Note 71 — Chapter III · Recall of Judges.
Reading edition
It is a just source of pride to Englishmen that not a single lynching has occurred for three-quarters of a century, in a country governed by the English law.
Illustrative of the complete independence that for centuries has characterized the English judiciary, it is reported that when accosted by King James I. and asked how he expected to decide a given case, pending in his court, Sir Edward Coke, then Lord Chief Justice of England replied: “When that case shall come before me, I will decide it as a good judge ought to decide it, in accordance with the law and the evidence.” Percy’s Anecdotes on Justice.