lect02-第3部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！








permitted　thus　to　describe　the　change　I　conceive　to　have　taken






place　among　the　Celts　of　Ireland。　Themis；　who　in　Homer　is　the






assessor　of　Zeus　and　the　source　of　judicial　inspiration　to　kings；






has　（so　to　speak）　set　up　for　herself。　Kings　have　delegated　their






authority　to　a　merely　human　assessor；　and　we　see　by　the　story






which　begins　the　Senchus　Mor　that；　even　when　a　Saint　is　supposed






to　be　present；　the　inspiration　of　which　he　is　the　source　does　not






find　expression　through　his　lips；　nor　does　it　descend　on　the






King；　it　descends　on　the　professional　judge。　When　we　obtain　our






last　glimpse　of　the　class　which　has　received　this　inheritance






from　Chief　or　King　　the　Brehons；　Judges；　or　Authors　of






Judgments　　they　have　sunk　to　the　lowest　depth　of　misery　and






degradation　through　the　English　conquest。　At　an　earlier　date　they






are　seen　divided　into　families　or　septs；　the　hereditary






law…advisers　of　some　princely　or　powerful　house。　Hugh　McEgan；　who






wrote　the　note　'in　his　own　father's　book'　which　I　read　in　the






last　Lecture；　was　one　of　the　hereditary　Brehons　attached　to　the






McCarthys。　But；　in　the　earliest　Irish　traditions；　the　functions






of　the　Brehon　and　the　King　run　very　much　into　one　another。　The






most　ancient　Brehons　are　described　as　of　royal　blood；　sometimes






as　king's　sons。　The　Tanaists　of　the　great　Irish　Chiefs；　the






successors　elected　out　of　the　kindred　of　each　Chief　to　come　after






him　on　his　death；　are　said　to　have　occasionally　officiated　as






judges；　and　one　of　the　law…tracts；　still　unpublished；　contains






the　express　rule　that　it　is　lawful　for　a　king；　though　himself　a






judge；　to　have　a　judge　in　his　place。　Cormac　MacAirt；　one　of　the






traditional　authors　of　the　Book　of　Aicill；　was　a　King　in






retirement。　Apocryphal　as　his　story　may　be；　it　is　one　of　much






significance　to　the　student　of　ancient　institutions。　He　had　been






accidently　blinded　of　one　eye；and　is　said　to　have　been　deposed






from　his　regal　office　or　chieftiancy　on　account　of　the　blemish。






Coirpri；　his　son　and　successor　（says　the　Book　of　Aicill）；　'in






every　difficult　case　of　judgment　that　came　to　him　used　to　go　and






ask　his　father　about　it；　and　his　father　used　to　say　to　him；　〃My






son；　that　thou　mayest　know〃'　　and　then　proceeded　to　lay　down






the　law。






　　　　If；　without　committing　ourselves　to　any　specific　theory






concerning　the　exact　extent　of　the　correspondence；　we　can　assume






that　there　was　substantial　identity　between　the　literary　class






which　produced　the　law…tracts　and　the　literary　order　attributed






to　the　Celtic　races　by　Caesar；　we　not　only　do　something　to






establish　an　historical　conclusion　perhaps　more　curious　than






important；　but　we　remove　some　serious　difficulties　in　the






interpretation　of　the　interesting　and　instructive　body　of　archaic






law　now　before　us。　The　difference　between　the　Druids　and　their






successors；　the　Brehons；　would　in　that　case　be　mainly　this：　the






Brehons　would　be　no　longer　priests。　All　sacerdotal　or　religious






authority　must　have　passed；　on　the　conversion　of　the　Irish　Celts；






to　the　'tribes　of　the　saints'　　to　the　missionary　monastic






societies　founded　at　all　points　of　the　island　　and　to　that






multitude　of　bishops　dependent　on　them；　whom　it　is　so　difficult






to　reconcile　with　any　of　our　preconceived　ideas　as　to　ancient






ecclesiastical　organisation。　The　consequence　would　be　that　the






religious　sanctions　of　the　ancient　laws；　the　supernatural






penalties　threatened　on　their　violation；　would　disappear；　except






so　far　as　the　legal　rules　exactly　coincided　with　the　rules　of　the






new　Christian　code；　the　'law　of　the　letter。'　Now；　the　want　of　a






sanction　is　occasionally　one　of　the　great　difficulties　in






understanding　the　Brehon　law。　Suppose　a　man　disobeyed　the　rule　or






resisted　its　application；　what　would　happen？　The　learned　writer






of　one　of　the　modern　prefaces　prefixed　to　the　Third　Volume　of　the






Ancient　Laws　contents　that　the　administration　of　the　Brehon






system　consisted　in　references　to　arbitration；　and　I　certainly






think　myself　that；　so　far　as　the　system　is　known；　it　points　to






that　conclusion。　The　one　object　of　the　Brehons　was　to　force






disputants　to　refer　their　quarrels　to　a　Brehon；　or　to　some　person






in　authority　advised　by　a　Brehon；　and　thus　a　vast　deal　of　the　law






tends　to　run　into　the　Law　of　Distress；　which　declares　the　various






methods　by　which　a　man　can　be　compelled　through　seizure　of　his






property　to　consent　to　an　arbitration。　But　then　one　cannot　help






perpetually　feeling　that　the　compulsion　is　weak　as　compared　with






the　stringency　of　the　process　of　modern　Courts　of　Justice；　and






besides　that；　why　should　not　the　man　attempted　to　be　distrained






upon　constantly　resist　with　success？　Doubtless　the　law　provides






penalties　for　resistance；　but　where　is　the　ultimate　sanction？






Caesar　supplies　an　answer；　which　must；　I　think；　contain　a　portion






of　the　truth。　He　says　that　if　a　Celt　of　Gaul　refused　to　abide　by






a　Druid　judgment　he　was　excommunicated：　which　was　esteemed　the






heaviest　of　penalties。　Another　example　which　I　can　give　you　of






the　want　or　weakness　of　the　sanction　in　the　Brehon　law　is　a　very






remarkable　one；　and　I　shall　recur　to　it　hereafter。　If　you　have　a






legal　claim　against　a　man　of　a　certain　rank　and　you　are　desirous






of　compelling　him　to　discharge　it；　the　Senchus　Mor　tells　you　to






'fast　upon　him。'　'Notice'；　it　says；　'precedes　distress　in　the






case　of　the　inferior　grades；　except　it　be　by　persons　of






distinction　or　upon　persons　of　distinction；　fasting　precedes






distress　in　their　case'　（'Ancient　Laws　of　Ireland；'　vol。　i；　p。






113）。　The　institution　is　unquestionably　identical　with　one　widely






diffused　throughout　the　East；　which　is　called　by　the　Hindoos






'sitting　dharna'。　It　consists　in　sitting　at　your　debtor's　door






and　starving　yourself　till　he　pays。　From　the　English　point　of






view　the　practice　has　always　been　considered　barbarous　and






immoral；　and　the　Indian　Penal　Code　expressly　forbids　it。　It






suggests；　however；　the　question　　what　would　follow　if　the






creditor　simply　allowed　the　debtor　to　starve？　Undoubtedly　the






Hindoo　supposes　that　some　supernatural　penalty　would　follow；






indeed；　he　generally　gives　definiteness　to　it　by　retaining　a






Brahmin　to　starve　himself　vicariously；　and　no　Hindoo　doubts　what






would　come　of　causing　a　Brahmin's　death。　We　cannot　but　suppose






that　the　Brehon　rule　of　fasting　was　once　thought　to　have　been






enforced　in　some　similar　way。　Caesar　states　that　the　Druids






believed　in　the　immortality　and　transmigration　of　the　soul；　and






considered　it　the　key　of　their　system。　A　Druid　may　thus　very　well






have　taught　that　penal　consequences　in　another　world　would　follow






the　creditor's　death　by　starvation；　and　there　is　perhaps　a　pale






reflection　of　this　doctrine　in　the　language　of　the　Senchus　Mor：






'He　who　does　not　give　a　pledge　to　fasting　is　an　evader　of　all；　he






who　disregards　all　things　shall　not　be　paid　by　God　or　man。'　But






an　Irish　Brehon　could　scarcely　make　any　distinct　assertion　on　the






subject；　since　fasting　had　now　become　a　specific　ordinance　of　the






Christian　Church；　and　its　condition　and　spiritual　effects　were






expressly　defined　by　the　Christian　priesthood。　Theoretically；　I






should　state；　a　person　who　refused　unjustly　to　yield　to　fasting






had　his　legal　liabilities　considerably　increased；　at　least；






according　to　the　dicta　of　the　Brehon　commentators；　but　such






provisions　only　bring　us　to　the　difficulty　of　which　I　first






spoke；　and　raise　anew　the　question　of　the　exact　value　of　legal






rules　at　a　period　when　Courts　of　Justice　are　not　as　yet　armed






with　resistless　powers　of　compelling　attendance　and　submission。






　　　　If　we　are　justified　in　tracing　the　pedigree　of　the　Brehon






Code　to　a　system　enforced　by　supernatural　sanctions；　we　are　able






to　contrast　it　in　various　ways　with　other　bodies　of　law　in






respect　of　its　mode　of　development。　It　closely　resembles　the






Hindoo　law；　inasmuch　as　it　consists　of　what　was　in　all






probability　an　original　basis　of　Aryan　usage　vastly　enlarged　by　a






superstructure　of　interpretation　which　a　long　succession　of






professional　commentators　have　elected；　but　it　cannot　have　had






any　such　sacredness；　and　consequently　any　such　authority；　as　the






Brahminical　jurisprudence。　Both　the　Brahmins　and　the　Brehons






assume　that　Kings　and　Judges　will　enforce　their　law；　and






emphatically　enjoin　on　them　its　enforcement；　but；　while　the






Brahmin　could　declare　that　neglect　or　disobedience　would　be






followed　by　endless　degradation　and　torment；　the　Brehon　could






only　assert　that　the　unlearned　brother　who　pronounced　a　false






judgment　would　find　blotches　come　on　his　cheeks；　and　that　the






Chief　who　allowed　sound　usage　to　be　departed　from　would　bring　bad






weather　on　his　country。　The　development　of　the　Brehon　law　was






again　para