第46章

51。Leg。2，Cod。dejureliberorum。Institutes，tit。3，§4，desenatusconsult。Tertul。

52。Leg。9，Cod。desuisetlegitimisliberis。

53。Leg。12，ibid。，andNov。118，127。

BookXXVIII。OftheOriginandRevolutionsoftheCivilLawsamongtheFrench1。DifferentCharacteroftheLawsoftheseveralPeopleofGermany。

AftertheFrankshadquittedtheirowncountry，theymadeacompilationoftheSaliclawswiththeassistanceofthesagesoftheirownnation。[1]ThetribeoftheRipuarianFrankshavingjoineditselfunderClovis[2]tothatoftheSalianspreserveditsowncustoms；andTheodoric，[3]KingofAustrasia，orderedthemtobereducedtowriting。

HecollectedlikewisethecustomsofthoseBavariansandGermans，whoweredependentonhiskingdom。[4]ForGermanyhavingbeenweakenedbythemigrationofsuchamultitudeofpeople，theFranks，afterconqueringallbeforethem，madearetrogrademarchandextendedtheirdominionintotheforestsoftheirancestors。VerylikelytheThuringiancodewasgivenbythesameTheodoric，sincetheThuringianswerealsohissubjects。[5]AstheFrisiansweresubduedbyCharlesMartelandPepin，theirlawcannotbepriortothoseprinces。[6]Charlemagne，thefirstthatreducedtheSaxons，gavethemthelawstillextant；andweneedonlyreadtheselasttwocodestobeconvincedtheycamefromthehandsofconquerors。AssoonastheVisigoths，theBurgundians，andtheLombardshadfoundedtheirrespectivekingdoms，theyreducedtheirlawstowriting，notwithanintentofobligingthevanquishednationstoconformtotheircustoms，butwithadesignoffollowingthemthemselves。

ThereisanadmirablesimplicityintheSalicandRipuarianlaws，aswellasinthoseoftheAlemans，Bavarians，Thuringians，andFrisians。

Theybreatheanoriginalcoarsenessandaspiritwhichnochangeorcorruptionofmannershadweakened。Theyreceivedbutveryfewalterations，becauseallthosepeople，excepttheFranks，remainedinGermany。EventheFranksthemselveslaidtherethefoundationofagreatpartoftheirempire，sothattheyhadnonebutGermanlaws。ThesamecannotbesaidofthelawsoftheVisigoths，oftheLombardsandBurgundians；theircharacterconsiderablyalteredfromthegreatchangewhichhappenedinthecharacterofthosepeopleaftertheyhadsettledintheirnewhabitations。

ThekingdomoftheBurgundiansdidnotlastlongenoughtoadmitofgreatchangesinthelawsoftheconqueringnation。GundebaldandSigismond，whocollectedtheircustoms，werealmostthelastoftheirkings。ThelawsoftheLombardsreceivedadditionsratherthanchanges。

ThelawsofRothariswerefollowedbythoseofGrimoaldus，Luitprandus，Rachis，andAstulphus，butdidnotassumeanewform。ItwasnotsowiththelawsoftheVisigoths；[7]theirkingsnew—mouldedthem，andhadthemalsonew—mouldedbytheclergy。

ThekingsindeedofthefirstracestruckoutoftheSalicandRipuarianlawswhateverwasabsolutelyinconsistentwithChristianity，butleftthemainpartuntouched。[8]ThiscannotbesaidofthelawsoftheVisigoths。

ThelawsoftheBurgundians，andespeciallythoseoftheVisigoths，admittedofcorporalpunishments；thesewerenottoleratedbytheSalicandRipuarianlaws；[9]theypreservedtheircharactermuchbetter。

TheBurgundiansandVisigoths，whoseprovincesweregreatlyexposed，endeavouredtoconciliatetheaffectionsoftheancientinhabitants，andtogivethemthemostimpartialcivillaws；[10]butastheKingsoftheFrankshadestablishedtheirpower，theyhadnosuchconsiderations。[11]

TheSaxons，wholivedunderthedominionoftheFranks，wereofanintractabletemper，andpronetorevolt。Hencewefindintheirlawstheseveritiesofaconqueror，[12]whicharenottobemetwithintheothercodesofthelawsofthebarbarians。

WeseethespiritoftheGermanlawsinthepecuniarypunishments，andthespiritofaconquerorinthoseofanafflictivenature。

Thecrimestheycommitintheirowncountryaresubjecttocorporalpunishment；andthespiritoftheGermanlawsisfollowedonlyinthepunishmentofcrimescommittedbeyondtheextentoftheirownterritory。

Theyareplainlytoldthattheircrimesshallmeetwithnomercy，andtheyarerefusedeventheasylumofchurches。

ThebishopshadanimmenseauthorityatthecourtoftheVisigothKings，themostimportantaffairsbeingdebatedincouncils。Allthemaxims，principlesandviewsofthepresentinquisitionareowingtothecodeoftheVisigoths；andthemonkshaveonlycopiedagainsttheJewsthelawsformerlyenactedbybishops。

InotherrespectsthelawsofGundebaldfortheBurgundiansseemprettyjudicious；andthoseofRotharis，andoftheotherLombardprinces，arestillmoreso。ButthelawsoftheVisigoths，thoseforinstanceofRecessuinthus，Chaindasuinthus，andEgigasarepuerile，ridiculousandfoolish；theyattainnottheirend；theyarestuffedwithrhetoricandvoidofsense，frivolousinthesubstanceandbombasticinthestyle。

2。ThattheLawsoftheBarbarianswereallpersonal。Itisadistinguishingcharacteroftheselawsofthebarbariansthattheywerenotconfinedtoacertaindistrict；theFrankwastriedbythelawoftheFranks，theAlemanbythatoftheAlemans，theBurgundianbythatoftheBurgundians，andtheRomanbytheRomanlaw；nay，sofarweretheconquerorsinthosedaysfromreducingtheirlawstoauniformsystemorbody，thattheydidnoteventhinkofbecominglegislatorstothepeopletheyhadconquered。

TheoriginalofthisIfindinthemannersoftheGermans。Thesepeoplewerepartedasunderbymarshes，lakes，andforests；andC？sarobserves[13]theywerefondofsuchseparations。TheirdreadoftheRomansbroughtabouttheirreunion；andyeteachindividualamongthesemixedpeoplewasstilltobetriedbytheestablishedcustomsofhisownnation。Eachtribeapartwasfreeandindependent；andwhentheycametobeintermixed，theindependencestillcontinued；thecountrywascommon，thegovernmentpeculiar；theterritorythesame，andthenationsdifferent。Thespiritofpersonallawsprevailedthereforeamongthosepeoplebeforeevertheysetoutfromtheirownhomes，andtheycarrieditwiththemintotheconqueredprovinces。

WefindthiscustomestablishedintheformulasofMarculfus，[14]inthecodesofthelawsofthebarbarians，butchieflyinthelawoftheRipuarians[15]andthedecreesofthekingsofthefirstrace，[16]

whencethecapitulariesonthatsubjectinthesecondracewerederived。[17]Thechildrenfollowedthelawsoftheirfather，[18]thewifethatofherhusband，[19]thewidowcamebacktoherownoriginallaw，[20]andthefreedmanwasunderthatofhispatron。[21]Besides，everymancouldmakechoiceofwhatlawshepleased；buttheconstitutionofLothariusI[22]requiredthatthischoiceshouldbemadepublic。

3。CapitalDifferencebetweentheSalicLawsandthoseoftheVisigothsandBurgundians。WehavealreadyobservedthatthelawsoftheBurgundiansandVisigothswereimpartial；butitwasotherwisewithregardtotheSaliclaw，foritestablishedbetweentheFranksandRomansthemostmortifyingdistinctions。WhenaFrank，abarbarian，oronelivingundertheSaliclawhappenedtobekilled，acompositionof200solswastobepaidtohisrelatives；[23]only100uponthekillingofaRomanproprietor，[24]andnomorethanforty—fiveforaRomantributary。Thecompositionforthemurderofoneoftheking’svassals，ifaFrank，was600sols；[25]ifaRoman，thoughtheking’sguest，[26]

only300。[27]TheSaliclawmadethereforeacrueldistinctionbetweentheFrankandRomanlord，andtheFrankandRomancommoner。

Further，ifanumberofpeopleweregottogethertoassaultaFrankinhishouse，[28]andhehappenedtobekilled，theSaliclawordainedacompositionof600sols；butifaRomanorafreedmanwasassaulted，onlyone—halfthatcomposition。[29]Bythesamelaw，[30]ifaRomanputaFrankinirons，hewasliabletoacompositionof30sols；butifaFrankhadthususedaRoman，hepaidonly15。AFrank，strippedbyaRoman，wasentitledtothecompositionof621/2sols，andaRomanstrippedbyaFrankreceivedonly30。SuchunequaltreatmentmustneedshavebeenverygrievoustoaRoman。

Andyetacelebratedauthor[31]formsasystemoftheestablishmentoftheFranksinGaul，onasuppositionthattheywerethebestfriendsoftheRomans。TheFranksthen，thebestfriendsoftheRomans，theywhodid，andtheywhosufferedfromtheRomanssuchaninfinitedealofmischief！[32]TheFranks，thefriendsoftheRomans，theywho，aftersubduingthembytheirarms，oppressedthemincoldbloodbytheirlaws！

TheywereexactlythefriendsoftheRomansastheTartarswhoconqueredChinawerethefriendsoftheChinese。IfsomeCatholicbishopsthoughtfittomakeuseoftheFranksindestroyingtheArianKings，doesitfollowthattheyhadadesireoflivingunderthosebarbarouspeop