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Meanwhile vitious as is the present stile of composition
in opposition contrary to the national course of Sciences — whose basis is — experience
on the score of it’s prolixity let us beware how we fall into
the prejudice of those, who expecting to meet find that excellence
which has not appeared as yet by searching backwards manifested shown itself.
would send us to the School of Barbarism for the models of inferring at once their excellence of their ancient Statutes from their— Shortness.
of perfection [let us consider rather that] if of the 2 great grand points
of [the] Legislative style, composition Brevity & Comprehension, But Perspecuity a 3d
Brevity is but one: that the Brevity which which the Law demands [is the object
of the Legislator’s study] is not absolute, but proportional
a Brevity which causes requires not simply that the number of words be few,
but that it be in a small ratio to that of the Ideas: that work
not by omission defalcation, but by comprehension.
A Brevity pregnant not barren That originates not from the penury of the conception imagination but
from it's richness, not from the indolence of the composer—
but from his industry not from the narrowness but from
the comprehension of his Views.
That the stile be well clad with words, neither smother'd
with them on one hand, nor naked of them on the other.
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Our idea of perfection, to be a legitimate one, must be formed
by abstraction of the views of the [present] System which
we see, not of views and it’s excellences together.
Those gloomy & false-witted speculator’s who look back brood over
with dispondence to their ancestors instead of looking—
forward with hope to their posterity.
Compare the Substaantive
clauses to be genial with troops few &
ill chosen that would often instead of ennoying their enemies,
recoil upon their friend.
The arts of speech is <add>discourse</add> Grammar is perfected fabricated not first from rule, but
from much which has been written without rule.
That abundance of materials proceeds accuracy of disposition
compilement
COMPOS. Stat. Singly — as a discourse — General Idea. Ancient. [BR][][] bad models. Causes of Vitiosity. 1st Habit. 2. Ostenation
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Style vitious — 2 Causes. 1. Habit. 2. Ostentation Is he a veteran in the profession? he goes on with it because
it is familiar to him: he is used to it, he has got the habit
of it. Is he out of the profession, or young in it? he takes That the vulgar ...
(and there are few that are not in this
respect the vulgar)
may nod their heads
and may say say he has got the lingo as well as the best of them.
it up make display of his dexterity to show his expertness. Few indeed these are, who
as far as it can be done by this, fail of making out their
title to the reputation of able draughtsmen: as justly as
the equally vain and obseqeous personages who by—
feigning themselves partakers in the infirmities of their
Sovereign, thought to become partakers in his glory.
as if the same simplicity of language, which is the
Parent of precision in all the Sciences, were in this alone
the destroyer.
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The wry-neck of Alexander is easier copied than his Heroism.
— 3. Timidity — 4. Interest. 3. Timidity, the fruit of ignorance, or one
other of the half-knowledge. For sheer ignorance
is self-sufficient.
4. Interest.
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Identifier: | JB/070/063/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70.
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070 |
of laws in general |
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063 |
compos. stat. singly - as a discourse - general idea |
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001 |
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copy/fair copy sheet |
1 |
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recto |
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[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]] |
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23178 |
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