urts, so in the profession of the law there are
Mootemen [i.e., students], which are those that argue readers' cases in
houses of Chancery, both in terms and grand vacations. Of Mootemen,
after eight years' study or thereabouts, are chosen Utter-barristers; of
these are chosen Readers in inns of Chancery. Of Utter-barristers after
they have been of that degree twelve years at least, are chosen Benchers
or Ancients; of which one, that is of the puisne sort, reads yearly in
summer vacation, and is called a Single Reader; and one of the Ancients
that had formerly read reads in Lent vacation and is called a Double
Reader, and commonly it is between his first and second reading about
nine or ten years. And out of these the King makes choice of his
Attorney and Solicitor General, his Attorney of the Court of Wards and
Liveries, and Attorney of the Duchy; and of these Readers are Serjeants
elected by the King, and are, by the King's writ, called _ad statum et
gradum servientis ad legem_; and out of these the King electeth one,
two, or three, as please him, to be Serjeants, which are called the
King's Serjeants; of Serjeants are by the King also constituted the
honourable and reverend Judges and sages of the law. For the young
student, which most commonly cometh from one of the Universities, for
his entrance or beginning were first instituted and erected eight Houses
of Chancery, to learn there the elements of the law, that is to say,
Clifford's inn, Lyon's inn, Clement's inn, Staple's inn, Furnival's inn,
Thavie's inn, and New inn; and each of these consists of forty or
thereabouts; for the Readers, Utter-barristers, Mootemen, and inferior
Students are four famous and renowned Colleges or Houses of Court,
called the Inner Temple, to which the first three Houses of Chancery
appertain; Gray's Inn, to which the next two belong; Lincoln's Inn,
which enjoyeth the last two but one; and the Middle Temple, which hath
only the last; each of the Houses of Court consists of Readers above
twenty; of Utter-barristers above thrice so many; of young Gentlemen
about the number of eight or nine score, who there spend their time in
study of law and in commendable exercises fit for gentlemen; the Judges
of the law and Serjeants, being commonly above the number of twenty, are
equally distinguished into two higher and more eminent Houses, called
Serjeant's Inn; all these are not far distant from one another, and
altogether do make _the most famous u