and November 29th, 1854, and I thought the
Court would not allow the case to come to open argument. For
certainly, it would not be a very pleasant thing for Judge Sprague and
Judge Curtis, who have taken such pains to establish slavery in
Massachusetts, to sit there--each like a travestied Prometheus,
chained up in a silk gown because they had brought to earth fire from
the quarter opposite to Heaven--and listen to Mr. Hale, and Mr.
Phillips and other anti-slavery lawyers, day after day: there were
facts, sure to come to light, not honorable to the Court and not
pleasant to look at in the presence of a New England community then
getting indignant at the outrages of the Slave Power. I never thought
the case would come to the jury. I looked over the indictment, and to
my unlearned eye it seemed so looped and windowed with breaches that a
skilful lawyer might drive a cart and six oxen through it in various
directions; and so the Court might easily quash the indictment and
leave all the blame of the failure on the poor Attorney--whom they
seemed to despise, though using him for their purposes--while they
themselves should escape with a whole reputation, and ears which had
not tingled under manly speech.

Still, it was possible that the trial would come on. Of course, I knew
the trial would not proceed on the day I was ordered to appear--the
eighty-fifth anniversary of the Boston Massacre. It would be
"unavoidably postponed," which came to pass accordingly. The Attorney,
very politely, gave me all needed information from time to time.

At the "trial," April 3d, it was optional with the defendant's counsel
to beat the Government on the indictment before the Court; or on the
merits of the case before the Jury. The latter would furnish the most
piquant events, for some curious scenes were likely to take place in
the examination of witnesses, as well as instruction to be offered in
the Speeches delivered. But on the whole, it was thought best to blow
up the enemy in his own fortress and with his own magazine, rather
than to cut him to pieces with our shot in the open field. So the
counsel rent the indictment into many pieces--apparently to the great
comfort of the Judges, who thus escaped the battle, which then fell
only on the head of the Attorney.

At the time appointed I was ready with my defence--which I now print
for the Country. It is a Minister's performance, not a lawyer's. Of
course, I knew that the Court would not h