I began to fear that prison, if he were condemned to it, would rob him of his reason; I sometimes feared that his mind was already giving way, so profound was his depression, so hopeless his despair.
* * * * * The trial opened before Mr.Justice Wills on the 21st of May, 1895.
The Treasury had sent Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C., M.P., to lead Mr.C.F.
Gill, Mr.Horace Avory, and Mr.Sutton.Oscar was represented by the same counsel as on the previous occasion.
The whole trial to me was a nightmare, and it was characterised from the very beginning by atrocious prejudice and injustice.

The High Priests of Law were weary of being balked; eager to make an end.

As soon as the Judge took his seat, Sir Edward Clarke applied that the defendants should be tried separately.

As they had already been acquitted on the charge of conspiracy, there was no reason why they should be tried together.
The Judge called on the Solicitor-General to answer the application.
The Solicitor-General had nothing to say, but thought it was in the interests of the defendants to be tried together; for, in case they were tried separately, it would be necessary to take the defendant Taylor first.
Sir Edward Clarke tore this pretext to pieces, and Mr.Justice Wills brought the matter to a conclusion by saying that he was in possession of all the evidence that had been taken at the previous trials, and his opinion was that the two defendants should be tried separately.
Sir Edward Clarke then applied that the case of Mr.Wilde should be taken first as his name stood first on the indictment, and as the first count was directed against him and had nothing to do with Taylor....

"There are reasons present, I am sure, too, in your Lordship's mind, why Wilde should not be tried immediately after the other defendant." Mr.Justice Wills remarked, with seeming indifference, "It ought not to make the least difference, Sir Edward.