Page:Marvin, Legal Bibliography, 1847.djvu/586

PLO PLEADING. The Pleader's Assistant; containing a select col- lection of Precedents of Modern Pleadings in the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas. 8vo. London. 1786. PLOWDEN, EDMUND. Les Commentaires on Reports de divers Cases, esteants matters en ley, et de les arguments sur y ceux, en les temps des raignes les Roy Ed., les Size, les Roigne Mary, le Roy et Roigne Ph. and Mary, and les Roigne Eliza- beth, fol. London. 1684. En cest edition sont adde les Quaeres, del M. Plowden, corrigee. Lord Coke^says that Plowden's Commentaries of two parts, both of them learnedly and curiously polished by himself, the one in 13 Eliz. and the other in 21 Eliz., are works, (as they well deserve,) with all the profession of the law, of high account. There are several French editions, but that of 1G84 is the last. They were abridged by T. A. (Thomas Ashe), 12mo., n. d., which abridgment was "yielded in English" by Fabian Hicks, 12mo., London, 1650. In 1760 an Eng- lish translation of the entire work was published, considerably improved by many original notes and references to the ancient and modern common law books ; in which are added his queries, &c., of which Mr. Hargrave says, that it may be a useful hint to observe that the English edition of Plowden's Commentaries, which most deservedly bears as high a character as any book of Reports ever published in our law, has a great number of additional references, and some notes ; and that both of them are generally very pertinent, and show great industry and judgment in the editor. Mr. Broomly is understood to have been the editor and translator. The other English editions are the preceding, with a new title page, 1769, 2 vols. 8vo., Dublin, 1792, and 3 vols. 8vo., London, 1816. Plowden's method of reporting is peculiar. He first states the cases with the matters of doubt, then follow the full arguments of counsel, and finally the seriatim opinions of the judges. A considerable portion of the cases arose upon demurrers, or special verdicts, to which the plead- ings are ordinarily annexed. The Reporter qualified himself for his duties, by procuring copies of the records of important cases, that were to be argued by persons of fame and reputed learning, and studied the points of law growing out of them. He was present at the arguments, and wrote down what he heard most worthy of note, " not trusting a slippery memory which often deceiveth its master." After he had writ- ten out the Reports they were submitted to the inspection of the court and counsel, which gives them the highest character for authenticity and accuracy. " Whether all arguments and opinions were delivered in court precisely in the detail in which we find them in Plowden, or whether the reporter might not retrench them according to his own fancy after- 574