Adhortatio ad studium juris. VII. Summâ itaque ope, et alacri studio, has leges nostras accipite et vosmetipsos sic eruditos ostendite, ut spes vos pulcherrima foveat, toto legitimo opere perfecto, posse etiam nostram rempublicam, in partibus ejus vobis credendis, gubernari. 7. Receive therefore and study these our laws with diligence and alacrity; and show yourselves so com➡ petent therein, that when your studies shall be finished, you may entertain a cheering hope of having a part of the government committed to your charge. D.CP. XI. Kalend. Decemb. D. JUSTINIANO PP. A. III. COS. Given at Constantinople on the eleventh day before the calends of December, in the third consulate of the Emperor JUSTINIAN, always august. (21st Nov. 533.) alterum, aut desertorem studiorum efficiemus, aut cum magno labore, sæpè etiam cum diffidentiâ, (quæ plerumque juvenes avertit,) seriús ad id perducemus, ad quod, leviore viâ ductus, fine magno labore et fine ullâ diffidentiá, maturiús produci potuisset. late to that knowledge through great labour and diffidence, which he might otherwise have acquired earlier with ease and confidence. Juris præcepta. III. Juris præcepta sunt: ho- 3. The precepts of the law are, nestè vivere, alterum non lædere, to live honestly, to hurt no one, to suum cuique tribuere. give to every one his due. De jure publico et privato. IV. Hujus studii duæ sunt § 4. The law is divided into pubpositiones, publicum et privatum. Publicum jus est, quod ad statum rei Romanæ spectat. Privatum est, quod ad singulorum ultilitatem pertinet. Dicendum est igitur de jure privato, quod tripertitum est: collectum enim est ex naturalibus præceptis, aut gentium, aut civilibus. hic and private. Public law, regards the state of the commonwealth: but private law, of which we shall here treat, concerns the interest of individuals; and is tripartite, being collected from natural precepts, from the law of nations, and from municipal Regu lations. TITULUS SECUNDUS. DE JURE NATURALI, GENTIUM, ET CIVILI. De jure naturali. JUS naturale est, quod natura omnia animalia docuit: nam jus istud non humani generis proprium est, sed omnium animalium, que in cœlo, quæ in mari, nascuntur. Hinc descendit maris atque fœminæ conjunctio, quam nos matrimonium appellamus. Hinc libeyorum procreatio, hinc educatio. The law of nature is a law not only to man, but likewise to all other animals, whether produced on the earth, in the air, or in the waters. From hence proceeds that conjunction of male and female, which we denominate matrimony; hence the procreation and education of chil dren. Weperceive also, that other Videmus enim, cætera quoque animalia istius juris peritia censeri. animals are considered as having Distinctio juris gentium et civilis, I. Jus autem civile à jure gentium distinguitur, quod omnes populi, qui legibus et moribus reguntur, partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum, jure utuntur: nam quod quisque populus sibi jus constituit, id ipsius proprium civitatis est, vocaturque jus civile, quasi jus proprium ipsius civitatis. Quod vero naturalis ratio inter omnes homines constituit, id apud omnes gentes per que custo→ ditur, vocaturque jus gentium, quasi quo jure omnes gentes utantur: et populus itaque Romanus, partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum, jure utitur. Qua singula, qualia sint, suis locis proponemus. 1. Civil law is distinguished from the law of nations, because every community governed by laws, uses partly its own and partly the laws which are common to all mankind. That law, which a people enacts for its own government, is called the civil law of that people. But that law, which natural reason appoints for all mankind, is called the law of nations, because all nations make use of it. The people of Rome are governed partly by their own laws, and partly by the laws, which are common to all men. Of these we shall treat separately in their proper places. Ab appellatione et effectibus. II. Sed jus quidem civile ex anâquáque civitate appellatur, veluti Atheniensium: nam, si quis velit Solonis vel Draconis leges appellare jus civile Atheniensium, non erraverit. Sic enim et jus, quo Romanus populus utitur, jus civile Romanorum appellamus, vel jus Quiritum, quo Quirites utuntur: Romani enim a Romulo, Quirites a Quirino, appellantur. Sed, quoties non addimus nomen cujus sit civitatis, nostrum jus significamus: sicuti cum poëtam dicimus, nec addimus nomen, subauditus apud Græcos egregius Homerus, apud nos Virgilius. Jus autem gentium omni humano generi commune est: nam, usu exigente et § 2. Civil laws take their denomination from that city, in which they are established: it would not therefore be erroneous to call the laws of Solon or Draco the civil laws of Athens and thus the law, which the Roman people make use of, is styled the civil law of the Romans, or of the Quirites; for the Romans. are also called Quirites from Quirinus. Whenever we mention the words civil law, without addition, we emphatically denote our own law; thus the Greeks, when they say the poet, mean Homer, and the Romans Virgil. The law of nations is common to all mankind and all nations have enacted some laws, as occasion and humanis necessitatibus, gentes humane jura quedam sibi constituerunt: bella etenim orta sunt, et captivitates secute, et servitutes, quæ sunt naturali juri contrariæ: jure enim naturali omnes homines ab initio liberi nascebantur: et ex hoc jure gentium, omnes penè contractus introducti sunt, ut emptio et venditio, locatio et conductio, societas, depositum, mutuum, et alii innumerabiles. necessity required: for wars arose and the consequences were captivity and servitude; both which are con~ trary to the law of nature; for by that law, all men are born free. But almost all contracts were at first in troduced by the law of nations; as for instance, buying, selling, letting, hireing, partnership,a deposit, a loan and others without number. Divisio juris in scriptum et non scriptum; et subdivisio juris scripti. § III. Constat autem jus nostrum, quo utimur, aut scripto, aut sine scripto: ut apud Græcos TWY νομών οι μεν εγγράφοι, οι δε αγραφοι. Scriptum autem jus, est, lex, plebiscitum, senatus-consultum, principum placita, magistratuum edicta, responsa prudentum. 3. The Roman law is divided, like the Grecian, into written and unwritten. The written, consists of the plebiscites, the decrees of the seα nate, ordinances of princes, the edicts of magistrates, and the answers of the sages of the law, De lege et plebiscito. § IV. Lex est, quod populus Romanus, senatorio magistratu interrogante, (veluti consule,) constituebat. Plebiscitum est, quod plebs, plebeio magistratu interrogante, (veluti tribuno,) constituebat. Plebs autem a populo eo differt, quo species a genere; nam appellatione populi universi cives significantur, connumeratis etiam patriciis et senatoribus. Plebis autem appellatione, sine patriciis et senatoribus, cæteri cives significantur. Sed et plebiscita, lege Hortensia lata, non minus valere, quam leges, ceperunt. 4. A law is what the Roman people enact at the request of a senatorial magistrate; as a consul. plebiscite is what the commonalty enact, when requested by a plebeian magistrate, as a tribune. The word commonalty differs from people, as a species from its genus; for all the citizens, including patricians and senators, are comprehended under the term people. The term commonalty, includes all the citizens, except patricians and senators.. The plebiscites, by the Hortensian law, began to have the same force, as the laws themselves |