Maxims Directory:

There are many more maxims, here are some

• Maxime ita dicta quia maxima ejus dignitas et certissima auctoritas, atque quod maxim omnibus probetur – A maxim is so called because its dignity is chiefest, and its authority most certain, and because universally approved by all. Co. Litt. 11.

• Iniquum est alios permittere, alios inhibere mercaturam. It is inequitable to permit some to trade, and to prohibit others. 3 Co. Inst. 181

• Invito beneficium non datur. No one is obliged to accept a benefit against his consent. Dig. 50, 17, 69. But if he does not dissent he will be considered as assenting. Vide Assent.

• Contestio litis eget terminos contradictaris. An issue requires terms of contradiction; that is, there can be no issue without an affirmative on one side and a negative on the other.

• Lex de futuro, judex de praeterito. The law provides for the future, the judge for the past.

• Lex est ratio summa, quae jubet quae sunt utilia et necessaria, et contraria prohibet. Law is the perfection of reason, which commands what is useful and necessary and forbids the contrary. Co. Litt. 319.

• Mandatum nisi gratuitum nullum est. Unless a mandate is gratuitous it is not a mandate. Dig. 17, 1, 4; Inst. 3, 27; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 1070.

• Lex plus laudatur quando ratione probatur. The law is the more praised when it is consonant to reason.

• Justitia non novit patrem nec matrem, solum veritatem spectat justitia. Justice knows neither father nor mother, justice looks to truth alone. 1 Buls. 199.

• Lex est sanctio sancta, jubens honesta, et prohibens contraria. Law is a sacred sanction, commanding what is right and prohibiting the contrary. 2 Co. Inst. 587.

• Lex neminem cogit ad vana seu inutilia peragenda. The law forces no one to do vain or useless things.

• Lex nemini facit injuriam. The law does wrong to no one.

• Id perfectum est quod ex omnibus suis partibus constat. That is perfect which is complete in all its parts. 9 Co. 9.

• Lex rejicit superflua, pugnantia, incongrua. The law rejects superfluous, contradictory and incongruous things.

• lex nemini operatur iniquum, nemini facit injuriam. The law never works an injury, or does him a wrong. jenk. Cent. 22.

• Lex nil facit frustra, nil jubet frustra. The law does nothing and commands nothing in vain. 3 Buls. 279; Jenk. Cent. 17.

• Lex non cogit impossibilia. The law requires nothing impossible. Co. Litt. 231, b; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 951.

• Longa possessio parit jus possidendi, et tollit actionem vero domino. Long possession produces the right of possession, and takes away from the true owner his action. Co. Litt. 110.

• Manga negligentia culpa est, magna culpa dolus est. Gross negligence is a fault, gross fault is a fraud. Dig 50, 16, 226.

• Majus est delictum seipsum occidare quam alium. it is a greater crime to kill one’s self than another.

• Malitia est acida, est mali animi affectus. Malice is sour, it is the quality of a bad mind. 2 Buls. 49.

• Mandatarius terminos sobi positos transgredi non potest. A mandatory cannot exceed the bounds of his authority. Jenk. Cent. 53.

• Maxim paci sunt contraria, vis et tnjuria. The greatest enemies to peace are force and wrong. Co. Litt. 161.

• Melior est justitia vere praeveniens quam severe pumens. That justice which justly prevents a crime, is better than that which severely punishes it.

• Melior est conditio possidentis et rei quam actoris. Better is the condition of the possessor and that of the defendant than that of the plaintiff. 4 Co. Inst. 180.

• Melius est omnia mala pati quam malo concentire. It is better to suffer every wrong or ill, than to consent to it. 3 Co. Inst. 23.

• Melius est recurrere quam malo currere. It is better to recede than to proceed in evil. 4 Inst. 176.

• Melius est in tempore occurrere, quam post causam vulneratum remedium quaerere. It is better to restrain or meet a thing in time, than to see a remedy after a wrong has been inflicted. 2 Inst. 299.

• Mens testatoris in testamentis spectanda est. In wills, the intention of the testator is to be regarded. Jenk. Cent. 277.
• Mentiri est contra mentem ire. To lie is to go against the mind. 3 Buls. 260.

• Merx est quidquid vendi potest. Merchandise is whatever can be sold. 3 Metc. 365. Vide Merchandise.

• Mercis appellatio ad res mobiles tantum pertinet. The term merchandise belongs to movable things only. Dig. 50, 16, 66.

• Mitius imperanti melius paretur. The more mildly one commands the better is he obeyed. 3 Co. Inst. 24.

• Modus et conventio vincunt legem. Manner and agreement overrule the law. 2 Co. 73.

• Moneta est justum medium et mensura rerum commutabilium, nam per meduim monetae fit omnium rerum conveniens, et justa aestimatio. Money is the just medium and measure of all commutable things, for, by the medium of money, a convenient and just estimation of all things is made. Dav. 18. See 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 922.

• Mortuus exitus non est exitus. To be dead born is not to be born. Co. Litt. 29. See 2 Paige, 35; Domat, liv. prl. t. 2, s. 1, n. 4, 6; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1721 and 1935.

• Multa conceduntur per obliquum quae non conceduntur de directo. Many things are conceded indirectly which are not allowed directly. 6 co. 47.

• Multi multa, non omnia novit. Many men know many things, no one knows everything. 4 Co. Inst. 348.

• Multitudo errantium non parit errori patrocinium. The multitude of those who err is no excuse for error. 11 Co. 75.

• Multitudo imperitorum perdit curiam. A multitude of ignorant practitioners destroys a court. 2 Co. Inst. 219.

• Necessitas facit licitum quod alias non est licitum. Necessity makes that lawful which otherwise is unlawful. 10 Co. 61.

• Necessitas inducit privililegium quoad jura privata. Necessity gives a preference with regard to private rights. Bacon’s Max. REg. 5.

• Necessitas non habet legem. Necessity has no law. Plowd. 18. See Necessity, and 15 Vin. Ab. 534; 22 Vin. Ab. 540.

• Negatio destruit negationem, et ambae faciunt affirmativum. A negative destroys a negative, and both make an affirmative. Co. Litt. 146.

• Negatio duplex est affirmatio. A double negative is an affirmative.

• Negligentia semper habet infortuniam comitem. Negligence has misfortune for a companion. Co. Litt. 246.

• Neminem oportet esse sapientiorem legibus. No man ought to be wiser than the law. Co. Litt. 97.

• Nemo admittendus est inhabilitare seipsum. No one is allowed to incapacitate himself. Jenk. Cent. 40. Sed vide “To stultify,” and 5 Whart. 371.
• Nemo bis punitur por eodem delicto. No one can be punished twice for the same crime or misdemeanor. See Non bis in idem.

• Nemo cogitur rem suam vendere, etiam justo pretio. No one is bound to sell his property, even for a just price. Sed vide Eminent Domain.

• Nemo contra factum suum venire potest. No man can contradict his own deed. 2 Inst. 66.

• Nemo damnum facit, nisi qui id fecit quod facere jus non habet. No one is considered as committing damages, unless he is doing what he has no right to do. dig. 50, 17, 151.

• Nemo dat qui non habet. No one can give who does not possess. Jenk. Cent. 250.

• Nemo de domo sua extrahi debet. A citizen cannot be taken by force from his house to be conducted before a judge or to prison. Dig. 50, 17. This maxim in favor of Roman liberty is much the same as that “every man’s house is his castle.”

• Nemo debet ex alien jactur lucrari. No one ought to gain by another’s loss.

• Nemo debet immiscere se rei alienae ad se nihil pertinenti. No one should interfere in what no way concerns him.

• Nemo ex suo delicto melioroem suam conditionem facere potest. No one can improve his condition by a crime. Dig. 50, 17, 137.

• Nemo ex alterius facto praegravari debet. No man ought to be burdened in consequence of another’s act.

• Nemo ex consilio obligatur. No man is bound for the advice he gives.

• Nemo in propria causa testis ese debet. No one can be a witness in his own cause. But to this rule there are many exceptions.

• Nemo inauditus condemnari debet, si non sit contumax. No man ought to be condemned unheard, unless he be contumacious.

• Nemo patriam in qua natus est exuere, nec ligeantiae debitum ejurare possit. No man can renounce the country in which he was born, nor abjure the obligation of his allegiance. Co. LItt. 129. Sed vide Allegiance; Expatriation; Naturalization.

• Nemo plus juris ad alienum transfere potest, quam ispe habent. One cannot transfer to another a right which he has not. Dig. 50, 17, 54; 10 Pet. 161, 175.

• Nemo praesens nisi intelligat. One is not present unless he understands. See Presence.

• Nemo potest esse tenes et dominus. No man can be at the same time tenant and landlord of the same tenement.

• Nemo potest sibi devere. No one can owe to himself. See Confusion of Rights.

• Nemo praesumitur donare. No one is presumed to give.

• Nemo praesumitur esse immemor suae aeternae salutis, et maxim in articulo mortis. No man is presumed to be forgetful of his eternal welfare, and particularly at the point of death. 6 Co. 76.

• Nemo praesumitur malus. No one is presumed to be bad.

• Nemo praesumitru ludere in extremis. No one is presumed to trifle at the point of death.

• Nemo prohibetur plures negotiationes sive artes exercere. No one is restrained from exercising several kinds of business or arts. 11 Co. 54.

• Nemo prohibetur pluribus defensionibus uti. No one is restrained from using several defences. Co. Litt. 304.

• Nemo punitur pro alieno delicto. No one is to be punished for the crime or wrong of another.

• Nemo punitur sine injuri, facto, seu defalto. No one is punished unless for some wrong, act or default. 2 Co. Inst. 287.

• Nemo, qui condemnare potest, absolvere non potest. He who may condemn may acquit. Dig. 50, 17, 37.

• Nemo tenetur seipsum accusare. No one is bound to accuse himself.

• Nemo tenetur ad impossibile. No one is bound to an impossibility.

• Nemo tenetur armare adversarum contra se. No one is bound to arm his adversary.

• Nemo tenetur divinare. No one is bound to foretell. 4 Co. 28.

• Nemo tenetur seipsam infortunis et periculis exponere. No one is bound to expose himself to misfortune and dangers. Co. Litt. 253.

• Nemo videtur fraudare eos qui sciunt, et consentiunt. One cannot complain of having been deceived when he knew the fact and gave his consent. Dig. 50, 17, 145.

• Nihil dat qui non habet. He gives nothing who has nothing.

• Nihil facit error nominis cum de corpore constat. An error in the name is nothing when there is certainty as to the person. 11 Co. 21.

• Nihil habet forum ex scen. The court has nothing to do with what is not before it.

• Nihil infra regnum subditos magis conservat in tranquilitate et concordi quam debita legum administratio. Nothing preserves in tranquility and concord those who are subjected to the same government better than a due administration of the laws. 2 Co. Inst. 158.

• Nihil magis justum est quam quod necessarium est. Nothing is more just that what is necessary. Dav. 12.

• Nihil perfectum est dum aliquid restat agendum. Nothing is perfect while something remains to be done. 2 co. 9.

• Nihil possumus contra veritatem. We can do nothing against truth. Doct. & Stu. Dial. 2, c. 6.

• Nihil quod est contra rationem est licitum. Nothing against reason is lawful. Co. Litt. 97.

• Nihil quod inconveniens est licitum est. Nothing inconvenient is lawful.

• Nihil simul inventum est et perfectum. Nothing is invented and perfected at the same moment. Co. Litt. 230.

• Nihil tam naturale est, qum eo genere quidque dissolvere, quo colligatum est. It is very natural that an obligation should not be dissolved but by the same principles which were observed in contracting it. Dig. 50, 17, 35. See 1 Co. 100; 2 Co. Inst. 359.

• Nihil tam conveniens est naturali aequitati, qum voluntatem domini voluntis rem suam in alium transferre, ratam haberi. Nothing is more conformable to natural equity, than to confirm the will of an owner who desires to transfer his property to another. Inst. 2, 1, 40; 1 Co. 100.

• Nil facit error nominis, si de corpore constat. An error in the name is immaterial, if the body is certain.

• Nomen est quasi rei notamen. A name is, as it were, the note of a thing. 11 Co. 20.

• Nomen non sufficit si res non sit de jure aut de facto. A name does not suffice if there be not a thing by law or by fact. 4 Co. 107.

• nomina si nescis perit cognitio rerum. If you know not the names of things, the knowledge of things themselves perishes. Co. Litt. 86.

• Nomina sunt notae rerum. Names are the notes of things. 11 Co. 20.

• Nomina sunt mutabilia, res autem immobiles. Names are mutable, but things immutable. 6 Co. 66.

• Nomina sunt symbola rerum. Names are the symbols of things.

• Non accipi debent verba in demonstrationem falsam, quae competunt in limitationem veram. Words ought not to be accepted to import a false demonstration which have effect by way of true limitation. Bacons’ Max. REg. 13.

• Non consentit qui errat. He who errs does not consent. 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 581

• Non decipitur qui scit se decipi. He is not deceived who knows himself to be deceived. 5 co. 60.

• Non definitur in jure quid sit conatus. What an attempt is, is not defined in law. 6 Co. 42.

• Non effecit affectus nisi sequatur effectus. The intention amounts to nothing unless some effect follows. 1 Roll. R. 226.

• Non est arctius vinculum inter homines quam jusjurandum. There is no stronger link among men than an oath. Jenk. Cent. 126.

• Non est disputandum contra principia negantem. There is no disputing against a man denying principles. Co. Litt. 343.

• Non est recedendum communi abservanti. There is no departing from a common observance. 2 Co. 74.

• Non est regula quin fallat. There is no rule but what may fail. Off. Ex. 212.

• Non est certandum de regulis juris. There is no disputing about rules of law.

• Non faciat malum, ut inde veniat bonum. You are not to do evil that good may come of it. 11 Co. 74.

• Non obligat lex nisi promulgata. A law is not obligatory unless it be promulgated.

• Non observata forma, infertur adnullatio actus. When the form is not observed, it is inferred that the act is annulled. 12 Co. 7.

• Non quod dictum est, sed quod factum est, inspicitur. Not what is said, but what is done, is to be regarded. Co. Litt. 36.

• Non refert an quis assensum suum praefert verbis, an rebus ipsis et factis. It is immaterial whether a man gives his assent by words or by acts and deeds. 10 Co. 52.

• Non refert quid notum sit judice si notum non sit in forma judici. It matters not what is known to the judge, if it is not known to him judicially. 3 Buls. 115.

• Non refert verbis an factis fit revocatio. It matters not whether a revocation be by words or by acts. Cro. Car. 49.

• Non solum quid licet, sed quidest conveniens considerandum, quia nihil quod inconveniens est licitum. Not only what is permitted, but what is proper, is to be considered, because what is improper is illegal. Co. Litt. 66.

• Non temere credere, est nervus sapientae. Not to believe rashly is the nerve of wisdom. 5 Co. 114.
• Non videtur consensum retinuisse si quis ex praescripto minantis aliquid immutavit. He does not appear to have retained his consent, if he have changed anything through the means of a party threatening. Bacon’s Max. Reg. 33.

• Novatio non praesumitur. A novation is not presumed. See Novation.

• Nulle regle sans faute. There is no rule without a fault.

• Nullum exemplum est idem omnibus. No example is the same for all purposes.

• Nullum iniquum praesumendum in jure. Nothing unjust is presumed in law. 4 Co. 72.

• Nullum simile est idem. No simile is the same. Co. Litt. 3.

• Nunquam fictio sine lege. There is no fiction without law.

• Officium nemini debet esse damnosum. An office ought to be injurious to no one.

• Omne crimen ebrietas et incendit et detegit. Drunkenness inflames and produces every crime. Co. Litt. 247.

• Omne testamentum morte consummatum est. Every will is consummated by death. 3 Co. 29.

• Omne sacramentum debet esse de certa scienti. Every oath ought to be founded on certain knowledge. 4 Co. Inst. 279.
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• Omnia delicta in aperto leviora sunt. All crimes committed openly are considered lighter. 8 co. 127.

• Omnia quae sunt uxoris sunt ipsius viri. All things which are of the wife, belong to the husband. Co. Litt. 112.

• Omnis actio est loquela. Every action is a complaint. Co. Litt. 292.

• Omnis consensus t ollit errorem. Every consent removes error. 2 Inst. 123.

• Omnis exceptio est ipsa quoque regula. An exception is, in itself, a rule.

• Omnis regula suas patitur exceptiones. All rules of law are liable to exceptions.

• Omnis ratihabitio retro trahitur et mandato aequiparatur. Every consent given to what has already been done, has a retrospective effect and equals a command. Co. Litt. 207.

• Once a fraud, always a fraud. 13 Vin. Ab. 539.

• Once a mortgage always a mortgage.

• Once a recompense always a recompense. 19 Vin. Ab. 277.

• One should be just before he is generous.

• Oportet quod certa res deducatur in judicium. A thing, to be brought to judgment, must be certain or definite. Jenk. Cent. 84.

• Par in parem imperium non habet. An equal has no power over an equal. Jenk. Cent. 174. Example: One of two judges of the same court cannot commit the other for contempt.

• Per rerum naturam, factum negantis nulla probatio est. It is in the nature of things that he who denies a fact is not bound to prove it.

• Perspicua vera non sunt probanda. Plain truths need not be proved. Co. Litt. 16.

• Pirata est hostis humani generis. A pirate is an enemy of the human race. 3 Co. Inst. 113.

• Pluralis numerus est duobus contentus. The plural number is contained in two. 1 Roll. R. 476.

• Plus peccat auctor quam actor. The instigator of a crime is worse than he who perpetrates it. 5 Co. 99.

• Plus valet unus oculatus testis, quam auriti de cem. One eye witness is better than ten ear ones. 4 Inst. 279.

• Paen ad paucos, metus ad omnes perveniat. A punishment inflicted on a few, causes a dread to all. 22 Vin. Ab. 550.

• Possession is a good title, where no better title appears. 20 Vin. Ab. 278.

• Possessor has right against all men but him who has the very right.

• Potior est conditio defendentis. Better is the condition of the defendant, than that of the plaintiff.

• Potior est conditio possidentis. Better is the condition of the possessor.

• Praepropera consilia, raro sunt prospera. Hasty counsels are seldom prosperous. 4 Inst. 57.

• Praestat cautela quam medela. Prevention is better than cure. Co. Litt. 304.

• Praxis judicim est interpres legum. The practice of the judges is the interpreter of the laws. Hob. 96.

• Praesentia corporis tollit errorem nominis, et veritas nominis tollit errorem demonstrationis. The presence of the body cures the error in the name; the truth of the name cures an error in the description. Bacon’s Max. Reg. 25.

• Pretium succedit in locum rei. The price stands in the place of the thing sold. 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 939.

• Principia probant, non probantur. Principles prove, they are not proved. 3 Co. 40. See Principles.

• Principiorum non est ratio. There is no reasoning of principles. 2 Buls. 239. See Principles.

• Principium est potissima pars cujusque rei. The principle of a thing is its most powerful part. 10 Co. 49.

• Prior tempore, potior jure. He who is before in time, is preferred in right.

• Privilegium est beneficium personale et extinguitur cum person. A privilege is a personal benefit and dies with the person. 3 Buls. 8.

• Probandi necessitas incumbit illi ui agit. The necessity of proving lies with him who makes the charge.

• Prohibetur ne quis faciat in suo quod nocere possit alieno. It is prohibited to do on one’s own property that which may injure another’s. 9

• Proviso est providere praesentia et futura, non praeterita. A proviso is to provide for the present and the future, not the past. 2 Co. 72.

• Proximus est cui nemo antecedit; supremus est quem nemo sequitur. He is next whom no one precedes; he is last whom no one follows.

• Prudentur agit qui praecepto legis obtemperat. He acts prudently who obeys the commands of the law. 5 Co. 49.

• Quae cohaerent personae person separari nequeunt. Things which belong to the person ought not to be separated from the person. Jenk. Cent. 28.

• Quae in auri acta sunt rite agi praesummuntur. Whatever is done in court is presumed to be rightly done. 3 Buls. 43.

• Quae malasunt inchoata in principio vex bono peragantur exitu. Things bad in the commencement seldom end well. 4 Co. 2.

• Quaelibet jurisdictio cancellos suos habet. Every jurisdiction has its bounds.

• Quaeras de dubiis, legem bene discere si vis. Inquire into them, is the way to know what things are really true. Litt. 443.

• Quando do una et eadem re, duo onerabiles existunt, unus, pro insufficientia alterius, de integro onerabitur. When two persons are liable on a joint obligation, if one makes default the other must bear the whole. 2 Co. Inst. 277.

• Quando lex aliquid alicui concedit, concedere videtur id sine quo res ipsa esse non potest. When the law gives anything, it gives the means of obtaining it. 5 Co. 47.

• Quando licet id quod majus, videtur licere id quod minus. When the great is allowed, the less seems to be allowed also.

• Quando verba et mens congruunt, non est interpretationi locus. When the words and the mind agree, there is no place for interpretation.

• Quem admodum ad quaestionem facti non respondent judices, ita ad quaestionem juris non respondent juratores. In the same manner that judges do not answer to questions of fact, so jurors do not answer to questions of law. Co. Litt. 295.

• Qui bene interrogat, bene docet. He who questions well, learns well. 3 Buls. 227.

• Qui bene distinguit, bene docet. He who distinguishes well, learns well. 2 Co. Inst. 470.

• Qui cum alio contrahit, vel est, vel debet esse non ignarus conditio ejus. He who contracts, knows, or ought to know, the quality of the person with whom he contracts, otherwise he is not excusable. Dig. 50, 17, 19; 2 Hagg. Consist. Rep. 61.

• Qui destruit medium, destruit finem. He who destroys the means, destroys the end. 11 Co. 51; Shep. To. 342.

• Qui doit inheritoer al pre, doit inheriter al fitz. He who ought to inherit from the father, ought to inherit from the son.

• Qui facit per alium facit per se. He who acts by or through another, acts for himself. 1 Bl. Com. 429; Story, Ag. 440; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1273, 1335, 1336; 7 Man. & Gr. 32, 33.

• Qui habet jurisdictionem absolvendi, habet jurisdictionem ligandi. He who has jurisdiction to loosen, has jurisdiction to bind. 12 Co. 59

• Qui in utero est, pro jam nato habetur quoties de ejus commodo quaeritur. He who is in the womb, is considered as born, whenever it is for his benefit.

• Qui jure suo utitur, nemini facit injuriam. He who uses his legal rights, harms no one.

• Qui jussu judicis aliquod fuerit non videtur dolo malo fecisse, quia parere necesse est. He who does anything by command of a judge, will not be supposed to have acted from an improper motive, because it was necessary to obey. 10 Co. 76.

• Qui male agit, odit lucem. He who acts badly, hates the light. 7 Co. 66.

• Qui melius probat, melius habet. He who proves most, recovers most. 9 Vin. Ab. 235.

• Qui molitur insidias in patriam, id facit quod insanusnauta perforans navem in qua vehitur. He who betrays his country, is like the insane sailor who bores a hole in the ship which carries him. 3 Co. Inst. 36.

• Qui nascitur sine legitimo matrimonio, matrem sequitur. He who is born out of lawful matrimonu, follows the condition of the mother.

• Qui non cadunt in constantem virem, vani timores sunt astinandi. Those are vain fears which do not affect a man of a firm mind. 7 Co. 27.

• Qui non libere veritatem pronunciat, proditor est verilatis. He who does not willingly speak the truth, is a betrayer of the truth.

• Qui non obstat quod obstare potest facere videtur. He who does not prevent what he can, seems to commit the thing. 2 Co. Inst. 146.

• Qui non prohibit quod prohibere potest assentire videtur. He who does not forbid what he can forbid, seems to assent. 2 Inst. 305.

• Qui non propulsat injuriam quando potest, infert. He who does not repel a wrong when he can, induces it. Jenk. Cent. 271.

• Que obstruit aditum, destruit commodum. He who obstructs an entrance, destroys a convenience. Co. Litt. 161.

• Qui omne dicit, nihil excludit. He who says all, excludes nothing. 4 Inst. 81.

• Qui parcit nocentibus, innocentibus punit. He who spares the guilty, punishes the innocent.

• Qui peccat ebuius, luat sobrius. He who offends drunk, must be punished when sober. Car. R. 133.

• Qui per alium facit per seipsum facere videtur. He who does anything through another, is considered as doing it himself. Co. Litt. 258.

• Qui per fraudem agit, frustra agit. He who acts fraudrlently acts in vain. 2 Roll. R. 17.

• Qui potest et debet vetare, jubet. He who can and ought to forbid, and does not, commands.

• Qui primum peccat ille facit rixam. He who first offends, causes the strife.

• Qui prior est tempore, potior est jure. He who is first or before in time, is stronger in right. Co. Litt. 14 a; 1 Story, Eq. Jur. 64 d; Story Bailm. 312; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 952; 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3728.

• Qui providet sibi, providet haredibus. He who provides for himself, provides for his heirs.

• Qui rationem in omnibus quarunt, rationem subvertunt. He who seeks a reason for everything, subverts reason. 2 Co. 75.

• Qui semel actionem renunciaverit, amplius repetere non potest. He who renounces his action once, cannot any more repeat it. 8 Co. 59. See Retraxit.

• Qui semel malus, semper prasumitur esse malus in eodem genere. He who is once bad, is presumed to be always so in the same degree. Cro. Car. 317.

• Qui tacet consentire videtur. He who is silent appears to consent. Jenk. Cent. 32.

• Qui tardius solvit, minus solvit. He who pays tardily, pays less than he ought. Jenk.Cent. 38.

• Qui timent, cavent et vitant. They who fear, take care and avoid. Off. Ex. 162.

• Qui vult decipi, decipiatur. Let him who wishes to be deceived, be deceived.

• Quicpuid acquiritur servo, acquiritur domino. Whatever is acquired by the servant, is acquired for the master. 15 Bin. Ab. 327.

• Quicquid plantatur solo, solo cedit. Whatever is affixed to the soil belongs to it. Went. Off. Ex. 145.

• Quicquid plantatur solo, solo cedit. Whatever is affixed to the soil or the realty, thereby becomes a parcel. See Amb: 113; 3 East, 51; and article Fixtures.

• Qnicquid est contra normam recti est injuria. Whatever is against the rule of right, is a wrong. 3 Buls. 313.

• Quicquid in excessu actum est, lege prohibitur. Whatever is done in excess is prohibited by law. 2 Co. Inst. 107.

• Qusquis est qui velit juris consultus haberi, continuet studium, velit a quocunque doceri. Whoever wishes to be a lawyer, let him continually study, and desire to be taught everything.

• Quod ab initio non valet, in tractu temporis non convalescere. What is not good in the beginning cannot be rendered good by time. Merl. Rep. verbo Regle de Droit. This, though true in general, is not universally so.

• Quod ad jus naturale attinet, omnes homenes aequales sunt. All men are equal before the natural law. Dig. 50, 17, 32.

• Quod alias bonum et justum est, si per vim vel fraudem petatur, malum et injustum efficitur. What is otherwise good and just, if sought by force or fraud, becomes bad and unjust. 3 Co. 78.

• Quod constat clare, non debet verificari. What is clearly apparent need not be proved.

• Quod constat curiae opere testium non indiget. What appears to the court needs not the help of witnesses. 2 Inst. 662.

• Quod contra legem fit, pro infecto habetur. What is done contrary to the law, is considered as not done. 4 Co. 31. No one can derive any advantage from such an act.

• Quod contra juris rationem receptum est, non est producendum ad consequentias. What has been admitted against the spirit of the law, ought not to be heard. Dig. 50, 17, 141.

• Quod demonstrandi caus additur rei satis demonstratae, frusta fit. What is added to a thing sufficiently palpable, for the purpose of demonstration, is vain. 10 Co. 113.

• Quod dubitas, ne feceris. When you doubt, do not act.

• Quod est necessarium est licitum. What is necessary is lawful.

• Quod inconsulto fecimus, consultius revocemus. What is done without consideration or reflection, upon better consideration we should revoke or undo.

• Quod non apparet non est, et non apparet judicialiter ante judicium. What appears not does not exist, and nothing appears judicially before judgment. 2 Co. Inst. 479.

• Quod non legitur, non creditor. What is not read, is not believed. 4 Co. 304.

• Quod nullius est id ratione naturali occupanti conceditur. What belongs to no one, naturally belong to the first occupant. Inst. 2, 1, 12; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 491.

• Quod pendet, non est pro eo, quasi sit. What is in suspense is considered as not existing. Dig. 50, 17, 169, 1.

• Quod per me non possum, nec per alium. What I cannot do in person, I cannot do by proxy. 4 Co. 24.

• Quod per recordum probatum, non debet esse negatum. What is proved by the record, ought not to be denied.

• Quod populus postremum jussit, id just ratum esto. What the people have last enacted, let that be the established law.

• Quod prius est verius est; et quod prius est tempore potius est jure. What is first is truest; and what comes first in time, is best in law. Co. Litt. 347.

• Quod quis ex culpa sua damnum sentit, non intelligitur damnum sentire. He who suffers a damage by his own fault, has no right to complain. Dig. 50, 17, 203.

• Quod quisquis norat in hoc se exerceat. Let every one employ himself in what he knows. 11 Co. 10.

• Quod remedio destituitur ipsa re valet si culpa absit. What is without a remedy is valid by the thing itself. Bacon’s Max. Reg. 9.

• Quod solo inaedificatur solo cedit. Whatever is built on the soil is an accessory of the soil. Inst. 2, 1, 29; 16 Mass. 449; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1571.

• Quod taciti intelligitur deessee non videtur. What is tacitly understood does not appear to be wanting. 4 Co. 22.

• Quoties in verbis nulla est ambiguitas ibi nulla expositio contra verba fienda est. When there is no ambiguity in the words, then no exposition contrary to the words is to be made. Co. Litt. 147.

• Ratio est radius divini luminis. Reason is a ray of divine light. Co. Litt. 232.

• Ratio et auctoritas duo clarisima mundi limina. Reason and authority are the two brightest lights in the world. 4 Co. Inst. 320.

• Ratio in jure aequitas integra. Reason in law is perfect equity.

• Ratio legis est anima legis. The reason of the law is the soul of the law.

• Ratio non clauditur loco. Reason is not confined to any place.

• Ratio potest allegari deficiente lege, sed vera et legalis et non apparens. Reason may be alleged when the law is defective, but it must be true and legal reason, and not merely apparent. 6 Co. Litt. 191.

• Re, verbis, scripto, consensu, traditione, junctura vestes, sumere pacta solent. Compacts are accustomed to be clothed by thing itself, by words, by writing, by consent, by delivery. Plow. 161.

• Recorda sunt vestigia vetustatis et veritatis. Records are vestiges of antiquity and truth. 2 Roll. R. 296.

• Recurrendum est ad extraordinarium quando non valet ordinarium. We must have recourse to what is extraordinary, when what is ordinary fails.

• Regula pro lege, si deficit lex. In default of the law, the maxim rules.

• Rei turpis nullum mandatum est. A mandate of an illegal thing is void. Dig. 17, 1, 6, 3.

• Reipublicae interest voluntates defunctorum effectum sortiri. It concerns the state that the wills of the dead should have their effect.

• Relatio est fictio juris et intenta ad unum. Reference is a fiction of law, and intent to one thing. 3 Co. 28.

• Relatiorum cognito uno, cognoscitur et alterum. Of things relating to each other, one being known, the other is known. Cro. Jac. 539.

• Repellitur a sacramento infamis. An infamous person is repelled or prevented from taking an oath. Co. Litt. 158.

• Reprobata pecunia liberat solventum. Money refused liberates the debtor. 9 Co. 79. But this must be understood with a qualification. See Tender.

• Reputatio est vulgaris opinio ubi non est veritas. Reputation is a vulgar opinion where there is no truth. 4 Co. 107. But see, Character.

• Rerum ordo confunditur, si unicuique jurisdictio non servetur. The order of things is confounded if every one preserves not his jurisdiction. 4 Co. Inst. Proem.

• Rerum progressus ostendunt multa, quae in initio praecaveri seu praevideri non possunt. The progress of time shows many things, which at the beginning could not be guarded against, or foreseen. 6 Co. 40.

• Res denominator a principaliori parte. A thing is named from its principal part. 5 Co. 47.

• Res est misera ubi jus est vagam et invertum. It is a miserable state of things where the law is vague and uncertain. 2 Salk. 512.

• Res, generalem habet significationem, quia tam corporea, quam incorporea, cujuscunque sunt generis, naturae sive speciei, comprehendit. The word things has a general significaiton, which comprehends corporeal and incorporeal objects, of whatever nature, sort or specie. 3 Co. Inst. 482; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 415.

• Res judicata pro veritate accipitur. A thing adjudged must be taken for truth. Co. Litt. 103; Dig. 50, 17, 207. See Res judicata.

• Res per pecuniam aestimatur, et non pecunia per res. The value of a thing is estimated by its worth in money, and the value of money is not estimated by reference to one thing. 9 Co. 76; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 922.
•  
• Res perit domino suo. The destruction of the thing is the loss of its owner. 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1456, 1466.
•  
• Resignatio est juris porprii spontanea refutatio. Resignation is the spontaneous relinquishment of one’s own right. Godb. 284.
•  
• Respondeat superior. Let the principal answer. 4 Co. Inst. 114; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1337; 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3586.
•  
• Responsio unius non omnino auditur. The answer of one witness shall not be heard at all. 1 Greenl. Ev. 260. This is a maxim of the civil law, where everything must be proved by two witnesses.
•  
• Sacramentum habet in se tres comites, varitatem, justitiam et judicium; veritas habenda est in jurato; justitia et justicium in judice. An oath has in it three component parts – truth, justice and judgment; truth in the party swearing; justice and judgment in the judge administering the oath. 3 Co. Inst. 160.
•  
• Sacramentum si fatuum fuerit, licet falsum, tamen non committit perjurium. A foolish oath, though false, makes not perjury. 2 Co. Inst. 167.
•  
• Saepe viatorim nova non vetus orbita fallit. Often it is the new road, not the old one, which deceives the traveller. 4 Co. Inst. 34.
•  
• Saepenumero uvb proprietas verboem attenditur, sensus veritatis amittitur. Frequently where the propriety of words is attended to, the meaning of truth is lost. 7 Co. 27.
•  
• Salus populi est suprema lex. The safety of the people is the supreme law. Bacon’s Max. in Reg. 12; Broom’s Max. 1.
•  
• Salus ube multi consiliarii. In many counsellors there is safety. 4 Co. Inst.
•  
• Scientia sciolorum est mixta ignorantia. The knowledge of smatterers is mixed ignorance. 8 Co. 159.
•  
• Scientia et volunti non fit injuria. A wrong is not done to one who knows and wills it.
•  
• Scientia utrimque per pares contrahentes facit. Equal knowledge on both sides makes the contracting parties equal.
•  
• Scire leges, non hoc est verba eorum tenere, sed vim et potestatem. To know the laws, is not to observe their mere words, but their force and power. Dig. 1, 3, 17.
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• Scire proprie est, rem ratione et per causam cognoscere. To know properly is to know the reason and cause of a thing. Co. Litt. 183.
•  
• Scire debes cum quo contrahis. You ought to know with whom you deal.
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• Scribere est agere. To write is to act. 2 Roll. R. 89.
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•  
• Scriptae obligationes scriptis tolluntur, et nude consensus obligatio, contrario consensu dissolvitur. Written obligations are dissolved by writing, and obligations of naked assent by similar naked assent.
•  
• Secundum naturam est, commoda cujusque rei eum sequi, quem sequentur incommoda. It is natural that he who bears the charge of a thing, should receive the profits. Dig. 50, 17, 10.
•  
• Semper necessitas probandi incumbit qui agit. The claimant is always bound to prove: the burden of proof lies on him.
•  
• Sensus verborum est anima legis. The meaning of words is the spirit of the law. 5 Co. 2.
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•  
• Sensus verborum ex causa dicendi accipiendus est, et sermones
•  
• semper accipiendi sunt secundum subjectam materiam. The sense of words is to be taken from the occasion of speaking them, and discourses are always to be interpreted according to the subject-mater. 4 Co. 14.
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• Sententia facit jus, et legis interpretatio legis vim obtinet. The sentence gives the right, and the interpretation has the force of law.
•  
• Sententia interlocutoria revocari potest, difinitiva non potest. An interlocutory sentence or order may be revoked, but not a final.
•  
• Sententia non fertur de rebus non liquidis. Sentence is not given upon a thing which is not clear.
•  
• Sequi debet potentia justitiam, non praecedere. Power should follow justice, not precede it. 2 Co. Inst. 454.
•  
• Sermo index animi. Speech is an index of the mind. 5 Co. 118.
•  
• Sermo relatus ad personam, intelligi debet de conditione personae. A speech relating to the person is to be understood as relating to his condition. 4 Co. 16.
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• Si a jure discedas vagus eris, et erunt omnia omnibus incerta. If you depart from the law, you will wander without a guide, and everything will be in a state of uncertainty to every one. Co. Litt. 227.
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• Si meliores sunt quos ducit amor, plures sunt quos corrigit timer. If many are better led by love, more are corrected by fear. Co. Litt. 392
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• Si nulla sit conjectura quae ducat alio, verba intelligenda sunt ex proprietate, non grammatica sed populari ex usu. If there be no conjecture which leads to a different result, words are to be understood, according to the proper meaning, not in a grammatical, but in a popular and ordinary sense. 2 Kent, Com. 555.
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• Si quis custos fraudem pupillo fecerit, a tutela removendus est. If a guardian behave fraudulently to his ward, he shall be removed from the guardianship. Jenk. Cent. 39.
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• Si quis praegnantum uxorem reliquit, non videtur sine liberis decessisse. If a man dies, leaving his wife pregnant, he shall not be considered as having died childless.
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• Si quid universitate debetur singulis non debetur, nec quod debet, universitas singuli debent. If anything is due to a corporation, it is not due to the individual members of it, nor do the members individually owe what the corporation owes. Dig. 3, 4, 7.
• Silent leges inter arma. laws are silent amidst arms. 4 Co. Inst. 70.
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• Simplicitas est legibus amica. Simplicity is favorable to the law. 4 Co. 8.
•  
• Sine possessione usucapio procedere non potest. There can be no prescription without possession.
•  
• Solemnitas juris sunt observandae. The solemnities of law are to be observed. Jenk. Cent. 13.
• Solo cedit quod solo implantatur. What is planted in the soil belongs to the soil. inst. 2, 1, 29. See 1 Mackeld. civ. Law, 268; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1571.
•  
• Solo cedit quodquod solo implantatur. What is planted in the soil belongs o the soil. Inst. 2, 1, 32; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1572.
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• Solus Deus haeredem facit. God alone makes the heir.
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• Solutio pretii, emptiones loco habetur. The payment of the price stands in the place of a sale.
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• Spes est vigilantis somnium. Hope is the dream of the vigilant. 4 Co. Inst. 203.
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• Spoliatus debet ante omnia restitui. Spoil ought to be restored before anything else. 2 Co. Inst. 714.
•  
• Stabit praesumptio donec probetur in contrarium. A presumption will stand good until the contrary is proved. Hob. 297.
•  
• Statuta pro publico commodo late interpretantur. Statutes made for the public good ought to be liberally construed. Jenk. Cent. 21.
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• Statutum affirmativum non derogat communi legi. An affirmative stature does not take from the common law. Jenk. Cent. 24.
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• Sublata causa tollitur effectus. Remove the cause and the effect will cease. 2 Bl. Com. 203.
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• Sublata veneratione magistraiuum, respublica ruit. The commonwealth perishes, if respect for magistrates be taken away.
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• Sublato fundamento cadit opus. Remove the foundation, the structure or work fall.
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• Sublato principali tollitur adjunctum. If the principal be taken away, the adjunct is also taken away. Co. Litt. 389.
•  
• Summum jus, summa injuria. The rigor or height of law, is the height of wrong. Hob. 125; 1 Chan. Rep. 4.
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• Superflua non nocent. Superfluities do no injury.
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• Surplusagium non nocet. Surplusage does no harm. 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 2949.
•  
• Tacita quaedam habentur pro expressis. Things silent are sometimes considered as expressed. 8 Co. 40.
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• Talis non est eadem, nam nullum simile est idem. What is like is not the same, for nothing similar is the same. 4 Co. 18.
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• Tantum bona valent, quantum vendi possunt. Things are worth what they will sell for. 3 Co. Inst. 305.
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• Terminus annorum certus debet esse et determinatus. A term of years ought to be certain and determinate. Co. Litt. 45.
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• Terra transit cum onere. Land passses with the incumbrances. Co. Litt. 45.
•  
• Testamenta latissimam interpretationem habere debent. Wills ought to have the broadest interpretation.
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• Testamentum omne morte consumatum. Every will is completed by death. Co. Litt. 232.
•  
• Testatoris ultima voluntas est perimplenda secundum veram intentionem suam. The last will of a testator is to be fulfilled according to his real intention. Co. Litt. 232.
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• Testibus deponentibus in pari numero dignioribus est credendum. When the number of witnesses is equal on both sides, the more worthy are to be believed. 4 Co. Inst. 279.
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• Testis de visu praeponderat aliis. An eye witness outweighs others. 4 Co. Inst. 470.
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• Testis nemo in su caus esse potest. No one can be a witness in his own cause.
•  
• Testis oculatus unus plus valet quam auriti decem. One eye witness is worth ten ear witnesses. See 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 3154.
•  
• Timores vani sunt aestimandi qui non cadunt in constantem virum. Fears, which have no fixed persons for their object, are vain. 7 Co. 17.
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• That which I may defeat by my entry, I make good by my confirmation. Co. Litt. 300.
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• he fund which has received the benefit should make the satisfaction. 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3730.
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• Things shall not be void which may possibly be good.
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• Trusts survive.
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• Totum prefertur uni cuique parte. The whole is preferable to any single part. 3 Co. 41.
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• Tout ce que la loi ne defend pas est permis. Everything is permitted, which is not forbidden by law.
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• Tonte exception non surveille tend prendre la place du principe. Every exception not watched tends to assume the place of the principle.
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• Tractent fabrilia fabri. Let smiths perform the work of smiths. 3 Co. Epist.
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• Traditio loqui facit chartam. Delivery makes the deed speak. 5 Co. 1.
•  
• Transgressione multiplicata, crescat paena inflictio. When transgression is multiplied, let the infliction of punishment be increased. 2 Co. Inst. 479.
•  
• Triatio ibi semper debet fieri, ubi juratores meliorem possunt habere notitiam. Trial ought always to be had where the jury have the best knowledge. 7 Co. 1.
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• Ubi culpa est ibi paena subesse debet. Where there is culpability, there punishment ought to be.
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• Ubi eadem ratio, ibi idem lex. Where there is the same reason, there is the same law. 7 co. 18.
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• Ubi damna dantur, victus victori in expensis condemnari debet. Where damages are given, the losing party should pay the costs of the victor. 2 Inst. 289.
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• Ubi factum nullum ibi sortia nulla. Where there is no deed committed, there can be no consequence. 4 Co. 43.
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• Ubi jus, ibi remedium. Where there is a right, there is a remedy. 1 T. R. 512; Co. Litt. 197, b; 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 2411; 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3726.
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• Ubi jus incertum, ibi jus nullum. Where the law is uncertain, there is no law.
•  
• Ubi lex aliquem cogit ostendere causam, necesse est quod causa sit justa et letitima. Where the law compels a man to show cause, the cause ought to be just and legal. 2 Co. Inst. 269.
• Ubi lex non distinguit, nec nos distinguere debemus. Where the law does not distinguish, we ought not to distinguish. 7 Co. 5.
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• Ubi non est condendi auctoritas, ibi non est parendi necessitas. Where there is no authority to enforce, there is no authority to obey. Dav. 69.
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• Ubi non est directa lex, standum est arbitrio judicis, vel procedendum ad similia. Where there is no direct law, the opinion of the judges ought to be taken, or reference made to similar cases.
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• Ubi non est lex, non est transgressio quoad mundum. Where there is no law there is no transgression, as it regards the world.
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• ubi non est principalis non potest esse accessorius. Where there is no principal there is no accessory. 4 co. 43.
•  
• ubi nullum matrimonium ibi nullum dos. Where there is no marriage there is no dower. Co. Litt. 32.
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• Ubi periculum, ibi et lucrum collocatur. He at whose risk a thing is, should receive the profits arising from it.
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• ubi quis delinquit ibi punietur. Let a man be punished when he commits the offence. 6 Co. 47.
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• Ubicunque est injuria, ibi damnum sequitur. Wherever there is a wrong, there damages follow. 10 Co. 116.
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• Ultima voluntas testatoris est perimplenda secundum veram intentionem suam. The last will of a testator is to be fulfilled according to his true intention. Co. Litt. 322.
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• Ultra posse non est esse, et vice versa. What is beyond possibility cannot exist, and the reverse, what cannot exist is not possible.
•  
• Uno absurdo dato, infinita sequuntur. One absurdity being allowed, an infinity follow. 1 co. 102.
•  
• Unumquodque eodem modo quo colligatum est dissolvitur. In the same manner in which a thing is bound, it is loosened. 2 Roll. Rep. 39.
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• Unumquodque est id quod est principalius in ipso. That which is the principal part of a thing is the thing itself. Hob. 123.
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• Unumquodque dissolvatur eo modo quo colligatur. Everything is dissolved by the same mode in which it is bound together.
•  
• Usury is odious in law.
•  
•  
• Vendens eandem rem doubus falsarius est. It is fraudulent to sell the same thing twice. Jenk. Cent. 107. See Stalionat.
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• Veniae facilitas incentivum est delinquendi. Facility of pardon is an incentive to crime. 3 inst. 236.
•  
• Verba aliquid operari debent, verba cum effectu sunt accipienda. Words are to be taken so as to have effect. Bacon’s Max. Reg. 3, p. 47. See 1 Duer. on ins. 210, 211, 216.
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• Verba aequivoca ac in dubio sensu posita, intelliguntur dignori et potentiori sensu. Equivocal words and those in a doubtful sense are to be taken in their best and most effective sense. 6 Co. 20.
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• Verba dicta de persona, intelligi debent de conditione personae. Words spoken of the person are to be understood of the condition of the person. 2 Roll. R. 72.
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• Verba fortius accipientur contra proferentum. Words are to be taken most strongly against him who uses them. Bacon’s Max. Reg. 3; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 661.
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• Verba generalia generaliter sunt intelligenda. General words are to be generally understood. 3 Co. Inst. 76.
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• Verba ganeralia restringuntur ad habilitatem rei vel personae. General words must be confined or restrained to the nature of the subject or the aptitude of the person. Bacon’s max. Reg. 10.
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• Verba intentioni, non e contra, debent inservire. Words ought to be made subservient to the intent, not contrary to it. 8 Co. 94.
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• Verba ita sunt intelligenda, ut res magis valeat quam pereat. Words are to be so understood that the subject-matter may be preserved rather than destroyed. Bacon’s Max. in Reg. 3.
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• Verba nihil operandi melius est quam absurde. It is better that words should have no operation, than to operate absurdly.
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• Verba posteriora propter certitudinem addita, ad priora quae certitudine indigent, sunt referenda. Words added for the purpose of certainty are to be referred to preceding words, in which certainty is wanting.
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• Verga relata hac maximi operantur per referentiam ut in eis in esse videntur. Words referred to other words operate chiefly by the reference which appears to be implied towards them. Co. Litt. 359.
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• Veredictum, quasi dictum veritas; ut judicium quasi juris dictum. A verdict is, as it were, the saying of the truth, in the same manner that a judgment is the saying of the law. Co. Litt. 226.
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• Veritas demonstrationis tollit errorem nominis. The truth of the demonstration removes the error of the name. Ld. Raym. 303. See Legatee.
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• Veritas nihil veretur nisi abscondi. Truth fears nothing but concealment. 9 co. 20.
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• Veritas nimium altercando amittitur. By too much altercation truth is lost. Hob. 344.
• Veritatem qui non libere pronunciat, proditor est veritatis. He who does not speak the truth, is a traitor to the truth.
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• Vicarius non habet vicaruim. A deputy cannot appoint a deputy. Branch’s max. 38; Broom’s max. 384; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1300.
•  
• Vigilantibus et non dormientibus serviunt leges. The laws serve the vigilant, not those who sleep upon their rights. 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 2327. See Laches.
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• Viperina est expositio quae corrodit viscera textus. That is a viperous exposition which gnaws or eats out the bowels of the text. 11 Co. 34.
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• Vir et uxor consentur in lege una persona. Husband and wife are considered one person in law. Co. Litt. 112.
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• Vis legibus est inimica. Force is inimical to the laws. 3 Co. inst. 176.
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• Vitium clerici nocere non debet. Clerical errors ought not to hurt.
•  
• Voluit sed non dixit. He willed but did not say.
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• Voluntas testatoris ambulatoria est usque ad mortem. The will of a testator is ambulatory until his death; that is, he may change it at any time. See 1 Bouv. inst. n. 83.
•  
• Voluntas in delictis non exitus spectatur. In offences, the will and not the consequences are to be looked to. 2 Co. inst. 27.
•  
• Voluntas reputabatur pro facto. The will is to be taken for the deed. 3 Co. Inst. 69.
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• Volunti non fit injuria. He who consents cannot receive an injury. 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 2279, 2327; 4 T. R. 657; Shelf. on mar. & Div. 449.
• What a man cannot transfer, he cannot bind by articles.
• When the common law and statute law concur, the common law is to be preferred. 4 Co. 71.
• When many join in one act, the law says it is the act of him who could best do it; and things should be done by him who has the best skill. Noy’s Max. h.t.
•  
• When the law presumes the affirmative, the negative is to be proved. 1 Roll. R. 83; 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 3063, 3090.
•  
• When no time is limited, the law appoints the most convenient.
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• When the law gives anything, it gives a remedy for the same.
•  
• When the foundation fails, all fails.
•  
• Where two rights concur, the more ancient shall be preferred.
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• Where there is equal equity, the law must prevail. 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3727.

Source:

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