5th[?] June 1805

Evidence

Introd

' General

In all these maxims and devise and maxims of lawyer-craft, there is nothing but what has been long ago observed in priest-craft: to whatever purpose applied the arts of imposture will ever be the same.

Note?

I speak of priest-craft in general, independently /without/ of any particular applications: the existence of priest-craft is recognised by some men even in priests of their own religion, and by every man in the priests of every religion that is not his own.

Imposture in lawyers has been no less busy nor less successful than in priests. Yet priest-craft has for ages been the object of invective: while lawyer-craft has been till now without a name?

When in any country, in any walk of science or pretended science, things are in such a state, that the function of public instruction is become an object of monopoly to single hand, the policy of that one individual is the policy of the whole class. A single book will in this case afford exemplification of it, sufficient for the purpose may be found in the compass of a single work. In England, in this state has this branch of public instruction been in the hands of Blackstone for almost half a century. In the hands of that one potter, the governing part of the public mind, has been os much clay for all that length of time.

His is the only lawbook read by liberally educated men of all classes. The labour of reading this one lawbook is the price at which men think[?] to be quit of the obligation of looking into any other. Other lawbooks in countless and numbers, are written by lawyers for the use of lawyers. None of them are looked into by any man who has not the misfortune to be obliged to study them who has not duress to plead for it.