years, the two former have generally been members of the lower House, and frequently also some of the latter; so that their services are never required in a mercurial capacity: the same remark applies to the master of the rolls. The judges are seldom sent on an errand unless the subject be one of importance, and therefore the regular message-bearers of the House of Lords are the masters in chancery. These worthy gentlemen being entrusted with a particular communication to the lower House—as, to request the attendance of a member to give evidence, or to bring down a bill that has passed the Lords, or for various other matters,-make known their presence to the serjeant-at-arms, who communicates it to the Speaker, and the Speaker having notified it to the House, the question is put that they be admitted, which as a matter of courtesy is always carried in the affirmative, and they are called in accordingly. If the House is sitting as a committee, the Speaker must resume the chair, and the allimportant mace must be taken from its hiding-place underneath the table, and placed upon it, before the messengers can be admitted. Once introduced, they make three profound bows to Mr. Speaker, deliver their message, and walk outside directly into the lobby, to wait for an answer. If this be in the affirmative, they are told so; if not, they are desired to say that the House of Commons will send an answer by messengers of their

own.

There must always be two messengers to carry a message from the Lords to the Commons. However competent one judge of the land, or even one master in chancery might be to go on an errand, the House of

Commons considers it derogatory to receive the message from less than two messengers at least. And on one occasion, in the year 1641, as appears by the Journals of the House, when a message had been sent by only one messenger, a complaint was made to the House of Lords on the subject; and they humbly admitted their error, alleging that the business was of much haste, and they had sent all the messengers they had: but in order to rectify the apparent neglect, they sent back the self-same message by three messengers instead of one, which no doubt rendered it much more impressive.

The House of Commons too do not choose that the messengers should take the liberty of walking away without taking back their answer; and once, in the year 1604, when some unlucky messengers became tired of waiting in the lobby, and ventured to return before they were told, a complaint was made to the Lords, who thereupon " acknowledged the error of their messengers."

But if the House of Commons are tenacious in requiring the attendance of at least two messengers, still more particular are the Lords in receiving messages from the Commons; for they will not receive them unless brought by eight members at least. The House of Commons has no particular messengers of its own; but when a bill or message is to be taken to the Upper House, Mr. Speaker appoints some members to carry it up, and at the same time calls on the House to follow their messengers. Unless seven persons obey this call, the message cannot be taken at all; but this seldom, if ever, happens and when the message is one of very great importance, a considerable number generally accompany it, in order to

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show the estimation in which it is held, and to intimate to the House that they are in earnest.

These members, having arrived at the door of the House of Lords, announce their presence to the usher of the black rod, or his deputy. This gentleman (of whom, in our early days, we remember to have entertained a most indescribable feeling of awe, mixed up with all sorts of notions of fines, and imprisonments, and the Tower of London, fancy always picturing him as a sombre-looking personage in a black gown with a long black wand in his hand,) is simply a most dandified-looking personage, with the most exquisitely polished shoes, the finest silk stockings, bag-wig, and other paraphernalia of fulldress, all complete; and being informed of the attendance of the members of the lower House, forthwith proceeds to the bar, and in a loud voice proclaims "My lords, a message from the Commons.” The Lord Chancellor,

or chairman, asks if it be their lordships' pleasure to admit the messengers, and an answer being given in the affirmative, the word is passed to let them in. Hereupon the doors are thrown open, and in rush a posse comitatûs of members eager to tell of their message. This ardour, however, is restrained by the black rod: more skilled in the courtesies of the House, he marshals them in order, places himself at their head as fugle-man, and, bidding them do as he does, forthwith marches up to the bar, making three profound obeisances as he advances, and all the members following him closely and bobbing their heads as he bobs his.

In the mean time, the Lord Chancellor leaves the woolsack, and carrying with him his large purse plants it on

the bar before him; and acknowledges the obeisances of the gentlemen from the Commons by similar bows. Having received their message, he retires to the woolsack, and the messengers retreat backwards, to the imminent danger of tripping each other up, bowing and scraping three times as they go, whenever the black rod or fugleman gives them the example.

It appears from the Journals, that on the sixth of March, 1620, on a message to the Lords, Sir William Montagu says, "The course is, that the messenger (that is, the member named by the Speaker) ought to have precedence, and all the others to follow; and the messenger to stay at the bar until the Lords come down to the bar; and then the messenger maketh his three congées.” Mr. Treasurer afterwards reports, that they observed the course propounded by Sir Edward Montagu, and told the Lords they would not stir till the Lords came down to the bar; "which brought them much grace!"

But although the Lord Chancellor comes down to the bar to receive a message from the Commons, it does not follow that to all messengers he behaves with the same courtesy. If a gentleman be deputed to bring up any papers connected with any appeal, or other proceeding in the Lords, his presence is announced by the usher of the black rod; and he advances to the bar making his three obeisances, and carrying with him the papers he is to present. On seeing him approach, my Lord Chancellor, from afar off, cries out to him, much in the tone in which one calls a hackney-coach-no doubt intended to keep up the dignity of the House-" What have you got there?” The poor messenger announces the object of his attend

ance, and is immediately told in the same voice to withdraw, which he does with as much haste as he can, walking backwards and bowing as he goes, with a mixed feeling of awe for the tribunal which has the power to treat him so contemptuously, and of desire to pull my Lord Chancellor by the nose.

It seldom happens that a deputation goes up from the House of Commons with only one message at a time, as the members generally arrange to make one journey serve for several purposes, as for bringing up several bills; each however should properly form the subject of a distinct message. So soon therefore as they have delivered one message, and the Chancellor has returned to his woolsack, and communicated it to the Lords, the usher of the black rod again approaches the bar, and calls out, "My lords, a message from the Commons." All this time the messengers are in the room and in sight of the whole House, having only retired backwards a few steps from the bar: "Let the messengers be called in," cries the Lord Chancellor; whereupon one of the attendants of the House calls out aloud, "Gentlemen of the House of Commons:" and these being at hand, again begin the farce of bowing and scraping, and retiring, and being called in again, till the object of their errand is completed.

This mode of proceeding is held of much importance in the communications between the two Houses, and is conducted with all the gravity becoming the consequence attached to it. In the second volume of Grey's Debates, p. 253, the Speaker of the House of Commons (Seymour) reminds the House, "That it is against order that members should salute messengers from the Lords'