the spirit of laws-第123部分

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。＇280＇　We　find　in　other　manuscripts　that　this　code　was　given　by　St。　Louis　in　the　year　1270；　before　he　set　out　for　Tunis。　But　this　fact　is　not　truer　than　the　other；　for　St。　Louis　set　out　upon　that　expedition　in　1269；　as　M。　Du　Cange　observes：　whence　he　concludes　that　this　code　might　have　been　published　in　his　absence。　But　this　I　say　is　impossible。　How　can　St。　Louis　be　imagined　to　have　pitched　upon　the　time　of　his　absence　for　transacting　an　affair　which　would　have　been　a　sowing　of　troubles；　and　might　have　produced　not　only　changes；　but　revolutions？　An　enterprise　of　that　kind　had　need；　more　than　any　other；　of　being　closely　pursued；　and　could　not　be　the　work　of　a　feeble　regency；　composed　moreover　of　lords；　whose　interest　it　was　that　it　should　not　succeed。　These　were　Mathieu；　Abbot　of　St。　Denis；　Simon　of　Clermont；　Count　of　Nesle；　and；　in　case　of　death；　Philip；　Bishop　of　Evreux；　and　Jean；　Count　of　Ponthieu。　We　have　seen　above＇281＇　that　the　Count　of　Ponthieu　opposed　the　execution　of　a　new　judiciary　order　in　his　lordship。

Thirdly；　I　affirm　it　to　be　very　probable　that　the　code　now　extant　is　quite　a　different　thing　from　St。　Louis'　Institutions；　It　cites　the　Institutions；　therefore　it　is　a　comment　upon　the　Institutions；　and　not　the　institutions　themselves。　Besides；　Beaumanoir；　who　frequently　makes　mention　of　St。　Louis'　Institutions；　quotes　only　some　particular　laws　of　that　prince；　and　not　this　compilation。　Défontaines；＇282＇　who　wrote　in　that　prince's　reign；　makes　mention　of　the　first　two　times　that　his　Institutions　on　judicial　proceedings　were　put　in　execution；　as　of　a　thing　long　since　elapsed。　The　institutions　of　St。　Louis　were　prior；　therefore；　to　the　compilation　I　am　now　speaking　of；　which　from　their　rigour；　and　their　adopting　the　erroneous　prefaces　inserted　by　some　ignorant　persons　in　that　work；　could　not　have　been　published　before　the　last　year　of　St。　Louis　or　even　not　till　after　his　death。

38。　The　same　Subject　continued。　What　is　this　compilation　then　which　goes　at　present　under　the　name　of　St。　Louis'　Institutions？　What　is　this　obscure；　confused；　and　ambiguous　code；　where　the　French　law　is　continually　mixed　with　the　Roman；　where　a　legislator　speaks　and　yet　we　see　a　civilian；　where　we　find　a　complete　digest　of　all　cases　and　points　of　the　civil　law？　To　understand　this　thoroughly；　we　must　transfer　ourselves　in　imagination　to　those　times。

St。　Louis；　seeing　the　abuses　in　the　jurisprudence　of　his　time；　endeavoured　to　give　the　people　a　dislike　to　it。　With　this　view　he　made　several　regulations　for　the　court　of　his　demesnes；　and　for　those　of　his　barons。　And　such　was　his　success　that　Beaumanoir；　who　wrote　a　little　after　the　death　of　that　prince；　informs　us＇283＇　that　the　manner　of　trying　causes　which　had　been　established　by　St。　Louis　obtained　in　a　great　number　of　the　courts　of　the　barons。

Thus　this　prince　attained　his　end；　though　his　regulations　for　the　courts　of　the　lords　were　not　designed　as　a　general　law　for　the　kingdom；　but　as　a　model　which　every　one　might　follow；　and　would　even　find　his　advantage　in　it。　He　removed　the　bad　practice　by　showing　them　a　better。　When　it　appeared　that　his　courts；　and　those　of　some　lords；　had　chosen　a　form　of　proceeding　more　natural；　more　reasonable；　more　conformable　to　morality；　to　religion；　to　the　public　tranquillity；　and　to　the　security　of　person　and　property；　this　form　was　soon　adopted；　and　the　other　rejected。

To　allure　when　it　is　rash　to　constrain；　to　win　by　pleasing　means　when　it　is　improper　to　exert　authority；　shows　the　man　of　abilities。　Reason　has　a　natural；　and　even　a　tyrannical　sway；　it　meets　with　resistance；　but　this　very　resistance　constitutes　its　triumph；　for　after　a　short　struggle　it　commands　an　entire　submission。

St。　Louis；　in　order　to　give　a　distaste　of　the　French　jurisprudence；　caused　the　books　of　the　Roman　law　to　be　translated；　by　which　means　they　were　made　known　to　the　lawyers　of　those　times。　Défontaines；　who　is　the　oldest　law　writer　we　have；　made　great　use　of　those　Roman　laws。＇284＇　His　work　is；　in　some　measure；　a　result　from　the　ancient　French　jurisprudence；　of　the　laws　or　Institutions　of　St。　Louis；　and　of　the　Roman　law。　Beaumanoir　made　very　little　use　of　the　latter；　but　he　reconciled　the　ancient　French　laws　to　the　regulations　of　St。　Louis。

I　have　a　notion；　therefore；　that　the　law　book　known　by　the　name　of　the　Institutions　was　compiled　by　some　bailiffs；　with　the　same　design　as　that　of　the　authors　of　those　two　Works；　and　especially　of　Défontaines。　The　title　of　this　work　mentions　that　it　is　written　according　to　the　usage　of　Paris；　Orleans；　and　the　court　of　Barony；　and　the　preamble　says　that　it　treats　of　the　usage　of　the　whole　kingdom；　of　Anjou　and　of　the　court　of　Barony。　It　is　plain　that　this　work　was　made　for　Paris；　Orleans　and　Anjou；　as　the　works　of　Beaumanoir　and　Défontaines　were　framed　for　the　counties　of　Clermont　and　Vermandois；　and　as　it　appears　from　Beaumanoir　that　divers　laws　of　St。　Louis　had　been　received　in　the　courts　of　Barony；　the　compiler　was　in　the　right　to　say　that　his　work　related　also　to　those　courts。＇285＇

It　is　manifest　that　the　person　who　composed　this　work　compiled　the　customs　of　the　country　together　with　the　laws　and　Institutions　of　St。　Louis。　This　is　a　very　valuable　work；　because　it　contains　the　ancient　customs　of　Anjou；　the　Institutions　of　St。　Louis；　as　they　were　then　in　use；　and；　in　fine；　the　whole　practice　of　the　ancient　French　law。

The　difference　between　this　work　and　those　of　Défontaines　and　Beaumanoir　is　its　speaking　in　imperative　terms　as　a　legislator；　and　this　might　be　right；　since　it　was　a　medley　of　written　customs　and　laws。

There　was　an　intrinsic　defect　in　this　compilation；　it　formed　an　amphibious　code；　in　which　the　French　and　Roman　laws　were　mixed；　and　where　things　were　joined　that　were　in　no　relation；　but　often　contradictory　to　each　other。

I　am　not　ignorant　that　the　French　courts　of　vassals　or　peers；　the　judgments　without　power　of　appealing　to　another　tribunal；　the　manner　of　pronouncing　sentence　by　these　words　〃I　condemn〃　or　〃I　absolve；〃＇286＇　had　some　conformity　to　the　popular　judgments　of　the　Romans。　But　they　made　very　little　use　of　that　ancient　jurisprudence；　they　rather　chose　that　which　was　afterwards　introduced　by　the　emperor；　in　order　to　regulate；　limit；　correct；　and　extend　the　French　jurisprudence。

39。　The　same　Subject　continued。　The　judiciary　forms　introduced　by　St。　Louis　fell　into　disuse。　This　prince　had　not　so　much　in　view　the　thing　itself；　that　is；　the　best　manner　of　trying　causes；　as　the　best　manner　of　supplying　the　ancient　practice　of　trial。　The　principal　intent　was　to　give　a　disrelish　of　the　ancient　jurisprudence；　and　the　next　to　form　a　new　one。　But　when　the　inconveniences　of　the　latter　appeared；　another　soon　succeeded。

The　Institutions　of　St。　Louis　did　not；　therefore；　so　much　change　the　French　jurisprudence　as　they　afforded　the　means　of　changing　it；　they　opened　new　tribunals；　or　rather　ways　to　come　at　them。　And　when　once　the　public　had　easy　access　to　the　superior　courts；　the　judgments　which　before　constituted　only　the　usages　of　a　particular　lordship　formed　a　universal　digest。　By　means　of　the　Institutions；　they　had　obtained　general　decisions；　which　were　entirely　wanting　in　the　kingdom；　when　the　building　was　finished；　they　let　the　scaffold　fall　to　the　ground。

Thus　the　Institutions　produced　effects　which　could　hardly　be　expected　from　a　masterpiece　of　legislation。　To　prepare　great　changes　whole　ages　are　sometimes　requisite；　the　events　ripen；　and　the　revolutions　follow。

The　parliament　judged　in　the　last　resort　of　almost　all　the　affairs　of　the　kingdom。　Before；＇287＇　it　took　cognizance　only　of　disputes　between　the　dukes；　counts；　barons；　bishops；　abbots；　or　between　the　king　and　his　vassals；＇288＇　rather　in　the　relation　they　bore　to　the　political　than　to　the　civil　order。　They　were　soon　obliged　to　render　it　permanent；　whereas　it　used　to　be　held　only　a　few　times　in　a　year：　and；　in　fine；　a　great　number　were　created；　in　order　to　be　sufficient　for　the　decision　of　all　manner　of　causes。

No　sooner　had　the　parliament　become　a　fixed　body；　than　they　began　to　compile　its　decrees。　Jean　de　Monluc；　in　the　reign　of　Philip　the　Fair；　made　a　collection　which　at　present　is　known　by　the　name　of　the　Olim　registers。＇289＇

40。　In　what　Manner　the　judiciary　Forms　were　borrowed　from　the　Decretals。　But　how　comes　it；　some　will　ask；　that　when　the　Institutions　were　laid　aside；　the　judicial　forms　of　the　canon　law　should　be　preferred　to　those　of　the　Roman？　It　was　because　they　had　constantly　before　their　eyes　the　ecclesiastic　courts；　which　followed　the　forms　of　the　canon　law；　and　they　knew　of　no　court　that　followed　those　of　the　Roman　law。　Besides；　the　limits　of　the　spiritual　and　temporal　jurisdiction　were　at　that　time　very　little　understood；　there　were　people　who　sued　indifferently＇290＇　and　causes　that　were　tried　indifferently；　in　either　court。＇291＇　It　seems＇292＇　as　if　the　temporal　jurisdiction　reserved　no　other　cases　exclusively　to　itself　than　the　judgment　of　feudal　matters；＇293＇　and　of　such　crimes　committed　by　laymen　as　did　not　relate　to　religion。　For＇294＇　if　on　the　account　of　conventions　and　contracts；　they　had　occasion　to　sue　in　a　temporal　court；　the　parties　might　of　their　own　accord　proceed　before　the　spiritual　tribunals；　and　as　the　latter　had　not　a　power　to　oblige　the　temporal　court　to　execute　the　sentence；　they　commanded　submission　by　means　of　excommunications。　Under　those　circumstances；　when　they　wanted　to　change　the　course　of　proceedings　in　the　temporal　court；　they　took　that　of　the　spiritual　tribunals；　because　they　knew　it；　but　did　not　meddle　with　that　of　the　Roman　law；　by　reason　they　were　strangers　to　it：　for　in　point　of　practice　people　know　only　what　is　really　practised。

41。　Flux　and　Reflux　of　the　ecclesiastic　and　temporal　Jurisdiction。　The　civil　power　being　in　the　hands　of　an　infinite　number　of　lords；　it　was　an　easy　matter　for　the　ecclesiastic　jurisdiction　to　gain　daily　a　greater　extent。　But　as　the　ecclesiastic　courts　weakened　those　of　the　lords；　and　contributed　thereby　to　give　strength　to　the　royal　jurisdiction；　the　latter　gradually　checked　the　jurisdiction　of　the　clergy。　The　parliament；　which　in　its　form　of　proceedings　had　adopted　whatever　was　good　and　useful　in　the　spiritual　courts；　soon　perceived　nothing　else　but　the　abuses　which　had　cr