Blackstone: Of the Nature of Law in General

Week 3 Reading: http://www.constitution.org/tb/tb-1102.htm

Monday

1. What is law, in its most general and comprehensive sense?

2. What is law, in its more confined sense, and that in which it is the present commentator's business to consider it?

3. What is the law of Nature?

4. To what one precept, may the law of nature be reduced?

Tuesday

5. Has God revealed any portions of this law to us?

6. Upon what two foundations depend all human laws?

7. As the whole race of mankind form separate states, is there not a third kind of law?

8. What is that law called, by which particular nations are governed?

9. How does the commentator define that law?

Wednesday

10. What three forms of government are there?

11. What peculiar quality does each of these forms of government possess; and what effect have these several qualities upon the laws of their respective governments?

12. What is the nature of the British form of government?

13. With whom lies the right to make laws, in every government?

Thursday

14. Of what four parts may every law be said to consist?

15. Wherein lies the difference between those things prohibited by the law, which are mala in se, and those which are mala prohibita?

Friday

16. What five helps are there to the interpretation of laws?

17. How is equity defined by Grotius?