"4. As to the Numbering the organ Pipes and Stops, their Mastershippes think it below them to trouble themselves therein, because the Proposal can have no other ground than a Supposition of such Fraud in the Artist as is inconsistent with the credit of his Profession."
These strange proceedings on the part of the Benchers of the two Temples do not reflect much credit upon the body. It were needless to carry on further this account of their petty disputes to determine which was the best organ.
"At length," says Burney, "the decision was left to Lord Chief Justice Jefferies, afterwards King James the Second's pliant Chancellor, who was of that Society [the Inner Temple], and he terminated the controversy in favour of Smith; so that Harris's organ was taken away without loss of reputation, having so long pleased and puzzled better judges than Jefferies."
"I have not," says Mr. Macrory, "been able to find anything in the Books of either Society to corroborate this statement, derived by Burney from a letter written by Dr. Tudway to his son, and it is not probable, if the decision had been left to Jefferies, that there would not have been some record either of his appointment, or of the decision. It is, however, certain that Jefferies was not ‘Lord Chief Justice’ at the time of the decision, as he became Lord Chancellor in 1686, and continued until 1690 in that
