the spirit of laws-第136部分

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anding；　in　one　of　those　formulas；　an　advocate　for　the　public　prosecutor；　who　had　the　liberty　to　fight。　Muratori　has　placed　it　just　after　the　constitution　of　Henry　I；　for　which　it　was　made。＇262＇　In　this　constitution　it　is　said；　〃That　if　any　man　kills　his　father；　his　brother；　or　any　of　his　other　relatives；　he　shall　lose　their　succession；　which　shall　pass　to　the　other　relatives；　and　his　own　property　shall　go　to　the　exchequer。〃　Now　it　was　in　suing　for　the　estate　which　had　devolved　to　the　exchequer；　that　the　advocate　for　the　public　prosecutor；　by　whom　its　rights　were　defended；　had　the　privilege　of　fighting：　this　case　fell　within　the　general　rule。

We　see　in　those　formulas　the　advocate　for　the　public　prosecutor　proceeding　against　a　person　who　had　taken　a　robber；　but　had　not　brought　him　before　the　count；＇263＇　against　another　who　had　raised　an　insurrection　or　tumult　against　the　count；＇264＇　against　another　who　had　saved　a　man's　life　whom　the　count　had　ordered　to　be　put　to　death；＇265＇　against　the　advocate　of　some　churches；　whom　the　count　had　commanded　to　bring　a　robber　before　him；　but　had　not　obeyed；＇266＇　against　another　who　had　revealed　the　king's　secret　to　strangers；＇267＇　against　another；　who　with　open　violence　had　attacked　the　emperor's　commissary；＇268＇　against　another　who　had　been　guilty　of　contempt　to　the　emperor's　rescripts；　and　he　was　prosecuted　either　by　the　emperor's　advocate　or　by　the　emperor　himself；＇269＇　against　another　who　refused　to　accept　of　the　prince's　coin；＇270＇　in　fine；　this　advocate　sued　for　things　which　by　the　law　were　adjudged　to　the　exchequer。＇271＇

But　in　criminal　causes；　we　never　meet　with　the　advocate　for　the　public　prosecutor；　not　even　where　duels　are　used；＇272＇　not　even　in　the　case　of　incendiaries；＇273＇　not　even　when　the　judge　is　killed　on　his　bench；＇274＇　not　even　in　causes　relating　to　the　conditions　of　persons；＇275＇　to　liberty　and　slavery。＇276＇

These　formulas　are　made；　not　only　for　the　laws　of　the　Lombards；　but　likewise　for　the　capitularies　added　to　them；　so　that　we　have　no　reason　to　doubt　of　their　giving　us　the　practice　observed　with　regard　to　this　subject　under　our　princes　of　the　second　race。

It　is　obvious　that　these　advocates　for　a　public　prosecutor　must　have　ended　with　our　second　race　of　kings；　in　the　same　manner　as　the　king's　commissioners　in　the　provinces；　because　there　was　no　longer　a　general　law　nor　general　exchequer；　and　because　there　were　no　longer　any　counts　in　the　provinces　to　hold　the　assizes；　and；　of　course；　there　were　no　more　of　those　officers　whose　principal　function　was　to　support　the　authority　of　the　counts。

As　the　usage　of　combats　became　more　frequent　under　the　third　race；　it　did　not　allow　of　any　such　thing　as　a　public　prosecutor。　Hence　Boutillier；　in　his　Somme　Rurale；　speaking　of　the　officers　of　justice；　takes　notice　only　of　the　bailiffs；　the　peers　and　serjeants。　See　the　Institutions＇277＇　and　Beaumanoir＇278＇　concerning　the　manner　in　which　prosecutions　were　managed　in　those　days。

I　find　in　the　laws　of　James　II；　King　of　Majorca；＇279＇　a　creation　of　the　office　of　king's　attorney…general；　with　the　very　same　functions　as　are　exercised　at　present　by　the　officers　of　that　name　among　us。　It　is　manifest　that　this　office　was　not　instituted　till　we　had　changed　the　form　of　our　judiciary　proceedings。

37。　In　what　Manner　the　Institutions　of　St。　Louis　fell　into　Oblivion。　It　was　the　fate　of　the　Institutions　that　their　origin；　progress；　and　decline　were　comprised　within　a　very　short　period。

I　shall　make　a　few　reflections　upon　this　subject。　The　code　we　have　now　under　the　name　of　St。　Louis'　Institutions　was　never　designed　as　a　law　for　the　whole　kingdom；　though　such　a　design　is　mentioned　in　the　preface。　The　compilation　is　a　general　code；　which　determines　all　points　relating　to　civil　affairs；　to　the　disposal　of　property　by　will　or　otherwise；　the　dowries　and　privileges　of　women；　and　emoluments　and　privileges　of　fiefs；　with　the　affairs　in　relation　to　the　police；　&c。　Now；　to　give　a　general　body　of　civil　laws；　at　a　time　when　each　city；　town；　or　village；　had　its　customs；　was　attempting　to　subvert　in　one　moment　all　the　particular　laws　then　in　force　in　every　part　of　the　kingdom。　To　reduce　all　the　particular　customs　to　a　general　one　would　be　a　very　inconsiderate　thing；　even　at　present　when　our　princes　find　everywhere　the　most　passive　obedience。　But　if　it　be　true　that　we　ought　not　to　change　when　the　inconveniences　are　equal　to　the　advantages；　much　less　should　we　change　when　the　advantages　are　small　and　the　inconveniences　immense。　Now；　if　we　attentively　consider　the　situation　which　the　kingdom　was　in　at　that　time；　when　every　lord　was　puffed　up　with　the　notion　of　his　sovereignty　and　power；　we　shall　find　that　to　attempt　a　general　alteration　of　the　received　laws　and　customs　must　be　a　thing　that　could　never　enter　into　the　heads　of　those　who　were　then　in　the　administration。

What　I　have　been　saying　proves　likewise　that　this　code　of　institutions　was　not　confirmed　in　parliament　by　the　barons　and　magistrates　of　the　kingdom；　as　is　mentioned　in　a　manuscript　of　the　town…hall　of　Amiens；　quoted　by　M。　Du　Cange。＇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；