The operation of this law, however certain, might be too slow. The
present possessors might happen to be long-lived. The legislature knew
the natural impatience of expectants, and upon this principle they gave
encouragement to children to anticipate the inheritance. For it is
provided, that the eldest son of any Papist shall, immediately on his
conformity, change entirely the nature and properties of his father's
legal estate: if he before held in fee simple, or, in other words, had
the entire and absolute dominion over the land, he is reduced to an
estate for his life only, with all the consequences of the natural
debility of that estate, by which he becomes disqualified to sell,
mortgage, charge, (except for his life,) or in any wise to do any act by
which he may raise money for relief in his most urgent necessities. The
eldest son, so conforming, immediately acquires, and in the lifetime of
his father, the permanent part, what our law calls the reversion and
inheritance of the estate; and he discharges it by retrospect, and
annuls every sort of voluntary settlement made by the father ever so
long before his conversion. This he may sell or dispose of immediately,
and alienate it from the family forever.
Pages:
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379