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i· An u:,irorm tr.,ft or lhej,ldgm~nts er deci fl o'n; e; the publie utilityof a {fuc. WÍle,~ the werd¡ er a (fa.
th! (JI1 " ef refiieo, is cemmenly cenfidered as par! ef tlltc are eap.tblc b"t ef eoe no~aoiog, lh~ (lalute Olull be
e'u ',o.n:try I.w; and \'¡ilheu l "aubt, wher~ a p," ticu· ebrervcd, hewe\'er hard ir may be.r en particular perreos.
hr CI1:lelll is thllcl'y fi~eo or preved, rl1ch e'llton! 0f it· Nevcnhdels, a~ re h;10130 r)'n~m ef laws cao compre.
/( If ,~n!!:tU(tS law: But decilion¡, rhol1gh rhey biod lhe heod al! peffiblc cales, mere Olay be romelimcs meaot by
1'111 tS li:i5ariog. hare oot, io Iheir 0 '.10 n.lru re, 1lte au · the I.\lvg,ver titar. i¡ex?re!red; and heoeecemio lIaIltles,
lh~rily 01' law. o fimilar cares ;. y~l, wlterc lh~y contioue where eXleofioo is .00.1 plaioly excbdetl, may be eXleodco
un,fJlIn, grcat \\'eight is jofily laid en them. Neither beyend Ihe lener, te limilar 20d emiucd cares: othell
CJn t:le jodgments of lhe heu re of peers of C;rw Il,itnin are tO be eenlioed to. the ílatu!Oey words.
reaeh farrher thall to the parties in appeal, in 12 . A (lril! ioterprctatien is te be applied, l. To
thefe th: pem aa as ju,lges, OOt 2S lawgivers. correl!ery Jlatutes, whieh repeal er relloél fermer laws,
8. Theugh the laws ef oature are fuflieieoliy publiQ,ed aod tO lIatutes whieh eoaél heavy peoaltie5, er reílrain
by the internal fuggellion of natu'al lighr, civil I;hvs the natural liberries of maokind. 2. L3I'1S, made on
cannet be coofidertd as ~ rule fer the conduél of lift, '¡il! ceafion of prefcot exi~encies in a Jlate, cught not te be
they are netified tO thefe whofc condd lthey are te re· drall'n to fimilar eafes, aftcr th'e pmiure is overo
gulate. The Seol! aéls ef parliameot were, by our moll 3. Where íI.tutes ellabllfh certain fe!emoities as requifite
aneient eullom, preclaim~d in J~I the difFcrent /hires, 10 deeds, fueh folemnities are oet fuppliable by equiva.
beroughs, aod baroll·ceUrt5 of the kiogdem. BÚI arter leots; for felemn ities le(e Iheir natu,e, when they.arc
our lIótlltes eame te be priotcd, that euf!om was gra'dually not performed fpecifically. 4. A (latute, whieh coume·
negleéleJ; aod al lall, the publieariryo of our laws, at the raees fpeeial caCes, is, \\i,h difficulry, to be extended to
markel·erof, ef Edinburgh, lOas declareo fuflieient; and cafes oet exprdTed; but, where a Iaw dees not defecnd
they beeame eb!igatery forty days thereafter. Brí· to parti~ulars, there is greater reafen to exrend it tefimi.·
lijb ílatutes are deemeo. fuflieiently netified, without foro lar eafes. 5. Slatutes, whieh carry a difpenfation or
mal premulgation; eitlrer beeaufe the printing is truly a privilege..to parueular per(eos or fecieries, fufFer a Jlri{t
publieatioo, or beeaufe every fuJ.j cél is, by a maxim of ioterprerátion; 'becaufe lhey deregate frem the general
Ihe EogliOl law, rarty te lhem, as being prefent in parlia· law, and imply aburden upon rhe reíl ef the commuoity.
ment, eitlter by himfelf or his reprerentative. Arter a But ar no rale cana pril'ilege be exp~ained to the preju.
lalV is publi/hed, no. pretenee ef ignoranee cao exeuf~ tire dice ef thofe io wbofe behalf it was granted. As theon·
breaeh of it. Iy feundation of eullomary law is urage, whieh cenfins in
9. As laws are gi,'eo for the rule of our condu{t, they faél, fueh law can go no. fanher than the particular lI(a~~
can regulate fUlure eafes enly; fer pall aélioos, being has geoe.
eut of eur power, can adOlit oC no. rule. D.eclaratery 13. AII Ilatutes, cooeerning matters fpeeially favour·
Iaws ferm no exeeption to this; for a ílatutc, where it ed by law, reeeive 30 ample ioterpretaríon; as lall's for
is declawory of a former !aw, does no. mere than ioter· the eneouragemeot of eommeree, or of any ufeful public
pret its meaning; and .it is included io the netion of in· uodertakiog, for m~king efftélual the wilJ~ of oying pero
lerpretalion, Ibat it mu(1 draw baek tO .the date of the fons, fer rellraioing fraud, fer the lecurity ef crrditor~,
law interpreted. 6c. A itatltte, theugh ils fubjeél'01atter OlOuld OOt Le
10. By rhe rules of interpreting flatute-law received a fa_ourite of the hw, may be extended to fimilar cafes,
in Seotlaod, an argument may be u(ed from the title to which did nor exill wheo lhe lIatute was made; and foc
the al! itfelf, a ",bro ad nigrum; at ¡eall, where the . whieh, therefore, it was not in the I.,wgirer's power to
rubrie has been either origioaJly framed, or afterwards provjde. .
adepted by the legiOature . The preamble or narrative, 14. Every lIatute, hewever unr¡l'eurable, mull re·
\\hieh recites the inconveoienees that had arifen frem the ceive the interpretarion oeccfla ry te givc it crreél: Aod,
fermer I.w, aod the caufes induciog the enaélment, may 0.0 the other haod, io the extéofibn of f.vourable laws,
alfo Iead a judge te the genml meaning of rhe ílatltte. fcope mull oet be givtn ro Ihe imagioalioo, ,n difeoverine
,But the ehief weight js to be laid on the ílatutory werds. remote refemblaoces; the extenlion mull he limited tu
'1 l. Laws, being direéled ro the uolearoed as weJl as the c2fes immedialely fimilar. Where ,here is ground
the learned, eught te be coo(!rued in rheir mell obviens to eóoclud~ rhat the leg,fldtll re has o.mimd a CAfe out
meaoing. aod not explainerl away by fubrl e diniolhoos; of the l!atute pllrpofely, lhe f1.rute eanoet b~. extended
aod no. I.w is te furrer a figurarive interpretadon, where to rhat Cart, Iet it be ever fo fimil ar te thc ca~( s exprer.
the preper feofe of the werds is as eemmedious, and e· fed.
qually fitted to the fubjel! of the lIatute. Lal\'s ought
10 be explaioed (o as te exclude abrurdities, antl in rhe Tit. 2. 01 1urij/itlioll nI/ti 1I1dg;.-r in g;<· .
feofe .which appears moll agreeable rO former biliS, to
the intenrieo of rhe la\Vgiver, aod to rhe general frame
2nd (Jrllélure ef rhe cooll irulieo. rn prohilritOry ,
wher e the right ef aéliog is rakeo frema perfoo, foldy
for Ihe pri\,"tc ,dvantage of aoerher, the ceofeot of hiO!,
in whof, the law was made, fllall fu rpo' t the aa
done io brearh of it; but the eonfen ef parties irllme·
diatcly inlerelled has 00 e([rél in mattcrs whieh rrgaru
l . THE ohjel! of law are perfoos, Ihinr,s. :'0,1;~élio"s:
aOleng perlons, j lldg~s. whe are IOI·tar.! wi.rhjnri: iiihon,
defcI\'c thc (¡tll confickmion Jlllllu.lhn ,; a I"""r
cooferwl llpeo a iu.d~e er m"~iJlr;lte, te rJ~C n 1:,,,1 n.:~
of ¡:lOd dCCHlc C;¡ulc's acconlmll lO I.I.\\', :m~1 ro ,MI YI\I~
r(~tenees in\(l extCulion. Th;t trall ul ¡:' .'.' l. tor tI, l·
triél, \li, hin which a judí)c 1m Iht rig: I ti 1'"'';;''' ",,.