lect06-第2章

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owing　to　their　natural　functions　as　military　leaders　of　the






tribe。　The　Brehon　law　suggests　to　me　that　the　Chiefs　too　were






pressed　by　a　difficulty　of　their　own；　that　of　finding　sufficient






pasturage　for　their　herds。　Doubtless　their　power　over　the






waste…lands　of　the　particular　group　over　which　they　happened　to






preside　was　always　growing；　but　the　most　fruitful　portions　of　the






tribal　territory　would　probably　be　those　which　the　free　tribesmen






occupied。　The　fact　that　the　wealth　of　the　Chiefs　in　cattle　was






out　of　proportion　to　their　power　of　dealing　with　the　tribal






lands；　and　the　fact　that　the　tribesmen　were　every　now　and　then






severely　pressed　by　the　necessity　of　procuring　the　means　of






tillage；　appear　to　me　to　supply　the　best　explanation　of　the






system　of　giving　and　receiving　stock；　to　which　two　sub…tracts　of






the　Senchus　Mor　are　devoted；　the　Cain…Saerrath　and　the






Cain…Aigillne；　the　Law　of　Saer…stock　tenure　and　the　Law　of






Daer…stock　tenure。






　　　　The　interest　of　these　two　compendia　is　very　great。　In　the






first　place；　they　go　far　to　show　us　how　it　was　that　the　power　of






the　tribal　Chief　increased；　not　merely　over　his　servile






dependants；　but　over　the　free　tribesmen　among　whom　he　had　been　at






first　only　primus　inter　pares。　In　the　next；　they　give　us；　from






the　authentic　records　of　the　ancient　usages　of　one　particular






society；　a　perfectly　novel　example　of　a　proceeding　by　which






feudal　vassalage　was　created。　I　need　scarcely　dwell　on　the






historical　importance　of　the　various　agencies　by　which　the






relation　of　Lord　and　Vassal　was　first　established。　It　was　by　them






that　the　Western　europe　of　the　Roman　despotism　was　changed　into






the　Western　Europe　of　the　feudal　sovereignties。　Nothing　can　be






more　strikingly　unlike　in　external　aspect　than　the　states　of






society　which　are　discerned　on　either　side　of　the　stormy　interval






filled　with　the　movement　and　subsidence　of　the　barbarian






invasions。　Just　before　it　is　reached；　we　see　a　large　part　of






mankind　arranged；　so　to　speak；　on　one　vast　level　surface






dominated　in　every　part　by　the　overshadowing　authority　of　the






Roman　Emperor。　On　this　they　lie　as　so　many　equal　units；　connected






together　by　no　institutions　which　are　not　assumed　to　be　the






creation　of　positive　Roman　law；　and　between　them　and　their






sovereign　there　is　nothing　but　a　host　of　functionaries　who　are






his　servants。　When　feudal　Europe　has　been　constituted；　all　this






is　changed。　Everybody　has　become　the　subordinate　of　somebody　else






higher　than　himself　and　yet　exalted　above　him　by　no　great






distance。　If　I　may　again　employ　an　image　used　by　me　before；






society　has　taken　the　form　of　a　pyramid　or　cone。　The　great






multitude　of　cultivators　is　at　its　base；　and　then　it　mounts　up






through　ever…narrowing　sections　till　it　approaches　an　apex；　not






always　visible；　but　always　supposed　to　be　discoverable；　in　the






Emperor；　or　the　Pope；　or　God　Almighty。　There　is　strong　reason　to






believe　that　neither　picture　contains　all　the　actual　detail；　and






that　neither　the　theory　of　the　Roman　lawyers　on　one　side　nor　the






theory　of　the　feudal　lawyers　on　the　other　accounts　for　or　takes






notice　of　a　number　of　customs　and　institutions　which　had　a






practical　existence　in　their　day。　Either　theory　was；　however；






founded　upon　the　most　striking　facts　of　the　epoch　at　which　it　was






framed。






　　　　We　know　something；　though　not　very　much；　of　the　formal






instrumentalities　by　which　the　later　set　of　facts　became　so






extremely　dissimilar　to　the　earlier。　Mr　Stubbs　（'Constitutional






History；'　i。　252）　has　thus　summarised　the　most　modern　views　on






the　subject。　Feudalism　'had　grown　up　from　two　great　sources；　the






Benefice　and　the　practice　of　Commendation。　The　beneficiary　system






originated　partly　in　gifts　of　land　made　by　the　kings　out　of　their






own　estates　to　their　kinsmen　and　servants；　with　a　special






undertaking　to　be　faithful；　partly　in　the　surrender　by　landowners






of　their　estates　to　churches　or　powerful　men；　to　be　received　back






again　and　held　by　them　as　tenants　for　rent　or　service。　By　the






latter　arrangement　the　weaker　man　obtained　the　protection　of　the






stronger；　and　he　who　felt　himself　insecure　placed　his　title　under






the　defence　of　the　Church。　By　the　practice　of　Commendation；　on






the　other　hand；　the　inferior　put　himself　under　the　personal　care






of　a　lord；　but　without　altering　his　title　or　divesting　himself　of






his　right　to　his　estate；　he　became　a　vassal　and　did　homage。'






Commendation；　in　particular；　went　on　all　over　Western　Europe　with






singular　universality　of　operation　and　singular　uniformity　of






result；　and　it　helped　to　transform　the　ancient　structure　of






Teutonic　society　no　less　than　the　institutions　of　the　Roman






Provincials。　Yet　there　is　considerable　mystery　about　men's






motives　for　reporting　to　so　onerous　a　proceeding；　and　the






statements　of　nearly　all　writers　on　the　subject　are　general　and






chiefly　conjectural。　Perhaps　the　most　precise　assertion　which　we






have　been　hitherto　able　to　hazard　as　to　the　reasons　of　so　large　a






part　of　the　world　for　voluntarily　placing　themselves　in　a






conditIon　of　personal　subordination　is；　that　they　must　have　been






connected　with　the　system　of　civil　and　criminal　responsibility






which　prevailed　in　those　times。　Families　　real　or






artificial…natural　or　formed　by　agreement　　were　responsible　for






the　offences　and　even　for　the　civil　liabilities　of　their　members；






but　corporate　responsibility　must　have　been　replaced；






conveniently　for　all　persons　concerned；　by　the　responsibility　of






a　single　lord；　who　could　prevent　injury　and　pay　compensation　for






it；　and　whose　testimony；　in　compurgation　and　other　legal






proceedings；　had　a　weight　often　assigned　to　it　exceeding　that　of






several　inferior　persons　combined。　More　generally；　but　with　at






least　equal　plausibility；　we　can　lay　down　that　the　general






disorder　of　the　world　had　much　to　do　with　the　growth　of　the　new






institutions；　and　that　a　little　society　compactly　united　under　a






feudal　lord　was　greatly　stronger　for　defence　or　attack　than　any






body　of　kinsmen　or　co…villagers　and　than　any　assemblage　of






voluntary　confederates。　It　would　be　absurd；　however；　to　suppose






that　we　have　materials　for　a　confident　opinion　as　to　men's






motives　for　submitting　themselves　to　a　change　which　was　probably






recommended　to　them　or　forced　on　them　by　very　various






circumstances　in　different　countries　and　in　relatively　different






stages　of　society。






　　　　I　do　not　wish　to　generalise　unduly　from　the　new　information






furnished　by　the　Brehon　law；　but　there　has　long　been　a　suspicion






（I　cannot　call　it　more）　among　learned　men　that　Celtic　usages






would　throw　some　light　on　Commendation；　and；　at　any　rate；　amid






the　dearth　of　our　materials；　any　addition　to　them　from　an






authentic　source　is　of　value。　Let　me　again　state　the　impression　I






have　formed　of　the　ancient　Irish　land…system；　in　the　stage　at






which　it　is　revealed　to　us　by　the　Brehon　tracts。　The　land　of　the






tribe；　whether　cultivated　or　waste；　belongs　to　the　tribe；　and