Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

OBSERVATIONS

Ο Ν.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

A

976

The Twenty-firft of James the Firft, Ch. xxvii.

[blocks in formation]

"Nam tametfi non integras contineant politiarum defcriptiones, habent tamen memora-
"bilia quædam inftituta, nec in vulgus nota, quæ quidem talia funt, ut, qui ea rectè adhi-
"bere voluerit, fæpe in confiliis, in legibus, in judiciis commodare potuerit." Nich.
Cragius in præf. ad Heraclidæ Pontici de politiis libellum.

LONDON:

Printed by W. Bowyer,

And fold by S. BAKER, in York-Street; and W. SANDBY, in Fleet-Street.

MDCCLXVI.

"Alienæ gentis legibus, ad exercitium utilitatis imbui et permittimus, et optaad negotiorum verò difcuffionem, et refultamus, et prohibemus"-Inter Leges Wifigothorum. Lindenbrog.

66

mus;

"Bien fofremos, e queremos que todo ome fepa otras leges, por fer mas enten"didos los omes, e mas fabidores; mas no queremos, que ninguno por ellas ra“zone, ni jusque, mas todos los pleytos fean jufgados, por las leys defte libro, "que nos damos a nueftro pueblo, que mandamos guardar”—Inter Leges Alphonfi Sapientis, Fuero Real de Espanna, lib. i. titl. 6-Salamanca, 1569.

"Il eft tems de chercher à prefent dans l'importante affaire du gouvernement, et "des loix, de nouveaux traits, qui nous peignent au naturel le peuple dont nous etudions l'hiftoire." Hift. de Dannemarc, par Mallet, vol. i. p. 100-Copenhagen, 1755.

"Qui ignore les loix et couftumes de fon pais, eft digne d'etre reputé au nombre "des eftrangers"-Pref. aux Ordinances Royalles-Paris, 1552.

[ocr errors]

I

PRE FAC E.

REFA

T is believed that few lawyers, or hiftorians, have perufed the Statute Book in a regular courfe of reading-If a particular act of parliament hath been neceffarily examined into, either by the one or the other, the research hath probably gone no farther than to that particular statute, or, at moft, to thofe only which relate to the fame fubject matter-It must be admitted, that this would not be the best method of illuftrating, or explaining, any other author (for the fucceffive parliaments must be confidered in this light); and it hath always been allowed, that the best commentator upon any literary work, is other parts of the fame work.

I must own, that I did not read the Statute Book with attention, from the motiye I have above alluded to; my only object was to take notice of fuch acts of parliament, from which no good effects could be expected; and which, on the contrary, might contribute to the vexation and oppreffion of the fubject, as well as to the unneceffary fwelling the collection of ftatutes.

If it be afked what purpose this could anfwer, befides the satisfaction of my own private curiofity, I must admit, that I had a view of laying a propofal before the publick, that fuch unneceffary and prejudicial statutes might (with proper precautions) be entirely. repealed, as well as that acts, which related to the fame fubject, might be reduced to one regular and confiftent law [a]..

[a] See a propofal with regard to this in the Appendix.

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »