the spirit of laws-第150节

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One　of　the　reasons　which　produced　this　connection　between　the　judiciary　right　and　that　of　leading　the　forces　against　the　enemy　was　because　the　person　who　led　them　exacted　at　the　same　time　the　payment　of　the　fiscal　duties；　which　consisted　in　some　carriage　services　due　by　the　freemen；　and　in　general；　in　certain　judiciary　profits；　of　which　we　shall　treat　hereafter。

The　lords　had　the　right　of　administering　justice　in　their　fief；　by　the　same　principle　as　the　counts　had　it　in　their　counties。　And；　indeed；　the　counties　in　the　several　variations　that　happened　at　different　times　always　followed　the　variations　of　the　fiefs；　both　were　governed　by　the　same　plan；　and　by　the　same　principles。　In　a　word；　the　counts　in　their　counties　were　lords；　and　the　lords　in　their　seigniories　were　counts。

It　has　been　a　mistake　to　consider　the　counts　as　civil　officers；　and　the　dukes　as　military　commanders。　Both　were　equally　civil　and　military　officers：＇125＇　the　whole　difference　consisted　in　the　duke's　having　several　counts　under　him；　though　there　were　counts　who　had　no　duke　over　them；　as　we　learn　from　Fredegarius。＇126＇

It　will　be　imagined；　perhaps；　that　the　government　of　the　Franks　must　have　been　very　severe　at　that　time；　since　the　same　officers　were　invested　with　a　military　and　civil　power；　nay；　even　with　a　fiscal　authority；　over　the　subjects；　which　in　the　preceding　books　I　have　observed　to　be　distinguishing　marks　of　despotism。

But　we　must　not　believe　that　the　counts　pronounced　judgment　by　themselves；　and　administered　justice　in　the　same　manner　as　the　bashaws　in　Turkey；　in　order　to　judge　affairs；　they　assembled　a　kind　of　assizes；　where　the　principal　men　appeared。

To　the　end　we　may　thoroughly　understand　what　relates　to　the　judicial　proceedings　in　the　formulas；　in　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians　and　in　the　capitularies；　it　is　proper　to　observe　that　the　functions　of　the　count；　of　the　Grafio　or　fiscal　judge　and　the　Centenarius　were　the　same；　that　the　judges；　the　Rathimburghers；　and　the　aldermen　were　the　same　persons　under　different　names。　These　were　the　count's　assistants；　and　were　generally　seven　in　number；　and　as　he　was　obliged　to　have　twelve　persons　to　judge；＇127＇　he　filled　up　the　number　with　the　principal　men。＇128＇

But　whoever　had　the　jurisdiction；　the　king；　the　count；　the　Grafio；　the　Centenarius；　the　lords；　or　the　clergy；　they　never　tried　causes　alone；　and　this　usage；　which　derived　its　origin　from　the　forests　of　Germany；　was　still　continued　even　after　the　fiefs　had　assumed　a　new　form。

With　regard　to　the　fiscal　power；　its　nature　was　such　that　the　count　could　hardly　abuse　it。　The　rights　of　the　prince　in　respect　to　the　freemen　were　so　simple　that　they　consisted　only；　as　we　have　already　observed；　in　certain　carriages　which　were　demanded　of　them　on　some　public　occasions。＇129＇　And　as　for　the　judiciary　rights；　there　were　laws　which　prevented　misdemeanors。＇130＇

19。　Of　Compositions　among　the　barbarous　Nations。　Since　it　is　impossible　to　gain　any　insight　into　our　political　law　unless　we　are　thoroughly　acquainted　with　the　laws　and　manners　of　the　German　nations；　I　shall；　therefore；　pause　here　awhile；　in　order　to　inquire　into　those　manners　and　laws。

It　appears　by　Tacitus　that　the　Germans　knew　only　two　capital　crimes；　they　hanged　traitors；　and　drowned　cowards；　these　were　the　only　public　crimes　among　that　people。　When　a　man　had　injured　another；　the　relatives　of　the　person　injured　took　share　in　the　quarrel；　and　the　offence　was　cancelled　by　a　satisfaction。＇131＇　This　satisfaction　was　made　to　the　person　offended；　when　capable　of　receiving　it；　or　to　the　relatives　if　they　had　been　injured　in　common；　or　if　by　the　decease　of　the　party　aggrieved　or　injured　the　satisfaction　had　devolved　to　them。

In　the　manner　mentioned　by　Tacitus；　these　satisfactions　were　made　by　the　mutual　agreement　of　the　parties；　hence　in　the　codes　of　the　barbarous　nations　these　satisfactions　are　called　compositions。

The　law　of　the　Frisians＇132＇　is　the　only　one　I　find　that　has　left　the　people　in　that　situation　in　which　every　family　at　variance　was　in　some　measure　in　the　state　of　nature；　and　in　which；　being　unrestrained　either　by　a　political　or　civil　law；　they　might　give　freedom　to　their　revenge　till　they　had　obtained　satisfaction。　Even　this　law　was　moderated；　a　regulation　was　made＇133＇　that　the　person　whose　life　was　sought　after　should　be　unmolested　in　his　own　house；　as　also　in　going　and　coming　from　church　and　the　court　where　causes　were　tried。　The　compilers　of　the　Salic　law＇134＇　cite　an　ancient　usage　of　the　Franks；　by　which　a　person　who　had　dug　a　corpse　out　of　the　ground；　in　order　to　strip　it；　should　be　banished　from　society　till　the　relatives　had　consented　to　his　being　re…admitted。　And　as　before　that　time　strict　orders　were　issued　to　every　one；　even　to　the　offender's　own　wife；　not　to　give　him　a　morsel　of　bread；　or　to　receive　him　under　their　roofs；　such　a　person　was　in　respect　to　others；　and　others　in　respect　to　him；　in　a　state　of　savagery　till　an　end　was　put　to　this　state　by　a　composition。

This　excepted；　we　find　that　the　sages　of　the　different　barbarous　nations　thought　of　determining　by　themselves　what　would　have　been　too　long　and　too　dangerous　to　expect　from　the　mutual　agreement　of　the　parties。　They　took　care　to　fix　the　value　of　the　composition　which　the　party　wronged　or　injured　was　to　receive。　All　those　barbarian　laws　are　in　this　respect　most　admirably　exact；　the　several　cases　are　minutely　distinguished；＇135＇　the　circumstances　are　weighed；　the　law　substitutes　itself　in　the　place　of　the　person　injured　and　insists　upon　the　same　satisfaction　as　he　himself　would　have　demanded　in　cold　blood。

By　the　establishing　of　those　laws；　the　German　nations　quitted　that　state　of　nature　in　which　they　seemed　to　have　lived　in　Tacitus'　time。

Rotharis　declares；　in　the　law　of　the　Lombards；＇136＇　that　he　had　increased　the　compositions　allowed　by　ancient　custom　for　wounds；　to　the　end　that；　the　wounded　person　being　fully　satisfied；　all　enmities　should　cease。　And　indeed　as　the　Lombards；　from　a　very　poor　people　had　grown　rich　by　the　conquest　of　Italy；　the　ancient　compositions　had　become　frivolous；　and　reconcilements　prevented。　I　do　not　question　but　this　was　the　motive　which　obliged　the　other　chiefs　of　the　conquering　nations　to　make　the　different　codes　of　laws　now　extant。

The　principal　composition　was　that　which　the　murderer　paid　to　the　relatives　of　the　deceased。　The　difference　of　conditions　produced　a　difference　in　the　compositions。＇137＇　Thus　in　the　law　of　the　Angli；　there　was　a　composition　of　six　hundred　sous　for　the　murder　of　an　adeling；　two　hundred　for　that　of　a　freeman；　and　thirty　for　killing　a　bondman。　The　largeness　therefore　of　the　composition　for　the　life　of　a　man　was　one　of　his　chief　privileges；　for　besides　the　distinction　it　made　of　his　person；　it　likewise　established　a　greater　security　in　his　favour　among　rude　and　boisterous　nations。

This　we　are　made　sensible　of　by　the　law　of　the　Bavarians：＇138＇　it　gives　the　names　of　the　Bavarian　families　who　received　a　double　composition；　because　they　were　the　first　after　the　Agilolfings。＇139＇　The　Agilolfings　were　of　the　ducal　race；　and　it　was　customary　with　this　nation　to　choose　a　duke　out　of　that　family；　these　had　a　quadruple　composition。　The　composition　for　a　duke　exceeded　by　a　third　that　which　had　been　established　for　the　Agilolfings。　〃Because　he　is　a　duke；〃　says　the　law；　〃a　greater　honour　is　paid　to　him　than　to　his　relatives。〃

All　these　compositions　were　valued　in　money。　But　as　those　people；　especially　when　they　lived　in　Germany；　had　very　little　specie；　they　might　pay　it　in　cattle；　corn；　movables；　arms；　dogs；　hawks；　lands；　&c。＇140＇　The　law　itself　frequently　determined　the　value　of　those　things；　which　explains　how　it　was　possible　for　them　to　have　such　a　number　of　pecuniary　punishments　with　so　very　little　money。＇141＇

These　laws　were　therefore　employed　in　exactly　determining　the　difference　of　wrongs；　injuries　and　crimes；　to　the　end　that　every　one　might　know　how　far　he　had　been　injured　or　offended；　the　reparation　he　was　to　receive；　and　especially　that　he　was　to　receive　no　more。

In　this　light　it　is　easy　to　conceive　that　a　person　who　had　taken　revenge　after　having　received　satisfaction　was　guilty　of　a　heinous　crime。　This　contained　a　public　as　well　as　a　private　offence；　it　was　a　contempt　of　the　law　of　itself；　a　crime　which　the　legislators　never　failed　to　punish。＇142＇

There　was　another　crime　which　above　all　others　was　considered　as　dangerous；　when　those　people　lost　something　of　their　spirit　of　independence；　and　when　the　kings　endeavoured　to　establish　a　better　civil　administration；　this　was　the　refusing　to　give　or　to　receive　satisfaction。＇143＇　We　find　in　the　different　codes　of　the　laws　of　the　Barbarians　that　the　legislators　were　peremptory　on　this　article。＇144＇　In　effect；　a　person　who　refused　to　receive　satisfaction　wanted　to　preserve　his　right　of　prosecution；　he　who　refused　to　give　it　left　the　right　of　prosecution　to　the　person　injured；　and　this　is　what　the　sages　had　reformed　in　the　institutions　of　the　Germans；　whereby　people　were　incited　but　not　compelled　to　compositions。

I　have　just　now　made　mention　of　a　text　of　the　Salic　law；　in　which　the　legislator　left　the　party　offended　at　liberty　to　receive　or　to　refuse　satisfaction；　it　is　the　law　by　which　a