lect02-第9章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！







But；　even　in　respect　of　divorce；　the　modifications　strike　me　as






less　than　might　have　been　expected　from　what　we　know　of　the






condition　of　opinion　in　the　Roman　world；　and；　as　regards　certain






improvements　said　to　have　been　introduced　by　Christianity　into






the　Imperial　law　of　slavery；　they　were　probably　quickened　by　its






influence；　but　they　began　in　principles　which　were　of　Stoical






rather　than　of　Christian　origin。　I　do　not　question　the　received






opinion　that　Christianity　greatly　mitigated　and　did　much　to






abolish　personal　and　predial　slavery　in　the　West；　but　the






Continental　lawyers　of　whom　I　spoke　considerably　antedate　its






influence；　and　take　far　too　little　account　of　the　prodigious






effects　subsequently　produced　by　the　practical　equality　of　all






men　within　the　pale　of　the　Catholic　priesthood。　But　I　principally






deprecate　these　statements；　which　in　some　countries　have　almost






become　professional　commonplaces；　for　two　reasons。　They　slur　over






a　very　instructive　fact；　the　great　unmalleability　of　all　bodies






of　law。　and　they　obscure　an　interesting　and　yet　unsettled；






problem；　the　origin　of　the　Canon　law。　The　truth　seems　to　be　that






the　Imperial　Roman　law　did　not　satisfy　the　morality　of　the






Christian　communities；　and　this　is　the　most　probable　reason　why






another　body　of　rules　grew　up　by　its　side　and　ultimately　almost






rivalled　it。