PREFACE. 141 



lawyers would for the most part not have been understood, 

 or, which is worse, mistaken. 



Fifthly, whereas I might have made more flourish and 

 ostentation of reading, to have vouched the authorities, and 

 sometimes to have enforced or noted upon them, yet I have 

 abstained from that also; and the reason is, because I 

 judged it a matter undue and preposterous to prove rules 

 and maxims ; wherein I had the example of Mr. Littleton 

 and Mr. Fitzherbert, whose writings are the institutions of 

 the laws of England ; whereof the one forbeareth to vouch 

 any authority altogether; the other never reciteth a book, 

 but when he thinketh the case so weak of credit in itself as 

 it needs a surety ; and these two I did far more esteem than 

 Mr. Perkins or Mr. Standford, that have done the con 

 trary. Well will it appear to those that are learned in the 

 laws, that many of the cases are judged cases, either within 

 the books, or of fresh report, and most of them fortified by 

 judged cases and similitude of reason ; though, in some few 

 cases, I did intend expressly to weigh down the authority 

 by evidence of reason, and therein rather to correct the law, 

 than either to soothe a received error, or by unprofitable 

 subtlety, which corrupteth the sense of law, to reconcile 

 contrarieties. For these reasons I resolved not to derogate 

 from the authority of the rules, by vouching of any of the 

 authority of the cases, though in mine own copy I had 

 them quoted : for although the meanness of mine own 

 person may now at first extenuate the authority of this 

 collection, and that every man is adventurous to control ; 

 yet, surely, according to Gamaliel s reason, if it be of weight, 

 time will settle and authorise it ; if it be light and weak, 

 time will reprove it. So that, to conclude, you have here 

 a work without any glory of affected novelty, or of method, 

 or of language, or of quotations and authorities, dedicated 

 only to use, and submitted only to the censure of the 

 learned, and chiefly of time. 



Lastly, there is one point above all the rest I account the 

 most material for making these reasons indeed profitable 



