1000000030

and compreheods al! the dUlies we owe either to lhe Su–

premo

BtÍn~.

10 ou&lv<s. or toour ncighbour; as re·

,~reoee

10 God, feli-Jefenee. t<mpcranee. honour tO our

par~ols,

beoevolenee to all, a IIriél

adhercne~

to our

engagemenlS, gwitude.

Ot.

The I¿w of omlre, where

jt ei!her eommands or forbids, is immutahle; and caooot

be controlled by aoy

hum~o

aUlhorily; but ,where Ihat

bIV does

more than coofer a riglu, wilhout obligiog

us to ufe it, the fupreme power may divell us lhereof, io

whole or in parto

•

The laIV of nations is airo the refult of reafen, aod

God for il! author ; but it fuppofes maokiod formed

ioto flveral bodies polilÍe, or 'Ilales; and comprifes all

Ibe duties which one Ilate owes 10 aoother. Thefe mull

of neceffity be fimilar tO the dUlÍes aÍifing belweeo iodi·

,idu~ls,

fince both are diélated by reafoo; fo that what

is ,Ihe laIV of nalure when applied 10 meo confidmd

limplyas fueh, is indeed lhe law ,of oalions \IIheo ap–

plied

kiogdoms or Ilates_

From Ihis fOijree, pro–

cced the riglm ofwar, Ihe fecurilY of amball'adors, Ihe

obligalioos ariGog from ([eaties,

Oc.

The particu–

lar ufages

oalions iD !heir'mUlual eorrefpoodeoee

whieh are not ne,elf.,ilyfOllnded io reafon, ate no part

óf the laIV of nations io its proper fenfe: for they are

arbitrary, and derive their fole allthority from compaél,

cither exprefs or prefumed; and may therefore, without

violating'the lalV of nature. be altered, For this reafon,

they ought tO be throwo inlo

thecI.fs

of pofitive laws,

whofe obligation lalls DO long:r than lhe agreement upon

whieh it

fouoded, Of this fort, are the eeremooial

ufed io reeeiving and eotertaioing ambalf¿dors, lhe prí–

vilegcs indulged

fome of their fmanlS, the rtlle, ob–

ferved in carlels for exebanging prifonm of w¿r,

tu,

Civilor munieipallaw. is tbat whieh every fo'mign

kiogdom or

11m

has appropriated to ilfelf, The ap–

pellation of municipal was origioally eonr,ned to Ihe la"S'

1/Junicipio,

or dependent Ilates; but it eame by degree"

to fignify all civillaws wilhout di(fioélion. No fovereign

l!al. can

f~bfill

without a fu preme powe!, or a right of

commanding in the lan refort; lhefupreme power of one

age cannot therefole be fellered

any ena8mer,1 of a

f~rnter

age, otherwife it would ceafe to be fupreme.

Heoee the laIV lall iDdale t1erog¡tes froOl prior !lws. •

PRINCIPLES ' oF TH¡LAW or' S,COT'LAND,

Title l.

General ObferuntionJ.

THI munieipallaw of Scotland. as of mol! othe,r

countries, confias partir of /lat"tory or written law,

which has tbe exprefs authorílY,of the legiOative pOll/er ;

partly of eullomary or uowritten law, ,whieh derives force

from its prefumed or tatÍl eonCeot.

Uoder our Ilatutory or writteo laIV i!Compreheoded.

(.l.)

Our aéls of parliameot : oot only thoCe which \lIere

made in tbe reigo' of James

of Scotland, .and from

thenee down to Gur union wilh England in

17M,

but

fuéh of the B,ilifh Ilatutes enaéled fioee lhe uoioo as coo–

'uro

Ibi, par! of lhe united kingdom.

The

remaios of our aoeient wriueo la" were pu–

blifhed by Sir John Skeoe c1erk-regifier, inthe begioning

of the lall century, by lieenee of parliament. The books

Rt¡ia/n Mojtjlo/,m.

to ' whieh lhe \Vhole colleDioo

owes Its title, feem to be a ffllem of Seots law, IVriueo

by a private lawyer at the eommand of Divid

1.;

and

lbough no expreCs eon6rmation of that Irealife bf the

JegiOalure appears, yet it is admitted to have been the

ancient Iaw of our kingdom hy exprefs Ilmtcs, The

horough-Iaws, which were alCo eoaéled by the fame king–

David, aDd Ihe /latutes of William, Alexander

'll .

David

and!he Ihree Roberts, are ugivcrfally allowed

be genuine. Our parliaments have once aod agaio ap–

poioted commiJIions to revife and amend the

R'gio/n Ma,

jtj/a/,m,

aod the other ancienl books of our law, and

make their report: but; as no report

~ppears

to have

Ken made, oor eonfequeotly any ratification by parlia–

ment, oone of Ihefe remains ore reeeived, as of proper

ao!hority, in our eouit! ; yet Ihey are of exe!!lent ufe.

ía

proving aod iIIullrating our moll 'aneient eufloms.

Our \Vriuen law eomprehends.

(2 ,)

The aél, of Ce·

cltrllllt, wbieh are ordinanccs for re&.ulaliog.the form, of

proeeeding 'before the court of feffion ' in the ;dmioi·

Itration of juOiee, made by the judge., wbo h. ve adele–

gated power from the legiOaturefor that purpofe. SOOle

of. thefe aéls dip upop ma,tter, of righl, "hich declare

what tbe judges apprehend to be rhe law of S'eotland,

and what they are tO obferve afterwards as

lule of

judgmeot. .

The ei,il or Roman aoó canon

Jau's,

tbough they

are nOl perltaps to be deemed proper pans of our wril–

'ten law, have undoubtedly haJ lhe greatefl influenee io

Seotlaod. •The pOl\'eTS exercifed

~)'

our fovereigns aod

judg.. have beco, juftified upoo, no other grounó, Ihan

that lhey lI'ere conformable tO tlie 'ei,il or canon lawl;

and

fpecialllatme wa! judgeJ neeelfary, upon Ihe refor–

mation, 10 refeind fuch of their eonllllotioos

W<re

repugnanl tÓ the Prolellant doarine. FromIhat period,

the canon laIV

Itas

been Jiule refpeéled, exeep' in que–

flions of tithes. patronages, and fome feIV more anieles

of eccler,allieal right: But lite Romancontinues to have

great authorilY in all cales where il

oot derogated

Irom by Qatmc or eullom, and \Vhere the g;oius of our

law fufren

115

to apply it,

Our unwrimn or C'Jíloma,

law. is thar which,

withollt beiog exprefsly eoat)ed by

Il~w:e,

,i.es

1tS

force froOl the taeit eoofent of king and .people; whieh

conrent is prefumtd from the aneient eulloOl of the eom'

m.nity. Cullom,

it is equally fouoded in the lVill of

the lawgiver willt w,iuen law, has thercfore the fame

cf–

feéls : Henee, asone Ilatute may be explained by-,aoother,

fo a Ilatute may be exrlaiaed or repealed by the uoiform

praéliee of theeommunil)'. and elCn

into di(u!e by a

poflerior eonlrary cullom. Bllt this

p~wer

of cu(Jem tO

derogate from prior (l;fmes. is genllally eonfi ned by

lawyers to flatlltes

coneernin~

p,il·¡te rir,hl,

~nd

dOt s'

not extend 10 thofe Ilhieh Icoard puhlie pohey.