the spirit of laws-第169章

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ose　manners　and　laws。

It　appears　by　Tacitus　that　the　Germans　knew　only　two　capital　crimes；　they　hanged　traitors；　and　drowned　cowards；　these　were　the　only　public　crimes　among　that　people。　When　a　man　had　injured　another；　the　relatives　of　the　person　injured　took　share　in　the　quarrel；　and　the　offence　was　cancelled　by　a　satisfaction。＇131＇　This　satisfaction　was　made　to　the　person　offended；　when　capable　of　receiving　it；　or　to　the　relatives　if　they　had　been　injured　in　common；　or　if　by　the　decease　of　the　party　aggrieved　or　injured　the　satisfaction　had　devolved　to　them。

In　the　manner　mentioned　by　Tacitus；　these　satisfactions　were　made　by　the　mutual　agreement　of　the　parties；　hence　in　the　codes　of　the　barbarous　nations　these　satisfactions　are　called　compositions。

The　law　of　the　Frisians＇132＇　is　the　only　one　I　find　that　has　left　the　people　in　that　situation　in　which　every　family　at　variance　was　in　some　measure　in　the　state　of　nature；　and　in　which；　being　unrestrained　either　by　a　political　or　civil　law；　they　might　give　freedom　to　their　revenge　till　they　had　obtained　satisfaction。　Even　this　law　was　moderated；　a　regulation　was　made＇133＇　that　the　person　whose　life　was　sought　after　should　be　unmolested　in　his　own　house；　as　also　in　going　and　coming　from　church　and　the　court　where　causes　were　tried。　The　compilers　of　the　Salic　law＇134＇　cite　an　ancient　usage　of　the　Franks；　by　which　a　person　who　had　dug　a　corpse　out　of　the　ground；　in　order　to　strip　it；　should　be　banished　from　society　till　the　relatives　had　consented　to　his　being　re…admitted。　And　as　before　that　time　strict　orders　were　issued　to　every　one；　even　to　the　offender's　own　wife；　not　to　give　him　a　morsel　of　bread；　or　to　receive　him　under　their　roofs；　such　a　person　was　in　respect　to　others；　and　others　in　respect　to　him；　in　a　state　of　savagery　till　an　end　was　put　to　this　state　by　a　composition。

This　excepted；　we　find　that　the　sages　of　the　different　barbarous　nations　thought　of　determining　by　themselves　what　would　have　been　too　long　and　too　dangerous　to　expect　from　the　mutual　agreement　of　the　parties。　They　took　care　to　fix　the　value　of　the　composition　which　the　party　wronged　or　injured　was　to　receive。　All　those　barbarian　laws　are　in　this　respect　most　admirably　exact；　the　several　cases　are　minutely　distinguished；＇135＇　the　circumstances　are　weighed；　the　law　substitutes　itself　in　the　place　of　the　person　injured　and　insists　upon　the　same　satisfaction　as　he　himself　would　have　demanded　in　cold　blood。

By　the　establishing　of　those　laws；　the　German　nations　quitted　that　state　of　nature　in　which　they　seemed　to　have　lived　in　Tacitus'　time。

Rotharis　declares；　in　the　law　of　the　Lombards；＇136＇　that　he　had　increased　the　compositions　allowed　by　ancient　custom　for　wounds；　to　the　end　that；　the　wounded　person　being　fully　satisfied；　all　enmities　should　cease。　And　indeed　as　the　Lombards；　from　a　very　poor　people　had　grown　rich　by　the　conquest　of　Italy；　the　ancient　compositions　had　become　frivolous；　and　reconcilements　prevented。　I　do　not　question　but　this　was　the　motive　which　obliged　the　other　chiefs　of　the　conquering　nations　to　make　the　different　codes　of　laws　now　extant。

The　principal　composition　was　that　which　the　murderer　paid　to　the　relatives　of　the　deceased。　The　difference　of　conditions　produced　a　difference　in　the　compositions。＇137＇　Thus　in　the　law　of　the　Angli；　there　was　a　composition　of　six　hundred　sous　for　the　murder　of　an　adeling；　two　hundred　for　that　of　a　freeman；　and　thirty　for　killing　a　bondman。　The　largeness　therefore　of　the　composition　for　the　life　of　a　man　was　one　of　his　chief　privileges；　for　besides　the　distinction　it　made　of　his　person；　it　likewise　established　a　greater　security　in　his　favour　among　rude　and　boisterous　nations。

This　we　are　made　sensible　of　by　the　law　of　the　Bavarians：＇138＇　it　gives　the　names　of　the　Bavarian　families　who　received　a　double　composition；　because　they　were　the　first　after　the　Agilolfings。＇139＇　The　Agilolfings　were　of　the　ducal　race；　and　it　was　customary　with　this　nation　to　choose　a　duke　out　of　that　family；　these　had　a　quadruple　composition。　The　composition　for　a　duke　exceeded　by　a　third　that　which　had　been　established　for　the　Agilolfings。　〃Because　he　is　a　duke；〃　says　the　law；　〃a　greater　honour　is　paid　to　him　than　to　his　relatives。〃

All　these　compositions　were　valued　in　money。　But　as　those　people；　especially　when　they　lived　in　Germany；　had　very　little　specie；　they　might　pay　it　in　cattle；　corn；　movables；　arms；　dogs；　hawks；　lands；　&c。＇140＇　The　law　itself　frequently　determined　the　value　of　those　things；　which　explains　how　it　was　possible　for　them　to　have　such　a　number　of　pecuniary　punishments　with　so　very　little　money。＇141＇

These　laws　were　therefore　employed　in　exactly　determining　the　difference　of　wrongs；　injuries　and　crimes；　to　the　end　that　every　one　might　know　how　far　he　had　been　injured　or　offended；　the　reparation　he　was　to　receive；　and　especially　that　he　was　to　receive　no　more。

In　this　light　it　is　easy　to　conceive　that　a　person　who　had　taken　revenge　after　having　received　satisfaction　was　guilty　of　a　heinous　crime。　This　contained　a　public　as　well　as　a　private　offence；　it　was　a　contempt　of　the　law　of　itself；　a　crime　which　the　legislators　never　failed　to　punish。＇142＇

There　was　another　crime　which　above　all　others　was　considered　as　dangerous；　when　those　people　lost　something　of　their　spirit　of　independence；　and　when　the　kings　endeavoured　to　establish　a　better　civil　administration；　this　was　the　refusing　to　give　or　to　receive　satisfaction。＇143＇　We　find　in　the　different　codes　of　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians　that　the　legislators　were　peremptory　on　this　article。＇144＇　In　effect；　a　person　who　refused　to　receive　satisfaction　wanted　to　preserve　his　right　of　prosecution；　he　who　refused　to　give　it　left　the　right　of　prosecution　to　the　person　injured；　and　this　is　what　the　sages　had　reformed　in　the　institutions　of　the　Germans；　whereby　people　were　incited　but　not　compelled　to　compositions。

I　have　just　now　made　mention　of　a　text　of　the　Salic　law；　in　which　the　legislator　left　the　party　offended　at　liberty　to　receive　or　to　refuse　satisfaction；　it　is　the　law　by　which　a　person　who　had　stripped　a　dead　body　was　expelled　from　society　till　the　relatives　upon　receiving　satisfaction　petitioned　for　his　being　re…admitted。＇145＇　It　was　owing　to　the　respect　they　had　for　sacred　things　that　the　compilers　of　the　Salic　laws　did　not　meddle　with　the　ancient　usage。

It　would　have　been　absolutely　unjust　to　grant　a　composition　to　the　relatives　of　a　robber　killed　in　the　act；　or　to　the　relatives　of　a　woman　who　had　been　repudiated　for　the　crime　of　adultery。　The　law　of　the　Bavarians　allowed　no　compositions　in　the　like　cases；　but　punished　the　relatives　who　sought　revenge。＇146＇

It　is　no　rare　thing　to　meet　with　compositions　for　involuntary　actions　in　the　codes　of　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians。　The　law　of　the　Lombards　is　generally　very　prudent；　it　ordained＇147＇　that　in　those　cases　the　compositions　should　be　according　to　the　person's　generosity；　and　that　the　relatives　should　no　longer　be　permitted　to　pursue　their　revenge。

Clotharius　II　made　a　very　wise　decree；　he　forbad　the　person　robbed　to　receive　any　clandestine　composition；　and　without　an　order　from　the　judge。＇148＇　We　shall　presently　see　the　motive　of　this　law。

20。　Of　what　was　afterwards　called　the　Jurisdiction　of　the　Lords。　Besides　the　composition　which　they　were　obliged　to　pay　to　the　relatives　for　murders　or　injuries；　they　were　also　under　a　necessity　of　paying　a　certain　duty　which　the　codes　of　the　barbarian　laws　called　fredum。＇149＇　I　intend　to　treat　of　it　at　large；　and　in　order　to　give　an　idea　of　it；　I　begin　with　defining　it　as　a　recompense　for　the　protection　granted　against　the　right　of　vengeance。　Even　to　this　day；　fred　in　the　Swedish　language　signifies　peace。

The　administration　of　justice　among　those　rude　and　unpolished　nations　was　nothing　more　than　granting　to　the　person　who　had　committed　an　offence　a　protection　against　the　vengeance　of　the　party　offended；　and　obliging　the　latter　to　accept　of　the　satisfaction　due　to　him：　insomuch　that　among　the　Germans；　contrary　to　the　practice　of　all　other　nations；　justice　was　administered　in　order　to　protect　the　criminal　against　the　party　injured。

The　codes　of　the　Barbarian　laws　have　given