16 ON THE RELATION OF 



apply. The solution of this latter problem, whether in gram- 

 matical analysis, where the meaning of a sentence is to be 

 evolved, or in the legal criticism of the credibility of the facts 

 alleged, of the intentions of the parties, or of the meaning of 

 the documents they have put into court, will, in most cases, be 

 again a matter of psychological insight. On the other hand, it 

 should not be forgotten that both the syntax of fully developed 

 languages and a system of jurisprudence gradually elaborated, as 

 ours has been, by the practice of more than 2,000 years, 1 have 

 reached a high pitch of logical completeness and consistency; so 

 that, speaking generally, the cases which do not obviously fall 

 under some one or other of the laws actually laid down are quite 

 exceptional. Such exceptions there will always be, for the legis- 

 lation of man can never have the absolute consistency and 

 perfection of the laws of nature. In such cases there is no 

 course open but to try and guess the intention of the legislator ; 

 or, if needs be, to supplement it after the analogy of his decisions 

 in similar cases. 



Grammar and jurisprudence have a certain advantage as 

 means of training the intellect, inasmuch as they tax pretty 

 equally all the intellectual powers. On this account secondary 

 education among modern European nations is based mainly 

 upon the grammatical study of foreign languages. The mother- 

 tongue and modern foreign languages, when acquired solely by 

 practice, do not call for any conscious logical exercise of thought, 

 though we may cultivate by means of them an appreciation for 

 artistic beauty of expression. The two classical languages, 

 Latin and Greek, have, besides their exquisite logical subtlety 

 and aesthetic beauty, an additional advantage, which they seem 

 to possess in common with most ancient and original languages 

 they indicate accurately the relations of words and sentences 

 to each other by numerous and distinct inflexions. Languages 

 are, as it were, abraded by long use ; grammatical distinctions 

 are cut down to a minimum for the sake of brevity and rapidity 



i It should be remembered that the Roman law, which has only partially 

 and indirectly influenced English practice, is the recognised basis of German 

 jurisprudence. TB. 



