LIBER OCTAVUS. 817 



De novis Digestis Legum. x 



APHORISMUS 59. 



Quod si Leges aliae super alias accumulate in tarn vasta ex- 

 creverint volumina, aut tanta confusione laboraverint, ut eas de 

 integro retractare et in corpus sanum et habile redigere ex usu 

 sit ; id ante omnia agito ; atque opus ejusmodi opus heroicum 

 esto ; atque authores talis operis inter legislators et instaura- 

 tores rite et merito numerantor. 



APHOEISMUS 60. 



Hujusmodi Legum Expurgatio, et Digestum Novum, quin- 

 que rebus absolvitur. Primo, omittantur obsoleta, quse Jus- 

 tinianus antiquas fdbulas vocat. 2 Deinde, ex Anti-Nomiis 

 recipiantur probatissimae, aboleantur contrariae. Tertio, Ho- 

 moio-Nomiae, sive leges quas idem sonant atque nil aliud sunt 

 quam iterationes ejusdem rei, expungantur; atque una quge- 

 piam ex iis, qua3 maxime est perfecta, retineatur vice omnium. 

 Quarto, si quae legum nihil determinent, sed quasstiones tan- 

 tum proponant, casque relinquant indecisas, similiter facessant. 

 Postremo, quae verbosae inveniuntur et nimis prolixae, contra- 

 hantur magis in arctum. 



APHOKISMUS 61. 



Omnino vero ex usu fuerit in Novo Digesto Legum, leges 

 pro Jure Communi receptas, quae tanquam immemoriales sunt 

 in origine sua, atque ex altera parte statuta de tempore in 

 tempus superaddita, seorsum digerere et componere; cum in 

 plurimis rebus non eadem sit, in jure dicendo, Juris Communis 

 et Statutorum interpretatio et administratio. Id quod fecit 

 Trebonianus in Digesto et Codice. 3 



themselves. But we must remember that throughout this treatise Bacon assumes the 

 existence of a government otherwise well constituted. And 1 am much inclined to 

 think that these securities being once attained, and the House of Commons having 

 in fact a veto upon all the proceedings of the Crown, such an authority might be in- 

 trusted to the government both safely and beneficially. Bacon was not considering 

 what powers could be exercised constitutionally, i. e. according to law and precedent, 

 by the Enylish government, but generally what powers it was good for a people that 

 the governing authority should have. J. S.~\ 



1 This section, and especially the 64th Aphorism, is spoken of with great commen- 

 dation by perhaps the highest authority on such subjects. See Savigny " On the 

 Vocation of our Time to Legislation," 3d edition, p. 20. 



2 Institut. Prooem. 3. The great bulk of Justinian's Institutiones are merely a 

 reproduction of those of Gaius. 



8 The Digest consists of Excerpta from the works of a great number of jurists, so 

 arranged as to form a connected view of the whole of the Roman law. The Codex is 

 a collection of imperial ordinances most of which relate to particular cases, but are 

 nevertheless of general authority, while others are in form as well as in effect legisla- 

 tive enactments. 



The Digest cannot be regarded as a Corpus of customary law : we find in every 



VOL. I. 3 G 



