"The beginning of error may be, and mostly is, from private persons, but the maintainer and continuer of error is the multitude" Sir James Hales
James Hales was famous for a couple of things, contesting Henry VIII's will and for his "self-murder". The judge deciding whether his property should be forfeit to the monarchy upon his death (suicide was cause for forfeiture of the estate at the time) famously wrote:
"Sir James Hales was dead, and how came he to his death? by drowning; and who drowned him? Sir James Hales; and when did he drown him? in his lifetime. So that Sir James Hales, being alive, caused Sir James Hales to die; and the act of the living man was the death of the dead man. He therefore committed felony in his lifetime, although there was no possibility of the forfeiture being found in his lifetime, for until his death there was no cause of forfeiture."
Aphorism week continues through Friday
