198 CALENDAR OF THE FINES FOR THE COUNTY OF DERBY. 
give, in brief and technical, but still easily intelligible form, the 
exact purport of each fine. In some publications much space has 
been wasted in this respect ; for instance, the names of the Justices 
are of no use, except in those very rare instances where the date 
of the fine is lost or not given ; and the abstract of a fine in its 
pure terms is repulsive in form, and may perhaps be more 
puzzling to the ordinary reader than the document itself in its 
entirety. 
I have here ‘endeavoured, at some pains, to avoid these faults ; 
I have studied to give the exact effect of every fine in language 
which shall be technical, yet clear and brief, but without sacri- 
ficing any point of importance. For instance, the term 77 fee, 
which I have adopted, is sufficiently intelligible, besides being 
technically accurate ; what object can there be in saying Ais heirs 
for ever, when the other phrase is sufficient? Look at the space 
taken up unnecessarily ; four words instead of two, and then this 
is no trifle, let us suppose a calendar of 10,000 fines, the use of 
the short form zw fee instead of Azs heirs for ever, would obviously 
save 20,000 words, equivalent to about fifty pages of these Trans- 
actions ; and so throughout. 
Life is too short, and time is too valuable. to be frittered away 
over mere word crowding and tautology, however necessary it 
might have been as a legal form, and still may be, perhaps, in a 
qualified way ; we want the kernel at once without having to roam 
through an apparently trackless forest; and to wear ourselves out 
in operose and useless work, such as a diffuse and lengthy calendar 
of these fines would be, while the inexorable stream of time is fast 
running its course, would be an unnecessary and profitless task. 
But “Jam satis est . . . verbum non amplius addam.” 
W.-H 
CALENDAR. 
1196 Westminster. Feast of St. Cecilia, Virgin, 8 Ric. I. 
Noy. 22. Between John, son of William de Kelm, Plazutiff, and Michael 
de Ednesofre, Zenant. , 
Release by Plaintiffs, in consideration of a silver mark, to Tenant, 
in fee, of 14 acre of land at Haliwell in Cestrefeld ; at the yearly 
rent of 4d. for all service. 
