Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/399

 Ch. 23. of even centuries, without any order or method; and the multiplicity of acts of parliament which have amended, or ometimes only altered, the common law; thee caes have made the tudy of this branch of our national juriprudence a little perplexed and intricate. It hath been my endeavour principally to elect uch parts of it, as were of the mot general ue, where the principles were the mot imple, the reaons of them the mot obvious, and the practice the leat embarraed. Yet I cannot preume that I have always been thoroughly intelligible to uch of my readers, as were before trangers even to the very terms of art, which I have been obliged to make ue of: though, whenever thoe have firt occurred, I have generally attempted a hort explication of their meaning. Thee are indeed the more numerous, on account of the different languages which our law has at different periods been taught to peak; the difficulty ariing from which will inenibly diminih by ue and familiar acquaintance. And therefore I hall cloe this branch of our enquiries with the words of ir Edward Coke : "albeit the tudent hall not at any one day, do what he can, reach to the full meaning of all that is here laid down, yet let him no way dicourage himelf, but proceed; for on ome other day, in ome other place," (or perhaps upon a econd perual of the ame) "his doubts will be probably removed."