But, it may be asked, whether a man, having a Son and Heir, can give any part of his Inheritance to his illegitimate son? If he can, it follows, that the condition of the illegitimate son would, in this respect, be preferable to that of the younger son born in Wedlock; and yet the Law is so.[204] But, if the person, desirous of making a donation of part of his Lands, possess only such as he has purchased, he may then make such Gift; provided it does not extend to the whole of his purchased Lands, because he cannot disinherit his Son and Heir.[205] Yet, if he has not any Heir, male or female, of his own Body, he may, indeed, consult his own inclination in making an absolute gift, either of part or of the whole of his purchased Lands.[206] And, if the person to whom the gift be made obtain Seisin of it, during the life of the Donor, it is not in the power of any more remote[207] Heir to invalidate such Gift. Thus may a man give, in his lifetime, the whole of his purchased Land; but he cannot make any one his Heir to it, neither a College, nor any particular individual, it being an Established Rule of Law, that God alone, and not Man, can make an Heir.[208] If, however, a Man possess both inheritable and purchased Lands, it is then unquestionably true, that he may absolutely give any part or the whole of the latter to such person as he pleases;[209] and of his inheritance he may notwithstanding dispose, according to what we have already observed, provided such disposition be a reasonable one. It should be observed, that, if a Man, having Lands in free socage,[210] has many sons, who are all in equal proportions to be admitted to the Inheritance, then, it is unquestionably true, that their Father cannot give a greater part of his inheritable Land or of his purchased, if he possess no inheritable, to any one of the sons, than the reasonable part which would fall to such son of the whole paternal Inheritance.[211] But the Father can in his lifetime give to either of his Sons such a part only of his inheritable free socage Land, as such son would be intitled to upon the death of his father by the Rule of succession. Yet, by reason of the liberality which Parents are in the habit of exercising towards their sons, or even towards other persons, questions of Law frequently arise concerning donations of this description. Let us suppose, that a Knight or a freeman, having four, or a greater number of sons, all born in Wedlock of one Mother, should, with the consent of the Heir previously obtained, (in order to prevent disputes) give to one of his sons—let us say, to the second and his Heirs, a certain reasonable part of his Inheritance—Let us suppose, that the son, to whom the Gift has been made, received Seisin, and, during his Life, took the profits and proceeds, and that he died in such Seisin, leaving not only his Father, but all his Brothers yet living.