Transcribed from the [1856] W. & H. S. Warr edition byDavid Price,
W. & H. S. Warr 63, HighHolborn
p.1A SKETCH OF THE LIFE
of the late
HENRY COOPER,
barrister-at-law, of the norfolk circuit;
as also,
OF HIS FATHER,
by hisson,
WILLIAM COOPER, Esq., B.A., Oxon.,
Of Lincoln’s Inn,Barrister at Law;
author of thedramas of
“TheStudent of Jena,” “Mokanna,”
“Zopyrus,” &c.
“Meminisse Juvat.”
london:
printed and published by w. & h. s.warr,
63, highholborn.
p.5DEDICATION.
To Mr. SERGEANTSTORKS.
Dear Mr. Sergeant,
To you I dedicate this sketch of the Life of my late brother,Henry Cooper; and, for three good reasons—the first,because, you were associated with my brother on circuit, knew himwell, and were one of those, who being often opposed to him incourt, were best able to appreciate his talents, eloquence, andthe general powers of his mind;—my second, because, whenyoung, I have listened often to your eloquence, and been mademerry by your wit and humour;—my third, because, you haveknown all my family, and by one and all are muchrespected;—and my dear Mr. Sergeant, with kind regards toyourself, and best wishes to you and yours,
Believe me,
Yours very truly,
WILLIAM COOPER.
3, Hare Court, Temple,
December, 1856.
p.7PREFACE.
Kind Reader,
In attempting the life of my late brother, who, afterstruggling for years at the bar in almost obscurity, had, on asudden, his brilliancy noticed and his great talentsacknowledged, and no sooner had he reached that eminence in hisprofession, when all was made easy before him, than unpityingClolho stept up, and cut his thread of life; I must ask yourindulgence, for the reasons you will see, as you proceed in thismy life of him, as also, from the very scanty materials I havebeen able to collect for it. How the first idea of thissuggested itself to my mind, I will tell you; a few days ago, Iwas about to re-publish some Dramas, written by me in earlieryears, and thinking one of them would scarcely make a volume byitself, the thought struck me, on looking over mytreasures, and finding some verses of my brother Henry in his ownhand writing, amidst many youthful rhymes of my own and of myfamily, that I would string them together, and so swellthe work alluded to. To do this I thought it necessary toaffix a sh