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A standing plan uniformly observed in the composition of Statutes –
would be of use, even tho' it were a bad one: for thus, he that should know
one Statute would in certain respects, and to a certain degree
know all.
As it is designed that all men should be governed by the Law;
& those only can be governed by it who know it: & of them only
they that understand it: the universal intelligibility of the
Law is just as important a consideration as any other that
belongs to it. The Stile language of them therefore should be levelled
to the meanest understanding: both by reason of the number
of those who come within the description; & by reason of their situation
which renders them most exposed to those temptations
which it is for the Law to combat: & their turn of mind grossness of the mental form, poverty of moral Ideaswhich
makes them less susceptible of the influence of moral consideration restraints
which stand instead of Law to those who are under
their influence.
But the language best suited to the meanest understanding
is far from being the language of the meanest mouths: and
a man of a cultivated and understanding untainted with verbal
pedantry, will upon a given occasion make himself much better
understood to a plough-man, than two plough-men would
make themselves understood to one another. The task of investigating
the maximum of comprehensive simplicity is one
of the most difficult that can happen to the lot of man,
since the maximum of comprehensive simplicity is but one
but the ways in which it may be violated are without number:
and it is Grammarian & the Metaphysician
are necessary assistants to the Legislator.
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Identifier: | JB/079/057/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 79. |
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079 |
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057 |
compos. |
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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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25499 |
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