consideration, in Ireland, was altogether confused, obscure, and mutilated. And that the reprint, in London, retained and imitated with perverse ingenuity all the imperfections of the former edition, adding thereto many others peculiarly its own. The probable reason of which was, that some copies were taken in writing from the original manuscript of the author, and others again from them, till, by means of the multiplicity of the transcripts, multiplied mistakes crept in, partly through ignorance, partly from neglect. And, from one or other of these copies, thus carelessly transcribed, and not faithfully collated with the original, spurious editions found their way into circulation.

An accurate inspection of the manuscripts confirmed me in this idea. For I perceived, that certain words, and lines, and parts or clauses of sentences, which the author had placed by themselves, or had inserted in the margin, or had attached to fly leaves, were by the transcriber passed over unnoticed, as he proceeded rapidly forward with his work. But, afterwards, when he became aware of his mistakes by collating his transcript with the original, he corrected the errors, by placing in the margin the words or clauses which he had previously omitted; without, however, an asterisk, or any other mark, signifying to what portion of the sentence the insertion belonged, or whether it was to be kept separate as a note. Which accounts for the various blunders made by the Irish editor, who appears to have been but little, or not at all, versed in the practice of our ecclesiastical courts: and explains why, in such numerous instances, he inserted the marginal references in their wrong places. To transplant these words and clauses back again, from the furrows into which they have been promiscuously thrown, without any attention to locality, into their proper beds, and thoroughly to root out other noxious errors, would be a work of great difficulty. In truth, it would be necessary to break up afresh, and re-till the whole ground, as the only means of securing an abundant harvest of genuine fruit.

Words and sentences are often so preposterously jumbled together, and huddled into places not their own, that the sense of whole pages is either entirely altered, or very much confused, so as to baffle the understanding. Whilst the total omission of

clauses, where they should have been inserted: their juxta-position, where they should have been separated: the mistake of the plaintiff's name for the defendant's: together with every other imaginable description of error, with which almost every second line is full to overflowing, tends to generate in the reader's mind a corresponding cloudiness. To which we must further add, the insufficiency of the index, caused by its paucity of words, and poverty of matter, the effect of indolence in its composition. Not even the notices of the chapters, or titles referred to, are correct. And where the gnomon is seen, to guide, as might be hoped, to some fixed place of reference or parallel passage, it is involved in so delusive and shadowy a light, as to elude our observation, and points to vacancy. Overwhelmed by this last deception, the reader is left without hope in the very abyss of his difficulties, destitute of every means of satisfying his inquiries. In vain he turns the leaves over and over again, with fruitless toil; till, at length, in disgust, he escapes from the labyrinth by throwing the book aside; for even the chapters are almost all misplaced, order being scarcely ever attended to, or rather being ridiculed, and set open defiance.

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But, to return to my own work, upon which the fire had made such dreadful ravages. Behold it at length restored; and prepared, by its publication, to redeem the pledge so kindly made in its behalf by its illustrious sponsors. It comes forth, however, under a different title; from my desire to assimilate it to a beautiful treatise published at Cologne, in the year 1570, by Maranta, a most illustrious advocate of Venosa. The title adopted by that learned writer is, "De ordine judiciorum," (Concerning the order or forms of judicial proceedings.) And in the 3d and 21st sections of his preface, he thus explains the meaning of the terms: "Ordo" is the form or method of legal proceedings, without an attention to which no step can be taken correctly; and "Judicium" is the corner stone on which all legal knowledge depends; evidently, therefore, requiring to be fixed with the greatest precision.

Relying on the force of these positions, I have given to my work on the same subject, composed with care to the best of my poor ability, a similar title, styling it, "Ordinem Judiciorum, seu

methodum procedendi in negotiis et litibus in foro nostro Ecclesiastico Civili," i. e. The rule of judicial proceedings, or the mode of conducting suits, and other businesses in our ecclesiastical courts, agreeably to the canon and civil laws.

The importance of such a work is evident; for, the validity of all processes at law, depending upon an attention to established forms, if they are neglected in any stage of a suit, the whole of the proceedings become vitiated, and it is necessary for the parties to recommence their action. It will be my object, therefore, distinctly to mark each step by which a cause has to be conducted from its commencement to its termination, in order that practitioners in our courts may be able to travel in safety along the road their ancestors trod before them, and may not fail of arriving without delay or obstacles, at the wished for goal.

A compendious analysis of the contents of this work, (which, for the sake of convenience, has been placed in the Appendix,) shows the method which the writer has adopted for the attainment of his object.

Further, I would observe, that I have not only thus laboriously arranged and systematized a heap of indigested materials; but I have also divided each chapter and title into separate paragraphs, or sections, in order to prevent that obscurity and indistinctness which might have arisen from the crowding together of a vast mass of heterogeneous matter. And I have placed in the margin an epitome or summary of each section, which in every instance accompanies and illustrates, in some cases comprises the substance of, the thesis or argument.

Finally, I have added numerous notes and comments,—no less applicable, I hope, than valuable,-wherever they appeared to be necessary, either to the elucidation of any obscurity, or to the unravelling of any knotty point. What was deficient I have supplied from authentic sources: what was doubtful I have fortified by a reference to ancient manuscripts. In some instances I have been indebted to practical experience; in others to study; in others to conversation with the learned; for the restoration of much important matter, which had been neglected by preceding writers, and suffered, as it were, to rust in obscurity; with respect

to which nothing appeared necessary but the stamp of modern authority to give it currency, and which seemed to require only to be set in a clear light to blaze forth afresh in pristine splendour.

As from the threshold of a mansion-house we sometimes look upon a court-yard decorated with statues, on which all the skill and labour of the cunning artificer have been employed :—as sometimes we behold gems of antiquity dug up from a ruin, or extracted from a subterraneous hiding-place, wherein they had lain buried for ages, gracefully disposed through an entrance hall;-thus have I studied to prepossess my reader in favour of this work, by gilding its opening with a prefatory disquisition, dressed out and embellished to the best of my poor ability. And, by way of an ornamental frontispiece, I have subjoined some curious matter which I have gleaned from records of olden times. Such are my introductory chapters or treatises on the antiquity and privileges of the College of Advocates; on the celebrity of the Court of Arches; and on the Court of Audience, whose sittings are now discontinued.

Thus, to adopt another simile, even as the load-star and the magnetic needle, notwithstanding the variation of the winds, and the flux and reflux of the waves, direct the mariner on his course through the trackless sea, with unerring certainty; so indexes are sure guides to the reader, and prevent his becoming bewildered by any sudden or fluctuating change of subjects. For which cause notices, or brief summaries', are attached to every leaf in this work, and placed conspicuously in the margin, containing the synopsis or general view of the contents of the page to which they belong. In addition to which each chapter or title is headed by a short explanatory introduction. References are inserted in the notes, directing the attention of the studious inquirer to similar passages in other parts of the work. A table of contents

1 As it would be both inconvenient and unsightly in an octavo volume to crowd the margin with so much matter, these summaries or compendiums are placed by themselves in the Appendix, and the margin will, consequently, be found to contain only such small portions of them as appeared indispensable.-Ed.

is prefixed to each volume, and an analytical summary is subjoined.

It still remains for me to labour at the anvil in perfecting a full and faithful index to the whole work, which shall contain, arranged in alphabetical order, a reference to every thing worthy of notice. But that task must be deferred; as I am pressed beyond measure by my friends to produce what is already completed of the undertaking, reserving the general index for the conclusion of the second volume. My bookseller also admonishes me, that I have even now much exceeded the stipulated bulk of this first part. Influenced by these considerations, but chiefly anxious to yield to the advice of those learned men who have patronized my work, I no longer delay its publication.

Farewell, then, child of my brain, offspring of my industry. Go forth into the capital of this kingdom. And may your fame extend thence far and wide into all countries, wherever the canon and civil laws are held in reverence; in order that foreigners, observing how consonant the rules and customs of our ecclesiastical courts are to the principles of equity, may not disdain to bestow upon them the due meed of praise, and may, by imitating our example, adopt the simplest mode of administering speedy justice to their own subjects.

Yet not foreigners only, but all others, may learn from a careful perusal of this work, to admire the well ordered course of our ecclesiastical proceedings. For herein they will see described, in the first place, as generally applicable to all causes, the steps necessary to be taken preparatory to the contestation of suit: and the course to be subsequently pursued, from the contestation of suit to the definitive sentence and its execution; not omitting whatever is necessary to be known respecting appeals. And who, let me ask, does not feel interested in learning how to conduct or defend, or to assist others in conducting or defending, suits of this kind, seeing how often they involve questions into which he is obliged to enter, deeply affecting his character, or putting his fortune to the hazard? Not to mention how agreeable it must needs be to all men of learning to behold the fair features of the ecclesiastical law, which have been so long defaced with unseemly.