SIGNATURE, pract. contr. By signature is understood the act of putting down a man's name, at the end of an instrument, to attest¹ its validity. The name thus written is also called a signature.

2. It is not necessary that a party should write his name himself, to constitute a signature; his mark is now beld sufficient though he was able to write. 8 Ad. & El. 94; 3 N. & Per. 228; 3 Curt⁴. 752; 5 John. 144, A signature made by a party, another person guiding his band with his consent, is sufficient. 4 Wash. C. C. 262, 269. Vide to Sign.

SIGNIFICATION, French law. The notice given of a decree, sentence or other judicial⁵ act.

SIGNIFICAVIT, eccl. law. When this word is used alone, it means the bishop's certificate to the court of chancery, in order to obtain the writ² of excommunication; but where the words writ of significavit are used, the meaning is the same as writ de excommunicato capiendo. 2 Burn's Eccl. L. 248; Shelf. on Mar³. & Div. 502.

SILENCE. The state of a person who does not speak, or of one who refrains from speaking.

2. Pure and simple silence cannot be considered as a consent to a contract, except in cases when the silent person is bound in good faith to explain himself, in which case, silence gives consent. 6 Toull. liv. 3, t. 3, n. 32, note; 14 Serg. & Rawle, 393; 2 Supp. to Ves. jr. 442; 1 Dane's Ab. c. 1, art. 4, §3; 8 T. R. 483; 6 Penn. St. R. 336; 1 Greenl. Ev. 201; 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1313. But no assent⁶ will be inferred from a man's silence, unless, 1st. He knows his rights and knows what he is doing and, 2d. His silence is voluntary.

3. When any person is accused of a crime, or charged with any fact, and he does not deny it, in general, the presumption⁷ is very strong that the charge is correct. 7 C. & P. 832 5 C. & P. 332; Joy on Conf. s. 10, p. 77.

4. The rule does not extend to the silence of a prisoner, when on his exanination before a magistrate⁸ he is charged by another prisoner with having joined him in the commission of an offence: 3 Stark⁹. C. 33.

5. When an oath is administered to a witness, instead of expressly promising¹⁰ to keep it, he gives his assent by his silence, and kissing the book.

6. The person to be affected¹¹ by the silence must be one not disqualified to act as non compos, an infant, or the like, for even the express promise of such a person would not bind¹² him to the performance of any contract.

7. The rule of the civil law is that silence is not an acknowledgment or denial in every case, qui tacet, non utique fatetur: sed tamen verum est, eum non negaro. Dig. 50, 17, 142.