Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/326

 310 conveyances are the following; 1. Feoffment; 2. Gift; 3. Grant; 4. Leae; 5. Exchange; 6. Partition: derivative are, 7. Releae; 8. Confirmation; 9. Surrender; 10. Aignment; 11. Defeazance.

1., feoffamentum, is a ubtantive derived from the verb, to enfeoff, feoffare or infeudare, to give one a feud; and therefore feoffment is properly donatio feudi. It is the mot antient method of conveyance, the mot olemn and public, and therefore the mot eaily remembered and proved. And it may properly be defined, the gift of any corporeal hereditament to another. He that o gives, or enfeoffs, is called the feoffor; and the peron enfeoffed is denominated the feoffee.

is plainly derived from, or is indeed itelf the very mode of the antient feodal donation; for though it may be performed by the word "enfeoff" or "grant," yet the aptet word of feoffment is "do or dedi ." And it is till directed and governed by the ame feodal rules; inomuch that the principal rule relating to the extent and effect of a feodal grant, "tenor et qui legem dat feudo," is in other words become the maxim of our law with relation to feoffments, "modus legem dat donationis ." And therefore as in pure feodal donations the lord, from whom the feud moved, mut exprely limit and declare the continuance or quantity of etate he meant to confer, "ne quis plus donae praeumatur, quam in donatione expreerit ;" o, if one grants by feoffment lands or tenements to another, and limits or exprees no etate, the grantee (due ceremonies of law being performed) hath barely an etate for life. For, as the peronal abilities of the feoffee were originally preumed to be the immediate or principal inducements to the feoffment, the feoffee's etate ought to be confined to his peron, and ubit only for his Rh