Dickens’ Serjeant Buzfuz – Master of the Blustering Diatribe

Sergeant Buzfuz – Harry Furniss, 1910

Serjeant Buzfuz then rose with all the majesty and dignity which the grave nature of the proceedings demanded, and having whispered to Dodson, and conferred briefly with Fogg, pulled his gown over his shoulders, settled his wig, and addressed the jury. . . . .

“I say systematic villainy, gentlemen,” said Serjeant Buzfuz, looking through Mr. Pickwick, and talking at him; “and when I say systematic villainy, let me tell the defendant Pickwick, if he be in court, as I am informed he is, that it would have been more decent in him, more becoming, in better judgment, and in better taste, if he had stopped away. Let me tell him, gentlemen, that any gestures of dissent or disapprobation in which he may indulge in this court will not go down with you; that you will know how to value and how to appreciate them; and let me tell him further, as my Lord will tell you, gentlemen, that a counsel, in the discharge of his duty to his client, is neither to be intimidated nor bullied, nor put down; and that any attempt to do either the one or the other, or the first, or the last, will recoil on the head of the attempter, be he plaintiff or be he defendant, be his name Pickwick, or Noakes, or Stoakes, or Stiles, or Brown, or Thompson.” [Chapter XXXIV, “Is Wholly Devoted to a Full and Faithful Report of the Memorable Trial of Bardell against Pickwick,” 480-81]

‘Buzfuz’, Royal Doulton figurine

So commences the article by Professor Philip Allingham to “The Victorian Web – literature, history & cultural in the age of Victoria” as to the fictional barrister Serjeant Buzfuz, from ‘The Pickwick Papers’ by Charles Dickens. There follows a short but interesting discussion of the role of Buzfuz in such work of Dickens, focusing on illustrations in the original publication and thereafter. Click on the various illustrations to bring up the portions of trial examination.

The link to the article may be found here.