STA 
ing void all leases by ecclesiastical bodies 
for longer terms than three lives, or twenty- 
one years. In the construction of this sta- 
tute, it is held, that leases, though for a 
longer term, if made by a bishop, are not 
void during the bishop’s continuance in his 
see; or, if made by a dean and chapter, 
they are not void during the continuance of 
the dean: for the act was made for the 
benefit and protection of the successor. 
The mischief is, therefore, sufficiently sup- 
pressed, by vacating them after the deter- 
mination of the interest of the grantors; 
but the leases, during their continuance, be- 
ing not within the mischief, are not within 
the remedy. 2. A statute, which treats of 
things or persons of an inferior rank, can- 
not, by any general words, be extended to 
those of a superior. Thus, a statute treat- 
ing of “ deans, prebendaries, parsons, vicars, 
and others having spiritual promotion,” is 
held not to extend to bisliops, though they 
have spiritual promotion, deans being ,the 
highest persons named, and bishops being 
of a still higher order. 3. Penal statutes 
must be construed strictly. Thus, by the 
statute 14 George II. c. 6. stealing sheep, 
or other cattle, was made felony, by bene- 
fit of clergy: but, or other cattle, being 
considered as too loose an expression for 
creating a capital offence, the act was held 
to extend to nothing but mere sheep. In 
the next sessions it was therefore found ne- 
cessary to make another statute, 15 George 
II. c. 34. extending the former to bulls, 
cows, oxen, steers, bullocks, heifers, calves, 
and lambs, by name. 4. Statutes against 
frauds are to be liberally and beneficially 
expounded. 5. One part of a statute must 
be so construed by another, that the whole 
may (if possible) stand : “ ut res magis va- 
leat, quam pereat.” As if land be vested 
in the king and his heirs by act of parlia- 
ment, saving the right of A ; and A, has at 
that time a lease of it for three years; here 
A, shall hold it for his terra of three years, 
and afterward, it shall go to the king. 
6. A saving, totally repugnant to the body 
of the act, is void. If, therefore, an act of 
parliament vests land in the king and his 
heirs, saving the right of all persons whom- 
soever, or vests the land of A, in the king, 
saving the right of A ; in either of these 
cases the saving is totally repugnant to the 
body of the statute, and (if good) would 
rfender the statute of no effect or operation ; 
and therefore the saving is void, and the 
land vests absolutely in the king. 7. Where 
the common law and a statute differ, the 
STA 
common law gives place to the statute ; and 
an old statute gives place to a new one : 
and this upon a general principle of uni- 
versal law, that “ leges posteriores pi lores 
contrarias abrogant;” consonant to which 
it was laid down by a law of the Twelve 
Tables at Rome, that “ quod populus pos- 
tumum jussit, id jus ratum esto.” Tliis is 
to be understood only when the latter sta- 
tute is couched in negative terms, or where 
its matter is so clearly repugnant, that it 
necessarily implies a negative. But if both 
acts be merely affirmative, and the sub- 
stance such that both may stand together, 
here the latter does not repeal the former, 
but they shall both have a concurrent effi- 
cacy. 8. If a statute, that repeals another, 
is itself afterwards repealed, the first sta- 
tute is hereby revived, without any formal 
words for that purpose. 9. Acts of parlia- 
ment, derogatory from the power of subse- 
quent parliaments, bind not. 10. Acts of 
parliament, that are. Impossible to be per- 
formed, are of no validity; and if out of 
them arise collaterally any absurd conse- 
quences, manifestly contradictory to com- 
mon reason, they are, with regard to those 
collateral consequences, void. See Black- 
stone’s Commentaries. 
Statute merchant, and Statute staple, 
are two species of bonds acknowledged 
upon record before the mayor or clerk of 
the staple in borough towns, as the case 
may be ; and have the effects of immediate 
judgments upon the goods, body, and lands 
of the persons sealing and recording them. 
They are little used in modern times ; but 
though intended for merchants originally, 
they may be given by others. Mr. Tidd, 
in his Practice (1799), vol. ii. p. 978, says, 
that a capias ad satisfaciendum, which lies 
upon common judgments to take the body 
of the defendant in execution, lies not 
against peers or members of parliament, 
except upon a statute merchant or staple. 
He cites 1 Cromp, 345 ; and we presume 
means, that on such a security they may be 
personally taken in execution. If this can 
be so, it would be well to procure peers 
and members of parliament to grant such 
securities ; upon which tradesmen might 
stand an ordinary chance of getting their 
money. 
STAUROLITE, in mineralogy. This 
stone has been found at Andreasberg, in the 
Hariz. It is crystallized, and the form of its 
crystals has induced mineralogists to give it 
the name of cross-stone. Its crystals are 
two four-sided fiattened prisms, terminated 
