THE GREEN BAG
465
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GREEN BAG By DONALD DESTINY appears to cherish and uphold a certain sacred principle, to wit: origins shall be obscure. The only wellauthenticated account of the origin of the world places the time of the occurrence several thousand years subsequent to the days when human beings were erecting scientific memoranda of their existence and works for the edification of posterity. So it is with the Green Bag. One searches in vain through dusty shelves and yellow pages to discover a record of its first appear ance. The lawyers of the world have ap parently devoted all their energies to piling up the regiments of sheep-bound volumes wherein transcribed by the judge we read the joint product of the learned counsel for the plaintiff and the defendant. As a re sult, they have left few records of the manners and customs of their generation. Take it all in all we may lay to our souls the flattering unction that, however we may act as individuals, as a class we are not selfadvertisers. In individual self-advertisement, how ever, the green bag has played a long and conspicuous part in legal circles. In the few articles bearing on this subject one re mark is always found. In deference to precedent it will now be quoted: "On the stages of the Caroline theatres the lawyer is found with a green bag in his hand." Indeed it would seem that this custom was as prevalent among lawyers in the seven teenth century as the use of the union button among artisans to-day. In a dictionary published in 1700' is found the following definition: "Green Bag, a Lawyer." (Diet. Cant. Crew.) Of an earlier date (1677) is the oft-quoted remark of the Widow Blackacre to the barrister who refuses to urge her cause: "Impertinent again, and ignorant to me! Gadsboddikins! you puny upstart in the law, to use me so, you green-bag car rier, you murderer of unfortunate causes,
R. RICHBERG. the clerk's ink is scarce off of your fingers." (Wycherley's Plain Dealer.) There is much use made of the green bag in this play where "Wycherley indicates the Widow Blackacre's quarrelsome disposition by decorating her with an enormous green reticule and makes her son, the law-student, stagger about the stage in a gown, and under a heavy burden of green bags." The foregoing quotation is from "A Book about Lawyers," by John Cordy Jeaffreson, barrister at law, a work written some time about 1865, and containing among other interesting matter more about the use of green bags than could be discovered from 1 any other of 'the various writings investi gated in pursuit of the present subject. In Queen Anne's time the phrase of the day to indicate the adoption of the law as a profession was: "He intends to carry a | green bag." An example of this usage ' is found in Dr. Arbuthnot's "History of John Bull" (1712), from which the following quotation is taken: "I am told, Cousin Diego, you are one of those that have undertaken to manage me, and that you have said you will carry a green bag yourself, rather than we shall make an end of our lawsuit." In the Lon don Spy is also found (in reference to the character of a pettifogger): "His learning is commonly as little as his honesty and his conscience much larger than his green bag." At this period green bags were used by solicitors, attorneys, and members of the bar. Various distinctions began to spring up, however, and restrictions on the use of the green bag and various changes in its color came to pass. The suggestion has been made that green bags became so offen sive to the public after the trial of Queen Caroline that a change to red resulted there from. Jeaffreson, however, asserts that red bags were carried by leaders of the bar some time before that famous trial.
