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[42] [Governors Message] of explanatory, additional, supplementary and partially repealing Acts, it has become difficult to ascertain what the law is. Under a government such as ours, a government of laws, and not of men, it ought to be one of its first principles that the laws should be simple and plain and easy to be understood. A new and revised code of statute law therefore, it is believed is exceedingly desirable as it certainly is practicable. It also becomes an interesting question, whether it is not practicable, as well as desirable, to extend the revision still farther. When the United States assumed their independence, it became necessary for the several States and Massachusetts among them, to adopt the then existing colonial statutes, together with the common law of Great Britain, embracing also a considerable portion of her statutes. This heterogeneous mass with the statutes and judicial decisions of Massachusetts has been provisionally adopted by this State; in addition to which, we have those of the United States, the whole combined forming such a variety of laws, opinions and judicial decisions, as to fill so many volumes, that few fortunes can purchase them, and still fewer capacities correctly understand them. A condensed, plain, perspiuous [perspicuous?] and well digested code therefore, embracing every branch of civil and criminal law, as well as the forms of proceeding in the several Courts would, it is believed, be a most invaluable acquisition to the citizens of this State. That the compilation and establishment of such a code is not altogether visionary is demonstrated by the fact, that such a code has not only been framed and established for itself by a foreign nation in our own times, but is universally acknowledged to be one of the greatest national benefits ever