Those (such as Obiter) who follow speeches by the master of the rolls will have noticed that the reputation of judges and lawyers, particularly in times gone by, is a common theme. At a lecture last week in honour of utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham (who had a famously low opinion of lawyers), Lord Neuberger noted that it was in part Bentham’s protests about the justice system’s ‘exquisitely contrived chicanery’ that led to judges being paid a salary that no longer derived from court fees. Neuberger cited an amusing quote from one fickle 19th century judge, who once said of one of his earlier decisions: ‘Things do not appear to have appeared to me then as they appear to appear to me now.’ And he finished with a perfect line borrowed from one of the greatest judges of all time, Lord Mansfield (pictured), who served 32 years as lord chief justice in the 18th century, and was only reversed twice, possibly because no one dared. Mansfield once said: ‘A speech is like a love affair. Any fool can start it, but to end it requires considerable skill’.