Common Law of England called to the Bar, and entitled
to wear a becoming grey wig and gown.
He had begun in 1900 by studying Latin, Norman French--so greatly
drawn on in law terms--and English History. In the summer of 1901,
by one of those subterfuges winked at then, he had obtained two
rooms, sublet to him by a member of the Inn, in Fig Tree Court,
Inner Temple. In the autumn of that year, having made sure of his
parentage and his finance, he had approached the necessary
authorities with a view to his being admitted a member of the Inner
Temple, which meant filling up a form of declaration that he, David
Vavasour Williams, of Pontystrad, Glamorgan, a British subject, aged
twenty-four, son of the Revd. Howel Vaughan Williams, Clerk in Holy
Orders, of Pontystrad in the County of Glamorgan, was desirous of
being admitted a Student of the Honourable Society of the Inner
Temple for the purpose of being called to the Bar or of practising
under the Bar; and that he would not either directly or indirectly
apply for or take out any certificate to practise directly or
indirectly as a Pleader, Conveyancer or Draftsman in Equity without
the special permission of the Masters of the Bench of the said
Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
Further, David declared with less assurance but perhaps within the
four corners of the bare truth that he had not acted directly or
indirectly in the capacity of a Solicitor, Attorney-at-law, Writer
to the Signet or in about thirteen other specified legal positions;
that he was not a Chartered, Incorporated or Professional Accountant
("A good job we changed the device of the Firm," he thought), a Land
Agent, a Surveyor, Patent Agent, Consulting Engineer, or even as a
clerk to any such officer. Which made him rather shivery about what
he _had_ been doing for _Fraser and Warren_, but there was little
risk that any one would find out--And finally he declared that he
was not in Trade or an undischarged bankrupt.
The next and most difficult step was to obtain two separate
Certificates from two separate barristers each of five years'
standing, to the effect that he was what he stated himself to be.
This required much thinking out, and was one of the reasons why he
did not go down as promised and spend his Christmas and New Year
with his father.
Instead he wrote to Pontystrad explaining how important it was he
should get admitted as a Student in time to commence work in Hilary
term. Did his fa
|