OF THE UNION OF LAWS. 75 



will be no great difficulty in this work ; for their 

 laws, by that I can learn, compared with ours, are 

 like their language compared with ours : for as their 

 language hath the same roots that ours hath, but 

 hath a little more mixture of Latin and French ; so 

 their laws and customs have the like grounds that 

 ours have, with a little more mixture of the civil law 

 and French customs. 



Lastly, The mean to this work seemeth to me no 

 less excellent than the work itself: for if both laws 

 shall be united, it is of necessity for preparation and 

 inducement thereunto, that our own laws be reviewed 

 and re-compiled ; than the which I think there 

 cannot be a work, that his majesty can undertake 

 in these his times of peace, more politic, more 

 honourable, nor more beneficial to his subjects for all 

 ages : 



Pace data terris, animum ad civilia vertit 

 Jura suum, legesque tulit justissimus auctor. 



For this continual heaping up of laws without di 

 gesting them, maketh but a chaos and confusion, and 

 turneth the laws many times to become but snares 

 for the people, as is said in the Scripture, &quot; Pluet 

 tf super eos laqueos.&quot; Now &quot; Non sunt pejores 

 &quot; laquei, quam laquei legum.&quot; And therefore this 

 work I esteem to be indeed a work, rightly to term 

 it, heroical. So that for this good wish of union of 

 laws I do consent to the full : And I think you may 

 perceive by that which I have said, that I come not in 

 this to the opinion of others, but that I was long 

 ago settled in it myself : nevertheless, as this is moved 



