Eighteenth-century Lawyers and the advent of the professional ethos

“Well, let them say what they will [...] the profession of the law is a glorious one, it gives a man such opportunities to be a villain.” Extract from play The Pettyfogger (1797)“I think it my duty [...] to promote the happiness of society as far as possible & I know not in what manner I would more willingly undertake to do sothan by studying the Law.” Private letter from William Pattisson, a young trainee lawyer, 1793 The sharp contrast between these two opening quotations highlights the par...