The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

i390 LF.TT£R?, TRACTS, 'S'C.an cxplic::ticn of t\\Q expreiTioiis libelled, which *WJ3much the fame tvitli tlrat given in the two letters h^wrote to the profeflbrs before they began to takethe pre ccgn it-ion. The judges were not fatisfied withthe explication, and Comalo appeared ascounfel forthe pannel. Comalo, as I have learned, was either arelation of, or defcended from the ancient Comalo,fo much celebrated in Ollian's Poems. This younglawyer was in ftaturc rather below the ordinary fize ;but wdien he appeared in court, there was a flern feverityin his looks, and becoming dignity in his manner,which ftruck every perfon with awe ai^d refpec):.He m.ade a very accurate and manly fpeech, in whichhe obje£led to the competency of the court, and therelevancy of the libel. He m.aintnined, that fome ofthe expreihons hbelled, as feeming to implv a veryhigh crime, were only cognofcible by the high julli- *riary court ; t'hat if the college Kiul an,y power ofthat fort formerly, it was entirely abolilhcd by thejurifdictron act : He objected particularly to the ftepof choofing a procurator-hfcal, which he faid wasdangerous, as it was creeling themfelves into a criminalcourt without any authority, and contrary tolaw. He concluded with aiTurii'ig the profeiibrs, «that he had a {inccre regard for their college, that hefaw them purfuing dangerous meafures, at whichtheir rival colleges would laugh and rejoice : He thereforerequeflcd them, that, for their own fakes, theywould defifl:, and take no further fleps in a matterwhere they had taken many illegal and unvv'arrantablefteps already ; that if they fliould perfift, he did notknow v/liat might be the confequence. In fliort, hetold theni, that, in his opinion, the explication nowgiven was enougli to fatisfy any reafonable perfonbut if they were not yet fatisfied, if they would butcrafe the word cxpuHionin the libel, he engaged thathis client Vv'ould jufl nov/ fubmit to any rebuke oraimc>uitior. they faould judge proper. Everv per feu