearance of privy councilors on any occasion, not less than
thirty-five, besides an immense crowd of other auditors." Every one save
the privy councilors had to stand from beginning to end of the
proceedings. Franklin occupied a position beside the fireplace, where he
stood throughout immovable as a statue, his features carefully composed
so that not one trace of emotion was apparent upon them, showing a
degree of self-control which was extraordinary even in one who was at
once a man of the world and a philosopher, with sixty-eight years of
experience in life. Mr. Dunning, with his voice unfortunately weakened
by a cold, was not always audible and made little impression. Mr. Lee
was uselessly feeble. Wedderburn, thus inefficiently opposed, and
conscious of the full sympathy of the tribunal, poured forth a vile
flood of personal invective. Throughout his life he approved himself a
mean-spirited and ignoble man, despised by those who used and rewarded
his able and debased services. On this occasion he eagerly took
advantage of the protection afforded by his position and by Dr.
Franklin's age to use language which, under such circumstances, was as
cowardly as it was false. Nothing, he said, "will acquit Dr. Franklin of
the charge of obtaining [the letters] by fraudulent or corrupt means,
for the most malignant of purposes, unless he stole them from the
person who stole them." "I hope, my lords, you will mark and brand the
man, for the honor of this country, of Europe, and of mankind." "He has
forfeited all the respect of societies and of men. Into what companies
will he hereafter go with an unembarrassed face or the honest
intrepidity of virtue? Men will watch him with a jealous eye; they will
hide their papers from him, and lock up their escritoires. He will
henceforth esteem it a libel to be called _a man of letters_, _homo_
TRIUM[33] _literarum_." "But he not only took away the letters
from one brother, but kept himself concealed till he nearly occasioned the
murder of the other. It is impossible to read hi