198 MAXIMS OF THE LAW. 



pradictis literis patentibus specificat , and there be no letters 

 patents, yet the grant is good enough. 



The like reason holds in demonstrations of persons, that 

 have been declared in demonstration of lands and places, 

 the proper name of every one is in certainty worthiest : next 

 are such appellations as are fixed to his person, or at least 

 of continuance, as, son of such a man, wife of such a hus 

 band ; or addition of office, as, clerk of such a court, &c. 

 and the third are actions or accidents, which sound no way 

 in appellation or name, but only in circumstance, which 

 are less worthy, although they may have a poor particular 

 reference to the intention of the grant. 



And therefore if an obligation be made to I. S.Ji/io el 

 hfEredi G. S. where indeed he is a bastard, yet this obliga 

 tion is good. 



So if I grant land Episcopo mine Londinensi qui me 

 erudivit in pueritia, this is a good grant, although he never 

 instructed me. 



But e converse, if I grant land to I. S. Jilio et h&redi 

 G. S. and it be true that he is son and heir unto G. S. but 

 his name is Thomas, this is a void grant. 



Or if in the former grant it was the Bishop of Canter 

 bury who taught me in my childhood, yet shall it be good (as 

 was said) to the Bishop of London, and not to the Bishop 

 of Canterbury. 



The same rule holdeth of denomination of times, which 

 are such a day of the month, such a day of the week, such 

 a Saint s day or eve, to-day, to-morrow ; these are names 

 of times. 



But the day that I was born, the day that I was married ; 

 these are but circumstances and addition of times. 



And therefore if I bind myself to do some personal at 

 tendance upon you upon Innocents day, being the day of 

 your birth, and you were not born that day, yet shall I 

 attend. 



There resteth two questions of difficulty yet upon this rule: 

 first, Of such things whereof men take not so much note 

 as that they shall fail of this distinction of name and ad 

 dition. 



As, my box of ivory lying in my study sealed up with 

 my seal of arms ; my suit of arras with the story of the 

 nativity and passion : of such things there can be no name 

 but all is of description, and of circumstance, and of these 

 I hold the law to be, that precise truth of all recited cir 

 cumstances is not required. 



