204 DUTCH AND ENGLISH ON THE HUDSON

to pay to the opinion of the judges, and his insisting so
much upon the conduct of some judges in trials of this
kind, is done, no doubt, with a design that you should
take but very little notice of what I might say upon this
occasion. I shall, therefore, only observe to you that,
as the facts or words in the information are confessed;
the only thing that can come in question before you is
whether the words set forth in the information, make a
libel. And that is a matter of law, no doubt, and which
yois. may leave to the Court.

But the show of authority and the attempt at
allurement were all in vain. The jury took but a
few moments to deliberate and returned with the
verdict of "not guilty." The roar of applause
which shook the court-room was more than a trib-
ute to the eloquence of the aged counsel who had ac-
cepted an unpopular case without fees because he
felt that he was working for the cause of freedom.
It was more than a tribute to the poor printer who
had risked everything in the same cause. It was
the spirit of the barons at Runnymede, of the Long
Parliament, of the Revolution of 1688, of Patrick
Henry of Virginia when he cried: "Give me liberty
or give me death!"

The Court, divided between wrath and surprise,
strove to check the wave of applause and threat-
ened with imprisonment the leader of the cheers;