Magisterial Diktat

The Old Session Magistrates were famed/feared for their ascerbic wit and oft-dictatorial control of their courts, hence one story i heard didn't fail to amuse me for its sheer brilliance as an example of their ascerbic wit.

A young Barrister was labouring through a particularly testy and lengthy address before one of the old Bench warriors, in which the young wig was getting a pasting from the old salty dog on the bench and still managing to get himself twisted in knots.

Anyway as the story goes, older Counsel on the other side found it difficult hide his amusement at the poor little Sprog's travail's and sat in a smug, arrogant survey of the proceedings with a massive smirk on his face to boot.

The Magistrate at one stage and with a completely straight face scribbled a little note, which he asked the Court Clerk to pass to the chuckling old Counsel.

The contents read - and this is classic "Dont laugh, he's better than you"

Have a happy new year