A philologicall commentary, or, An illustration of the most obvious and useful words in the lavv with their distinctions and divers acceptations, as they are found as well in reports antient and modern as in records and memorials never printed : usefull for all young students of the law / by Edward Leigh ...

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Title
A philologicall commentary, or, An illustration of the most obvious and useful words in the lavv with their distinctions and divers acceptations, as they are found as well in reports antient and modern as in records and memorials never printed : usefull for all young students of the law / by Edward Leigh ...
Author
Leigh, Edward, 1602-1671.
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London :: Printed by A.M. for Charles Adams, and are to be sold at his shop ...,
1658.
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Law -- Terminology.
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"A philologicall commentary, or, An illustration of the most obvious and useful words in the lavv with their distinctions and divers acceptations, as they are found as well in reports antient and modern as in records and memorials never printed : usefull for all young students of the law / by Edward Leigh ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A50063.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 3, 2024.

Pages

R.

RANSOME.

RAnsme, signifieth properly a summe of mo∣ney, paid for the redemption of a Captive, and is compounded of re and emo, that is to redeem, or buy again. There is a manifest difference between a ransome and an amerciament. For ransome is ever when the Law infflicteth a corporall punishment by imprisonment, but other∣wise it is of an amerciament.

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RAPE.

Rape. Raptus is when a man hath carnall knowledge of a woman by force, and against her will. But if the woman conceive that is no rape, for she cannot conceive unless she con∣sent.

This word Rape is so appropriated by Law to this case, as without the word (••••apuit) it can∣not be expressed by any periphrasis or circumlocu∣tion; for carnaliter cognovit eam, or the like will not serve.

One W. D. was arraigned in the Kings Bench upon an Indictment of Rape of a Girl of 7 years old, and not above, viz. quod ipsam felonic rapuit & carnaliter cognovit. He pleaded that he was a Sct known and prayeth for his triall per medie∣tatem linguae, and he could not have it; because a Scot is not accounted here for an Alien, but ra∣ther a Subiect, and the Scottish Language is meer English. By good evidence of divers grave Wo∣men he was found guilty, but the Court doubts of the Rape in so tender years: but if she had been nine and over it would have been otherwise. In Bractos time Ravishers were thus punished, they lost their eyes and stones, for they calorem stupri induxerunt.

REBOUTER.

Rebouter, is a French word, and is in Latin re∣pellere, to repell or bar; that is in the understand∣ing of the Common Law, the Action of the Heir by the warranty of his Ancestor, and this is called to rebut, or repell.

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RECORD.

Record, is derived of recorder to remember, as the Poet saith, si ritè audita recorder, if a Record once say the word, no man shall be received to averr or speak against it, or impugne the same, no, though such record contain a manifest or known falsehood, tending to the mischief, and overthrow of any person.

The Records are vetustatis & veritatis vestigia, the lively representations of time and truth, and reputed the Treasures of the Kingdom.

The Kings excellency is so high in the Law, that no Frce-hold may be given to the King, nor derived from him but by matter of Record.

A Record or sufficient matter in writing are good memorials, for litera scripta manet. And therefore it is said when we will by ay Record or Writing commit the memory of any thing to posterity, it is said tradare memoriae. And this is the reason that regularly a man cannot prescribe or alledge a custom against a Statute, because that is matter of Record.

Record is a memoriall or remembrance in Rolls of Parchment, of the Proceedings and Acts of a Court of Justice, which hath power to hold plea according to the course of the Common Law, of reall or mxt actions, or of actions quare vi & armis, or of such personall actions, whereof the debt or dammage amounts to forty shillings or above, which we call Courts of Record, and are created by Parliament, Letters Patents, or prescription, legally Records are rostrained to the Rolls of such only as are Courts of Record, and not Rolls of inferiour, nor of any other Courts which proceed not secundum legem & con∣suetudinem

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angliae, and the Rolls being the Re∣cords or memorials of the Judges of the Courts of Record,) import in them such incontrolable credit and verity, as they admit no averment, plea or proof to the contrary. And if such a record be alledged, and it is pleaded that there is no such record, it shall be tried only by it self, and not by witness or Jury.

REGISTER.

Register, is the name of a most antient Book, and of great authority in Law, containing all the originall Writs of the Common Law: It is two∣fold, viz. Registrum brevium originalium, & registrum brevium Iudicalium, it is a French word and signi∣fieth a memoriall of Writs.

RELATION.

Relation, is a species of fictions in Law, making a thing done at one time to be accepted, revert∣ed, and as it were repuld, or to have its operation as is it had been done at another time, past verbi gratiâ. A. doth bargain, and sell Lands to B. in August by Indenture, which is not inrolled untill Oct. following, yet this hath such relati∣on to the date of the Indenture, that if A. offer that, and before the inrolment become bound in a statute or grant a Rents charge, or make a Lease for years, or take a Wise, or committed felony, yet shall none of these be of any force to charge or prejudice the state of B. for that the Law judgeth him now owner by relation, as from the time of the date, yet if a servant depart in August, for some great breach with his Master, do kill his Master in October, this is in Law petty treason, as if he had continued servant when he did the fact, because it relates to the malice concerned, when he was his servant.

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RELEASE.

Release, is the giving or discharging of the right or action which any hath or claimeth against ano∣ther, or his Land, Laxare is properly to put Priso∣ners in setters at liberty, and relaxare is to do this often, and metaphoricè relaxare is to put at liberty settered estates and interests, and to make them absolute.

RELIEF.

Relief, as in antient time the Senatours of Rome were elected à censu of their Revenues, so here in antient time, in conserring of Nobility respect was had to their Revenues, by which their Dignity and Nobility may be supported and maintained, and so a Knight ought to have 20 li. per annum, a Baron 13 Knights Fees, and a quarter, an Earls 20 Knights Fees, and alwaies the fourth part of such Revenue which is requisite, by the Law to the Dignity shall be payed to the King for Relief, as the relief of a Knight is 5 ll. which is the 4th part of 20 ll. the re∣venue of a Knight, and the relief of a Baron is at 100 Marks which is the 4th part of his revenue, viz. 400 Marks, and includeth 13 Knights fees; and a quarter; and the relief of an Earl is a 100 ll. which is the 4th part of 400 of ll. his revenue: the Relief of a Marquess 200 Marks, his revenue being 800 Marks: the relief of a Duke shall amount

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to 200 ll. and by consequent his revenue ought to be 800 ll. per annum; for every one of the Nobility is presumed in the Law to have suffici∣ent Frank-tenement ad sustinendum nomen & onus.

REMAINDER.

Remainder, is a remnant of the estate of the Grantor, or a residue of an estate in Lands de∣pending upon a particular estate, and created toge∣ther with the same; and in Law Latin it is called remanere.

There is a diversity between a Remainder limi∣ted by particular name, and by a generall name. For a Remainder limited by generall name may be good, although the person be not in esse at the time of the remainder limited; as if a Lease for life be made the Remainder to the right Heirs of I. and S. which is alive, this Re∣mainder may be good, and yet he hath no Heir at the time of the Remainder limited, the same Law is of a Remainder primo genito filio, but a Re∣mainder limited in particular, by name of Bap∣tism and sirname is not good if the person be not in esse.

If the person that is to take the Remainder be not in rerum natura, as if a Lease for life be made the Remainder to the right Heirs of I. S. I. S. being then alive, it sufficeth that the Inhe∣ritance passeth presently out of the Lessor, but cannot rest in the Heir of I. a St. For that living his Father he is not in reram natura, for non est haeres viventis: so as the Remainder is good upon the contingent, viz. if I. S. die during the life of the Lessee.

Remainder is a residue of the estate at the same time appointed over: Reversion is a residue

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of the estate not at the same time appointed over: reversion is ad Dominum aut ejus haeredes unde jus primo derivatur Remainder ad tertium aliquem qui neque Dominus neque tenens in praesente est.

REMITTES.

Remitter, a French word, it signifieth to re∣store, and importeth a restitution of Possession unto a man antient right. It is derived of the Latin verb reomittere, which hath two significa∣tions, either to restore, and set up again, or to cease.

RENTS.

Rents, Rent paid yearly for Land, or other things, is call'd in Latin Reditus a reddendo, be∣cause it is yearly yeelded or restored for the Lands, rather à redeundo quia retr it: because it doth return to the Lessor or Donor, for the issues and profits of the Land, and in English it is called a Rent, the French word rentor, to rate or assess a price. Tenure by Rents is called vivi re∣ditus, because the Lords and the owners thereof do live by them.

A feme sole Lessee for life rendring Rent, takes a Husband, the Rent arere, the Wife dieth though here be no recovery in the Wives life time, yet be∣cause the Baron took the profit, he is still charge∣able in a Writ of debt for the Rent, for qui sentit commodum sentire debet & onus.

For Rent payable at a day, the party hath all the day till night to pay it, but i it be a great summe as five hundred, or a 1000 ll. He must be ready as long before the Sun-set, as the money may be told: for the other is not bound to tell it in the night.

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REPLEVIN.

Replevin, is derived of replegiare, to redeliver to the owner upon pledges or surety: It had its originall of the word pledges, which denoteth them that undertake for the party, that he shall abide to be justified by the Law.

Goods may be replevied two manner of waies, viz. by Writ, and that is by the Common Law, or by the pleinte, and that is by the Statutes for the more speedy having a gain of their Cattell, and Goods. Replegiare is compounded of re and plegiare, that is to redeliver upon pledge or Sure∣ties.

RESCEIT.

Resceit, is in the Civil Law called Admissio tertiae persone pro interesse, in our Law when one is sued whose estate is so weak that he cannot de∣fend full Suit, then is another who is better able admitted up payer; sometimes Receit i sur Receit, this is against rule) as, A Wife be∣ing Tenant for life is received upon the default of her Husband, and after makes default he in rever∣sion shall be received; so if baron and feme be re∣ceived, and after baron make default the feme shall be received.

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RESCOUS.

Rescous. It is an antient French word, coming from rescourrer, that is, recuperare to take from, to rescue, or recover Rescous is a taking away, and setting at liberty against Law, a distress taken, or a Parson arrested by the process or course of the Law. There is a Rescous indeed, and a Res∣cous in Law: of the first hath been spoken. A Re∣scous in Law is when a man hath taken in distress, and the Cattell distreined, as he is driving of them to the Pound, to go into the house of the owner, if he that took the distress demand them of the owner, and he deliver them not, this is a Rescous in Law.

RESERVATION.

Reservation, cometh of the Latin reservo, that is to provide for store. As when a man departeth with his land, he reserveth or provideth for him∣self a Rent for his own lively-hood. And some∣time it hath the force of saving or excepting; so as sometime it serveth to reserve a new thing, viz. a rent, and sometime to except part of the thing in esse, that is granted.

RETRAXIT.

Retraxit, is so called, because that word is the effectuall word in the entry. The difference be∣tween a non-suit and a retraxit, is ever when the Demandant or Plaintiff is present in Court. A non-suit is ever upon a demand made, when the Demandant▪ or Plaintiff should appear, and he makes default. A retraxit is a barre of all other actions, of like or inferiour nature. Q•••• semel acti∣onem renunciavit amplius repetere non potest. But re∣gularly non-suit is not so, but that he may com∣mence an action of like nature again. For it may be that he hath mistaken somewhat in that acti∣on,

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or was not provided of his proofs, or mistook the day, or like.

REVERSION.

Reversion, it hath a double acception in our Law, the one is, jus revertendi cum status possessio∣nis defecerit: and this is but an interest in the Land when the occupation and possession of it shall fall, and so it is commonly taken. 2. When the possession and estate which was parted for a time ceaseth, and is determined in the persons of the aliens, assignees, grantees, or their Heirs, and shall effectually return to the Donor, his heirs or assignees whence it was derived. This is the most apt and proper signification of the word, which is nomen verbale, and derived of the verb revertor, & aptè dici non potest reversio; ante∣quam revertatur in facto.

A reversion is where the residue of the estate alwaies doth continue in him that made the par∣ticular estate, or where the particular estate is derived out of his estate. Cook on Lit. l. 1. c. 2. sect. 19.

RIGHT.

Right. Ius or right in generall signification includeth not only a ight for the which a writ of Right doth lie, but also any title or claim ei∣ther by force of a condition, Mo••••••ain or the like, for the which no Action is given by Law, but only an entry.

There is Ius proprietatis a right of ownership: Ius pssessionis, a ight of seis or possession: and Ius proprietatis & possessionis; a right both of pro∣perty

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and possession; and this is antiently called Ius duplicatum. For example, if a man be disseised of an Acre of Land, the Disseisee hath Ius proprietatis, the Disseisor hath Ius possessionis, and if the Disseisee release to the Disseisor, he hath Ius proprietatis, & possessionis dormit aliquando Ius, moritur nunquam: for of such an high estima∣tion is right in the eye of the Law, as the Law preserveth it from death and destruction, troden down it may be, but never troden out.

Ius sive Rectum, signifieth properly and spe∣cially in Writs and in Pleas when an Estate is turned to a right, as by a discontinuance, dis∣sesin, where it shall be said, quod Ius descendit & non terra. But Right (also) doth include the Estate in esse in conveyances; and therefore if the Tenant in Fee-simple make a Lease for years, and release all his right in the Land to the Lessee and his Heirs, the whole estate in Fee-simple passeth.

Ius est sextuplex: 1. Ius recuperandi: 2. In∣tandi: 3. Habendi: 4. Retinendi: 5. Percipiendi: 6. Pos∣sidendi.

RIOT.

Riot, is where three (at the least) or more do some unlawfull Act, it comes from the French word riottor, id est, rixari, scold or brawle.

ROBBERY.

Robbery, is so called, because Goods are taken as it were de la robe, from the robe, that is from the person. It is when a man taketh any thing from the person, or out of the possession of ano∣ther seloniously.

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A Robbery was done in Ianuary after the Sun∣setting, during twilight, and it was adjudged that the Hundred should answer for it, because it was convenient time for men to travell, or be about their works or businesses, and with this accords the Book in 3. Edw. 3. tit coronne 293. that if one kill another at the hour of the Evening and escape, by the Common Law the Town shall be amerced, for this is counted in the Law part▪ of the day.

A man in time of Divine service upon the Sab∣bath Day was rob'd, Mountague Chief Justice was of opinion that the Hundred should not be charg'd, but Doderidge, Sir Iohn Crook, and Hawtain Justi∣ces, were of contrary opinion, that the Hundred should be charged, and so it was adjudged termi∣no Michaelis.

Although the thing so taken be not to the value but of a penny, yet it is felony for which the offender shall suffer death, and shall not have the benefit of his Clergy, not so much for the value of the goods taken, as for terrifying the party robbed, a putting him in dread and fear of his life.

He that robbeth any dwelling house, or out∣house belonging to it in the day time, of the va∣lue of 5 s. whether it be money, goods or catels shall not have his Clergy.

If a Bailiff of a Mannor, or a receiver, or a Factor of a Merchant, or the like accountant be robbed, he shall be discharged thereof upon his account. But otherwise it is of a Carrier, for he hath his Hire, and thereby implicitely underta∣keth the safe delivery of the goods delivered to him, and therefore he shall answer the value of them if he be robbed of them. So if goods be de∣livered to a man to be safely kept, and after those

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goods are stollen from him, this shall not excuse him, because by the acceptance he undertook to keep them safely, and therefore he must keep them at his perill. So it is if goods be delivered to one to be kept; for to be kept and to be safely kept is all one in Law: but if goods be deli∣vered to him to be kept as he would keep his own, there if they be stollen from him without his default or negligence, he shall be discharged. So if goods be delivered to one as a gage or pledge, and they be stollen he shall be discharged, because he hath a property in them, and there∣fore he ought to keep them no otherwise then his own: but if he that gaged them tendred the money before the stealing, and the other refused to deliver them, then for this default in him he shall be charged. If A. leave a Chest locked with B. to be kept, and taketh away the Key with him, and acquainteth not B. what is in the Chest, and the Chest together with the goods of B. are stollen away, B. shall not be charged therewith, because A. did not trust B. with them as ths case is.

ROGUE.

Rogue. This word is but a late guest in our Law, for the Elder Statutes call such a one a vu∣an strong or sturdy Begger and Vagbond, and it seemeth to be seched from the Latin R∣galor, an asker or Beggar, or the French, Rogue 〈…〉〈…〉d est arrogans.

ROUT.

Rout, is so called, because they do move and proceed in routs and numbers. The difference etwixt an unlawfull assembly, a rout and riot, s this, when three or more do meet to do an un∣awfull act, this is an unlawfull Assembly, when

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they move being weaponed from the place of their meeting, towards the place where they purpose to do an unlawfull act, (though they do it not) this is a Rout. When with unlawfull weapons, they do an unlawfull act, this is a Riot. An un∣lawfull Assembly may well be called an Intro∣duction, a Rout, a Persecution, and a Riot, an Execution.

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