Thefe and other practical directions I may occafionally give, are to be obferved throughout the Work. every THE Common Declarations in Indebitatus Afumpfit, and the common Counts, are fo familiar to every Attorbook of ney's Clerk, and fo cafy to be found in practice, that I had contented myfelf with referring to them in the INDEX, as they are to be found dispersedly throughout ASSUMPSIT: however, after having put my Work to the prefs, at the inftance of many of my younger friends in the Profeffion, I have given at the end of ASSUMPSIT one complete Form of every common Declaration on all the common Counts. And therefore here I cannot too frequently and too earnestly request the Student's attention to the INDEX. Here the difficulty which has been and will be previously regarded as to the facility of turning to Precedents and Forms in the body of the Work, vanifhes. Here every Precedent and every Form is fo diftributed, firft by the ANALYSIS, and then by the references FOLLOWING EACH feparate Head, as to leave it impoffible for a person of the plaineft intellect not to find what he wants: All fall into their ftrictly natural place, and make this hitherto difficult doctrine of Pleading capable of an eafy comprehenfion, as well as prepare the pupil to read his Law Books, especially in this branch of that science-to digeft his reading, and improve his faculties. I HAVE taken all the Books of Practice of Modern Times, with the Reporters, and have chronologically Indexed all the Forms and Precedents whenever they have occurred in them: Thefe, with my own work, form the Modern Part of my INDEX. I have next taken the Modern Entries, with CORNWALL and TOWNSHEND'S Tables, and thrown the antique mafs into my own diftribution: This forms the INDEX to the Ancient Entrics. WITH WITH what fidelity and care I have executed this work of labor, I am in the judgement of my fuperiors in experience and learning. But when the vaft compafs of the defign, the prodigious variety of matter comprehended in it, and above all the difficulty of illuminating such a system by a strictly methodical arrangement purely analytical-when all these things are contemplated, and they must be fo to form an adequate opinion, I entertain a hope leaning to confidence, that the liberality of the Profeffion will find more reason to be pleased that fo much has been done, than difappointed that the Work has not attained abfolute perfection. Not to have funk under fo arduous an undertaking is, perhaps, no ordinary merit. I know likewife that it is the fate of Industry not to be too highly appreciated by Genius, which, while it foars above, "like the poet's "directing angel in the ftorm of battle, vindicates to it"felf the glory of fuccefs, regardless of the more hum"ble but useful machinery by which, in part, its triumphs "have been effected." To lament that this fpecies of ingratitude is common to all ages, and therefore feemingly making part of our nature, is to discover more paffion than philofophy: Yet for myself I will add, (after appealing to, as well as hoping for, the approbation of the PROFESSION) that the fenfe of my having been unccafing in my endeavours, as it is the best title to the approbation of the PUBLIC, fo it administers to me that folid gratification which alone is an ample reward for my profeffional affiduity. INNER TEMPLE, 5th JAN. 1797. J. WENTWORTH, |