Sir Matthew, lord chief justice of the king's bench in the reign of Charles II. was the son of Robert Hale, Esq. a barrister of Lincoln's Inn, and was born in 1600. He was educated at Oxford, where he made a considerable progress in learning; but was afterwards diverted from his studies by the levities of youth. From thence he was reformed by Mr John Glanvill ferjeant at law; and applying to the study of the law, entered into Lincoln's Inn. Noy the attorney-general took early notice of him, and directed him in his studies. Mr Selden also took much notice of him; and it was this acquaintance that first fet Mr Hale on a more enlarged pursuit of learning, which he had before confined to his own profession. During the civil wars, he behaved so well as to gain the esteem of both parties. He was employed in his practice by all the king's party; and was appointed by the parliament one of the commissioners to treat with the king. The murder of King Charles gave him very sensible regret. However, he took the engagement; and was appointed, with several others, to consider of the reformation of the law. In 1653 he was by writ made serjeant at law, and soon after appointed one of the justices of the Common Pleas. Upon the death of Oliver Cromwell he refused to accept of the new commission offered him by Richard his successor. He was returned one of the knights of Gloucestershire in the parliament which called home Charles II. Soon after he was made lord chief baron of the exchequer; but declined the honour of knighthood, till lord chancellor Hyde, sending for him upon business when the king was at his house, told his majesty, that "there was his modest chief baron;" upon which he was unexpectedly knighted. He was one of the principal judges that sat in Clifford's Inn about settling the difference between landlord and tenant, after the fire of London, in which he behaved to the satisfaction of all parties concerned, and also in his post of chief baron acted with inflexible integrity. One of the first peers went once to his chamber, and told him, "That having a suit in law to be tried before him, he was then to acquaint him with it, that he might the better understand it when it should come to be tried in court." Upon which the lord chief baron interrupted him, and said, "He did not deal fairly to come to his chambers about such affairs; for he never received information of such causes but in open court, where both parties were to be heard alike." Upon which his grace (for he was a duke) went away not a little disatisfied, and complained of it to the king as a rudeness that was not to be endured; but his majesty bid him content himself that he was used no worse; and said, "That he verily believed he would have used him no better if he had gone to solicit him in any of his own causes." Another remarkable incident happened in one of his circuits. A gentleman who had a trial at the assizes had sent him a buck for his table. When Judge Hale therefore heard his name, he asked "if he was not the same person who had sent him the venison?" and finding that he was the same, told him, that "he could not suffer the trial to go on till he had paid him for his buck." The gentleman answered, that "he never told his venison;" and that he had done nothing to him which he did not do to every judge who had gone that circuit;" which was confirmed by several gentlemen present. The lord chief baron, however, would not suffer the trial to proceed till he had paid for the present: upon which the gentleman withdrew the record. In short, he was in 1671 advanced to be lord chief justice of the king's bench; but about four years after this promotion, his health declining, he resigned his post in February 1675-6, and died in December following. This excellent man, who was an ornament to the bench, to his country, and to human nature, wrote, 1. An Essay on the Gravitation and Non-gravitation of Fluid Bodies. 2. Observations touching the Torricellian Experiment. 3. Contemplations, moral and divine. 4. The Life of Pomponius Atticus, with political and moral Reflections. 5. Observations on the Principles of natural Motion. 6. The primitive Origination of Mankind. He also left a great number of manuscripts, in Latin and English, upon various subjects; among which are, his Pleas of the Crown, since published by Mr Emlyn in two volumes folio; and his Original Institution, Power, and Jurisdiction of Parliaments.