Power of legal profession bad for society

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”

SO said Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare’s Henry VI. Dick’s murderous intent was his contribution to a discussion on how best to reorganise society in a social revolution. The new society was the brainchild of another character, Jack Cade. He was of the opinion that in the England of the day, lawyers’ main concern was “to shuffle parchments back and forth in a systemic attempt to ruin the common people”.

The lawyers survived. Dick the Butcher exited the stage pronto and nothing more was heard from him. Presumably, an injunction was taken out against any further utterances he might make that would adversely affect the income of the legal profession.