ThemembersofthelegalprofessionhavetakenanimportantpartinallthevicissitudesofpoliticalsocietyinEuropeduringthelastfivehundredyears。Atonetimetheyhavebeentheinstrumentsofthosewhowereinvestedwithpoliticalauthority，andatanothertheyhavesucceededinconvertingpoliticalauthoritiesintotheirinstrument。IntheMiddleAgestheyaffordedapowerfulsupporttotheCrown，andsincethatperiodtheyhaveexertedthemselvestotheutmosttolimittheroyalprerogative。InEnglandtheyhavecontractedaclosealliancewiththearistocracy;inFrancetheyhaveprovedtobethemostdangerousenemiesofthatclass。Itismyobjecttoinquirewhether，underallthesecircumstances，themembersofthelegalprofessionhavebeenswayedbysuddenandmomentaryimpulses;orwhethertheyhavebeenimpelledbyprincipleswhichareinherentintheirpursuits，andwhichwillalwaysrecurinhistory。Iamincitedtothisinvestigationbyreflectingthatthisparticularclassofmenwillmostlikelyplayaprominentpartinthatorderofthingstowhichtheeventsofourtimearegivingbirth。
Menwhohavemoreespeciallydevotedthemselvestolegalpursuitsderivefromthoseoccupationscertainhabitsoforder，atasteforformalities，andakindofinstinctiveregardfortheregularconnectionofideas，whichnaturallyrenderthemveryhostiletotherevolutionaryspiritandtheunreflectingpassionsofthemultitude。
Thespecialinformationwhichlawyersderivefromtheirstudiesensuresthemaseparatestationinsociety，andtheyconstituteasortofprivilegedbodyinthescaleofintelligence。Thisnotionoftheirsuperiorityperpetuallyrecurstotheminthepracticeoftheirprofession:theyarethemastersofasciencewhichisnecessary，butwhichisnotverygenerallyknown;theyserveasarbitersbetweenthecitizens;andthehabitofdirectingtheblindpassionsofpartiesinlitigationtotheirpurposeinspiresthemwithacertaincontemptforthejudgmentofthemultitude。Tothisitmaybeaddedthattheynaturallyconstituteabody，notbyanypreviousunderstanding，orbyanagreementwhichdirectsthemtoacommonend;buttheanalogyoftheirstudiesandtheuniformityoftheirproceedingsconnecttheirmindstogether，asmuchasacommoninterestcouldcombinetheirendeavors。
Aportionofthetastesandofthehabitsofthearistocracymayconsequentlybediscoveredinthecharactersofmenintheprofessionofthelaw。Theyparticipateinthesameinstinctiveloveoforderandofformalities;andtheyentertainthesamerepugnancetotheactionsofthemultitude，andthesamesecretcontemptofthegovernmentofthepeople。Idonotmeantosaythatthenaturalpropensitiesoflawyersaresufficientlystrongtoswaythemirresistibly;forthey，likemostothermen，aregovernedbytheirprivateinterestsandtheadvantagesofthemoment。
Inastateofsocietyinwhichthemembersofthelegalprofessionarepreventedfromholdingthatrankinthepoliticalworldwhichtheyenjoyinprivatelife，wemayrestassuredthattheywillbetheforemostagentsofrevolution。Butitmustthenbeinquiredwhetherthecausewhichinducesthemtoinnovateandtodestroyisaccidental，orwhetheritbelongstosomelastingpurposewhichtheyentertain。ItistruethatlawyersmainlycontributedtotheoverthrowoftheFrenchmonarchyin1789;butitremainstobeseenwhethertheyactedthusbecausetheyhadstudiedthelaws，orbecausetheywereprohibitedfromco—operatingintheworkoflegislation。
FivehundredyearsagotheEnglishnoblesheadedthepeople，andspokeinitsname;atthepresenttimethearistocracysupportsthethrone，anddefendstheroyalprerogative。Butaristocracyhas，notwithstandingthis，itspeculiarinstinctsandpropensities。Wemustbecarefulnottoconfoundisolatedmembersofabodywiththebodyitself。Inallfreegovernments，ofwhatsoeverformtheymaybe，membersofthelegalprofessionwillbefoundattheheadofallparties。Thesameremarkisalsoapplicabletothearistocracy;foralmostallthedemocraticconvulsionswhichhaveagitatedtheworldhavebeendirectedbynobles。
Aprivilegedbodycanneversatisfytheambitionofallitsmembers;ithasalwaysmoretalentsandmorepassionstocontentandtoemploythanitcanfindplaces;sothataconsiderablenumberofindividualsareusuallytobemetwithwhoareinclinedtoattackthoseveryprivilegeswhichtheyfinditimpossibletoturntotheirownaccount。
Idonot，then，assertthatallthemembersofthelegalprofessionareatalltimesthefriendsoforderandtheopponentsofinnovation，butmerelythatmostofthemusuallyareso。Inacommunityinwhichlawyersareallowedtooccupy，withoutopposition，thathighstationwhichnaturallybelongstothem，theirgeneralspiritwillbeeminentlyconservativeandanti—democratic。Whenanaristocracyexcludestheleadersofthatprofessionfromitsranks，itexcitesenemieswhicharethemoreformidabletoitssecurityastheyareindependentofthenobilitybytheirindustriouspursuits;andtheyfeelthemselvestobeitsequalinpointofintelligence，althoughtheyenjoylessopulenceandlesspower。Butwheneveranaristocracyconsentstoimpartsomeofitsprivilegestothesesameindividuals，thetwoclassescoalesceveryreadily，andassume，asitwere，theconsistencyofasingleorderoffamilyinterests。
Iam，inlikemanner，inclinedtobelievethatamonarchwillalwaysbeabletoconvertlegalpractitionersintothemostserviceableinstrumentsofhisauthority。Thereisafargreateraffinitybetweenthisclassofindividualsandtheexecutivepowerthanthereisbetweenthemandthepeople;justasthereisagreaternaturalaffinitybetweenthenoblesandthemonarchthanbetweenthenoblesandthepeople，althoughthehigherordersofsocietyhaveoccasionallyresistedtheprerogativeoftheCrowninconcertwiththelowerclasses。
Lawyersareattachedtopublicorderbeyondeveryotherconsideration，andthebestsecurityofpublicorderisauthority。Itmustnotbeforgottenthat，iftheyprizethefreeinstitutionsoftheircountrymuch，theyneverthelessvaluethelegalityofthoseinstitutionsfarmore:theyarelessafraidoftyrannythanofarbitrarypower;andprovidedthatthelegislaturetakeuponitselftodeprivemenoftheirindependence，theyarenotdissatisfied。
Iamthereforeconvincedthattheprincewho，inpresenceofanencroachingdemocracy，shouldendeavortoimpairthejudicialauthorityinhisdominions，andtodiminishthepoliticalinfluenceoflawyers，wouldcommitagreatmistake。Hewouldletslipthesubstanceofauthoritytograspattheshadow。Hewouldactmorewiselyinintroducingmenconnectedwiththelawintothegovernment;andifheentrustedthemwiththeconductofadespoticpower，bearingsomemarksofviolence，thatpowerwouldmostlikelyassumetheexternalfeaturesofjusticeandoflegalityintheirhands。
Thegovernmentofdemocracyisfavorabletothepoliticalpoweroflawyers;forwhenthewealthy，thenoble，andtheprinceareexcludedfromthegovernment，theyaresuretooccupythehigheststations，intheirownright，asitwere，sincetheyaretheonlymenofinformationandsagacity，beyondthesphereofthepeople，whocanbetheobjectofthepopularchoice。If，then，theyareledbytheirtastestocombinewiththearistocracyandtosupporttheCrown，theyarenaturallybroughtintocontactwiththepeoplebytheirinterests。Theylikethegovernmentofdemocracy，withoutparticipatinginitspropensitiesandwithoutimitatingitsweaknesses;whencetheyderiveatwofoldauthority，fromitandoverit。Thepeopleindemocraticstatesdoesnotmistrustthemembersofthelegalprofession，becauseitiswellknownthattheyareinterestedinservingthepopularcause;anditlistenstothemwithoutirritation，becauseitdoesnotattributetothemanysinisterdesigns。Theobjectoflawyersisnot，indeed，tooverthrowtheinstitutionsofdemocracy，buttheyconstantlyendeavortogiveitanimpulsewhichdivertsitfromitsrealtendency，bymeanswhichareforeigntoitsnature。Lawyersbelongtothepeoplebybirthandinterest，tothearistocracybyhabitandbytaste，andtheymaybelookeduponasthenaturalbondandconnectinglinkofthetwogreatclassesofsociety。
Theprofessionofthelawistheonlyaristocraticelementwhichcanbeamalgamatedwithoutviolencewiththenaturalelementsofdemocracy，andwhichcanbeadvantageouslyandpermanentlycombinedwiththem。Iamnotunacquaintedwiththedefectswhichareinherentinthecharacterofthatbodyofmen;
butwithoutthisadmixtureoflawyer—likesobrietywiththedemocraticprinciple，Iquestionwhetherdemocraticinstitutionscouldlongbemaintained，andIcannotbelievethatarepubliccouldsubsistatthepresenttimeiftheinfluenceoflawyersinpublicbusinessdidnotincreaseinproportiontothepowerofthepeople。
Thisaristocraticcharacter，whichIholdtobecommontothelegalprofession，ismuchmoredistinctlymarkedintheUnitedStatesandinEnglandthaninanyothercountry。ThisproceedsnotonlyfromthelegalstudiesoftheEnglishandAmericanlawyers，butfromthenatureofthelegislation，andthepositionwhichthosepersonsoccupyinthetwocountries。TheEnglishandtheAmericanshaveretainedthelawofprecedents;
thatistosay，theycontinuetofoundtheirlegalopinionsandthedecisionsoftheircourtsupontheopinionsandthedecisionsoftheirforefathers。InthemindofanEnglishorAmericanlawyeratasteandareverenceforwhatisoldisalmostalwaysunitedtoaloveofregularandlawfulproceedings。
Thispredispositionhasanothereffectuponthecharacterofthelegalprofessionanduponthegeneralcourseofsociety。TheEnglishandAmericanlawyersinvestigatewhathasbeendone;theFrenchadvocateinquireswhatshouldhavebeendone;theformerproduceprecedents，thelatterreasons。AFrenchobserverissurprisedtohearhowoftenanEnglishdranAmericanlawyerquotestheopinionsofothers，andhowlittlehealludestohisown;whilstthereverseoccursinFrance。Therethemosttriflinglitigationisneverconductedwithouttheintroductionofanentiresystemofideaspeculiartothecounselemployed;
andthefundamentalprinciplesoflawarediscussedinordertoobtainaperchoflandbythedecisionofthecourt。Thisabnegationofhisownopinion，andthisimplicitdeferencetotheopinionofhisforefathers，whicharecommontotheEnglishandAmericanlawyer，thissubjectionofthoughtwhichheisobligedtoprofess，necessarilygivehimmoretimidhabitsandmoresluggishinclinationsinEnglandandAmericathaninFrance。
TheFrenchcodesareoftendifficultofcomprehension，buttheycanbereadbyeveryone;nothing，ontheotherhand，canbemoreimpenetrabletotheuninitiatedthanalegislationfoundeduponprecedents。TheindispensablewantoflegalassistancewhichisfeltinEng...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：
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