Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 16.pdf/856

 The " Black Books " of Lincolns Inn. yer. Take as an example the legal point which Sir Thomas Alore—himself a member of Lincoln's Inn at this time—propounded to the wiseacres of Bruges' utriim averia in ivitheramia suit irrcplcgiabilia—whether beasts of the plough taken in reprisal are repleviable. To bring into a moot matter which was no matter of law was finable. There was also a sensible rule that a moot was not to contain more than two points. The following entry suggests an amusing

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the two gentlemen (who argued) during the argument." So keen were the Benchers to encourage the learning of the law that, not content with Courts, and moots, and bolts, they or dered that at dinner every four sitting at one table were to argue a case put by the puisne of the four. This proved unpopular, at least we find Thomas Morsse put out of Commons because he had been notified by the Societv to communicate instruction

NEW HALL AND LIBRARY. FROM NEW SQUARE.

scene—"Whereas Mennell, one of the Utter Barristers, was negligent and toke lytyl study in his last moote and was not conformabyll to the saying and orders of the Bench in his lernying and motyng but pre sumptuously seyd to the Benche that they coude not brynge in the learnying bettei than it was brought in"—he was put out of commons. The "Bolt" was a sort of Moot in which a person call "Putease'' was requisitioned. "Putease" started the dis cussion and then—by a prudent provision of the Bench—was "to sit down betweene

after dinner and "he gave the felows oppror brious and presumptions words.'' He no doubt resented it as talking "shop," but we need not interpret "opprobrious words'1 too seriously; for we have one, Barnard, fined 5 marks for refusing the office of "Master of the Revels" with opprobrious words which were nothing worse than that "he could not nor would not exercise the said office." Those times were much more punctilious in the matter of language than we are todav.