84 A PREPARATION FOR THE UNION OF LAWS. 



hold their own as they have held, and the difference 

 of this law carrieth no mark of separation ; for we 

 see in any one kingdom, which is most at unity in 

 itself, there is diversity of customs for the guiding of 

 property and private rights : &quot; in veste varietas sit, 

 &quot; scissura non sit.&quot; All the labour is to be spent in the 

 other part ; though perhaps not in all the other part ; 

 for, it may be, your majesty, in your high wisdom, 

 will discern that even in that part there will not be 

 requisite a conformity in all points. And although 

 such conformity were to be wished, yet perchance it 

 will be scarcely possible in many points to pass them 

 for the present by assent of parliament. But be 

 cause we that serve your majesty in the service of our 

 skill and profession, cannot judge what your majesty, 

 upon reason of state, will leave and take ; therefore 

 it is fit for us to give, as near as we can, a general 

 information : wherein I, for my part, think good to 

 hold myself to one of the parallels, I mean that of the 

 English laws. For although I have read, and read 

 with delight, the Scotish statutes, and some other 

 collection of their laws ; with delight I say, partly 

 to see their brevity and propriety of speech, and 

 partly to see them come so near to our laws ; yet I 

 am unwilling to put my sickle in another s harvest, 

 but to leave it to the lawyers of the Scotish nation; 

 the rather, because I imagine with myself that if a 

 Scotish lawyer should undertake, by reading of the 

 English statutes, or other our books of law, to set 

 down positively in articles what the law of England 

 were, he might oftentimes err : and the like errors, I 



