PartIV。
WhenJustinianascendedthethrone，thereformationoftheRomanjurisprudencewasanarduousbutindispensabletask。Inthespaceoftencenturies，theinfinitevarietyoflawsandlegalopinionshadfilledmanythousandvolumes，whichnofortunecouldpurchaseandnocapacitycoulddigest。Bookscouldnoteasilybefound；andthejudges，poorinthemidstofriches，werereducedtotheexerciseoftheirilliteratediscretion。ThesubjectsoftheGreekprovinceswereignorantofthelanguagethatdisposedoftheirlivesandproperties；andthebarbarousdialectoftheLatinswasimperfectlystudiedintheacademiesofBerytusandConstantinople。AsanIllyriansoldier，thatidiomwasfamiliartotheinfancyofJustinian；hisyouthhadbeeninstructedbythelessonsofjurisprudence，andhisImperialchoiceselectedthemostlearnedciviliansoftheEast，tolaborwiththeirsovereignintheworkofreformation。^71Thetheoryofprofessorswasassistedbythepracticeofadvocates，andtheexperienceofmagistrates；andthewholeundertakingwasanimatedbythespiritofTribonian。^72Thisextraordinaryman，theobjectofsomuchpraiseandcensure，wasanativeofSideinPamphylia；andhisgenius，likethatofBacon，embraced，ashisown，allthebusinessandknowledgeoftheage。Triboniancomposed，bothinproseandverse，onastrangediversityofcuriousandabstrusesubjects:^73adoublepanegyricofJustinianandthelifeofthephilosopherTheodotus；thenatureofhappinessandthedutiesofgovernment；Homer\'scatalogueandthefour—and—twentysortsofmetre；theastronomicalcanonofPtolemy；thechangesofthemonths；thehousesoftheplanets；
andtheharmonicsystemoftheworld。TotheliteratureofGreeceheaddedtheuseoftheLatintonque；theRomanciviliansweredepositedinhislibraryandinhismind；andhemostassiduouslycultivatedthoseartswhichopenedtheroadofwealthandpreferment。FromthebarofthePraetorianpraefects，heraisedhimselftothehonorsofquaestor，ofconsul，andofmasteroftheoffices:thecouncilofJustinianlistenedtohiseloquenceandwisdom；andenvywasmitigatedbythegentlenessandaffabilityofhismanners。ThereproachesofimpietyandavaricehavestainedthevirtueorthereputationofTribonian。
Inabigotedandpersecutingcourt，theprincipalministerwasaccusedofasecretaversiontotheChristianfaith，andwassupposedtoentertainthesentimentsofanAtheistandaPagan，whichhavebeenimputed，inconsistentlyenough，tothelastphilosophersofGreece。Hisavaricewasmoreclearlyprovedandmoresensiblyfelt。Ifhewereswayedbygiftsintheadministrationofjustice，theexampleofBaconwillagainoccur；
norcanthemeritofTribonianatoneforhisbaseness，ifhedegradedthesanctityofhisprofession；andiflawswereeverydayenacted，modified，orrepealed，forthebaseconsiderationofhisprivateemolument。IntheseditionofConstantinople，hisremovalwasgrantedtotheclamors，perhapstothejustindignation，ofthepeople:butthequaestorwasspeedilyrestored，and，tillthehourofhisdeath，hepossessed，abovetwentyyears，thefavorandconfidenceoftheemperor。HispassiveanddutifulsubmissionhadbeenhonoredwiththepraiseofJustinianhimself，whosevanitywasincapableofdiscerninghowoftenthatsubmissiondegeneratedintothegrossestadulation。Tribonianadoredthevirtuesofhisgraciousofhisgraciousmaster；theearthwasunworthyofsuchaprince；andheaffectedapiousfear，thatJustinian，likeElijahorRomulus，wouldbesnatchedintotheair，andtranslatedalivetothemansionsofcelestialglory。^74
[Footnote71:ForthelegallaborsofJustinian，IhavestudiedthePrefacetotheInstitutes；the1st，2d，and3dPrefacestothePandects；the1stand2dPrefacetotheCode；andtheCodeitself，l。i。tit。xvii。deVeteriJureenucleando。Aftertheseoriginaltestimonies，Ihaveconsulted，amongthemoderns，Heineccius，Hist。J。R。No。383—404，Terasson。Hist。delaJurisprudenceRomaine，p。295—356，Gravina，Opp。p。93—
100，andLudewig，inhisLifeofJustinian，p。19—123，318—
321；fortheCodeandNovels，p。209—261；fortheDigestorPandects，p。262—317。]
[Footnote72:ForthecharacterofTribonian，seethetestimoniesofProcopius，Persic。l。i。c。23，24。Anecdot。c。13，20，andSuidas，tom。iii。p。501，edit。Kuster。LudewiginVit。
Justinian，p。175—209workshard，veryhard，towhitewash—
theblackamoor。]
[Footnote73:IapplythetwopassagesofSuidastothesameman；
everycircumstancesoexactlytallies。Yetthelawyersappearignorant；andFabriciusisinclinedtoseparatethetwocharacters，Bibliot。Grae。tom。i。p。341，ii。p。518，iii。p。
418，xii。p。346，353，474。]
[Footnote74:ThisstoryisrelatedbyHesychius，deVirisIllustribus，Procopius，Anecdot。c。13，andSuidas，tom。iii。
p。501。Suchflatteryisincredible!
—NihilestquodcrederedeseNonpossit，cumlaudaturDiisaequapotestas。
Fontenelletom。i。p。32—39hasridiculedtheimpudenceofthemodestVirgil。ButthesameFontenelleplaceshiskingabovethedivineAugustus；andthesageBoileauhasnotblushedtosay，\"Ledestinasesyeuxn\'oseroitbalancer\"YetneitherAugustusnorLouisXIV。werefools。]
IfCaesarhadachievedthereformationoftheRomanlaw，hiscreativegenius，enlightenedbyreflectionandstudy，wouldhavegiventotheworldapureandoriginalsystemofjurisprudence。
Whateverflatterymightsuggest，theemperoroftheEastwasafraidtoestablishhisprivatejudgmentasthestandardofequity:inthepossessionoflegislativepower，heborrowedtheaidoftimeandopinion；andhislaboriouscompilationsareguardedbythesagesandlegislatureofpasttimes。Insteadofastatuecastinasimplemouldbythehandofanartist，theworksofJustinianrepresentatessellatedpavementofantiqueandcostly，buttoooftenofincoherent，fragments。Inthefirstyearofhisreign，hedirectedthefaithfulTribonian，andninelearnedassociates，torevisetheordinancesofhispredecessors，astheywerecontained，sincethetimeofAdrian，intheGregorianHermogenian，andTheodosiancodes；topurgetheerrorsandcontradictions，toretrenchwhateverwasobsoleteorsuperfluous，andtoselectthewiseandsalutarylawsbestadaptedtothepracticeofthetribunalsandtheuseofhissubjects。Theworkwasaccomplishedinfourteenmonths；andthetwelvebooksortables，whichthenewdecemvirsproduced，mightbedesignedtoimitatethelaborsoftheirRomanpredecessors。
ThenewCodeofJustinianwashonoredwithhisname，andconfirmedbyhisroyalsignature:authentictranscriptsweremultipliedbythepensofnotariesandscribes；theyweretransmittedtothemagistratesoftheEuropean，theAsiatic，andafterwardstheAfricanprovinces；andthelawoftheempirewasproclaimedonsolemnfestivalsatthedoorsofchurches。Amorearduousoperationwasstillbehind—toextractthespiritofjurisprudencefromthedecisionsandconjectures，thequestionsanddisputes，oftheRomancivilians。Seventeenlawyers，withTribonianattheirhead，wereappointedbytheemperortoexerciseanabsolutejurisdictionovertheworksoftheirpredecessors。Iftheyhadobeyedhiscommandsintenyears，Justinianwouldhavebeensatisfiedwiththeirdiligence；andtherapidcompositionoftheDigestofPandects，^75inthreeyears，willdeservepraiseorcensure，accordingtothemeritoftheexecution。FromthelibraryofTribonian，theychoseforty，themosteminentciviliansofformertimes:^76twothousandtreatiseswerecomprisedinanabridgmentoffiftybooks；andithasbeencarefullyrecorded，thatthreemillionsoflinesorsentences，^77werereduced，inthisabstract，tothemoderatenumberofonehundredandfiftythousand。TheeditionofthisgreatworkwasdelayedamonthafterthatoftheInstitutes；anditseemedreasonablethattheelementsshouldprecedethedigestoftheRomanlaw。Assoonastheemperorhadapprovedtheirlabors，heratified，byhislegislativepower，thespeculationsoftheseprivatecitizens:theircommentaries，onthetwelvetables，theperpetualedict，thelawsofthepeople，andthedecreesofthesenate，succeededtotheauthorityofthetext；
andthetextwasabandoned，asauseless，thoughvenerable，relicofantiquity。TheCode，thePandects，andtheInstitutes，weredeclaredtobethelegitimatesystemofciviljurisprudence；theyalonewereadmittedintothetribunals，andtheyaloneweretaughtintheacademiesofRome，Constantinople，andBerytus。
Justinianaddressedtothesenateandprovinceshiseternaloracles；andhispride，underthemaskofpiety，ascribedtheconsummationofthisgreatdesigntothesupportandinspirationoftheDeity。
[Footnote75:GeneralreceiverswasacommontitleoftheGreekmiscellanies，Plin。Praefat。adHist。Natur。TheDigestaofScaevola，Marcellinus，Celsus，werealreadyfamiliartothecivilians:butJustinianwasinthewrongwhenheusedthetwoappellationsassynonymous。IsthewordPandectsGreekorLatin—masculineorfeminine?ThediligentBrenckmanwillnotpresumetodecidethesemomentouscontroversies，Hist。Pandect。
Florentine。p。200—304。
Note:Thewordwasformerlyincommonuse。SeetheprefaceisAulusGellius—W]
[Footnote76:AngelusPolitianusl。v。Epist。ult。reckonsthirty—sevenp。192—200civiliansquotedinthePandects—alearned，andforhistimes，anextraordinarylist。TheGreekindextothePandectsenumeratesthirty—nine，andfortyareproducedbytheindefatigableFabricius，Bibliot。Graec。tom。
iii。p。488—502。AntoninusAugustusdeNominibusPropriisPandect。apudLudewig，p。283issaidtohaveaddedfifty—fournames；buttheymustbevagueorsecond—handreferences。]
[Footnote77:TheitemoftheancientMss。maybestrictlydefinedassentencesorperiodsofacompletesense，which，onthebreadthoftheparchmentrollsorvolumes，composedasmanylinesofunequallength。Thenumberineachbookservedasacheckontheerrorsofthescribes，Ludewig，p。211—215；andhisoriginalauthorSuicer。Thesaur。Ecclesiast。tom。i。p1021—
1036。]
Sincetheemperordeclinedthefameandenvyoforiginalcomposition，wecanonlyrequire，athishands，methodchoice，andfidelity，thehumble，thoughindispensable，virtuesofacompiler。Amongthevariouscombinationsofideas，itisdifficulttoassignanyreasonablepreference；butastheorderofJustinianisdifferentinhisthreeworks，itispossiblethatallmaybewrong；anditiscertainthattwocannotberight。Intheselectionofancientlaws，heseemstohaveviewedhispredecessorswithoutjealousy，andwithequalregard:theseriescouldnotascendabovethereignofAdrian，andthenarrowdistinctionofPaganismandChristianity，introducedbythesuperstitionofTheodosius，hadbeenabolishedbytheconsentofmankind。ButthejurisprudenceofthePandectsiscircumscribedwithinaperiodofahundredyears，fromtheperpetualedicttothedeathofSeverusAlexander:thecivilianswholivedunderthefirstCaesarsareseldompermittedtospeak，andonlythreenamescanbeattributedtotheageoftherepublic。ThefavoriteofJustinianithasbeenfiercelyurgedwasfearfulofencounteringthelightoffreedomandthegravityofRomansages。
TriboniancondemnedtooblivionthegenuineandnativewisdomofCato，theScaevolas，andSulpicius；whileheinvokedspiritsmorecongenialtohisown，theSyrians，Greeks，andAfricans，whoflockedtotheImperialcourttostudyLatinasaforeigntongue，andjurisprudenceasalucrativeprofession。ButtheministersofJustinian，^78wereinstructedtolabor，notforthecuriosityofantiquarians，butfortheimmediatebenefitofhissubjects。
ItwastheirdutytoselecttheusefulandpracticalpartsoftheRomanlaw；andthewritingsoftheoldrepublicans，howevercuriousonexcellent，werenolongersuitedtothenewsystemofmanners，religion，andgovernment。Perhaps，ifthepreceptorsandfriendsofCicerowerestillalive，ourcandorwouldacknowledge，that，exceptinpurityoflanguage，^79theirintrinsicmeritwasexcelledbytheschoolofPapinianandUlpian。Thescienceofthelawsistheslowgrowthoftimeandexperience，andtheadvantagebothofmethodandmaterials，isnaturallyassumedbythemostrecentauthors。TheciviliansofthereignoftheAntonineshadstudiedtheworksoftheirpredecessors:theirphilosophicspirithadmitigatedtherigorofantiquity，simplifiedtheformsofproceeding，andemergedfromthejealousyandprejudiceoftherivalsects。ThechoiceoftheauthoritiesthatcomposethePandectsdependedonthejudgmentofTribonian:
butthepowerofhissovereigncouldnotabsolvehimfromthesacredobligationsoftruthandfidelity。Asthelegislatoroftheempire，JustinianmightrepealtheactsoftheAntonines，orcondemn，asseditious，thefreeprinciples，whichweremaintainedbythelastoftheRomanlawyers。^80Buttheexistenceofpastfactsisplacedbeyondthereachofdespotism；andtheemperorwasguiltyoffraudandforgery，whenhecorruptedtheintegrityoftheirtext，inscribedwiththeirvenerablenamesthewordsandideasofhisservilereign，^81andsuppressed，bythehandofpower，thepureandauthenticcopiesoftheirsentiments。ThechangesandinterpolationsofTribonianandhiscolleaguesareexcusedbythepretenceofuniformity:buttheircareshavebeeninsufficient，andtheantinomies，orcontradictionsoftheCodeandPandects，stillexercisethepatienceandsubtiltyofmoderncivilians。^82
[Footnote78:AningeniousandlearnedorationofSchultingiusJurisprudentiaAnte—Justinianea，p。883—907justifiesthechoiceofTribonian，againstthepassionatechargesofFrancisHottomanandhissectaries。]
[Footnote79:StripawaythecrustofTribonian，andallowfortheuseoftechnicalwords，andtheLatinofthePandectswillbefoundnotunworthyofthesilverage。IthasbeenvehementlyattackedbyLaurentiusValla，afastidiousgrammarianofthexvthcentury，andbyhisapologistFloridusSabinus。IthasbeendefendedbyAlciat，andanamelessadvocate，mostprobablyJamesCapellus。TheirvarioustreatisesarecollectedbyDuker，OpusculadeLatinitateveterumJurisconsultorum，Lugd。Bat。
1721，in12mo。
Note:GibbonismistakenwithregardtoValla，who，thoughheinveighsagainstthebarbarousstyleoftheciviliansofhisownday，lavishesthehighestpraiseontheadmirablepurityofthelanguageoftheancientwritersoncivillaw。M。WarnkonigquotesalongpassageofVallainjustificationofthisobservation。Sincehistime，thistruthhasbeenrecognizedbymenofthehighesteminence，suchasErasmus，DavidHumeandRunkhenius。—W。]
[Footnote80:Nominaquidemveteribusservavimus，legumautemveritatemnostramfecimus。Itaquesiquideratinillisseditiosum，multaautemtaliaerantibireposita，hocdecisumestetdefinitum，etinperspicuumfinemdeductaestquaequelex，Cod。Justinian。l。i。tit。xvii。leg。3，No10。Afrankconfession!
Note:Seditiosum，inthelanguageofJustinian，meansnotseditious，butdiscounted。—W。]
[Footnote81:ThenumberoftheseemblemataapolitenameforforgeriesismuchreducedbyBynkershoek，inthefourlastbooksofhisObservations，whopoorlymaintainstherightofJustinianandthedutyofTribonian。]
[Footnote82:Theantinomies，oroppositelawsoftheCodeandPandects，aresometimesthecause，andoftentheexcuse，ofthegloriousuncertaintyofthecivillaw，whichsooftenaffordswhatMontaignecalls\"Questionspourl\'Ami。\"SeeafinepassageofFranciscusBalduinusinJustinian，l。ii。p。259，&c。，apudLudewig，p。305，306。]
ArumordevoidofevidencehasbeenpropagatedbytheenemiesofJustinian；thatthejurisprudenceofancientRomewasreducedtoashesbytheauthorofthePandects，fromthevainpersuasion，thatitwasnoweitherfalseorsuperfluous。Withoutusurpinganofficesoinvidious，theemperormightsafelycommittoignoranceandtimetheaccomplishmentsofthisdestructivewish。Beforetheinventionofprintingandpaper，thelaborandthematerialsofwritingcouldbepurchasedonlybytherich；anditmayreasonablybecomputed，thatthepriceofbookswasahundredfoldtheirpresentvalue。^83Copieswereslowlymultipliedandcautiouslyrenewed:thehopesofprofittemptedthesacrilegiousscribestoerasethecharactersofantiquity，
andSophoclesorTacituswereobligedtoresigntheparchmenttomissals，homilies，andthegoldenlegend。^84Ifsuchwasthefateofthemostbeautifulcompositionsofgenius，whatstabilitycouldbeexpectedforthedullandbarrenworksofanobsoletescience?Thebooksofjurisprudencewereinterestingtofew，andentertainingtonone:theirvaluewasconnectedwithpresentuse，andtheysunkforeverassoonasthatusewassupersededbytheinnovationsoffashion，superiormerit，orpublicauthority。Intheageofpeaceandlearning，betweenCiceroandthelastoftheAntonines，manylosseshadbeenalreadysustained，andsomeluminariesoftheschool，orforum，wereknownonlytothecuriousbytraditionandreport。Threehundredandsixtyyearsofdisorderanddecayacceleratedtheprogressofoblivion；anditmayfairlybepresumed，thatofthewritings，whichJustinianisaccusedofneglecting，manywerenolongertobefoundinthelibrariesoftheEast。^85ThecopiesofPapinian，orUlpian，whichthereformerhadproscribed，weredeemedunworthyoffuturenotice:theTwelveTablesandpraetorianedictsinsensiblyvanished，andthemonumentsofancientRomewereneglectedordestroyedbytheenvyandignoranceoftheGreeks。EventhePandectsthemselveshaveescapedwithdifficultyanddangerfromthecommonshipwreck，andcriticismhaspronouncedthatalltheeditionsandmanuscriptsoftheWestarederivedfromoneoriginal。^86ItwastranscribedatConstantinopleinthebeginningoftheseventhcentury，^87wassuccessivelytransportedbytheaccidentsofwarandcommercetoAmalphi，^88
Pisa，^89andFlorence，^90andisnowdepositedasasacredrelic^91intheancientpalaceoftherepublic。^92
[Footnote83:WhenFaust，orFaustus，soldatParishisfirstprintedBiblesasmanuscripts，thepriceofaparchmentcopywasreducedfromfourorfivehundredtosixty，fifty，andfortycrowns。Thepublicwasatfirstpleasedwiththecheapness，andatlengthprovokedbythediscoveryofthefraud，Mattaire，Annal。Typograph。tom。i。p。12；firstedit。]