CON 
To* admit to the full privileges of a Chriftian, by impo¬ 
sition of hands.—Thole which are thus confirmed, are 
thereby fuppofed to he fit for admiffion to the facrament. 
Hammond. 
CONFIRM'ABLE, adj. That which is capable of in- 
conteftible. evidence.—It may receive a fpurious inmate, 
as is confirmable by many examples. Bronvn. 
CONFIRMA'TION, /. The aft of eftablifhing any 
thing or perfon ; .fettlement; eftabliftiment: 
Embrace and love this man.-—■— 
--With brother’s love I do it.—- 
*--And let heav’n 
Witnefs how dear I hold this -confirmation! Shakefpeare. 
Evidence by which any thing is ascertained ; additional 
proof.—The fea-captains anfwered, that they would per¬ 
form his command ; and, in confirmation thereof, pro- 
inifed not to do any thing which befeemed not valiant 
men. Knolles. —Proof; convincing teltimony.—'The argu¬ 
ments'brought by Chrift for the confirmation of his doc¬ 
trine, were in themfelves fufficient. South. —-A religious 
rite.—-What is prepared for in catechifmg, is, in the next 
place, performed by confirmation ; a molt profitable ufage 
of the church, which confifts in two parts: the child’s 
undertaking, in his own name, every part of the baptif- 
snal vow (having firft approved himfelf to underftand it) ; 
and to that purpofe, that he may more folemnly enter 
this obligation, bringing fome godfather with him, not 
now (as in baptifm) as his procurator to undertake for 
him, but as a witnefs to teftify his entering this obliga¬ 
tion. Hammond. —The antiquity of this ceremony is, by 
ail ancient writers, carried as high as the apoltles, and 
founded upon their example and praflice. In the pri¬ 
mitive church, it ufed to be given to Chriftians imme¬ 
diately after baptifm, if the bilhop happened to be prelent 
at the foie trinity. Among the Greeks, and throughout 
the Eaft, it Itill accompanies baptifms but the Romanifts 
make it a diltindt facrament. -Seven years is faid to be 
the ftated time for confirmation; but it is adminiftered 
l'ometimes before, and l’ometimes after, that age. The or¬ 
der of confirmation in the church of England, does not 
determine the precife age of the perfons to be confirmed. 
CONFIRMA'TION, in law, a conveyance of an eftate, 
cr right in effe, that one hath in or to lands, See. to 
another that hath the poffeflion thereof, or fome eftate 
therein ; whereby a voidable eftate is made fure and un¬ 
avoidable ; or a particular eftate is increased, or a pof- 
feffion made perfect. i Infi. 295. It is a ftrengthening of 
an eftate formerly made, which is voidable, though not 
prefently void: as for example; a bifhop granteth his 
chanceilorfhip by patent, for term of the patentee’s life; 
this is no void grant, but voidable by the biihop’s death, 
except it be llrengthened by the confirmation of the dean 
and chapter Confirmation, is alio defined to be the ap¬ 
probation or a Sent to an eftate already created; which as 
far as is in the confirmer’s power, makes it good and va¬ 
lid : fo that the confirmation doth not regularly create an 
eftate, but yet i’uch words may be mingled in the confirm¬ 
ation as may create and enlarge an eftate : but that is by 
force of fuch words as are foreign to the bufinefs of con¬ 
firmation, and by their own force and power tend to 
create the eftate. Gilb. Then. 75. 
A confirmation is of a nature nearly allied to a releafe. 
the words of making it are thei'e, “ have given, granted, 
ratified, approved, and confirmed.” Lilt. 515. The words 
dedl & concejji, are as ftrong as the word confirma-vi, for 
they amount to a grant of the right of the perfen 
in pofftffion; and if he has any right, he can never 
after impeach his eftate. Gilb. Ten.. 79. Madox, in p. 19 
of the Differt. annexed to the Formal. Angl. lays, that 
Bio ft ancient confirmations made after the conquelt, often 
run like feoffments § and are diltinguilhable from them, 
chiefly by lome words importing a former feoffment or 
grant. In ancient times, when feoffees were frequently 
diffeifed of their lands upon fome fuggellion, charters of 
CON 63 
confirmation feem to have been in great requeft. For m 
the early times after the conquelt, fo many confirmations 
may be met with, fucceftively made to the fame perfons, 
or their heirs or luccelfors, of the fame lands and pofl'ef- 
fions; that it looks as if they did not think themfelves 
fecqre in their poffeffions again ft the king, or the great 
lords who were their feoffors, or i:i whole fees their lands 
lay, unlefs they had repeated confirmations, from them, 
their heirs or fucceflors. And thefe confirmations very 
anciently feem to have been l'ometimes made, either hy 
precept or writ from the king, or other lords, to put the 
feoffees, or their heirs or fucceflors, into lei fin, after they - 
had been diffeifed, or to keep them in their leifin undif- 
turbed, or elfe by charter of exprefs confirmation. Leales 
for years may be confirmed for part of the term, or part 
of the land, &c. But it is otherwife of an eftate of free¬ 
hold, which being entire, cannot be confirmed for part 
of the eftate. § Rep. 81. There may be a confirmation, 
implied by law as well as exprels by deed ; where the law 
by conftruftion makes a confirmation of a grant made to 
another purpofe : and a confirmation may enlarge an 
eftate, from an eftate held at will to term of years, or a 
greater eftate; from an eftate for years to an eftate for 
life; from an eftate for life, to an eftate in tail, or in 
fee; and from an eftate in tail to an eftate in fee- 
fimple. 1 Infi. 305. But if the confirmation be made to 
leffee for life or years, of his term or eftate, and not of 
the land, this doth not increafe the eftate, though if the 
leffor confirm the land, to have and to hold the land to 
the leffee and his heirs, this will inlarge the eftate, Co. 
Lit. 299. Ploixd. 40. 
In every good confirmation, there mull be a precedent 
rightful or wrongful eftate in him to whom made, or he 
mult have the poffeffion of the thing as a foundation for 
the confirmation to work upon ; the confirmor mult have 
fuch an eftate and property in the land, that he may be 
thereby enabled to confirm the eftate of the confirmee; 
the precedent eftate mull continue till the confirmation 
come, fo that the eftate to be increafed comes into it; 
and it is required that both thele eftates be lawful. Co. 
Lit. 296. If one have common of pafture in another’s 
land, and he confirms the eftate of the tenant of the land, 
nothing paffes of the common, but it remains as it was 
before : lb if a man have a rent out of the land, and he 
doth confirm the eftate which the tenant hath in the land, 
the rent remaineth. Lit. 537. Tenant for life makes a 
leafe for years to a man, and after leafes the land to ano¬ 
ther perfon for years; and he in reverfion confirms the 
laft leafe, and after that the firft leafe, this is not good: 
the fecond leifee hath an intereft before by the confirma¬ 
tion of him in reverfion. But in a like cafe, confirma¬ 
tion of the firft leafe, after the fecond was confirmed, was 
held good : for the leafe takes no intereft by the confirma¬ 
tion, but only to make it durable and effedluai. Moor, c, 
180. Plovjd. 10. 
If a diffeilee confirm the land to the diffeifor but for 
one hour, one week, a year, or for life, it is a good con¬ 
firmation of the eftate for ever: and if he confirms the 
eltate of the diffeifor without any word of heirs, he hath 
a fee-limple; and if a diffeifor make a gift in tail, and 
the difi'eifee doth confirm the eftate of the donee, it lhali 
enure to the whole eltate : alfo if the diffeifor enfeoffs A. 
and B. and the heirs of B. and the deffeifee confirms the 
eftate of B. for his life; this fha.ll extend to his compa¬ 
nion, and for the whole fee-Ample. Co. Lit. 291, But 
where the eftate is divided, it is otherwife ; as if there 
be an eltate for life, the remainder over, there the con¬ 
firmation may be of either of the eftates : and if the lef¬ 
fee of a diffeifor of a leafe for twenty years, make a leafe 
for ten years; the diffeilee may confirm to one of them, 
and not to the other. IS a diffeifor or any other make a 
leafe for years to begin at a day to come, a confirmation 
to the leffse before the leafe begins will not be good ; 
for there is no eltate in him. Co. Lit. 296. 
The tenant in tail of land hath a reverfion in fee ex- 
pedant j 
