THE LAWS OF ENGLAND. 349 



have spoken before : nevertheless this diligence would 

 be used, that such cases of contradiction be specially 

 noted and collected, to the end those doubts, that 

 have been so long militant, may either, by assembling 

 all the judges in the exchequer chamber, or by 

 parliament, be put into certainty. For to do it, by 

 bringing them in question under feigned parties, 

 is to be disliked. &quot; Nihil habeat forum ex scena.&quot; 



Fourthly, All idle queries, which are but semi 

 naries of doubts, and uncertainties, are to be left 

 out and omitted, and no queries set down, but 

 of great doubts well debated, and left undecided 

 for difficulty ; but no doubting or upstarting queries, 

 which though they be touched in argument for 

 explanation, yet were better to die than to be put 

 into the books. 



Lastly, Cases reported with too great prolixity 

 would be drawn into a more compendious report ; 

 not in the nature of an abridgment, but tautologies 

 and impertinences to be cut off: as for misprinting, 

 and insensible reporting, which many times confound 

 the students, that will be &quot;obiter&quot; amended; but 

 more principally, if there be any thing in the report 

 which is not well warranted by the record, that 

 is also to be rectified : the course being thus com 

 piled, then it resteth but for your majesty to 

 appoint some grave and sound lawyers, with some 

 honourable stipend, to be * reporters for the time to 

 come, and then this is settled for all times. 



* This constitution of Reporters I obtained of the King, 

 after I was Chancellor; and there are two appointed with 100L 

 a year a-piece stipend . 



