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[Illustration: JOHN CAMPBELL, BARON CAMPBELL, LORD CHANCELLOR.]

In his native town of Cupar, Fife, Lord Chancellor Campbell's abilities
and position were not so much appreciated as they were elsewhere. This
was a sore point with his father, who was parish minister, and when the
son was not selected by the town authorities to conduct their legal
business in London the future Lord Chancellor also felt affronted. On
the publication of the _Lives of the Chancellors_ some of his townsmen
wrote asking him to present a copy to the local library of his native
town, which gave Campbell an opportunity to square accounts with them
for their past neglect of him, for he curtly replied to their request
that "they could purchase the book from any bookseller." An old lady of
the town relating some gossip about the Campbell family said, "They
meant John for the Church, but he went to London _and got on very
well_." Such was the good lady's idea of the relative positions of
minister of a Scottish parish and Lord Chancellor of England.

The difference in the pronunciation of a word led to an amiable contest
between Lord Campbell and a learned Q.C. In an action to recover damages
to a carriage the counsel called the vehicle a "brougham," pronouncing
both syllables of the word. Lord Campbell pompously observed, "Broom is
the usual pronunciation--a carriage of the kind you mean is not
incorrectly called a 'Broom'--that pronunciation is open to no grave
objection, and it has the advantage of saving the time consumed by
uttering an extra syllable." Later in the trial Lord Campbell alluding
to a similar case referred to the carriage which had been injured as an
"Omnibus."--"Pardon me, my lord," interposed the Q.C., "a carriage of
the kind to which you draw attention is usually termed a 'bus'; that
pronunciation is open to no grave objection, and it has the great
advantage of saving the time consumed by uttering _two_ extra
syllables."

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[Illustration: SIR SAMUEL MARTIN, BARON OF EXCHEQUER.]

Mr. Martin (afterwards Baron Martin), when at the Bar, was addressing
the Court in an insurance case, when he was interrupted by Baron
Alderson, who said, "Mr. Martin, do you think any office would insure
your life?"--"Certainly, my lord," replied Mr. Martin, "mine is a very
good life."--"You should remember, Mr. Martin, that yours is brief
existence."

This judge's reason for releasing a juryman