Curia Regis, have been already published by Madox in his notes to his History of the Exchequer : others of them are probably contained in the Abstracts and transcripts preserved at the Chapter House, and in the libraries of some of the Inns of Court; and with regard to the rest, it is very doubtful whether they are sufficiently perfect for publication. Of the Placita Forestæ, which are dispersed in so many different Repositories, it might be useful to print one general Catalogue. The Special Judgments of the Common Law Courts in the reign of Edward I, are highly commended by Lord Hale, who says," that the reason of the law upon which the Court proceeded, is many times expressly delivered upon the Record itself." And the value which he set upon them appears by the large selections and copies from them which he obtained, and bequeathed, with his other MSS. to the Society of Lincoln's Inn. It may be desirable therefore that his selections should be printed, and that such other selections should be made, as were suggested by the Keeper of the Chapter House Records in 1732; or, that the abstract, now preserved in the Chapter House, and specified by the present Officer in his return upon this subject; or, the book mentioned in the return from the Society of the Middle Temple should be printed; accordingly as it may appear upon a careful inspection and comparison of them all, that any of these latter compilations can be substituted for Lord Hale's, if his cannot be obtained for the Public; or perhaps be made supplementary to it, if they should appear to take in a larger compass of time. As these Records would be particularly serviceable in illustrating the year books, a subject discussed with great erudition and ability, in a return made from the Society of Lincoln's Inn, the Committee strongly recommend, that the series of those books from Edward I, to Henry VIII, should be completed, by printing those hitherto unpublished, of which there are several extant in the Libraries of Lincoln's Inn, the Inner Temple, and the British Museum ; and also by reprinting the rest from more correct copies, as those which are already in print are known to be in many instances incorrect and erroneous. A General Index to the whole would be a very necessary addition to such a work, which forms so valuable a monument of our practical jurisprudence in its earliest ages. Together with the preceding articles, it is rightly suggested in the very learned return from the Society of Lincoln's Inn, that an uniform and systematic edition might be given of all the ancient law writers, as more perfect copies are known to exist in Manuscript, than those which have hitherto been published. And at the same time the Committee have to submit the propriety of printing from the Red Book of the Exchequer, the ancient regulations, intituled, Ordinationes Scaccarii, as a Supplement to the celebrated Dialogue de Scaccario, contained in the same book. They have upon the present occasion thought fit to subjoin to this report a collection of all the Oaths of Office, contained in the Red Book, and in the Black Book of the Exchequer of Receipt, and on the Rolls of the Petty Bag, and of the Clerk of the Crown, in Chancery; for it is not less true than extraordinary, that no perfect or authorised copy has yet been published of these recorded evidences of the obligations imposed upon, and undertaken by the several Public officers, who are sworn to discharge the various functions connected with the Administration of our Laws and Government. Many Statutes and Ordinances recorded in the Rolls of Parliament, and others which are extant upon the Statute Roll, are not inserted in the printed Statute Books, which are only compilations by private hands; and the Com mittee therefore think it highly expedient for the honour of the nation, and the benefit of all his Majesty's subjects, that a complete and authoritative edition of all the Statutes should be printed.* Much assistance may be derived occasionally from a knowledge even of those which were enacted for temporary purposes, and are since expired; and in the prosecution of such a work, it will be proper to consult the most ancient and perfect manuscript copies preserved in the Exchequer, and the several public libraries of the Inns of Court, the Universities, and the British Mu seum. It might also be very useful for many purposes of government and legislation, to select and print the REPORTS made by Committees of either House of Parliament, upon great Public Questions; and the same reasons which induced this House to order a selection of its own Reports to be printed in the year 1773, may now render it proper to continue the Series. The STATE PAPERS published together in Rymer's Fœdera, form a most valuable collection. They commence from the reign of Henry I, Anno, 1134; but they do not come lower in date than the first six years of Charles the Second, during the Usurpation; and it appears to the Committee, that it may be very desirable to have this work completed by a supplementary selection of such other important Papers as were omitted by the original compilers, and also to have it continued to the Revolution, or even to the Accession of the House of Hanover. [To be continued.] • The following Statutes among others, have been printed from Copies in the Cotton Manuscripts, which may now be seen upon the Rolls of Parliament; viz. 18 Edward I, Quo Warranto. Rot. Parl. vol. i. p. 36.-18 Edward I, Stat. Westm. 3. Quia Emptores, Rot. Parl. vol. i. p. 41.-20 Edward I, Stat. Vouchers, and 20 Edward III, De Defensione Juris. Rot. Parl. vol. i. p. 78. MANUSCRIPTS. Account of the Manuscript Library of Lincoln's Inn. By the Right Honourable SILVESTER DOUGLAS, (now LORD GLENBERVIE,) Master of the Library. [From the Appendix to the Report on the Public Records of Great Britain.] There is in the custody of the Society of Lincoln's Inn, being the property of the society, a considerable collection of Manuscripts, containing matters of a parliamentary, judicial, legal and public nature. Among them are, strictly speaking, scarcely any originals; but many of the transcripts and abstracts, in the collection, have in some respects acquired the value of originals, and are in the estimation of those who have had occasion to examine them, of great authenticity and importance. They belonged for the greatest part, to that illustrious member of Lincoln's Inn, Lord Chief Justice HALE, who bequeathed them to the Society by a clause in his will, which being short, it may not be improper to insert in this place, both as it expresses the opinion of a person so eminently capable of appreciating their value, and for another reason to be mentioned afterwards. "As a testimony of my honour and respect to the Society of Lincoln's Inn, where I had the greatest part of my education, I give and bequeath to that honourable society, the several Manuscript Books contained in a schedule annexed to my will. They are a treasure worth the having and keeping, which I have been near 40 years in gathering, with very great industry and expense. My desire is, that they be kept safe, and altogether, in remembrance of me. They were fit to be bound in leather and chained, and kept in Archives. I desire they may not be lent out, or disposed of, only if I happen hereafter to have any of my posterity of that society, that desires to transcribe any book, and gives very good security to restore it again within a prefixed time, such as the benchers of that society in council shall approve of, then, and not otherwise, only one book at one time may be lent out to them by the society. They are a treasure not fit for every man's view, nor is every man capable of making use of them, only I would have nothing of these books printed, but entirely preserved together, for the use of the industrious learned members of that worthy society." This clause was printed by Dr. Burnet at the end of his Life of Sir Matthew Hale, but for the sake of accuracy, an office copy of that, and of the schedule, have on the present occasion been obtained from Doctors' Commons. But as neither the schedule nor another catalogue, which is kept in the Library, is sufficiently accurate or explicit to indicate in a satisfactory manner the contents of the different volumes, Mr. Caley was requested by the Master of the Library, to inspect every separate book in the collection, which he accordingly did, and it appears, on the result of that inspection, that all the manuscript transcripts, and copies of books, and documents of a public nature, may be arranged under the three following heads. I. STATUTE LAW: comprehending, 1. Statutes. 2. Other Parliamentary Matters. II. COMMON LAW AND MATTERS OF A JURIDICAL 1. Ancient writers on the Law. 2. Copies and Abstracts of Records of various sorts. 3. Itinera, Placita, and Assizæ. 4. Repertories of, and References to, Records in Public Offices. 5. Reports of Judicial Proceedings. |
