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beyond which no plaintiff can lay his caufe of aflfion. 
This, by the flat. 32 Hen. VIII. c. 2. in a writ of right is 
60 years; in affizes, writs of entry, or other pofTeffory 
aflions real, of the feifin of one’s anceftors in lands, 
and either of their feifin, or one’s own, in rents, fuits, 
and fervices, 50 years^ and in actions real for lands 
grounded upon one’s own feifin or poffeflion, fuch pof- 
feffion muft have been within 30 years. By 1 Mary 
ft. 2. c. 5. this limitation does not extend to any fuit for 
advowfons. But by the ftatute 21 Jac. I. c. 2. a time of 
limitation was extended to the cafe of the king ; viz. 60 
years precedent to 19th Feb. 16235 but, this becoming 
ineffectual by efflux of time, the fame date of limitation 
was fixed by ftatute 9 Geo. III. c. 16. to commence and 
be reckoned backwards, from the time of bringing any 
fuit or other procefs to recover the thing in queftion ; 
fo that a poffeffton for 60 years is now a bar even againft 
the prerogative, in derogation of the ancient maxim, 
Nullum tempus oecun it regi. By another ftatute, 21 Jac. 
I. c. 16. twenty years is the time of limitation in any 
writ of formedon : and, by a confequence, 20 years is 
alfo the limitation in every aCtion of ejeCtment. Laftly, 
by ftatute 10 W. III. c. 14. no writ of error, fcire facias , 
or other fuit, fhall be brought to reverfe any judgment, 
fine, or recovery, for error, unlefs it be profecuted within 
20 years. The ufe of thefe ftatutes of limitation is to 
preferve the peace of the kingdom, and to prevent thofe 
innumerable perjuries which might enfue if a man were 
allowed to bring an aCtion for any injury committed at 
any diftance of time. Upon both thefe accounts the law 
therefore holds, that interejl reipublicce ut fit finis litium: 
and upon the fame principle the Athenian laws in ge¬ 
neral prohibited all attions where the injury was com¬ 
mitted five years before the complaint was made. 
The conditions and qualities of a plea are, 1. That 
it be Angle, and containing only one matter j for dupli¬ 
city begets confufion, 2. That it be direft and pofitive, 
and not argumentative. 3. That it have convenient 
certainty of time, place, and perfons. 4. That it anfwer 
the plaintiff’s allegations in every material point. 5. 
That it be fo pleaded as to be capable of trial. 
Plea to Indictment, the defenfive matter alleged 
by a criminal on his arraignment. This is either, 1. A 
plea to the jurifdi&ion ; 2. A demurrer j 3. A plea in 
abatement; 4. A fpecial plea in bar 3 or, 5. The general 
iffue. 
x. Plea to the JurifdiSlion, is where an indictment is 
taken before a court that hath no cognizance of the 
offence^ as if a man be indicted for a rape at the fheriff’s 
tourn, or for treafon at the quarter-fefflons : in thefe or 
fimilar cafes, he may except to the jurifdidlion of the 
court, without anfwering at all to the crime alleged. 
2. See the article Demurrer, vol. v. p. 717. 
3. A Plea in Abatement is principally for a mifnomer , a 
wrong name, or a falfe addition to the prifoner. See 
Abatement, vol. i. p. 7. 
4. Special Pleas in Par; thefe go to the merits of the 
indidlment, and give a reafon why the prifoner ought 
not to anfwer it at all, nor put himfelf upon his trial for 
the crime alleged. Thefe are of four kinds : a former 
acquittal, a former conviction, a former attainder, or a 
pardon. There are many other pleas which may be 
pleaded in bar of an appeal : but thefe are applicable to 
both appeals and indictments. 
5. r P/ie General Iffue, or plea of Not guilty, upon which 
plea alone the prifoner can receive his final judgement of 
death. In cafe of an indidlment of felony or treafon, 
there can be no fpecial juftification put in by way of plea. 
As, on an indidlment for murder, a man cannot plead 
that it was in his own defence againft a robber on the 
highway, or a burglars but he mu & plead the general ifiue. 
Not guilty, and give the fpecial matter in evidence, and 
the jury, upon the evidence, will take notice of any de¬ 
fenfive matter, and give their verdidl accordingly as ef- 
1 fediualiy as if it were or could be fpecially pleaded. So 
P L E 
that this is, upon all accounts, the mod advantageous 
plea for the prifoner. And there ftill remains, in fome 
cafes, 
6. A Plea in Bar of Execution, which may be either 
infanity, pregnancy, the king’s pardon, an adl of grace, 
or diverfity of perfon, viz. that he is not the fame that 
was attainted, and the like. In this laft cafe a jury fhall be 
impannelled to try this collateral iffue, viz. the identity 
of his perfon, and not whether guilty or innocent; for 
that has been decided before. In thefe collateral iffues, 
the trial fhall be in/lanler, and no time allowed the pri¬ 
foner to make his defence, or produce his witneffes, 
unlefs he will make oath that he is not the perfon at¬ 
tainted 5 neither fhall any peremptory challenges of the 
jury be allowed the prifoner, though formerly fuch 
challenges were held to be allowable, whenever a man’s 
life was in queftion. 
Plea of the Sword. Ranulph earl of Chefter, 
2 Hen. III. granted to his barons of Chefhire an ample 
charter of liberties, “ exceptis placitis ad gladium meum 
pertinentibus.” The reafon of the exception was, that 
William the Conqueror gave the earldom of Chefter to 
his half-brother Hugh, commonly called Lupus, anceftor 
of this Ranulph, “ tenere ita libere ad gladium, ficut 
ipfe.rex tenuit Angliam & corOnam.” Accordingly, in 
all indictments for felony, murder, &c. in the county 
palatine, the form was, “ Contra pacem domini comitis, 
gladium & dignitatem fuam 5” or, “Contra dignitatem 
gladii Ceftrite.” Such were the pleas for the dignity of 
the earl of Chefter. 
To PLEACH, v. a. [ plefier, Fr. tt\exu, Gr. See To 
Plait.] To bend ; to interweave. A word not in ufe. 
Dr. Johnfon fays.—But to pleach a hedge, is a common 
northern term for bind a hedge, and perhaps in other 
parts ; meaning to bend down the branches fo as to 
interweave them, and thus thicken the fence. Todd. 
Steal into the pleached bower. 
Where honey-fuckles, ripen’d by the fun, 
Forbid the fun to enter. Shakefpeare. 
Would’ft thou be window’d in great Rome, and fee 
Thy mafter thus, with pleach'd arms, bending down 
His corrigible neck ? Shakefpeare. 
■■ To PLEAD, v. n. [plaider, Fr. Spenfer ufes the pref. 
pled, inltead of pleaded.'] To argue before a court of 
juftice.—Lawyers and divines write down ftiort notes, in 
order to preach or plead. Walts on the Mind.— O thar 
one might plead fora man with God, as a ma n-pltadeih 
for his neighbour ! Job xvi. 21, 
With him came 
Many grave perfons that againft her pled. Spenfer's F. Q. 
Let others govern or defend the (late, 
Plead at the bar, or manage a debate. Granville. 
To fpeak in an argumentative or perfuafive way for or 
againft ; to reafon with another.—Who is he that will 
plead with me? for now if I hold my tongue, I fhall 
give up the ghoft. Job, xiii. 19. 
If nature plead not in a parent’s heart, 
Pity my tears, and pity her defert. Drijden. 
To be offered as a plea : 
Since you can love, and yet your error fee. 
The fame refiftlefs pou'er may plead for me. 
With no lefs ardour I my claim purfue ; 
I love, and cannot yield her even to you. Dipdcn. 
To PLEAD, v. a. To defend ; to difeufs : 
Will you we fhow our title to the crown ? 
If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field. Shakefpeare. 
To allege in pleading or argument.—Don Sebaftian came 
forth to intreat, that they might part with their arms 
like foldiers; it was told him, that they could not juftly 
plead law of nations, for that they were not lawful 
enemies. Spenfer Ireland. —To offer as an excufe.— 
..3 I will 
