Their predominance has been practically complete; and so far as I know, it has been unprecedented.

No other great people, either in classic, mediaeval, or modern times, has ever allowed such a professional monopoly of governmental functions.

Certain religious bodies have submitted for a while to the dominion of ecclesiastical lawyers; but the lawyer has rarely been allowed to interfere either in the executive or the legislative branches of the government.

The lawyer phrased the laws and he expounded them for the benefit of litigants.

The construction which he has placed upon bodies of customary law, particularly in England, has sometimes been equivalent to the most permanent and fruitful legislation.