For to what purpose is a history of a law of which it is impossible to trace the beginning, and which during its continuance has admitted no essential changes?
Edmund Burke: “For to what purpose is a history of a law of which it is impossible to trace the beginning, and which during its…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke challenges the purpose of documenting a law that has no clear beginnings or significant changes.
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This is the spirit of our Constitution, not only in its settled course, but in all its revolutions.
But supposing they had ranked as they ought to do, and as with us they do actually, the sides of sick-beds are not the academies for forming statesmen and legislators.
They have little regard to the obvious consequences of their doctrine, though they may see that it leaves positive authority in very few of the positive institutions of this country.
If all the absurd theories of lawyers and divines were to vitiate the objects in which they are conversant, we should have no law and no religion left in the world.





