law 
by Eleanor, Duchess of Guienne, mother of Richard I. of 
England mid introduced Into England with oluc addi- 
tions lu the reign of Kicliard I. (1189 '.mi. Laws of the 
Decemvirs. See Twelve Tables, under ta.-Laws of 
the Hanse towns. See Uan*ei. Laws of thermody- 
namics. Seethermn/Jiiiiniiurx. Laws of Wlsby (or Wls- 
fouy) 11 code or compilation of inaritiine customs and ad- 
judications adopted in the inland of Gothland in the Baltic 
sea, of which Wlsby was the principal seaport. By the 
law-writers of the northern European nations It has been 
claimed that these laws were older than the laws of Oleron, 
but the better opinion seems to bo that they were later 
and in some respects an improvement. The code was not 
established by legislative authority, but its provisions at- 
tained c In- -nini-l ion of general use und observance among 
the mariners of northern Europe. Sometimes called the 
UoMaiul o laws. Lenz's law, a law discovered by H. F. 
E. Lenz, according to which the currents Induced in an 
electric circuit, by changes of the current in, or of the po- 
sition of, an adjacent circuit through which a current is 
flowing, are always In such a direction as by their action 
on the inducing circuit to oppose the change. Levlti- 
oal law. See LeMical. lidford law, a punishment 
without trial. Compare Halifax law. Local law. See 
statute. -Lynch law. See lunch-law. Maine law, a pro- 
hibitory liquor law paased by the legislature of Maine in 
1851, and permanently established in 1858. Malice In 
law. See malice. Mariotte's law. See Boyle's law. 
Maritime, martial, mercantile, military, etc., law. 
8ee the adjectives. Matter of law. See mailer. May 
laws, several Prussian statutes (1873- 4), also called the 
Fall! laws from the name of the introducer, restricting 
the action of the church, by forbidding it to impose 
civil penalties or pronounce against person, property, 
freedom, or good name of the citizen, or use its discipline 
against the law of the land, by extending state surveillance 
over monastic colleges, reformatories, etc., and removing 
hindrances to secession from any church. They were con- 
siderably modified in 1887. Merseune's laws. [Named 
from their discoverer, Marin Mersenne (1588 -1648), a Fran- 
ciscan monk.) Tin vi laws showing the dependence of 
the time of vibration of a string upon its length, tension, 
and density: namely, that the time varies directly as 
the length and as the square root of the density, and in- 
versely as the square root of the tension. Mixed laws. 
Mosaic law, municipal law, natural law, naval 
law. See the adjectives. Moral law, that portion of 
Old Testament law which relates to moral principles, 
especially the ten commandments. Myrmidons of the 
law. See myrmidon. Newton's law Of cooling, the 
law that the quantity of heat lost by a body by radiation 
in a given time is proportional to the difference between 
its temperature and that of the surrounding medium. 
It holds very nearly true within certain narrow limits. 
Normative law, a rule to which any process must con- 
form In order to attain its end. Ohm's law, In elect., 
an important law propounded by Q. S. Ohm, giving an 
expression for the strength of an electric current, or the 
quantity of electricity passing In a given time, under cer- 
tain conditions. It may be expressed as follows : the 
strength of an electric current or the quantity of electri- 
city passing a section of the conductor in a unit of time, is 
directly proportional to the whole electromotive force in 
operation, and inversely proportional to the sum of all the 
resistances in the circuit. Organic law. See organic. 
Periodic law.ln ahem. See periodic. Policy of the law, 
the general purpose and spirit of the law : a phrase used to 
designate certain prohibitions applied by the courts, with- 
out positive statute enactment Thus, a contract to com- 
bine in bidding at a judicial sale, so as to diminish competi- 
tion, is heldvoldas againstthepoKci/((f (A* tou>,or as against 
public policy. Political law. See political. - Poor law, 
poor laws, laws providing for the support of paupers at 
public expense. The general policy of such laws In England 
and the United States has been to provide for the local care 
of such persons as are unable to support themselves and 
have not relatives bound to support them, under the su- 
pervision of local officers in each parish, town, or county, 
with restrictions Intended to prevent vagrancy and im- 
posture, and to forbid the removal of the burden of sup- 
port of any pauper from the town where he properly be- 
longs to some other not properly responsible for him. 
The act which is regarded as the foundation of the system 
was passed in 1801 (43 Ellz., c. 2). Positive law. law or- 
dained by legislative power ; human law ; law which owes 
its force to human sanctions, as distinguished from divine 
law Presumption of law. $eo presumption. -Private 
law. See private.- Relief law, in U. S. hist., a law for 
the relief of debtors. Revenue law. (a) A law which 
provides for the assessment and collection of a tax to de- 
fray the expenses of the government Cooley. (b) More 
specifically, a law relating directly to the raising of the in- 
come of the government, as distinguished from one inci- 
dentally imposing fees, etc. Roman law, the system of 
law developed by the ancient Romans : often also termed 
the civil law (which see, under civil). Salic law. See 
Salic. Sea. laws, the maritime codes which grew up in the 
commercial ports of Europe in the early period of develop- 
ment of modern commerce. See lawn of Oleron and fair* 
of If iby. above. Special law. See general law, above, 
and statute. State law. See federal la w. - Statute law. 
See statute. Substantive law, the rules of right which 
courts are culled on to administer, as distinguished from 
rules of procedure or administration, called adjective law. 
Sumptuary law, a law made to restrain excess In ap- 
parel, food, or any luxuries. Laws having only this ob- 
ject are now generally deemed objectionable as beyond 
the true province of civil legislation. The opponents of 
statutes in restraint of the liquor-traffic frequently stig- 
matize such statutes as " sumptuary laws." On the other 
hand, they are defended as a proper exercise of the police 
power of the state for the preservation of order and pre- 
vention of erime. 
It is the highest impertinence and presumption, there- 
fore, in kings and ministers to pretend to watch over the 
economy of private people, and to restrain their expense, 
either by tumptuary MM or by prohibiting the importation 
of foreign luxuries: Adaw Smith. 
Ten-hour law. See Amir. Theological ceremonial 
law that portion of the (lid Testament law which relates to 
the Jewish rites and ceremonies. To have the law of or 
on, to enforce the law against ; go to law against. [Colloq.) 
3377 
la wing 
There's a hackney-coachman down stairs . . . vowing law-burTOWS(la'bur'oz), n. Indents fair, a writ 
he'll Aaw the law o/you. Thackeray, Vanity Fair. vi. requiring one to give security against offering 
To lay down the law. see dotcn-. Town-bonding violence to another. 
f 
Ing the effect of the position of accent In the shifting of laW-COUrt (la kort), n. A court of law. 
the original Aryan mute consonants, and s, Into Low Ger- law-daughtert, n. A daughter-in-law. [Rare.] 
man, and explaining the most Important anomalies 
i, or < Immediately follows the position of the accent, It law-day (la'da), n. [< ME. lawdaye ; 
f. th,ot A as stated In ^ i j i . A day of open court. 2f. A leet or 
position of the accent, . * .i. _ 
sheriff's court. 
That the KaiUles put In execution idle ordlnauncez of the 
shifts regularly to the Low German/, th, 
Grimm's law ; but If it precedes the position of the accent, 
U becomes sonant that is, ;/, (, k, s change to b, d,g, r. The 
law explains the apparent irregularity of Goth, /odor = 
AS feeder = L. pater = Or. iraTTjp = Skt. pitar, etc., with . . . seid yelde and of the lau-daues. 
the accent originally on the last syllable, and the Aryan t English Gilds (E. E. T. 8-X P. 370. 
SSS^L^^V^SSS.i.US 3 A day appointed for the discharge of a bond, 
a* against Goth, brothar = AS. brulhur = Latin frater = after which the debtor could not at common 
Gr. *parijp = Skt bhratar, with the accent originally on law be relieved from the forfeiture except by 
the first syllable, and the changes regular according to applying to a court of equity. 
Grimm'slaw. It also explains the change of original to j.LI-i. ". An obsolete form of fclfd 
z,iromwhlch,lnAnglo-Saxon,etc.,wasdevelopcdr(asin laWOOt, . An' .,,!.', ! 
lose, lorn, etc.). See rhotacunn. -Wager oflaw. See mo- lawert (la'er), w. [< ME. lawer (also lawyer, 
ger. Weber's law, in ptychophysics, the statement lhat q. v.); < fate 1 + -er 1 .] An obsolete form of 
the variation of the stimulus which produces the least ap- 
preciable variation in the sensation maintains a fixed ratio 
to the total stimulus. It Is only approximately accurate, 
idu 
Written law, statute law, as distinguished from the 
common law, or law resting in usage, custom, and the de- 
cisions of the courts. (As to noted laws on particular sub- 
jecta, such as no/uraitzafiim laws, fnemptton law,, recm- 
struction laics, see the words characterizing the laws. See 
*lwact,article,bill,by4a u >,chart f r,code,decrcc,cdict,ordi- 
nance, petition, prommon, ftatute.) = Syn. Right, Equity, 
etc. (see justice) ; Law, Common Law, Statute, Enactment, 
Edict, Decree, Ordinance, Regulation, Canon. Law is the 
generic word, covering not only what is commanded by , /t./'i\ * 
competent authority, but modes of action and orders of se- lawful (la ful), a. 
' 
lawyer. 
Lawers haaynge greate desyr to conlynne and estab- 
lyshe theyr opinions by the lawe of man, lay, that It is 
shame to speake without lawe. Bible of It&l, EsA., Pref. 
awet (la'et), n. [Javanese.] The salangane or 
esculent swift, Collocalia escuteuta. 
'-fathert, n. A father-in-law. [Bare.] 
Next cooms thee lusty Chrorabns, . . . 
Soon to king Priamus by law : thus he law/other helping. 
Stamhunt, Jineld, II. 364. 
[< ME. laweful; < fait 1 + 
quence : as, the Salic 'law; a law of rhetoric or logic ; a fair -ful. ] 1 . Allowed by law ; legitimate ; not con- 
of nature ; a law of character. Common law is that rule trary to law ; free from legal objection : as, that 
of action which has grown up from old usage and jg deeme) j j aw f u l which no law forbids ; many 
things are lawful which are not expedient. 
It shall not be lawfull ... to cary and transport . . . 
any commodie of this Kcalme . . . but onely in English 
legislative bodies ; the slight difference between them Is 
implied in their derivations. Edicts and decree*, on the other 
hand, are not legislative, but personal or executive acts, an 
edict being generally the command of a sovereign, and es- 
pecially of an autocrat, while a decree is generally the order 
of an executive body or a court. Ordinance is very broad 
8n [ plt 
UaHuyt's Voyages, I. 371. 
Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful lo do 
In its UK, being applied to rtottitoXespecially those bf great P n the >abbath ' 
, 
Importance : as, the ordinance of 1787), to decreet, to the lo- 
iples 
day. Mat. ill 2. 
2. Constituted or supported by law; capable 
caHaw* passed 'by city government*, etc. A regulation It o f being enforced bylaw; rightful: as, lawful 
demands ; the lawful owner of lands. 
Burn, bonfires, clear and bright; 
To entertain great England s lawful king. 
SAo*., 2 Hen. VI, v. 1. 4. 
a limited, subordinate, or temporary law or rule, perhaps 
applying to details of management or behavior, and often 
without expressed penalty for violation : as, army regula- 
tions; the regulations in a constitution. Canon is In this 
connection strictly an ecclesiastical term. 
law 1 (la), v. [< ME. "fatten, lahen, < AS. lagian, 
make a law, ordain, < lagu, law: see fair 1 , .] 
I. trans. If. To make a law; ordain. 2. To 
apply the law to; enforce the law against. 
[Colloq.] 
I've got a regular hotel license. . . . There's been folks 
lawed In this town for sellin 1 a meal of victuals and not 
having one. C. D. Warner, Their Pilgrimage, p. 144. 
3. To give law to; regulate; determine. [Rare.] 
But for how long the file may stang, 
Let Inclination fate that 
Burns, Jolly Beggars. 
4f. In old English forest usage, to cut off the 
claws and balls of the fore feet of (a dog) ; mu- 
tilate the feet of. as a dog; expeditate. 
And he whose dogge Is not lawed and so founde, shalbe 
amerced, and shall pay for the same. ill. s. 
Rastall, Collect, of Statutes, fol. 186, Chart* de Forest*. 
II. intrnns. 1. To go to law; litigate. [Obso- Olitit; these words apply to that which Is lawfu 
lete or colloq.] lwlul, or perhaps only legal or Illegal, in trade r< 
. .... or especially Intercourse, Olieit expressing much n 
" ' on brought a writ of error of this prob rium than unlawful or illegal. See criminal. 
Tb' Wrnseu" foVUrpen^^p- lawfully (la'ful-i), adv. [< ME. lawfully ; 
'cwr $nrr Lord Quliford, 1. 103. ful + -fy 2 .] In a lawful manner; in accoi 
Sir Samuel Bernardlston b 
Exchequer chamber jud 
3. Possessing full legal rights. Lawful age. 
See age, s. Lawful days. See dai/i. Lawful man 
or woman, in law, a man or woman free and capable 
of bearing oath. Stimuli. Lawful money, that money 
which Is a legal tender In payment of debts. -Syn. 1. 
Allowable, permissible, regular. 1 and 2. Lawful, Legal, 
Legitimate, Licit, legalized, authorized, constitutional. 
Just Between lawful and legal there Is really the same 
difference In breadth that there Is between law and 
legislation or statute. (See fan*'.) Legal is exact, mean- 
Ing conformed to the law of the land, and having little 
figurative use : as, legal interest ; a legal act. Lawful 
means not opposed to law, primarily to the law of the land, 
but with a good deal of freedom In figurative extension : 
It is unlike law, however, In always seeming figurative 
when carried beyond Its primary meaning. Legitimate 
has as one of its primary meanings the idea of being born 
under law : as, a legitimate child ; Its other meanings 
are kindred. A legitimate inference is one that Is drawn 
In conformity with the laws of truth or thought. That 
which Is legitimate Is generally something made or done 
In conformity to law, principle, justice, fairness, or pro- 
priety. Licit is rarely used except_in the phrase licit or 
relations, 
h more op- 
<faw- 
n accordance 
2f. To study law. 
Let him fair there : long as his ducats last, boy, 
111 grace bun, and prefer him. 
Fletcher, Spanish Curate, It 2. 
law 2 (la), a. and f. An obsolete or dialectal 
(Scotch) form of /arc 2 . 
law 3 (la), . A dialectal form of fair 3 . 
law 4 (la), interj. A variation of fa 1 , or often of 
lord. Also laics. 
cnwAi*A*nioo v*** iui-nes), w. l\ MXJ. -. v ~. 
nesse; < lawful + -ness.] The character of being 
lawful or conformable to law ; legality ; right- 
fulness : as, the lawfulness of an action does not 
always prove its propriety or expedience, 
lawgiver (la'giv'er), n. [= Icel. loggjafart = 
Dan. lorgiter. ] One who makes or enacts a law 
or a code of laws ; a legislator. 
The sceptre shall not depart from Jndah. nor a fate- 
giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. 
Cell. Xlix. 10. 
Stubbt, Medieval and Modern Hist. p. 216. 
legal paper, as a summons, affidavit, writ, lease, 
etc., having blanks to be filled according to the 
circumstances of the case, 
law-book (la'buk). . [< ME. laghfboc; < far 1 
+ book.] A book relating to law, or containing 
laws or reports of cases, 
lawbreaker (la ' bra ' Wr), . One who breaks 
or violates the law. 
Waller. 
lawing (la'ing), n. [Verbal n. of fair 1 , c. In 
def . 3, cf . equiv. D. gelag. lit. ' that which is laid 
down.'] 1. A going to law; litigation. [Now 
Ammlanns Marcellinns ascribeth to the Egyptians a 
contentions humour, addicted to lawing and qnarreDa, 
Pvrchat, Pilgrimage, p. 582. 
