But was not Lord
Coke a mere lawyer?' JOHNSON. 'Why, I am afraid he was; but he would
have taken it very ill if you had told him so. He would have prosecuted
you for scandal.' BOSWELL. 'Lord Mansfield is not a mere lawyer.
JOHNSON. 'No, Sir. I never was in Lord Mansfield's company; but Lord
Mansfield was distinguished at the University. Lord Mansfield, when he
first came to town, "drank champagne with the wits," as Prior says.
He was the friend of Pope.' SIR A. 'Barristers, I believe, are not so
abusive now as they were formerly. I fancy they had less law long ago,
and so were obliged to take to abuse, to fill up the time. Now they have
such a number of precedents, they have no occasion for abuse.' JOHNSON.
'Nay, Sir, they had more law long ago than they have now. As to
precedents, to be sure they will increase in course of time; but the
more precedents there are, the less occasion is there for law; that is
to say, the less occasion is there for investigating principles.' SIR A.
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