The gentlemen of the jury
had also a near view of the manner in which the witnesses delivered
their testimonies, and had from thence an opportunity of observing
many circumstances, and distinguishing characteristics of truth and
falsehood, from which a great deal could be gathered, that could
not be adequately conveyed by any printed account, how exact soever;
consequently, they must have been much better judges of the evidence
on which they founded their verdict than any person who had not
the same opportunity, can possibly be.
"These, Mr. Pickle, were my reflections on what I had occasion to
observe concerning that famous trial; and, on my return to England
two years after, I could not help pitying the self-sufficiency of
some people, who, at this distance, pretended to pass their judgment
on that verdict with as great positiveness as if they had been
in the secrets of the cause, or upon the jury who tried it; and
that from no better authority than the declamations of Lord A--'s
emissaries, and some falsified printed accounts, artfully cooked
up on purpose to mislead and deceive.
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