[Footnote*:M。HugothinksthattheingenioussystemoftheInstitutesadoptedbyagreatnumberoftheancientlawyers,andbyJustinianhimself,datesfromSeverusSulpicius。HistduDroitRomain,vol。iii。p。119。—W。]
[Footnote54:Crassus,orratherCicerohimself,proposesdeOratore,i。41,42anideaoftheartorscienceofjurisprudence,whichtheeloquent,butilliterate,Antoniusi。
58affectstoderide。ItwaspartlyexecutedbyServiusSulpicius,inBruto,c。41,whosepraisesareelegantlyvariedintheclassicLatinityoftheRomanGravina,p。60。]
[Footnote55:Perturbatricemautemomniumharumrerumacademiam,hancabArcesilaetCarneaderecentem,exoremusutsileat,namsiinvaseritinhaec,quaesatissciteinstructaetcompositavideantur,nimisedetruinas,quamquidemegoplacarecupio,submoverenonaudeo。deLegibus,i。13。Fromthispassagealone,BentleyRemarksonFree—thinking,p。250mighthavelearnedhowfirmlyCicerobelievedinthespeciousdoctrineswhichhehasadorned。]
[Footnote56:ThestoicphilosophywasfirsttaughtatRomebyPanaetius,thefriendoftheyoungerScipio,seehislifeintheMem。del'AcademisdesInscriptions,tom。x。p。75—89。]
[Footnote57:AsheisquotedbyUlpian,leg。40,40,adSabinuminPandect。l。xlvii。tit。ii。leg。21。YetTrebatius,afterhewasaleadingcivilian,quequifamiliamduxit,becameanepicurean,CiceroadFam。vii。5。Perhapshewasnotconstantorsincereinhisnewsect。
Note:GibbonhadentirelymisunderstoodthisphraseofCicero。Itwasonlysincehistimethattherealmeaningoftheauthorwasapprehended。Cicero,inenumeratingthequalificationsofTrebatius,says,Acceditetiam,quodfamiliamducitinjurecivili,singularismemoria,summascientia,whichmeansthatTrebatiuspossessedastillfurthermostimportantqualificationforastudentofcivillaw,aremarkablememory,&c。Thisexplanation,alreadyconjecturedbyG。Menage,Amaenit。JurisCivilis,c。14,isfoundinthedictionaryofScheller,v。
Familia,andintheHistoryoftheRomanLawbyM。Hugo。Manyauthorshaveasserted,withoutanyproofsufficienttowarranttheconjecture,thatTrebatiuswasoftheschoolofEpicurus—
W。]
[Footnote58:SeeGravinap。45—51andtheineffectualcavilsofMascou。HeinecciusHist。J。R。No。125quotesandapprovesadissertationofEverardOtto,deStoicaJurisconsultorumPhilosophia。]
Arms,eloquence,andthestudyofthecivillaw,promotedacitizentothehonorsoftheRomanstate;andthethreeprofessionsweresometimesmoreconspicuousbytheirunioninthesamecharacter。Inthecompositionoftheedict,alearnedpraetorgaveasanctionandpreferencetohisprivatesentiments;
theopinionofacensor,oracounsel,wasentertainedwithrespect;andadoubtfulinterpretationofthelawsmightbesupportedbythevirtuesortriumphsofthecivilian。Thepatricianartswerelongprotectedbytheveilofmystery;andinmoreenlightenedtimes,thefreedomofinquiryestablishedthegeneralprinciplesofjurisprudence。Subtileandintricatecaseswereelucidatedbythedisputesoftheforum:rules,axioms,anddefinitions,^59wereadmittedasthegenuinedictatesofreason;
andtheconsentofthelegalprofessorswasinterwovenintothepracticeofthetribunals。Buttheseinterpreterscouldneitherenactnorexecutethelawsoftherepublic;andthejudgesmightdisregardtheauthorityoftheScaevolasthemselves,whichwasoftenoverthrownbytheeloquenceorsophistryofaningeniouspleader。^60AugustusandTiberiuswerethefirsttoadopt,asausefulengine,thescienceofthecivilians;andtheirservilelaborsaccommodatedtheoldsystemtothespiritandviewsofdespotism。Underthefairpretenceofsecuringthedignityoftheart,theprivilegeofsubscribinglegalandvalidopinionswasconfinedtothesagesofsenatorianorequestrianrank,whohadbeenpreviouslyapprovedbythejudgmentoftheprince;andthismonopolyprevailed,tillAdrianrestoredthefreedomoftheprofessiontoeverycitizenconsciousofhisabilitiesandknowledge。Thediscretionofthepraetorwasnowgovernedbythelessonsofhisteachers;thejudgeswereenjoinedtoobeythecommentaswellasthetextofthelaw;andtheuseofcodicilswasamemorableinnovation,whichAugustusratifiedbytheadviceofthecivilians。^61
[Footnote59:WehaveheardoftheCatonianrule,theAquilianstipulation,andtheManilianforms,of211maxims,andof247
definitions,Pandect。l。i。tit。xvi。xvii。]
[Footnote60:ReadCicero,l。i。deOratore,Topica,proMurena。]
[Footnote61:SeePomponius,deOrigineJurisPandect。l。i。
tit。ii。leg。2,No47,Heineccius,adInstitut。l。i。tit。ii。
No。8,l。ii。tit。xxv。inElementetAntiquitat。,andGravina,p。41—45。YetthemonopolyofAugustus,aharshmeasure,wouldappearwithsomesofteningincontemporaryevidence;anditwasprobablyveiledbyadecreeofthesenate]
[Footnote*:TheauthorherefollowsthethengenerallyreceivedopinionofHeineccius。Theproofswhichappeartoconfirmitarel。2,47,D。I。2,and8。Instit。I。2。Thefirstofthesepassagesspeaksexpresslyofaprivilegegrantedtocertainlawyers,untilthetimeofAdrian,publicerespondendijusanteAugustitemporanondabatur。PrimusDivusAugustus,utmajorjurisauctoritashaberetur,constituit,utexauctoritateejusresponderent。ThepassageoftheInstitutesspeaksofthedifferentopinionsofthose,quibusestpermissumjuracondere。
Itistruethatthefirstofthesepassagesdoesnotsaythattheopinionoftheseprivilegedlawyershadtheforceofalawforthejudges。ForthisreasonM。HugoaltogetherrejectstheopinionadoptedbyHeineccius,byBach,andingeneralbyallthewriterswhoprecededhim。Heconceivesthatthe8oftheInstitutesreferredtotheconstitutionofValentinianIII。,whichregulatedtherespectiveauthoritytobeascribedtothedifferentwritingsofthegreatcivilians。ButwehavenowthefollowingpassageintheInstitutesofGaius:Responsaprudentumsuntsententiaeetopinioneseorum,quibuspermissumestjuracondere;quorumomniumsiinunumsententiaeconcorrupt,idquoditasentiunt,legisvicemobtinet,siverodissentiunt,judicilicet,quamvelitsententiamsequi,idquerescriptoDiviHadriansigniticatur。Idonotknow,howinoppositiontothispassage,theopinionofM。Hugocanbemaintained。WemustaddtothisthepassagequotedfromPomponiusandfromsuchstrongproofs,itseemsincontestablethattheemperorshadgrantedsomekindofprivilegetocertaincivilians,quibuspermissumeratjuracondere。Theiropinionhadsometimestheforceoflaw,legisvicem。M。Hugo,endeavoringtoreconcilethisphrasewithhissystem,givesitaforcedinterpretation,whichquitealtersthesense;hesupposesthatthepassagecontainsnomorethanwhatisevidentofitself,thattheauthorityofthecivilianswastoberespected,thusmakingaprivilegeofthatwhichwasfreetoalltheworld。Itappearstomealmostindisputable,thattheemperorshadsanctionedcertainprovisionsrelativetotheauthorityofthesecivilians,consultedbythejudges。Buthowfarwastheiradvicetoberespected?Thisisaquestionwhichitisimpossibletoanswerprecisely,fromthewantofhistoricevidence。Isitnotpossiblethattheemperorsestablishedanauthoritytobeconsultedbythejudges?andinthiscasethisauthoritymusthaveemanatedfromcertainciviliansnamedforthispurposebytheemperors。SeeHugo,l。c。Moreover,maynotthepassageofSuetonius,intheLifeofCaligula,wherehesaysthattheemperorwouldnolongerpermitthecivilianstogivetheiradvice,meanthatCaligulaentertainedthedesignofsuppressingthisinstitution?SeeonthispassagetheThemis,vol。xi。p。17,36。OurauthornotbeingacquaintedwiththeopinionsopposedtoHeinecciushasnotgonetothebottomofthesubject。—W。]
Themostabsolutemandatecouldonlyrequirethatthejudgesshouldagreewiththecivilians,iftheciviliansagreedamongthemselves。Butpositiveinstitutionsareoftentheresultofcustomandprejudice;lawsandlanguageareambiguousandarbitrary;wherereasonisincapableofpronouncing,theloveofargumentisinflamedbytheenvyofrivals,thevanityofmasters,theblindattachmentoftheirdisciples;andtheRomanjurisprudencewasdividedbytheoncefamoussectsoftheProculiansandSabinians。^62Twosagesofthelaw,AteiusCapitoandAntistiusLabeo,^63adornedthepeaceoftheAugustanage;
theformerdistinguishedbythefavorofhissovereign;thelattermoreillustriousbyhiscontemptofthatfavor,andhissternthoughharmlessoppositiontothetyrantofRome。Theirlegalstudieswereinfluencedbythevariouscolorsoftheirtemperandprinciples。Labeowasattachedtotheformoftheoldrepublic;hisrivalembracedthemoreprofitablesubstanceoftherisingmonarchy。Butthedispositionofacourtieristameandsubmissive;andCapitoseldompresumedtodeviatefromthesentiments,oratleastfromthewords,ofhispredecessors;
whiletheboldrepublicanpursuedhisindependentideaswithoutfearofparadoxorinnovations。ThefreedomofLabeowasenslaved,however,bytherigorofhisownconclusions,andhedecided,accordingtotheletterofthelaw,thesamequestionswhichhisindulgentcompetitorresolvedwithalatitudeofequitymoresuitabletothecommonsenseandfeelingsofmankind。Ifafairexchangehadbeensubstitutedtothepaymentofmoney,Capitostillconsideredthetransactionasalegalsale;^64andheconsultednaturefortheageofpuberty,withoutconfininghisdefinitiontothepreciseperiodoftwelveorfourteenyears。^65
Thisoppositionofsentimentswaspropagatedinthewritingsandlessonsofthetwofounders;theschoolsofCapitoandLabeomaintainedtheirinveterateconflictfromtheageofAugustustothatofAdrian;^66andthetwosectsderivedtheirappellationsfromSabinusandProculus,theirmostcelebratedteachers。ThenamesofCassiansandPegasianswerelikewiseappliedtothesameparties;but,byastrangereverse,thepopularcausewasinthehandsofPegasus,^67atimidslaveofDomitian,whilethefavoriteoftheCaesarswasrepresentedbyCassius,^68whogloriedinhisdescentfromthepatriotassassin。Bytheperpetualedict,thecontroversiesofthesectswereinagreatmeasuredetermined。Forthatimportantwork,theemperorAdrianpreferredthechiefoftheSabinians:thefriendsofmonarchyprevailed;butthemoderationofSalviusJulianinsensiblyreconciledthevictorsandthevanquished。Likethecontemporaryphilosophers,thelawyersoftheageoftheAntoninesdisclaimedtheauthorityofamaster,andadoptedfromeverysystemthemostprobabledoctrines。^69Buttheirwritingswouldhavebeenlessvoluminous,hadtheirchoicebeenmoreunanimous。Theconscienceofthejudgewasperplexedbythenumberandweightofdiscordanttestimonies,andeverysentencethathispassionorinterestmightpronouncewasjustifiedbythesanctionofsomevenerablename。AnindulgentedictoftheyoungerTheodosiusexcusedhimfromthelaborofcomparingandweighingtheirarguments。Fivecivilians,Caius,Papinian,Paul,Ulpian,andModestinus,wereestablishedastheoraclesofjurisprudence:amajoritywasdecisive:butiftheiropinionswereequallydivided,acastingvotewasascribedtothesuperiorwisdomofPapinian。^70
[Footnote62:IhaveperusedtheDiatribeofGotfridusMascovius,thelearnedMascou,deSectisJurisconsultorum,Lipsiae,1728,in12mo。,p。276,alearnedtreatiseonanarrowandbarrenground。]
[Footnote63:SeethecharacterofAntistiusLabeoinTacitus,Annal。iii。75,andinanepistleofAteiusCapito,Aul。
Gellius,xiii。12,whoaccuseshisrivaloflibertasnimiaetvecors。YetHoracewouldnothavelashedavirtuousandrespectablesenator;andImustadopttheemendationofBentley,whoreadsLabienoinsanior,Serm。I。iii。82。SeeMascou,deSectis,c。i。p。1—24。]
[Footnote64:JustinianInstitut。l。iii。tit。23,andTheophil。
Vers。Graec。p。677,680hascommemoratedthisweightydispute,andtheversesofHomerthatwereallegedoneithersideaslegalauthorities。ItwasdecidedbyPaul,leg。33,adEdict。inPandect。l。xviii。tit。i。leg。1,since,inasimpleexchange,thebuyercouldnotbediscriminatedfromtheseller。]
[Footnote65:ThiscontroversywaslikewisegivenfortheProculians,tosupersedetheindecencyofasearch,andtocomplywiththeaphorismofHippocrates,whowasattachedtotheseptenarynumberoftwoweeksofyears,or700ofdays,Institut。l。i。tit。xxii。PlutarchandtheStoicsdePlacit。
Philosoph。l。v。c。24assignamorenaturalreason。Fourteenyearsistheage。SeethevestigiaofthesectsinMascou,c。
ix。p。145—276。]
[Footnote66:TheseriesandconclusionofthesectsaredescribedbyMascou,c。ii。—vii。p。24—120;anditwouldbealmostridiculoustopraisehisequaljusticetotheseobsoletesects。
Note:TheworkofGaius,subsequenttothetimeofAdrian,furnishesuswithsomeinformationonthissubject。Thedisputeswhichrosebetweenthesetwosectsappeartohavebeenverynumerous。GaiusavowshimselfadiscipleofSabinusandofCaius。CompareHugo,vol。ii。p。106。—W。]
[Footnote67:Atthefirstsummonshefliestotheturbot—council;yetJuvenalSatir。iv。75—81stylesthepraefectorbailiffofRomesanctissimusleguminterpres。Fromhisscience,saystheoldscholiast,hewascalled,notaman,butabook。HederivedthesingularnameofPegasusfromthegalleywhichhisfathercommanded。]
[Footnote68:Tacit。Annal。xvii。7。Sueton。inNerone,c。
xxxvii。]
[Footnote69:Mascou,deSectis,c。viii。p。120—144deHerciscundis,alegaltermwhichwasappliedtotheseeclecticlawyers:herciscereissynonymoustodividere。
Note:Thiswordhasneverexisted。Cujaciusistheauthorofit,whoreadmewordsterriscondiinServiusadVirg。
herciscundi,towhichhegaveanerroneousinterpretation。—W。]
[Footnote70:SeetheTheodosianCode,l。i。tit。iv。withGodefroy'sCommentary,tom。i。p。30—35。^!ThisdecreemightgiveoccasiontoJesuiticaldisputeslikethoseintheLettresProvinciales,whetheraJudgewasobligedtofollowtheopinionofPapinian,orofamajority,againsthisjudgment,againsthisconscience,&c。Yetalegislatormightgivethatopinion,howeverfalse,thevalidity,notoftruth,butoflaw。
Note:Wepossesssince1824someinterestinginformationastotheframingoftheTheodosianCode,anditsratificationatRome,intheyear438。M。Closius,nowprofessoratDorpatinRussia,andM。Peyron,memberoftheAcademyofTurin,havediscovered,theoneatMilan,theotheratTurin,agreatpartofthefivefirstbooksoftheCodewhichwerewanting,andbesidesthis,thereportsgestaofthesittingofthesenateatRome,inwhichtheCodewaspublished,intheyearafterthemarriageofValentinianIII。AmongthesepiecesaretheconstitutionswhichnominatecommissionersfortheformationoftheCode;andthoughtherearemanypointsofconsiderableobscurityinthesedocuments,theycommunicatemanyfactsrelativetothislegislation。
1。ThatTheodosiusdesignedagreatreforminthelegislation;toaddtotheGregorianandHermogeniancodesallthenewconstitutionsfromConstantinetohisownday;andtoframeasecondcodeforcommonusewithextractsfromthethreecodes,andfromtheworksofthecivillawyers。Alllawseitherabrogatedorfallenintodisuseweretobenotedundertheirproperheads。
2。AnOrdinancewasissuedin429toformacommissionforthispurposeofninepersons,ofwhichAntiochus,asquaestorandpraefectus,waspresident。Asecondcommissionofsixteenmemberswasissuedin435underthesamepresident。
3。Acode,whichwepossessunderthenameofCodexTheodosianus,wasfinishedin438,publishedintheEast,inanordinanceaddressedtothePraetorianpraefect,Florentinus,andintendedtobepublishedintheWest。
4。BeforeitwaspublishedintheWest,Valentiniansubmittedittothesenate。Thereisareportoftheproceedingsofthesenate,whichclosedwithloudacclamationsandgratulations。—FromWarnkonig,HistoireduDroitRomain,p。169
—Wenckhaspublishedthiswork,CodicisTheodosianilibripriores。Leipzig,1825。—M。]
Note*:ClosiusofTubingencommunicatedtoM。WarnkonigthetwofollowingconstitutionsoftheemperorConstantine,whichhediscoveredintheAmbrosianlibraryatMilan:—
1。Imper。ConstantinusAug。adMaximiumPraef。Praetorio。
Perpetuasprudentumcontentioneseruerecupientes,UlpianiacPauli,inPapinianumnotas,quidumingeniilaudemsectantur,nontamcorrigereeumquamdepraveremaluerunt,aboleripraecepimus。Dat。III。Kalend。Octob。Const。Cons。etCrispi,321。Idem。Aug。adMaximiumPraefPraet。
Universa,quaescripturaPaulicontinentur,receptaauctoritatefirmandarunt,etomnivenerationecelebranda。
Ideoquesententiarumlibrosplepissimaluceetperfectissimaelocutioneetjustissimajurisrationesuccinctosinjudiciisprolatosvalereminimiedubitatur。Dat。V。Kalend。Oct。TroviaCoust。etMax。Coss。327。—W]
ChapterXLIV:IdeaOfTheRomanJurisprudence。