the history of the common law of england-第8部分

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ents　　at　the　Prosecutions　of　the　House　of　Commons；　for　Misdemeanors　as　　well　against　a　Commoner　as　any　other；　have　usually　received　their　　Determinations　and　final　Judgments　in　the　House　of　Lords；　whereof　　there　have　been　numerous　Precedents　in　all　Times；　both　before　and　　since　the　said　Act。　　　　　　And　thus　much　in　general　touching　the　great　Regard　that　　Parliaments　and　the　Kingdom　have　had；　and　that　most　justly；　to　　the　Common　Law；　and　the　great　Care　they　have　had　to　preserve　and　　maintain　it；　as　the　Common　Interest　and　Birthright　of　the　King　　and　Kingdom。　　　　　　I　shall　now　add　some　few　Words　touching　the　Stiles　and　　Appellations　of　the　Common　Law；　and　the　Reasons　of　it：　'Tis　　called　sometimes　by　Way　of　Eminence；　Lex　Terrae；　as　in　the　　Statute　of　Magna　Charta；　cap。　29。　where　certainly　the　Common　Law　　is　at　least　principally　intended　by　those　Words；　aut　Per　Legem　　Terrae；　as　appears　by　the　Exposition　thereof　in　several　　subsequent　Statutes；　and　particularly　in　the　Statute　28　Ed。　3。　　cap。　3　which　is　but　an　Exposition　and　Declaration　of　that　　Statute：　Sometimes　'tis　called；　Lex　Angliae；　as　in　the　Statute　of　　Merton；　cap。。。。　Nolumus　Leges　Angliae　mutare；　&c。　Sometimes　'tis　　called；　Lex　&　Consuetudo　Regni；　as　in　all　Commissions　of　Oyer　and　　Terminer；　and　in　the　Statutes　of　18　Ed。　I。　cap。。。。　and　De　quo　　Warranto；　and　divers　others；　but　most　commonly　'tis　called；　The　　Common　Law；　or；　The　Common　Law　of　England；　as　in　the　Statute　of　　Articuli　super　Chartas；　cap。　15。　in　the　Statute　25　Ed。　3。　cap。　5。　　and　infinite　more　Records　and　Statutes。　　　　　　Now　the　Reason　why　'tis　call'd　The　Common　Law；　or　what　was　　the　Occasion　that　first　gave　that　Determination　to　it；　is　　variously　assigned；　viz。　　　　　　First；　Some　have　thought　it　to　be　so　called　by　Way　of　　Contradistinction　to　those　other　Laws　that　have　obtain'd　within　　this　Kingdom；　as；　1st。　By　Way　of　Contradistinction　to　the　Statute　　Law；　thus　a　Writ　of　Entry　ad　Communem　Legem；　is　so　call'd　in　　Contradistinction　to　Writs　of　Entry　in　Casu　consimili；　and　Casu　　Proviso；　which　are　given　by　Act　of　Parliament。　2dly；　By　Way　of　　Contradistinction　to　particular　Customary　Laws：　Thus　Discents　at　　Common　Law；　Dower　at　Common　Law；　are　in　Contradistinction　to　such　　Dowers　and　Discents　as　are　directed　by　particular　Customs。　And　　3dly；　In　Contradistinction　to　the　Civil；　Canon；　Martial　and　　Military　Laws；　which　are　in　some　particular　Cases　and　Courts　　admitted；　as　the　Rule　of　their　Proceedings。　　　　　　Secondly；　Some　have　conceived；　that　the　Reason　of　this　　Appellation　was　this；　viz。　In　the　Beginning　of　the　Reign　of　　Edward　3　before　the　Conquest；　commonly　called；　Edward　the　　Confessor；　there　were　several　Laws；　and　of　several　Natures；　which　　obtain'd　in　several　Parts　of　this　Kingdom；　viz。　The　Mercian　Laws；　　in　the　counties　of　Gloucester；　Worcester；　Hereford；　Warwick；　　Oxon；　Chester；　Salop　and　Stafford。　The　Danish　Laws；　in　the　　Counties　of　York；　Derby；　Nottingham；　Leicester；　Lincoln；　　Northampton；　Bedford；　Bucks；　Hertford；　Essex；　Middlesex；　Norfolk；　　Suffolk；　Cambridge　and　Huntington。　The　West…Saxon　Laws；　in　the　　Counties　of　Kent；　Sussex；　Surrey；　Berks；　Southampton；　Wilts；　　Somerset；　Dorset；　and　Devon。　　　　　　This　King；　to　reduce　the　Kingdom　as　well　under　one　Law；　as　it　　then　was　under　one　Monarchical　Government；　extracted　out　of　all　　those　Provincial　Laws；　one　Law　to　be　observed　through　the　whole　　Kingdom：　Thus　Ranulphus　Cestrensis；　cited　by　Sir　Henry　Spelman　in　　his　Glossary；　under　the　Title　Lex；　says；　〃Ex　tribus　his　Legibus　　Sanctus　Edvardus　unam　Legem　〃　&c。　And　the　same　in　totidem　　verbis；　is　affirmed　in　his　History　of　the　last　Year　of　the　same　　King　Edward。　（Vide　ibid。　Plura　de　hoc）　But　Hoveden　carries　up　the　　Common　Laws；　or　those　stiled　the　Confessor's　Laws；　much　further；　　for　he　in　his　History　of　Henry　2　tell　us；　〃Quod　istae　Leges　prius　　inventae　&　constitutae　erant　Tempore　Edgari；　Avi　sui；〃　&c。　（Vide　　Hoveden）　And　possibly　the　Grandfather　might　be　the　first　　Collector　of　them　into　a　Body；　and　afterwards　Edward　might　add　to　　the　Composition；　and　give　it　the　Denomination　of　the　Common　Law。　　but　the　Original　of　it　cannot　in　Truth　be　referred　to　either；　but　　is　much　more　ancient；　and　is　as　undiscoverable　as　the　Head　of　　Nile：　Of　which　more　at　large　in　the　following　Chapter。　　　　　　Thirdly；　Others　say；　and　that　most　truly；　That　it　is　called　　the　Common　Law；　because　it　is　the　common　Municipal　Law　or　Rule　of　　justice　in　this　Kingdom：　So　that　Lex　Communis；　or　Jus　Communis；　　is　all　one　and　the　same　with　Lex　Patriae；　or　Jus　Patrium；　for　　although　there　are　divers　particular　Laws；　some　by　Custom　applied　　to　particular　Places；　and　some　to　particular　Causes；　yet　that　Law　　which　is　common　to　the　generality　of　all　Persons；　Things　and　　Causes；　and　has　a　Superintendency　over　those　particular　Laws　that　　are　admitted　in　Relation　to　particular　Places　or　Matters；　is　Lex　　Communis　Angliae；　as　the　Municipal　Laws　of　other　Countries　may　　be；　and　are　sometimes　called；　The　Common　Law　of　that　Country；。　as　　Lex　Communis　Norrica；　Lex　Communis　Burgundica；　Lex　Communis　　Lombardica；　&c。　So　that　although　all　the　former　Reasons　have　　their　Share　in　this　Appellation；　yet　the　principal　Cause　thereof　　seems　to　be　the　latter：　And　hence　some　of　the　Ancients　call'd　it　　Lex　Communis。　others　Lex　Patriae；　and　so　they　were　called　in　　their　Confirmation　by　King　William　I。　Whereof　hereafter。　　　　　　IV。　Touching　the　Original　of　the　Common　Law　of　England　　　　　　　　The　Kingdom　of　England　being　a　very　ancient　Kingdom；　has　had　　many　Vicissitudes　and　Changes　（especially　before　the　coming　in　of　　King　William　I）　under　several　either　Conquests　or　Accessions　of　　Foreign　Nations。　For　tho'　the　Britains　were；　as　is　supposed；　the　　most　ancient　Inhabitants；　yet　there　were　mingled　with　them；　or　　brought　in　upon　them；　the　Romans；　the　Picts；　the　Saxons；　the　　Danes；　and　lastly；　the　Normans；　and　many　of　those　Foreigners　were　　as　it　were　incorporated　together；　and　made　one　Common　People　and　　Nation；　and　hence　arises　the　Difficulty；　and　indeed　Moral　　Impossibility；　of　giving　any　satisfactory　or　so　much　as　probable　　Conjecture；　touching　the　Original　of　the　Laws；　for　the　following　　Reasons；　viz。　　　　　　First；　From　the　Nature　of　Laws　themselves　in　general；　which　　being　to　be　accommodated　to　the　Conditions；　Exigencies　and　　Conveniencies　of　the　People；　for　or　by　whom　they　are　appointed；　　as　those　Exigencies　and　Conveniencies　do　insensibly　grow　upon　the　　People；　so　many　Times　there　grows　insensibly　a　Variation　of　Laws；　　especially　in　a　long　Tract　of　Time；　and　hence　it　is；　that　tho'　　for　the　Purpose　in　some　particular　Part　of　the　Common　Law　of　　England；　we　may　easily　say；　That　the　Common　Law；　as　it　is　now　　taken；　is　otherwise　than　it　was　in　that　particular　Part　or　Point　　in　the　Time　of　Hen。　2　when　Glanville　wrote；　or　than　it　was　in　the　　time　of　Hen。　3　when　Bracton　wrote；　yet　it　is　not　possible　to　　assign　the　certain　Time　when　the　Change　began；　nor　have　we　all　　the　Monuments　or　Memorials；　either　of　Acts　of　Parliament；　or　of　　Judicial　Resolutions；　which　might　induce　or　occasion　such　　Alterations；　for　we　have　no　authentick　Records　of　any　Acts　of　　Parliament　before　9　Hen。　3　and　those　we　have　of　that　King's　Time；　　are　but　few。　Nor　have　we　any　Reports　of　Judicial　Decisions　in　any　　constant　Series　of　Time　before　the　Reign　of　Edw。　I　tho'　we　have　　the　Plea　Rolls　of　the　Times　of　Hen。　3　and　King　John；　in　some　　remarkable　Order。　So　that　Use　and　Custom；　and　Judicial　Decisions　　and　Resolutions；　and　Acts　of　Parliament；　tho'　not　now　extant；　　might　introduce　some　New　Laws；　and　alter　some　Old；　which　we　now　　take　to　be　the　very　Common　Law　itself；　tho'　the　Times　and　precise　　Periods　of　such　Alterations　are　not　explicitely　or　clearly　known：　　But　tho'　those　particular　Variations　and　Accessions　have　happened　　in　the　Laws；　yet　they　being　only　partial　and　successive；　we　may　　with　just　Reason　say；　They　are　the　same　English　Laws　now；　that　　they　were　600　Years　since　in　the　general。　As　the　Argonauts　Ship　　was　the　same　when　it　returned　home；　as　it　was　when　it　went　out；　　tho'　in　that　long　Voyage　it　had　successive　Amendments；　and　scarce　　came　back　with　any　of　its　former　Materials；　and　as　Titius　is　the　　same　Man　he　was　40　Years　since；　tho'　Physicians　tells　us；　That　in　　a　Tract　of　seven　Years；　the　Body　has　scarce　any　of　the　same　　Material　Substance　it　had　before。　　　　　　Secondly；　The　2d　Difficulty　in　the　Search　of　the　Antiquity　of　　Laws　and　their　Original；　is　in　Relation　to　that　People　unto　whom　　the　Laws　are　applied；　which　in　the　Case　of　England；　will　render　　many　Observables；　to　shew　it　hard　to　be　traced。　For；　　　　　　1st；　It　is　an　ancient　Kingdom；　and　in　such　Cases；　tho'　the　　People　and　Government　had　continued　the　same　ab　Origine　（as　they　　say　the　Chinese　did；　till　the　late　Incursion　of　the　Tartars）　　without　the　Mixture　of　other　People；　or　Laws；　yet　it　were　an　　impossible　Thing　to　give　any　certain　Account　of　the　Original　of　　the　Laws　of　such　a　People；　unless　we　had　as　certain　Monuments　　thereof　as　the　Jews　had　of　theirs；　by　the　Hand　of　Moses；　and　that　　upon　the　following　Accounts；　viz。　　　　　　First；　We　have　not　any　clear　and　certain　Monuments　of　the　　original　Foundation　of　the　English　Kingdom　or　State；　when；　and　by　　whom；　and　how　it　came　to　be　planted。　That　which　we　have　　concerning　it；　is　uncertain　and　traditional；　and　since　we　cannot　　know　the　Original　of　the　planting　of　this　Kingdom；　we　cannot　　certainly　know　the　Original　of　the　Laws　thereof；　which　may　be　　well　presum'd　to　be　very　near　as　ancient　as　the　Kingdom　itself。　　Again；　2dly；　Tho'　Tradition　might　be　a　competent　Discoverer　of　　the　Original　of　a　Kingdom　or　State；　I　mean　Oral　Tradition；　yet　　such　a　Tradition　were　incompetent　without　written　Monuments　to　　derive　to　us；　at　so　long　a　Distance；　the　original　Laws　and　　Constitutions　of　the　Kingdom；　because　they　are　of　a　complex　　Nature；　and　therefore　not　orally　traducible　to　so　great　a　　Distance　of　Ages；　unless　we　had　the　original　or　authentick　　Transcript　of　those　Laws　as　the　People　the　Jews　had　of　their　Law；　　or　as　the　Romans　had　of　their　Laws　of　the　Twelve　Tables　engraven　　in　Brass。　But　yet　further；　3dly；　It　is　very　evident　to　every　　Day's　Experience；　that　Laws；　the　further　they　go　from　their　　original　Institution；　grow　the　larger；　and　the　more　numerous：　In　　the　first　Coalition　of　a　People；　their　Prospect　is　not　great；　　they　provide　Laws　for　th