the spirit of laws-第115部分

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ces　of　Gaul；　formerly　subject　to　the　Goths　and　Burgundians；　and　so　much　the　more；　as　this　law　was　there　a　territorial　institution；　and　a　kind　of　privilege。　It　is　probable　that　the　disuse　of　the　Visigoth　laws　in　Spain　proceeded　from　the　want　of　writing；　and　by　the　loss　of　so　many　laws；　customs　were　everywhere　established。

Personal　laws　fell　to　the　ground。　Compositions；　and　what　they　call　Freda；＇60＇　were　regulated　more　by　custom　than　by　the　text　of　these　laws。　Thus；　as　in　the　establishment　of　the　monarchy；　they　had　passed　from　German　customs　to　written　laws；　some　ages　after；　they　came　back　from　written　laws　to　unwritten　customs。

12。　Of　local　Customs。　Revolution　of　the　Laws　of　barbarous　Nations；　as　well　as　of　the　Roman　Law。　By　several　memorials　it　appears；　that　there　were　local　customs；　as　early　as　the　first　and　second　race。　We　find　mention　made　of　the　〃custom　of　the　place；〃＇61＇　of　the　〃ancient　usage；〃＇62＇　of　〃custom；〃＇63＇　of　〃laws；〃＇64＇　and　of　〃customs。〃　It　has　been　the　opinion　of　some　authors　that　what　went　by　the　name　of　customs　were　the　laws　of　the　barbarous　nations；　and　what　had　the　appellation　of　law　were　the　Roman　institutes。　This　cannot　possibly　be。　King　Pepin　ordained＇65＇　that　wherever　there　should　happen　to　be　no　law；　custom　should　be　complied　with；　but　that　it　should　never　be　preferred　to　the　law。　Now；　to　pretend　that　the　Roman　law　was　preferred　to　the　codes　of　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians　is　subverting　all　memorials　of　antiquity；　and　especially　those　codes　of　Barbarian　laws；　which　constantly　affirm　the　contrary。

So　far　were　the　laws　of　the　barbarous　nations　from　being　those　customs；　that　it　was　these　very　laws；　as　personal　institutions；　which　introduced　them。　The　Salic　law；　for　instance；　was　a　personal　law；　but　generally；　or　almost　generally；　in　places　inhabited　by　the　Salian　Franks；　this　Salic　law；　how　personal　soever；　became；　in　respect　to　those　Salian　Franks；　a　territorial　institution；　and　was　personal　only　in　regard　to　those　Franks　who　lived　elsewhere。　Now　if　several　Burgundians；　Alemans；　or　even　Romans　should　happen　to　have　frequent　disputes；　in　a　place　where　the　Salic　law　was　territorial；　they　must　have　been　determined　by　the　laws　of　those　people；　and　a　great　number　of　decisions　agreeable　to　some　of　those　laws　must　have　introduced　new　customs　into　the　country。　This　explains　the　constitution　of　Pepin。　It　was　natural　that　those　customs　should　affect　even　the　Franks　who　lived　on　the　spot；　in　cases　not　decided　by　the　Salic　law；　but　it　was　not　natural　that　they　should　prevail　over　the　Salic　law　itself。

Thus　there　were　in　each　place　an　established　law　and　received　customs　which　served　as　a　supplement　to　that　law　when　they　did　not　contradict　it。

They　might　even　happen　to　supply　a　law　that　was　in　no　way　territorial；　and　to　continue　the　same　example；　if　a　Burgundian　was　judged　by　the　law　of　his　own　nation；　in　a　place　where　the　Salic　law　was　territorial；　and　the　case　happened　not　to　be　explicitly　mentioned　in　the　very　text　of　this　law；　there　is　no　manner　of　doubt　but　that　judgment　would　have　been　passed　upon　him　according　to　the　custom　of　the　place。

In　the　reign　of　King　Pepin；　the　customs　then　established　had　not　the　same　force　as　the　laws；　but　it　was　not　long　before　the　laws　gave　way　to　the　customs。　And　as　new　regulations　are　generally　remedies　that　imply　a　present　evil；　it　may　well　be　imagined　that　as　early　as　Pepin's　time；　they　began　to　prefer　the　customs　to　the　established　laws。

What　has　been　said　sufficiently　explains　the　manner　in　which　the　Roman　law　began　so　very　early　to　become　territorial；　as　may　be　seen　in　the　edict　of　Pistes；　and　how　the　Gothic　law　continued　still　in　force；　as　appears　by　the　synod　of　Troyes　above…mentioned。＇66＇　The　Roman　had　become　the　general　personal　law；　and　the　Gothic　the　particular　personal　law；　consequently　the　Roman　law　was　territorial。　But　how　came　it；　some　will　ask；　that　the　personal　laws　of　the　Barbarians　fell　everywhere　into　disuse；　while　the　Roman　law　was　continued　as　a　territorial　institution　in　the　Visigoth　and　Burgundian　provinces？　I　answer　that　even　the　Roman　law　had　very　nearly　the　same　fate　as　the　other　personal　institutions；　otherwise　we　would　still　have　the　Theodosian　code　in　those　provinces　where　the　Roman　law　was　territorial；　whereas　we　have　the　institutes　of　Justinian。　Those　provinces　retained　scarcely　anything　more　than　the　name　of　the　country　under　the　Roman；　or　written　law；　than　the　natural　affection　which　people　have　for　their　own　institutions；　especially　when　they　consider　them　as　privileges；　and　a　few　regulations　of　the　Roman　law　which　were　not　yet　forgotten。　This　was；　however；　sufficient　to　produce　such　an　effect　that；　when　Justinian's　compilation　appeared；　it　was　received　in　the　provinces　of　the　Gothic　and　Burgundian　demesne　as　a　written　law；　whereas　it　was　admitted　only　as　written　reason　in　the　ancient　demesne　of　the　Franks。

13。　Difference　between　the　Salic　law；　or　that　of　the　Salian　Franks；　and　that　of　the　Ripuarian　Franks　and　other　barbarous　Nations。　The　Salic　law　did　not　allow　of　the　custom　of　negative　proofs；　that　is；　if　a　person　brought　a　demand　or　charge　against　another；　he　was　obliged　by　the　Salic　law　to　prove　it；　and　it　was　not　sufficient　for　the　second　to　deny　it；　which　is　agreeable　to　the　laws　of　almost　all　nations。

The　law　of　the　Ripuarian　Franks　had　quite　a　different　spirit；＇67＇　it　was　contented　with　negative　proofs；　and　the　person）　against　whom　a　demand　or　accusation　was　brought；　might　clear　himself；　in　most　cases；　by　swearing；　in　conjunction　with　a　certain　number　of　witnesses；　that　he　had　not　committed　the　crime　laid　to　his　charge。　The　number　of　witnesses　who　were　obliged　to　swear＇68＇　increased　in　proportion　to　the　importance　of　the　affair；　sometimes　it　amounted　to　seventy…two。＇69＇　The　laws　of　the　Alemans；　Bavarians；　Thuringians；　Frisians；　Saxons；　Lombards；　and　Burgundians　were　formed　on　the　same　plan　as　those　of　the　Ripuarian。

I　observed　that　the　Salic　law　did　not　allow　of　negative　proofs。　There　was　one　case；　however；　in　which　they　were　allowed：＇70＇　but　even　then　they　were　not　admitted　alone；　and　without　the　concurrence　of　positive　proofs。　The　plaintiff　caused　witnesses　to　be　heard；＇71＇　in　order　to　ground　his　action；　the　defendant　produced　also　witnesses　on　his　side；　and　the　judge　was　to　come　at　the　truth　by　comparing　those　testimonies。＇72＇　This　practice　was　vastly　different　from　that　of　the　Ripuarian；　and　other　barbarous　laws；　where　it　was　customary　for　the　party　accused　to　clear　himself　by　swearing　he　was　not　guilty；　and　by　making　his　relatives　also　swear　that　he　had　told　the　truth。　These　laws　could　be　suitable　only　to　a　people　remarkable　for　their　natural　simplicity　and　candour；　we　shall　see　presently　that　the　legislators　were　obliged　to　take　proper　methods　to　prevent　their　being　abused。

14。　Another　Difference。　The　Salic　law　did　not　admit　of　the　trial　by　combat；　though　it　had　been　received　by　the　laws　of　the　Ripuarians＇73＇　and　of　almost　all　the　barbarous　nations。＇74＇　To　me　it　seems　that　the　law　of　combat　was　a　natural　consequence　and　a　remedy　of　the　law　which　established　negative　proofs。　When　an　action　was　brought；　and　it　appeared　that　the　defendant　was　going　to　elude　it　by　an　oath；　what　other　remedy　was　left　to　a　military　man；＇75＇　who　saw　himself　upon　the　point　of　being　confounded；　than　to　demand　satisfaction　for　the　injury　done　to　him：　and　even　for　the　attempt　of　perjury？　The　Salic　law；　which　did　not　allow　the　custom　of　negative　proofs；　neither　admitted　nor　had　any　need　of　the　trial　by　combat；　but　the　laws　of　the　Ripuarians＇76＇　and　of　the　other　barbarous　nations＇77＇　who　had　adopted　the　practice　of　negative　proofs；　were　obliged　to　establish　the　trial　by　combat。

Whoever　will　please　to　examine　the　two　famous　regulations　of　Gundebald；　King　of　Burgundy；　concerning　this　subject　will　find　they　are　derived　from　the　very　nature　of　the　thing。＇78＇　It　was　necessary；　according　to　the　language　of　the　Barbarian　laws；　to　rescue　the　oath　out　of　the　hands　of　a　person　who　was　going　to　abuse　it。

Among　the　Lombards；　the　law　of　Rotharis　admits　of　cases　in　which　a　man　who　had　made　his　defence　by　oath　should　not　be　suffered　to　undergo　the　hardship　of　a　duel。　This　custom　spread　itself　further：＇79＇　we　shall　presently　see　the　mischiefs　that　arose　from　it；　and　how　they　were　obliged　to　return　to　the　ancient　practice。

15。　A　Reflection。　I　do　not　pretend　to　deny　that　in　the　changes　made　in　the　code　of　the　Barbarian　laws；　in　the　regulations　added　to　that　code；　and　in　the　body　of　the　Capitularies；　it　is　possible　to　find　some　passages　where　the　trial　by　combat　is　not　a　consequence　of　the　negative　proof。　Particular　circumstances　might；　in　the　course　of　many　ages；　give　rise　to　particular　laws。　I　speak　only　of　the　general　spirit　of　the　laws　of　the　Germans；　of　their　nature　and　origin；　I　speak　of　the　ancient　customs　of　those　people　that　were　either　hinted　at　or　established　by　those　laws；　and　this　is　the　only　matter　in　question。

16。　Of　the　Ordeal　or　Trial　by　boiling　Water；　established　by　the　Salic　Law。　The　Salic　law＇80＇　allowed　of　the　ordeal；　or　trial　by　boiling　water；　and　as　this　trial　was　excessively　cruel；　the　law　found　an　expedient　to　soften　its　rigour。＇81＇　It　permitted　the　person；　who　had　been　summoned　to　make　the　trial　with　boiling　water；　to　ransom　his　hand；　with　the　consent　of　the　adverse　party。　The　accuser；　for　a　particular　sum　determined　by　the　law；　might　be　satisfied　with　the　oath　of　a　few　witnesses；　declaring　that　the　accused　had　not　committed　the　crime。　This　was　a　particular　case；　in　which　the　Salic　law　admitted　of　the　negative　proof。

This　trial　was　a　thing　privately　agreed　upon；　which　the　law　permitted　only；　but　did　not　ordain。　The　law　gave　a　particular　indemnity　to　the　accuser；　who　would　allow　the　accused　to　make　his　defence　by　a　negative　proof：　the　plaintiff　was　at　liberty　to　be　satisfied　with　the　oath　of　the　defendant；　as　he　was　at　liberty　to　forgive　him　the　injury。

The　law　contrived　a　middle　course；＇82＇　that　before　sentence　passed；　both　parties；　the　one　through　fear　of　a　terrible　trial；　the　other　for　the　sake　of　a　small　indemnity；　should　terminate　their　disputes；　and　put　an　end　to　their　animosities。　It　is　plain；　that　when　once　this　negative　proof　was　completed；　nothing　more　was　requisite；　and；　therefore；　that　the　practice　of　legal　due