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Dr. Middleton, in his account of printing in England, conjectures the edition by J. Lettou and W. Machiinia, to have been printed in 1481, and that it is the first edition. This makes the printing of the book to have been within six or seven years after Caxton's introduction of the art into England, and within twenty-four years after the first invention of it. Dr. Middleton's conjecture is supported by the concurrent circumstance of the time when those printers appear to have been in partnership; and no other edition bears evidence of a prior title to antiquity. Another edition of nearly equal pretensions to precedence with the Lettou and Machlinia edition, has lately appeared from the library of the late William Bayntun, Esq. It has remained hitherto undescribed, and was probably unknown to all who have undertaken to notice the several editions of this book. At the end, it is said to be printed by Machlinia alone, then living near Fleet Bridge; from which, and other circumstances, it is clearly distinguishable from the former edition. The letter used in printing it is less rude than the letter used in the joint edition of Lettou and Machlinia, and the abbreviations are much less numerous. These circumstances afford some, though but a faint ground, to suppose it posterior in date to the former. Many editions of Littleton, in French and English only, have been published in sufall octavo, twelves, sixteens, and twenty-fours. They are all very inaccurate. The French edition in 1585, is the first in which the sections are numbered. An edition, in French and English, in double columns, with a table of the principal matters, was printed in duodecimo in 1671. Considering the estimation in which Littleton's work is held, and that it generally is the first work put into a student's hand, it is very singular that since the editions by Lettou and Machlinia, and the Rohan edition, no correct edition of it, without the Commentary, has yet been published. The reader will hear with pleasure that Mr. Hargrave has it in contemplation to favour the public with such an edition, and to print it in such a manner as to make it a typographical curiosity."

We have been induced to make these extracts from Mr. Hargrave's address, and Mr. Butler's preface, as introductory to the short and, we fear, imperfect account, which we shall attempt to give of the edition of Littleton by Tottill, in 1572, principally on account of what is stated as to Mr. Hargrave's intention to publish a new edition of the text of Littleton, as well as because we have some reason to hope that his learned successor, in the last edition of the Com

mentary, will oblige the profession with such a work, in case Mr. Hargrave should relinquish his intention; and we should be extremely proud if any collation of this edition in 1572 should in the least degree facilitate the object of either of those learned gentlemen, It will be observed that the edition in question is not particularly noticed either by Mr. Hargrave or Mr. Butler.

We shall now proceed to give our readers some account of every thing which appears to us worthy of remark in this curious MS. The first is, the interleaved edition of Littleton, which Sir Edward Coke used when writing his Commentary. This is entitled to notice from the statement in the title page (which we have transcribed) because it points out the various interpolations and additions which have been at different times made to the original text of Littleton.

Les

TENURES de Mon

sieur LITTLETON, ouesque certein cases per autres de puisne temps, queur cases trouveres signes ouesque cest signe :. al commencement et al fine de chescun deux, au fine que ne poyes eux misprender pour les cases de Monsieur Littleton: pur quel inconvenience, ils fuerent dernierment tol

les de cest

liver,

cy un foytz plus admotes

al requeste des gentil
hommes students

en le ley D-en-
gleterre

(::: )

Cum privilegio 1572

Imprinted at London in Flete Strete, within Temple barre, at the signe of the Hand and Starre, by RYCHARD TOT

The next particularity in this edition which we find worthy of remark is the Figure of the Division of Possessions; which, being different from the one published in Mr. Hargrave and Mr. Butler's edition, and containing a note of Sir Edward Coke's we have also transcribed. The note is printed in italics.

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Chatel

Real
(potias

Term dans

Gard de terre

Tener a Volunte

prediall; car RES continet etiam res mobiles, fol. 35.*)

Personal, Biens moveables

* This short note is an additional proof of Coke's great attention to accuracy in the definition of terms.

[To be continued.]

We are much obliged to Studens for his reference to Lord Bacon's Reading on Uses, (p. 20, ed. 1785,) in which he seems to advert to Sir Edward Coke's reading on the same subject. We have not been yet able to discover whether Sir Edward's Readings have been published or not. If they were, it is at least very singular that no notice is taken of them in the Bibliotheca Legum, and that there is not a copy in the British Museum; at the same time, we think, there is much ingenuity in the remark made by Studens, that by using the phrase" Coke in his reading doth say well," Lord Bacon may be supposed to allude to a published work, though it does not, indeed, necessarily follow that it was in print. But we have not yet been able to examine Sir Edward's Reading on fines, so as to say with certainty that Lord Bacon may not allude to some passage in that work, incidently applicable to the subject of the statute of uses.

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COMMUNICATION.

CASE, with the Opinion of Mr. (afterwards LORD CHIEF BARON) COMYNS.

Whether a Fine for Admission be due to a Lord of a Manor where the eldest Son and Heir of the deceased Tenant died before his Admittance.

Edmund Glenister, Esq. died seised in fee of a copyhold estate held under the manor of Kingston, and the same descended upon his eldest son, John, a minor, who died before any court was holden for the said manor, or before he attained the age of twenty-one years; and, on his decease, Edmund, the second son, claims the estate by descent, and being now of age, is ready to take admittance to the same.

Qu. If a fine be due to the lord of the said manor for
John, the eldest son, who so died a minor.

I am of opinion that a fine is due to the lord of the manor for every alteration of his tenant; but in this case, John, the son, dying before he was or could be admitted tenant, although by the descent of the copyhold upon him, he was entitled to have been admitted, yet since it was not through any default of his that he failed of being admitted, he never was tenant to the lord, so that the lord could charge him with a fine for want of admittance: but the lord losing his fine for John's admittance, may insist more strictly on a full fine for the admittance of the second son.

April 9, 1720.

JOHN COMYNS.

BANKRUPTS,

Declared in the London Gazette, from May 1st to June Soth, inclusive.

[The Solicitors' Names, and Dates of the Gazette, are preceded by a Crotchet.]

Arrowsmith James, now or late of Stockport, Cheshire, baker. [Bullivant, Bernard street, Brunswick square; and Mr. Baddeley, Stockport. May 5. Ashby Wm. of Hog lane, Shoreditch, currier. [Benton, Swan yard, Blackman street, Southwark. May 26.

Ayscough James, of Leeds, woolstapler. [Lee, Leeds; Sykes and Knowles, Boswell court. May 29.

Ayscough George, of Gervaux, in the parish of East Whiton, York, woolstapler. [Lee, Leeds; and Sykes and Knowles, Boswell court. May 29.

Bland late of Isleham, Cambridge. [Evans, Ely; and Brown and Gotobed, Norfolk street, Strand. April 28.

Brown Henry Wilson, of Cannon street, shoe manufacturer. [Warrand, Arundel street, Strand. May 8.

Black John Stanley, of Lamb's street Spital fields, London. [Store, Garlick hill. May 12.

Brain Stephen, of Pile Marsh, Gloucestershire, coal miner. [Blandford and Sweet, Inner Temple; and Charles Mellin, All Saints lane, Bristol. May 12. Bluck John Henry, of Lamb street, Spital fields, oil and colourman. [Hoare, Garlick hill, Cheapside. May 15.

Bushell Wm. of Cannon street, grocer. [Lee, Three Crown court, Southwark. May 19.

Bunting John, of the whale Fishery, Little Hermitage street, Wapping, victualler. [Robinson, Prospect row, Bermondsey. May 19.

Briggs Henry, of Belvidere place, St. George's fields, horse dealer. [Benton, Swan yard, Blackman street. June 5.

Bally Stephen, of Bristol, taylor. [Boord and Ridpath, Bath. June 9.

Birkett George, Kendal, Westmoreland, brandy merchant. [Wright and Bovil, Chancery lane. June 9.

Bicknell John, Little Maddox street, Hanover square, dealer in artificial flowers. [Davis, Warwick street, Golden square. June 9.

Belcher John, of Lamb's Conduit street, merchant. [Falcon, Elm court, Temple. June 12,

Burgess James, now or late of Coventry street, Haymarket, military hatter. [Rosser, King's street, Holborn. June 16.

Beddine David, of the Back lane, in the parish of St. George in the East, Middlesex, upholder. [Urwin, High street, Shadwell. June 26.

Buckstone Wm. late of Bishopsgate street, London, haberdasher and hosier. Rosser, No. 32, King street, Holborn. June 26.

Corbett Thomas, of Friday street, warehouseman. [Walker, Coleman street. April 28.

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