Tom Lefroy Quote of the Week 25

The life of a chief justice apparently in the 18th century was apparently not free from gossips and accusations. In page 293 of the Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy, I found a note how a Sir John Shelley accused Tom Lefroy of avoiding his duties and ordered a substitute to do so instead. Tom Lefroy's following letter dated 23 Feb 1856 refuted such accusation with such a detailed patience, as such:

Kings Inns in Dublin

'I was called to the bar in 1797, which will appear from the Roll of Barristers in the hands of the proper officers of the King's Inns. I was appointed to the Bench as Baron of the Exchequer in 1841, and the date of my patent, which was given up on my promotion to the office of Chief Justice, will be found by the enrolment. The fact that I never missed a circuit, or part of a circuit, since I have been on the bench, can be established most correctly by the proper officer of the Treasury, certifying to his Excellency that no charge appears made at any time for a substitute, to discharge any of my duties on circuit.'

From this small passage, I learned a lot from Tom Lefroy: 1) never to negate a duty (unless you really can't help it), at least to refute any accusations!, and 2) keep records of your achievements handy. Oh, and refute any accusations with calmness and patience. No wonder he was chosen as the Chief Justice of Ireland...