ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 409 



trary; for while it endeavors to comprehend and express all 

 particular cases in apposite and proper diction (as expecting 

 greater certainty from thence), it raises numerous questions 

 about terms, which renders the true and real design of the 

 law more difficult to come at through a huddle of words. 



LXYII. Nor yet can we approve of a too concise and 

 affected brevity, used for the sake of majesty and authority, 

 especially in this age; lest the laws should become like the 

 Lesbian rule. 20 A mediocrity, therefore, is to be observed, 

 and a well-defined generality of words to be found, which 

 though it does not accurately explain the cases it compre 

 hends, yet clearly excludes those it does not comprehend. 



LXYIII. Yet in the ordinary politic laws and edicts, 

 where lawyers are seldom consulted, but the politicians 

 trust to their own judgment, things ought to be largely ex 

 plained and pointed out to the capacity of the vulgar. 



LXIX. Nor do we approve of tedious preambles at the 

 head of laws: they were anciently held impertinent, as intro 

 ducing laws in the way of dispute, not in the way of com 

 mand. But as we do not suit ourselves to the manners of 

 the ancients, these prefaces are now generally used of neces 

 sity, not only as explanations, but as persuasives to the 

 passing of the law in the assemblies of states, and likewise 

 to satisfy the people; yet as much as possible let preambles 

 be avoided, and the law begin with commanding. 



LXX. Though the intent and mind of the law may be 

 sometimes drawn from these preambles, yet its latitude and 

 extent should by no means be derived from them; for the 

 preamble frequently fixes upon a few of the more plausible 

 and specious particulars, by way of example, while the law 

 itself contains many more ; or on the contrary, the law re 

 strains and limits many things, the reason whereof it were 

 not necessary to insert in the preamble; wherefore the ex- 



20 The Lesbians are said to have made their rules from their buildings ; so 

 that if the buildings were erroneous, the rules they worked by became so, too, 

 and thus propagated the error : so if the laws were written concise, as if drawn 

 up in perfect times, or with an affectation of a sententious or majestic brevity, 

 they might propagate errors, instead of correcting them. 

 SCIENCE Vol. 2118 



