26 SYSTEMS OF CONSANGUINITY AND AFFINITY 



corresponds with the fifth of the civil law. These two methods will be more fully 

 understood by consulting the diagram, Plate I., on which the degrees are numbered 

 according to the civil law, and the diagram of English descents, Chapter IV. Plate 

 III., on which they are given according to the common law. Our English ances- 

 tors, at an early day, adopted the canon law mode of computation, in which they 

 clearly made a mistake, if the matter were of any particular consequence. It is 

 sufficiently obvious that the civil law method of computation is the only one which 

 is consistent and logical. 



llelationship, or cognation, was further distinguished by the civilians into three 

 kinds, superior, inferior, and transverse ; of which the first relates to ascendants, the 

 second to descendants, and the third to collaterals. It results, also, from the civil law 

 method of estimating degrees, that several persons in the lineal and collateral lines 

 stand in the same degree of nearness to Ego, which rendered necessary some quali- 

 fication of the relative value of the numerical degrees. The consanguine! of Ego 

 were classified into six grades, according to their degree of nearness, all those who 

 were in the same degree being classified in the same grade, whether ascendants, 

 descendants, or collaterals ; but they were distinguished from each other by these 

 three qualifications. 1 



1 DE GRADIBUS COGNATIONUM. Hoc loco necessarium est exponere, quemadmodum gradus cog- 

 nationis numerentur. Quare inprimis admonendi sumus, cognationem aliam supra numerari, aliam 

 infra, aliam ex transverse, quae etiam a latere dicitur. Superior cognatio est parentum : inferior 

 liberorum : ex transverso fratrum sororumve, et eorum, qui quaeve ex his generantur ; et conveni- 

 enter patrui, amitae, avunculi, materterce. Et superior quidem et inferior cognatio a prinio gradu 

 incipit; et ea, quse ex transverso numeratur, a secundo. 



I. Primo gradu est supra pater, mater : infra dins, filia. Secundo gradu supra avus, avia: infra 

 nepos, neptis : ex transverso frater, soror. Tertio gradu supra proavus, proavia : infra pronepos, pro- 

 neptis : ex transverso fratris sororisque filius, filia : et convenienter patruus, amita, avunculus, mater- 

 tera. Patruus est patris frater, qui Graecis narpaStx?>os appellatur. Avunculus est frater matris, qui 

 Graece Mijrpaiextoj dicitur ; et uterque promiscue 0coj appellatur. Amita est patris soror, quas Greece 

 nafpaSeXifif appellatur : matertera vero matris soror, quro Grace MytpatiWi] dicitur : et utraque pro- 

 miscue Ea appellatur. 



II. Quarto gradu supra abavus, abavia : infra abnepos, abncptis : ex transverso fratris sororisque 

 nepos neptisve : et convenienter patruus magnus, amita magna, id est, avi frater et soror : item 

 avunculus magnus et matertera magna, id est, aviae frater et soror : consobrinus, consobrina, id est, 

 qui quaeve ex sororibus aut fratribus procreantur. Sed quidam recte consobrinos eos proprie dici 

 putant, qui ex duabus sororibus progenerantur, quasi consororinos : eos ver6, qui ex duobus fratribus 

 progenerantur, proprie fratres patrueles vocari : si autem ex duobus fratribus dice nascuntur, sorores 

 patrueles appellari. At eos, qui ex fratre et sorore progenerantur, amitinos proprife dici putant. 

 Amitae tuae filii consobrinum te appellant, tu illos amitinos. 



III. Quinto gradu supra atavus, atavia : infra atuepos, atneptis : ex transverso fratris sororisque 

 pronepos, proneptis : et convenienter propatruus, proamita, id est, proavi frater et soror : et proavun- 

 cnlus et promatertera, id est, proavise frater et soror: item fratris patruelis, vel sororis patruelis, 

 consobrini et consobrinae, amitini et amitinae filius, filia : proprior sobrino, proprior sobrina ; hi sunt 

 patrui magni, amitae magnae, avunculi magni, materterae magnas filius, filia. 



IV. Sexto gradu supra tritavus, tritavia : infra trinepos trineptis : ex transverso fratris sororis- 

 que abnepos abneptis : et convenienter abpatruus abamita, id est, abavi frater et soror : abavunculus, 

 abmatertera, id est, abaviae frater et soror : item propatrui, proamitae, proavunculi, promaterterae 

 filius, filia : item proprius sobrino sobrinave filius, filia : item consobrini consobrinae nepos, neptis : 

 item sobrini, sobrinae ; id est, qui quaeve ex fratribus vel sororibus patruelibus, vel consobrinis, vel 

 amitinis progenerantur. Institutes of Justinian, Lib. III. tit. vi. 



