feet."--"Feet, sir! what ails his feet? Tell him to put some rum among
it, and to give it all to his stomach."

* * * * *

The Circuit sermon was an important part of the duties to which the
judges had to attend in the course of their visits in the country. One
of these that Lord Cockburn had to listen to was delivered from the
text, "What are these that are arrayed in white robes, and whence came
they?" There was nothing personal intended, but the ermine on the judges
gowns naturally attracted significant glances from the other members of
the congregation. A Glasgow clergyman and friend of the judge, not
knowing that his lordship was present in his church, preached from the
text, "There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither
regarded man." The announcement of the text directed all eyes towards
the learned judge, which attracting the preacher's attention nearly
prevented him from proceeding further with the service. The judge was
the pious Lord Moncreiff, the son of the Rev. Sir Henry Wellwood
Moncreiff, and the text stuck to him ever afterwards. But there seemed
to have been deliberation in selection of the text made by a
south-country minister who, before Lord Justice Boyle and Samuel
M'Cormick, Advocate-Depute, preached from I Samuel vii. 16, "And Samuel
went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh."
The two legal gentlemen took offence at this audacious attempt to
ridicule the Court, they identifying the places mentioned in the text as
representing their circuit towns of Jedburgh, Dumfries, and Ayr. In this
connection maybe told the story of Lord Hermand, beside whom stood the
clergyman whose duty it was to offer up the opening prayer before the
work of the Court began. He seemed to think the company had assembled
for no other purpose than to hear him perform, and after praying loud
and long his lordship's patience gave way, and with a decided jog of his
elbow he exclaimed in a stage whisper, "We've a lot of business to do,
sir."

* * * * *

From a somewhat rare volume printed for private circulation we are
permitted to quote the following ballad, the authorship of which may be
easily guessed, as the circuiteer who mourns the loss of his Circuit
days may be as easily identified.

THE EX-CIRCUITEER'S LAMENT

Ae morning at the dawning
I saw a Counsel yawning,
And heard him say, in accents that