Butthefatalsecurity,likethepredestinationoftheTurks,musthaveaidedtheprogressofthecontagion;andthosesalutaryprecautionstowhichEuropeisindebtedforhersafety,wereunknowntothegovernmentofJustinian。NorestraintswereimposedonthefreeandfrequentintercourseoftheRomanprovinces:fromPersiatoFrance,thenationsweremingledandinfectedbywarsandemigrations;andthepestilentialodorwhichlurksforyearsinabaleofcottonwasimported,bytheabuseoftrade,intothemostdistantregions。ThemodeofitspropagationisexplainedbytheremarkofProcopiushimself,thatitalwaysspreadfromthesea—coasttotheinlandcountry:themostsequesteredislandsandmountainsweresuccessivelyvisited;
theplaceswhichhadescapedthefuryofitsfirstpassagewerealoneexposedtothecontagionoftheensuingyear。Thewindsmightdiffusethatsubtilevenom;butunlesstheatmospherebepreviouslydisposedforitsreception,theplaguewouldsoonexpireinthecoldortemperateclimatesoftheearth。Suchwastheuniversalcorruptionoftheair,thatthepestilencewhichburstforthinthefifteenthyearofJustinianwasnotcheckedoralleviatedbyanydifferenceoftheseasons。Intime,itsfirstmalignitywasabatedanddispersed;thediseasealternatelylanguishedandrevived;butitwasnottilltheendofacalamitousperiodoffifty—twoyears,thatmankindrecoveredtheirhealth,ortheairresumeditspureandsalubriousquality。
Nofactshavebeenpreservedtosustainanaccount,orevenaconjecture,ofthenumbersthatperishedinthisextraordinarymortality。Ionlyfind,thatduringthreemonths,five,andatlengthten,thousandpersonsdiedeachdayatConstantinople;
thatmanycitiesoftheEastwereleftvacant,andthatinseveraldistrictsofItalytheharvestandthevintagewitheredontheground。Thetriplescourgeofwar,pestilence,andfamine,afflictedthesubjectsofJustinian;andhisreignisdisgracedbythevisibledecreaseofthehumanspecies,whichhasneverbeenrepairedinsomeofthefairestcountriesoftheglobe。^95
[Footnote93:MeadprovesthattheplagueiscontagiousfromThucydides,Lacretius,Aristotle,Galen,andcommonexperience,p。10—20;andherefutesPreface,p。2—13thecontraryopinionoftheFrenchphysicianswhovisitedMarseillesintheyear1720。Yettheseweretherecentandenlightenedspectatorsofaplaguewhich,inafewmonths,sweptaway50,000inhabitantssurlePestedeMarseille,Paris,1786ofacitythat,inthepresenthourofprosperityandtradecontainsnomorethen90,000
souls,Necker,surlesFinances,tom。i。p。231。]
[Footnote94:ThestrongassertionsofProcopiusareoverthrownbythesubsequentexperienceofEvagrius。]
[Footnote95:Aftersomefiguresofrhetoric,thesandsofthesea,&c。,ProcopiusAnecdot。c。18attemptsamoredefiniteaccount;thatithadbeenexterminatedunderthereignoftheImperialdemon。TheexpressionisobscureingrammarandarithmeticandaliteralinterpretationwouldproduceseveralmillionsofmillionsAlemannusp。80andCousintom。iii。p。
178translatethispassage,"twohundredmillions:"butIamignorantoftheirmotives。Theremainingmyriadofmyriads,wouldfurnishonehundredmillions,anumbernotwhollyinadmissible。]
ChapterXLIV:IdeaOfTheRomanJurisprudence。
PartI。
IdeaOfTheRomanJurisprudence。—TheLawsOfTheKings—
TheTwelveOfTheDecemvirs。—TheLawsOfThePeople。—TheDecreesOfTheSenate。—TheEdictsOfTheMagistratesAndEmperors—AuthorityOfTheCivilians。—Code,Pandects,Novels,AndInstitutesOfJustinian:—I。RightsOfPersons。—II。
RightsOfThings。—III。PrivateInjuriesAndActions。—IV。
CrimesAndPunishments。
Note:Inthenotestothisimportantchapter,whichisreceivedasthetext—bookonCivilLawinsomeoftheforeignuniversities,Ihaveconsulted,I。thenewly—discoveredInstitutesofGaius,GaiiInstitutiones,ed。Goeschen,Berlin,1824,withsomeotherfragmentsoftheRomanlaw,CodicisTheodosianiFragmentainedita,abAmadeoPeyron。Turin,1824。
II。TheHistoryoftheRomanLaw,byProfessorHugo,intheFrenchtranslationofM。Jourdan。Paris,1825。
III。Savigny,GeschichtedesRomischenRechtsimMittelalter,6bande,Heidelberg,1815。
IV。Walther,RomischeRechts—Geschichte,Bonn。1834。ButI
amparticularlyindebtedtoaneditionoftheFrenchtranslationofthischapter,withadditionalnotes,byoneofthemostlearnedciviliansofEurope,ProfessorWarnkonig,publishedatLiege,1821。Ihaveinsertedalmostthewholeofthesenotes,whicharedistinguishedbytheletterW。—M。
ThevaintitlesofthevictoriesofJustinianarecrumbledintodust;butthenameofthelegislatorisinscribedonafairandeverlastingmonument。Underhisreign,andbyhiscare,theciviljurisprudencewasdigestedintheimmortalworksoftheCode,thePandects,andtheInstitutes:^1thepublicreasonoftheRomanshasbeensilentlyorstudiouslytransfusedintothedomesticinstitutionsofEurope,^2,andthelawsofJustinianstillcommandtherespectorobedienceofindependentnations。
Wiseorfortunateistheprincewhoconnectshisownreputationwiththehonororinterestofaperpetualorderofmen。Thedefenceoftheirfounderisthefirstcause,whichineveryagehasexercisedthezealandindustryofthecivilians。Theypiouslycommemoratehisvirtues;dissembleordenyhisfailings;
andfiercelychastisetheguiltorfollyoftherebels,whopresumetosullythemajestyofthepurple。Theidolatryoflovehasprovoked,asitusuallyhappens,therancorofopposition;
thecharacterofJustinianhasbeenexposedtotheblindvehemenceofflatteryandinvective;andtheinjusticeofasecttheAnti—Tribonians,hasrefusedallpraiseandmerittotheprince,hisministers,andhislaws。^3Attachedtonoparty,interestedonlyforthetruthandcandorofhistory,anddirectedbythemosttemperateandskilfulguides,^4Ienterwithjustdiffidenceonthesubjectofcivillaw,whichhasexhaustedsomanylearnedlives,andclothedthewallsofsuchspaciouslibraries。Inasingle,ifpossibleinashort,chapter,IshalltracetheRomanjurisprudencefromRomulustoJustinian,^5
appreciatethelaborsofthatemperor,andpausetocontemplatetheprinciplesofasciencesoimportanttothepeaceandhappinessofsociety。Thelawsofanationformthemostinstructiveportionofitshistory;andalthoughIhavedevotedmyselftowritetheannalsofadecliningmonarchy,Ishallembracetheoccasiontobreathethepureandinvigoratingairoftherepublic。
[Footnote1:Theciviliansofthedarkerageshaveestablishedanabsurdandincomprehensiblemodeofquotation,whichissupportedbyauthorityandcustom。IntheirreferencestotheCode,thePandects,andtheInstitutes,theymentionthenumber,notofthebook,butonlyofthelaw;andcontentthemselveswithrecitingthefirstwordsofthetitletowhichitbelongs;andofthesetitlestherearemorethanathousand。LudewigVit。Justiniani,p。268wishestoshakeoffthispendanticyoke;andIhavedaredtoadoptthesimpleandrationalmethodofnumberingthebook,thetitle,andthelaw。
Note:TheexampleofGibborhasbeenfollowedbyMHugoandothercivilians。—M]
[Footnote2:Germany,Bohemia,Hungary,Poland,andScotland,havereceivedthemascommonlaworreason;inFrance,Italy,&c。,theypossessadirectorindirectinfluence;andtheywererespectedinEngland,fromStephentoEdwardI。ournationalJustinian,Duck。deUsuetAuctoritateJurisCivilis,l。ii。c。
1,8—15。Heineccius,Hist。JurisGermanici,c。3,4,No。55—
124,andthelegalhistoriansofeachcountry。
Note:AlthoughtherestorationoftheRomanlaw,introducedbytherevivalofthisstudyinItaly,isoneofthemostimportantbranchesofhistory,ithadbeentreatedbutimperfectlywhenGibbonwrotehiswork。ThatofArthurDuckisbutaninsignificantperformance。Buttheresearchesofthelearnedhavethrownmuchlightuponthematter。TheSarti,theTiraboschi,theFantuzzi,theSavioli,hadmadesomeveryinterestinginquiries;butitwasreservedforM。deSavigny,inaworkentitled"TheHistoryoftheRomanLawduringtheMiddleAges,"tocastthestrongestrightonthispartofhistory。HedemonstratesincontestablythepreservationoftheRomanlawfromJustiniantothetimeoftheGlossators,whobytheirindefatigablezeal,propagatedthestudyoftheRomanjurisprudenceinallthecountriesofEurope。Itismuchtobedesiredthattheauthorshouldcontinuethisinterestingwork,andthatthelearnedshouldengageintheinquiryinwhatmannertheRomanlawintroduceditselfintotheirrespectivecountries,andtheauthoritywhichitprogressivelyacquired。ForBelgium,thereexists,onthissubject,proposedbytheAcademyofBrusselsin1781,aCollectionofMemoirs,printedatBrusselsin4to。,1783,amongwhichshouldbedistinguishedthoseofM。deBerg。M。BerriatSaintPrixhasgivenushopesofthespeedyappearanceofaworkinwhichhewilldiscussthisquestion,especiallyinrelationtoFrance。M。Spangenberg,inhisIntroductiontotheStudyoftheCorpusJurisCivilisHanover,1817,1vol。8vo。p。86,116,givesusageneralsketchofthehistoryoftheRomanlawindifferentpartsofEurope。WecannotavoidmentioninganelementaryworkbyM。Hugo,inwhichhetreatsoftheHistoryoftheRomanLawfromJustiniantothepresentTime,2dedit。Berlin1818W。]
[Footnote3:FrancisHottoman,alearnedandacutelawyerofthexvithcentury,wishedtomortifyCujacius,andtopleasetheChancellordel'Hopital。HisAnti—TribonianuswhichIhaveneverbeenabletoprocurewaspublishedinFrenchin1609;andhissectwaspropagatedinGermany,Heineccius,Op。tom。iii。
syllogeiii。p。171—183。
Note:ThoughtherehavealwaysbeenmanydetractorsoftheRomanlaw,nosectofAnti—Tribonianshaseverexistedunderthatname,asGibbonseemstosuppose。—W。]
[Footnote4:AttheheadoftheseguidesIshallrespectfullyplacethelearnedandperspicuousHeineccius,aGermanprofessor,whodiedatHalleintheyear1741,seehisElogeintheNouvelleBibliothequeGermanique,tom。ii。p。51—64。Hisampleworkshavebeencollectedineightvolumesin4to。Geneva,1743—
1748。ThetreatiseswhichIhaveseparatelyusedare,1。HistoriaJurisRomanietGermanici,Lugd。Batav。1740,in8vo。
2。SyntagmaAntiquitatumRomanamJurisprudentiamillustrantium,2vols。in8vo。Traject。adRhenum。
3。ElementaJurisCivilissecundumOrdinemInstitutionum,Lugd。Bat。1751,in8vo。
4。ElementaJ。C。secundumOrdinemPandectarumTraject。
1772,in8vo。2vols。
Note:Ourauthor,whowasnotalawyer,wasnecessarilyobligedtocontenthimselfwithfollowingtheopinionsofthosewriterswhowerethenofthegreatestauthority;butasHeineccius,notwithstandinghishighreputationforthestudyoftheRomanlaw,knewnothingofthesubjectonwhichhetreated,butwhathehadlearnedfromthecompilationsofvariousauthors,ithappenedthat,infollowingthesometimesrashopinionsoftheseguides,Gibbonhasfallenintomanyerrors,whichweshallendeavorinsuccessiontocorrect。
TheworkofBachontheHistoryoftheRomanJurisprudence,withwhichGibbonwasnotacquainted,isfarsuperiortothatofHeinecciusandsincethattimewehavenewobligationstothemodernhistoriccivilians,whoseindefatigableresearcheshavegreatlyenlargedthesphereofourknowledgeinthisimportantbranchofhistory。WewantapenlikethatofGibbontogivetothemoreaccuratenotionswhichwehaveacquiredsincehistime,thebrilliancy,thevigor,andtheanimationwhichGibbonhasbestowedontheopinionsofHeinecciusandhiscontemporaries。—
W]
[Footnote5:OuroriginaltextisafragmentdeOrigineJurisPandect。l。i。tit。ii。ofPomponius,aRomanlawyer,wholivedundertheAntonines,Heinecc。tom。iii。syl。iii。p。66—126。
Ithasbeenabridged,andprobablycorrupted,byTribonian,andsincerestoredbyBynkershoekOpp。tom。i。p。279—304。]
TheprimitivegovernmentofRome^6wascomposed,withsomepoliticalskill,ofanelectiveking,acouncilofnobles,andageneralassemblyofthepeople。Warandreligionwereadministeredbythesuprememagistrate;andhealoneproposedthelaws,whichweredebatedinthesenate,andfinallyratifiedorrejectedbyamajorityofvotesinthethirtycuriaeorparishesofthecity。Romulus,Numa,andServiusTullius,arecelebratedasthemostancientlegislators;andeachofthemclaimshispeculiarpartinthethreefolddivisionofjurisprudence。^7Thelawsofmarriage,theeducationofchildren,andtheauthorityofparents,whichmayseemtodrawtheiroriginfromnatureitself,areascribedtotheuntutoredwisdomofRomulus。Thelawofnationsandofreligiousworship,whichNumaintroduced,wasderivedfromhisnocturnalconversewiththenymphEgeria。ThecivillawisattributedtotheexperienceofServius:hebalancedtherightsandfortunesofthesevenclassesofcitizens;andguarded,byfiftynewregulations,theobservanceofcontractsandthepunishmentofcrimes。Thestate,whichhehadinclinedtowardsademocracy,waschangedbythelastTarquinintoalawlessdespotism;andwhenthekinglyofficewasabolished,thepatriciansengrossedthebenefitsoffreedom。Theroyallawsbecameodiousorobsolete;themysteriousdepositwassilentlypreservedbythepriestsandnobles;andattheendofsixtyyears,thecitizensofRomestillcomplainedthattheywereruledbythearbitrarysentenceofthemagistrates。Yetthepositiveinstitutionsofthekingshadblendedthemselveswiththepublicandprivatemannersofthecity,somefragmentsofthatvenerablejurisprudence^8werecompiledbythediligenceofantiquarians,^9andabovetwentytextsstillspeaktherudenessofthePelasgicidiomoftheLatins。^10
[Footnote6:TheconstitutionalhistoryofthekingsofRomemaybestudiedinthefirstbookofLivy,andmorecopiouslyinDionysiusHalicarnassensis,l。li。p。80—96,119—130,l。iv。
p。198—220,whosometimesbetraysthecharacterofarhetoricianandaGreek。
Note:M。WarnkonigreferstotheworkofBeaufort,ontheUncertaintyoftheFiveFirstAgesoftheRomanHistory,withwhichGibbonwasprobablyacquainted,toNiebuhr,andtothelessknownvolumeofWachsmuth,"AeltereGeschichtedesRom。Staats。"
TotheseIwouldaddA。W。Schlegel'sReviewofNiebuhr,andmyfriendDr。Arnold'srecentlypublishedvolume,ofwhichthechapterontheLawoftheXII。Tablesappearstomeoneofthemostvaluable,ifnotthemostvaluable,chapter。—M。]
[Footnote7:ThisthreefolddivisionofthelawwasappliedtothethreeRomankingsbyJustusLipsius,Opp。tom。iv。p。279;
isadoptedbyGravina,OriginesJurisCivilis,p。28,edit。
Lips。1737:andisreluctantlyadmittedbyMascou,hisGermaneditor。
Note:WhoeverisacquaintedwiththerealnotionsoftheRomansonthejusnaturale,gentiumetcivile,cannotbutdisapproveofthisexplanationwhichhasnorelationtothem,andmightbetakenforapleasantry。Itiscertainlyunnecessarytoincreasetheconfusionwhichalreadyprevailsamongmodernwritersonthetruesenseoftheseideas。Hugo。—W]
[Footnote8:ThemostancientCodeorDigestwasstyledJusPapirianum,fromthefirstcompiler,Papirius,whoflourishedsomewhatbeforeoraftertheRegifugium,Pandect。l。i。tit。
ii。Thebestjudicialcritics,evenBynkershoektom。i。p。284,285andHeineccius,Hist。J。C。R。l。i。c。16,17,andOpp。
tom。iii。syllogeiv。p。1—8,givecredittothistaleofPomponius,withoutsufficientlyadvertingtothevalueandrarityofsuchamonumentofthethirdcentury,oftheilliteratecity。
ImuchsuspectthattheCaiusPapirius,thePontifexMaximus,whorevivedthelawsofNumaDionys。Hal。l。iii。p。171leftonlyanoraltradition;andthattheJusPapirianumofGraniusFlaccusPandect。l。L。tit。xvi。leg。144wasnotacommentary,butanoriginalwork,compiledinthetimeofCaesar,Censorin。deDieNatali,l。iii。p。13,DukerdeLatinitateJ。C。p。154。
Note:NiebuhrconsiderstheJusPapirianum,adducedbyVerriusFiaccus,tobeofundoubtedauthenticity。Rom。
Geschichte,l。257。—M。ComparethiswiththeworkofM。Hugo。—
W。]
[Footnote9:Apompous,thoughfeebleattempttorestoretheoriginal,ismadeintheHistoiredelaJurisprudenceRomaineofTerasson,p。22—72,Paris,1750,infolio;aworkofmorepromisethanperformance。]
[Footnote10:Intheyear1444,sevenoreighttablesofbrassweredugupbetweenCortonaandGubio。ApartofthesefortherestisEtruscanrepresentstheprimitivestateofthePelasgiclettersandlanguage,whichareascribedbyHerodotustothatdistrictofItaly,l。i。c。56,57,58;thoughthisdifficultpassagemaybeexplainedofaCrestonainThrace,NotesdeLarcher,tom。i。p。256—261。ThesavagedialectoftheEugubinetables^!hasexercised,andmaystillelude,thedivinationofcriticism;buttherootisundoubtedlyLatin,ofthesameageandcharacterastheSaliareCarmen,which,inthetimeofHorace,nonecouldunderstand。TheRomanidiom,byaninfusionofDoricandAeolicGreek,wasgraduallyripenedintothestyleofthexii。tables,oftheDuilliancolumn,ofEnnius,ofTerence,andofCicero,Gruter。Inscript。tom。i。p。cxlii。
ScipionMaffei,IstoriaDiplomatica,p。241—258。BibliothequeItalique,tom。iii。p。30—41,174—205。tom。xiv。p。1—52。
Note:TheEugubineTableshaveexercisedtheingenuityoftheItalianandGermancritics;itseemsadmittedO。Muller,dieEtrusker,ii。313thattheyareTuscan。SeetheworksofLanzi,Passeri,Dempster,andO。Muller。—M]
Ishallnotrepeatthewell—knownstoryoftheDecemvirs,^11whosulliedbytheiractionsthehonorofinscribingonbrass,orwood,orivory,theTwelveTablesoftheRomanlaws。