Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/47

§. 1. very numerous and very powerful profeion in the preervation of our rights and revenues.

I think it pat dipute that thoe gentlemen, who reort to the inns of court with a view to purue the profeion, will find it expedient (whenever it is practicable) to lay the previous foundations of this, as well as every other cience, in one of our learned univerities. We may appeal to the experience of every enible lawyer, whether any thing can be more hazardous or dicouraging than the uual entrance on the tudy of the law. A raw and unexperienced youth, in the mot dangerous eaon of life, is tranplanted on a udden into the midt of allurements to pleaure, without any retraint or check but what his own prudence can ugget; with no public direction in what coure to purue his enquiries; no private aitance to remove the ditrees and difficulties, which will always embaras a beginner. In this ituation he hisis [sic] expected to equeter himelf from the world, and by a tedious lonely proces to extract the theory of law from a mas of undigeted learning; or ele by an aiduous attendance on the courts to pick up theory and practice together, ufficient to qualify him for the ordinary run of buines. How little therefore is it to be wondered at, that we hear of o frequent micarriages; that o many gentlemen of bright imaginations grow weary of o unpromiing a earch, and addict themelves wholly to amuements, or other les innocent puruits; and that o many perons of moderate capacity confue themelves at firt etting out, and continue ever dark and puzzled during the remainder of their lives!

evident want of ome aitance in the rudiments of legal knowlege has given birth to a practice, which, if ever it had grown to be general, mut have proved of extremely perni- cious