the spirit of laws-第156章

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s　at　the　assizes　of　their　duchies　or　counties；　such　were　the　assize　of　Godfrey；　Count　of　Brittany；　on　the　division　of　the　nobles；　the　customs　of　Normandy；　granted　by　Duke　Ralph；　the　customs　of　Champagne；　given　by　King　Theobald；　the　laws　of　Simon；　Count　of　Montfort；　and　others。　This　produced　some　written　laws；　and　even　more　general　ones　than　those　they　had　before。

2。　At　the　beginning　of　the　third　race；　almost　all　the　common　people　were　bondmen；　but　there　were　several　reasons　which　afterwards　determined　the　kings　and　lords　to　enfranchise　them。

The　lords　by　enfranchising　their　bondmen　gave　them　property；　it　was　necessary　therefore　to　give　them　civil　laws；　in　order　to　regulate　the　disposal　of　that　property。　But　by　enfranchising　their　bondmen；　they　likewise　deprived　themselves　of　their　property；　there　was　a　necessity；　therefore；　of　regulating　the　rights　which　they　reserved　to　themselves；　as　an　equivalent　for　that　property。　Both　these　things　were　regulated　by　the　charters　of　enfranchisement；　those　charters　formed　a　part　of　our　customs；　and　this　part　was　reduced　to　writing。＇312＇

3。　Under　the　reign　of　St。　Louis；　and　of　the　succeeding　princes；　some　able　practitioners；　such　as　Défontaines；　Beaumanoir；　and　others；　committed　the　customs　of　their　bailiwicks　to　writing。　Their　design　was　rather　to　give　the　course　of　judicial　proceedings；　than　the　usages　of　their　time　in　respect　to　the　disposal　of　property。　But　the　whole　is　there；　and　though　these　particular　authors　have　no　authority　but　what　they　derive　from　the　truth　and　notoriety　of　the　things　they　speak　of；　yet　there　is　no　manner　of　doubt　but　that　they　contributed　greatly　to　the　restoration　of　our　ancient　French　jurisprudence。　Such　was　in　those　days　our　common　law。

We　have　come　now　to　the　grand　epoch。　Charles　VII　and　his　successors　caused　the　different　local　customs　throughout　the　kingdom　to　be　reduced　to　writing；　and　prescribed　set　forms　to　be　observed　to　their　digesting。　Now；　as　this　digesting　was　made　through　all　the　provinces；　and　as　people　came　from　each　lordship　to　declare　in　the　general　assembly　of　the　province　the　written　or　unwritten　usages　of　each　place；　endeavours　were　made　to　render　the　customs　more　general；　as　much　as　possible；　without　injuring　the　interests　of　individuals；　which　were　carefully　preserved。＇313＇　Thus　our　customs　were　characterised　in　a　threefold　manner；　they　were　committed　to　writing；　they　were　made　more　general；　and　they　received　the　stamp　of　the　royal　authority。

Many　of　these　customs　having　been　digested　anew；　several　changes　were　made　either　in　suppressing　whatever　was　incompatible　with　the　actual　practice　of　the　law；　or　in　adding　several　things　drawn　from　this　practice。

Though　the　common　law　is　considered　among　us　as　in　some　measure　opposite　to　the　Roman；　insomuch　that　these　two　laws　divide　the　different　territories；　it　is；　notwithstanding；　true　that　several　regulations　of　the　Roman　law　entered　into　our　customs；　especially　when　they　made　the　new　digests；　at　a　time　not　very　distant　from　ours；　when　this　law　was　the　principal　study　of　those　who　were　designed　for　civil　employments；　at　a　time　when　it　was　not　usual　for　people　to　boast　of　not　knowing　what　it　was　their　duty　to　know；　and　of　knowing　what　they　ought　not　to　know；　at　a　time　when　a　quickness　of　understanding　was　made　more　subservient　to　learning　than　pretending　to　a　profession；　and　when　a　continual　pursuit　of　amusements　was　not　even　the　characteristic　of　women。

I　should　have　been　more　diffuse　at　the　end　of　this　book；　and；　entering　into　the　several　details；　should　have　traced　all　the　insensible　changes　which　from　the　opening　of　appeals　have　formed　the　great　corpus　of　our　French　jurisprudence。　But　this　would　have　been　ingrafting　one　large　work　upon　another。　I　am　like　that　antiquarian＇314＇　who　set　out　from　his　own　country；　arrived　in　Egypt；　cast　an　eye　on。　the　pyramids　and　returned　home。

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1。　See　the　prologue　to　the　Salic　Law。　Mr。　Leibnitz　says；　in　his　treatise　of　the　origin　of　the　Franks；　that　this　law　was　made　before　the　reign　of　Clovis：　but　it　could　not　be　before　the　Franks　had　quitted　Germany；　for　at　that　time　they　did　not　understand　the　Latin　tongue。

2。　See　Gregory　of　Tours。

3。　See　the　prologue　to　the　Law　of　the　Bavarians；　and　that　to　the　Salic　Law。

4。　Ibid。

5。　Lex　Angliorum　Werinorum；　hoc　est　Thuringorum。

6。　They　did　not　know　how　to　write。

7。　They　were　made　by　Euric；　and　amended　by　Leovigildus。　See　Isidorus's　chronicle。　Chaindasuinthus　and　Recessuinthus　reformed　them。　Egigas　ordered　the　code　now　extant　to　be　made；　and　commissioned　bishops　for　that　purpose；　nevertheless　the　laws　of　Chaindasuinthus　and　Recessuinthus　were　preserved；　as　appears　by　the　sixth　council　of　Toledo。

8。　See　the　prologue　to　the　Law　of　the　Bavarians。

9。　We　find　only　a　few　in　Childebert's　decree。

10。　See　the　prologue　to　the　Code　of　the　Burgundians；　and　the　code　itself；　especially　tit。　12；　§　5；　and　tit。　38。　See　also　Gregory　of　Tours；　ii。　33；　and　the　code　of　the　Visigoths。

11。　See　lower　down；　chapter　3。

12。　See　cap。　ii。　§§　8　and　9；　and　cap。　iv。　§§　2　and　7。

13。　De　Bello　Gall。；　vi。

14。　Book　i；　formul。　8。

15。　Chapter　31。

16。　That　of　Clotarius　in　the　year　560；　in　the　edition　of　the　Capitularies　of　Baluzius；　i；　art。　4；　ib。　in　fine。

17。　Capitularies　added　to　the　Law　of　the　Lombards；　i；　tit。　25；　71；　ii；　tit。　41；　7；　and　tit。　56；　1；　2。

18。　Ibid。；　ii；　tit。　5。

19。　Ibid。；　ii；　tit。　7；　1。

20。　Ibid。；　2。

21。　Ibid。；　ii；　tit。　35；　2。

22。　In　the　Law　of　the　Lombards；　ii；　tit。　37。

23。　Salic　Law；　tit。　44；　§　1。

24。　Ibid。；　tit。　44；　§§　15；　7。

25。　Ibid。；　tit。　41；　§　4。

26。　Ibid。；　§　6。

27。　The　principal　Romans　followed　the　court；　as　may　be　seen　by　the　lives　of　several　bishops；　who　were　there　educated；　there　were　hardly　any　but　Romans　that　knew　how　to　write。

28。　Salic　Law；　tit。　45。

29。　Lidus　whose　condition　was　better　than　that　of　a　bondman。　　Law　of　the　Alemans；　95。

30。　Tit。　35；　§§　3；　4。

31。　The　Abbé　du　Bos。

32。　Witness　the　expedition　of　Arbogastes；　in　Gregory　of　Tours；　History；　ii。


33。　The　Franks；　the　Visigoths；　and　Burgundians。

34。　It　was　finished　in　438。

35。　The　20th　year　of　the　reign　of　this　prince；　and　published　two　years　after　by　Anian；　as　appears　from　the　preface　to　that　code。

36。　The　year　504　of　the　Spanish　era；　the　Chronicle　of　Isidorus。

37。　Francum；　aut　Barbarum；　aut　hominem　qui　Salica　lege　vivit。　　Salic　Law；　tit。　45；　§　1。

38。　〃According　to　the　Roman　law　under　which　the　church　lives；〃　as　is　said　in　the　law　of　the　Ripuarians；　tit。　58；　§　1。　See　also　the　numberless　authorities　on　this　head　pronounced　by　Du　Cange；　under　the　words　Lex　Romana。

39。　See　the　Capitularies　added　to　the　Salic　law　in　Lindembrock；　at　the　end　of　that　law；　and　the　different　codes　of　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians　concerning　the　privileges　of　ecclesiastics　in　this　respect。　See　also　the　letter　of　Charlemagne　to　his　son　Pepin；　King　of　Italy；　in　the　year　807；　in　the　edition　of　Baluzius；　i；　462；　where　it　is　said；　that　an　ecclesiastic　should　receive　a　triple　compensation；　and　the　Collection　of　the　Capitularies；　v；　art。　302；　i。　Edition　of　Baluzius。

40。　See　that　law。

41。　Of　this　I　shall　speak　in　another　place；　xxx。　6…9。

42。　Agobard；　Opera。

43。　See　Gervais　of　Tilbury；　in　Duchesne's　Collection；　iii；　p。　366。　And　a　chronicle　of　the　year　759；　produced　by　Catel；　Hist。　of　Languedoc。　And　the　uncertain　author　of　the　Life　of　Louis　the　Debonnaire；　upon　the　demand　made　by　the　people　of　Septimania；　at　the　assembly　in　Carisiaco；　in　Duchesne's　Collection；　ii；　p。　316。

44。　Art。　16。　See　also　art。　20。

45。　See　arts。　12　and　16　of　the　edict　of　Pistes　in　Cavilono；　in　Narbona；　&c。

46。　See　what　Machiavelli　says　of　the　ruin　of　the　ancient　nobility　of　Florence。

47。　He　began　to　reign　in　the　year　642。

48。　〃We　will　no　longer　be　harassed　either　by　foreign　or　by　the　Roman　laws。〃　　Law　of　the　Visigoths；　ii；　tit。　1；　§§　9；　10。

49。　Law　of　the　Visigoths；　iii；　tit。　1；　1。

50。　See　Book　iv。　19；　26。

51。　The　revolt　of　these　provinces　was　a　general　defection；　as　appears　by　the　sentence　in　the　sequel　of　the　history。　Paulus　and　his　adherents　were　Romans；　they　were　even　favoured　by　the　bishops。　Vamba　durst　not　put　to　death　the　rebels　whom　he　had　quelled。