Soon after I got to Boston, at Jany. Court Mr. Fitch came to me upon Change, and told
me, that Mr. Gridley and he had something to communicate to me, that I should like,
in Sacred Confidence however. I waited on Mr. Gridley, at his office, (after many
Conjectures what the secret might be) and he told me, That He and Mr. Fitch had proposed
a Law Clubb—a private Association, for the study of Law and oratory.—As to the Bar,
he thought of them, as he did think of them— Otis, Thatcher, Auchmuty. He was considering,
who was for the future to support the Honour and Dignity of the Bar. And he was determined
to bring me into Practice, the first Practice, and Fitch too. He could easily do it,
by recommending. And he was very desirous of forming a Junto, a small sodality, of
himself and Fitch and me, and Dudley
3 if he pleased might come, in order to read in Concert the Feudal Law and Tullies
orations. And for this Purpose he lent me, the Corpus Juris Civilis in 4 Partes distinctum,
eruditissimis Dionysii Gothofredi J.C. clarissimi notis illustratum, at the End of
which are the Feudorum Consuetudines Partim ex Editione vulgata partim ex Cujaciana
vulgata, appositae, as also the Epitome Feudorum Dionysio Gothofredo Authore.
4
We accordingly agreed to meet the next Evening in one of Ballards back Chambers and
determine upon Times, Places, and studies. We accordingly met the next Evening, Mr.
Gridley, Fitch and I, and spent the whole Evening. Proposals were to read a Reign
and the statutes of that Reign, to read Hurds Dialogues
5 and any new Pieces. But at last we determined to read The Feudal Law and Cicero only,
least we should loose sight of our main Object, by attending to too many. Thurdsday
Nights were agreed on, and to meet first at Mr. Gridleys office. There we accordingly
met on the Thurdsday Night following, and suffered our Conversation to ramble upon
Hurds Dialogues, the Pandects, their Discovery in Italy by Lotharius in 1127, in the
Reign of Stephen, upon Lambard de priscis Anglorum Legibus, in Saxon and Latin, upon
Ld. Kaims
[Kames], Mr. Blackstone &c. But we
{ 252 } agreed to meet the next Thurdsday night at Mr. Fitch’s, and to read the Three first
Titles of the feudal Law, and Tullies oration for Milo.