1*26 CASE OF THE POST-NATI OF SCOTLAND. 



Nay, what if we should say, that those words, ac 

 cording to the received laws of speech, are no words 

 of difference or limitation, but of declaration or des 

 cription of an alien, as if it had been said, with a 

 &quot; videlicet,&quot; aliens ; that is, such as are born out of 

 the king s obedience ? they cannot put us from that 

 construction. But sure I am, if the bark make for 

 them, the pith makes for us ; for the privilege of 

 liberty which the statute means to deny to aliens of 

 entertaining apprentices, is denied to none born 

 within the king s obedience, call them aliens or what 

 you will. And therefore by their reason, a &quot; post- 

 &quot; natus&quot; of Scotland shall by that statute keep what 

 stranger apprentices he will, and so is put in the 

 degree of an English. The third statute out of 

 which inference is made, is the statute of 14 E. III. 

 cap. solo, which hath been said to be our very case ; 

 and I am of that opinion too, but directly the other 

 way. Therefore to open the scope and purpose 

 of that statute : after that the title to the crown of 

 France was devolute to K. E. III. and that he had 

 changed his style, changed his arms, changed his 

 seal, as his majesty hath done, the subjects of Eng 

 land, saith the statute, conceived a fear that the 

 realm of England might become subject to the 

 realm of France, or to the king as king of France. 

 And I will give you the reasons of the double fear, 

 that it should become subject to the realm of France. 

 They had this reason of fear; Normandy had 

 conquered England, Normandy was feudal of France, 

 therefore because the superior seigniory of France 



