of restraints," in your walks and otherwise, to unruly cattle. What are vicious persons, though perhaps, in honourable stations, but like the beasts! Well-disposed constables have done wonderful things in a town, to maintain good order. I entreat you, therefore, to turn your thoughts and your consultations to inquiry, "What good may I do?"

Where TITHING-MEN are chosen and sworn, they may do more than a little good, if they will conscientiously perform their duty. Let them well study the laws which lay down their duty, and let them also often consider, "What good may I do?" Let them consult with one another at certain times, in order to find out what they have to do, and to assist and strengthen one another in doing it.—I have done with the civil list.

MILITARY COMMANDERS have their opportunities to "do good." They do this in an eminent degree when they cherish exercises of piety in their several companies and regiments, and when they rebuke the vices of the camp with due severity. Might not societies to suppress these vices be formed in the camp, to very good purpose, under their inspection? And if the soldiers ask, "What shall we do?" all my answer at present is, Sirs, consider what you have to do.

The

COMMANDERS AT SEA have their opportunities also. The more absolute they are in their command, the greater are their opportunities. worship of God seriously and constantly maintained aboard, will be of great importance. A body of good orders hung up in the steerage, and carefully enforced, may produce consequences for which all

the people in the vessel may at least have reason to be thankful. Books of piety should also be taken aboard, and the men should be desired to retire for the perusal of them, and for other pious exercises.

But whilst our book seems to have so far discharged its office and design of a counsellor as to leave no further expectations, a considerable number of persons present themselves to our notice, who might justly complain, if among these proposals to do good, they should remain unnoticed. Some whom we do not find among those who addressed the blessed morning-star of our Saviour for his directions, yet are now found among those who inquire," And what shall we do?" I refer to the GENTLEMEN OF THE LAW, who have that in their hands, the end of which is, " To do good;" and the perversion of which from its professed end is one of the worst of evils.

Gentlemen, your opportunities to do good are such, and your liberal and gentlemanly education gives you such advantages, that proposals of what you may do, cannot but promise themselves an obliging reception with you. And even with common pleaders at the bar, I hope that maxim of the law will not be forgotten: "The situation of a lawyer is so dignified, that none should be raised to it from a mean condition in life." Things are not come to such a state that an honest lawyer should require a statue, as the honest publican of old did, merely on the score of rarity. You may, if you aim at it, be entitled to one on the score of universal and meritorious usefulness.

In order to your being useful, Sirs, it is neces

sary that you should be skilful; and that you may arrive at an excellent skill in the law, you will be well advised what authors to study. The well advised on this point may have much wisdom. The knowledge of your own statute-law is incontestably needful. The same may be said of the commonlaw, which must continually accompany the execution of it. Here, besides useful dictionaries, you have your Cooks, and Vaughan, and Wingate, and Daltons, and Kebles, and many more, with with whom you may converse. I am sorry to find a gentleman, about the middle of the former century, complaining of the English law, "that the books of it cannot be perused with any deliberation, under three or four years, and that the expense of them is very great." I do not propose so tedious and difficult a task; for the civil law must also be known by those who would be well acquainted with legal proceedings. Huge volumes, and loads of them, have been written upon it; but among all these, two small ones, the Enchiridion of Corvinus, and Arthur Duck's Treatise De usu et authoritate juris civilis, at least, should be consulted, and digested by every one who would not be an ignoramus. I will be still more free in declaring my opinion. Had I learning enough to manage a cause of that nature, I should be very ready to maintain it at any bar in the world, that there never was known under the cope of heaven, a more learned man, than the incomparable ALSTEDIUS. He has written on every subject in the whole circle of learning, as accurately and as exquisitely as those who have devoted their whole lives to the cultivation of any one particular subject.

The only reason why his compositions are not more esteemed is, the pleonasm of his worth, and their deserving so much esteem. To hear some silly men, with a scornful sneer, talk as if they had sufficiently set him at nought, by a foolish pun on his name—All's tedious, is to see the ungrateful folly of the world; for conciseness is one of his peculiar excellencies. They might more justly charge him with any thing than tediousness. This digression only serves to introduce a recommendation of this excellent man's Jurisprudentia," as one of the best books a lawyer can be acquainted with. I shall wrong it if I say, "It is much in a little:" I must say, "It is all in one."

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A lawyer should be a scholar. It is vexatious that the emperor Justinian, whose name is now on the laws of the Roman empire, (because it was by his order that Tribonian made his hasty, and some say fallacious, collection of them, from the two thousand volumes, into which they had been growing for a thousand years) is by Suidas called "Analphabetos-one who scarcely knew his alphabet." It is vexatious to find Accursius, one of the first commentators on the laws, fall, through his ignorance, into so many gross mistakes: and when a sentence of Greek occurred in the text, unable to afford any better gloss than this," This is Greek which can neither be read nor explained." Though the thing was but a trifle, it was no honour to those writers on the Pandect not to know of what gender the name was. It was strange, that when the subject was "Of the signification of words," the great interpreter of it should leave as a maxim, De verbebus non

curat Juris consultus. However, a Bartolus has not so roughened your study, as a Budœas has polished

it.

But, Sirs, when you are called upon to be wise, the chief design is, that you may be wise to do good. Without such a disposition, "doth not their excellency which is in them go away? They die. even without wisdom.” A foundation of piety must first be laid; an inviolable just and good law of God.

respect to the holy and

This must be the rule

of all your actions; and it must particularly regulate your practice of the law. You are sensible that it was always the custom of the civil law to begin with -"A Deo optimo maximo"-" To the most high and gracious God:" nor was it unusual for the instruments of the law to begin with XP the first two letters of XPIETOE, the name of Christ. The life of the lawyer should have its beginning there, and be carried on with a constant regard to it. The old Saxon laws had the Ten Commandments prefixed to them-Ten Words, in Two Tables, of infinitely greater value than the famous Twelve Tables, so much admired by Tully and other writers of antiquity; in the fragments of which, collected by Baldwin and others, there are some things horribly unrighteous and barbarous. These are to be the first laws with you; and, as all the laws that are contrary to these are ipso facto null and void, so, in the practice of the law, every thing disallowed by these must be avoided. The man whom the Scripture calls a lawyer, was a Karaite, or one who strictly adhered to the written law of God, in opposition to Pharisee and the Traditionist. I know not why