THITRLOW, EDWARD, Lord, an English lawyer, was born in 1732, at Little Bracon Ash, in Norfolk. His father, a clergyman, sent him to school at Canterbury, where he obtained a sound knowledge of the Latin and Greek classics. Thence he pro eeeded to Cambridge, but in his zeal, it is said, to affect the charactei of an idle clever boy, he committed breaches of discipline which compelled him to leave the uni versity. He became a student of the Inner Temple, and was called to the bar in 1754. He was a fellow-pupil, in a solicitor's office, with the poet Cowper, and still affected idleness, although, in reality, he worked hard to make himself a good lawyer. His lofty stature, strongly marked features, dark eyes, bushy eyebrows, and look of self possession and wisdom, led, it appears, every one with whom he came in contact to attribute to him qualifications he really did not possess. His gifts, however, were those most likely to insure early success at the bar. An accidental meeting, at a with the Scotch solicitors in the great Douglas case, led to his employ meat in it as junior counsel, and to his acquaintance with the members of the Douglas family. It was one of them, the duchess of Queensberry, who, by her influence with lord Bute, obtained for him, in 1761, the rank of king's counsel. After this period, be acquired a still higher reputation by his speech in the Douglas case—the greatest effort of his life. In 1768, he was returned from Tamworth, and became a zealous sup porter of lord North. When, in 1771, he was appointed solicitor-general, he attracted the especial'notice of George III. by the zeal he displayed in supporting the American
policy of the government. In 1778, he was raised to the woolsack; and such was his influence with the king, that he was allowed, contrary to all precedent, to retain the office under the Rockingham administratioti. He caused great embarrassment by opposing all the measures brought in by that govornment. Under the coalition ministry, he was compelled to retire; but he was restored as chancellor on Mr. Pitt coming to power. For a time he supported the government; but relying again on the support of the king, he once more began to give trouble, and ventured to oppose the liteasures his colleagues brought forward. Pitt then intimated that he or Thurlow must retire, and the king, without any hesitation, consented to his removal (1792). Thurlow sank into comparative obscurity. He amused himself in reading the Latin and Greek classics with his nephews, and spent much of his time in visiting and receiving visits. He died at Brighton on Sept. 12, 1806. Lord Campbell, in his excellent life of Thur low, says he can find nothing recorded of him to justify the great reputation for ability he had among his contemporaries, and ascribes it chiefly to his assuming manner; but it must be recollected that he had no Boswell to record his talk, and that it was his conversation which was admired. Johnson would not have said of an ordinary per son as he did of him. "I would prepare myself for no man in England but lord Thur low. When I am to meet him, I should wish to know a day before."