THE LAWS OF ENGLAND. 351 



there will be, whatsoever is now thought, question, 

 who was the greater lawyer ? For the books Of the 

 terms of the law, there is a poor one, but I wish a 

 diligent one, wherein should be comprised not only 

 the exposition of the terms of law, but of the words 

 of all ancient records and precedents. 



For the Abridgments, I could wish, if it were 

 possible, that none might use them, but such as had 

 read the course first, that they might serve for reper 

 tories to learned lawyers, and not to make a lawyer 

 in haste : but since that cannot be, I wish there 

 were a good abridgment composed of the two that 

 are extant, and in better order. So much for the 

 common law. 



FOR the reforming and recompiling of the statute 

 law, it consisteth of four parts. 



1. The first, to discharge the books of those 

 statutes, where the case, by alteration of time, is 

 vanished ; as Lombards Jews, Gauls half-pence, &c. 

 Those may nevertheless remain in the libraries for 

 antiquities, but no reprinting of them. The like of 

 statutes long since expired and clearly repealed ; for 

 if the repeal be doubtful, it must be so propounded 

 to the parliament. 



2. The next is, to repeal all statutes which are 

 sleeping and not of use, but yet snaring and in 

 force : in some of those it will perhaps be requisite 

 to substitute some more reasonable law, instead 

 of them, agreeable to the time ; in others a simple 

 repeal may suffice. 



