Page:Gaii institutionum iuris civilis commentarii quattuor, or, Elements of Roman law by Gaius (Poste, Third Edition, 1890, gaiiinstitution00gaiu).djvu/51

Rh DE IVEE CIVILI ET NATVRALI.

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[f. DE " IVEE CIVILI ET NATVRALI.]

§ 1. Omnes populi qui legibus et moribus reguntur, partim suo pro- prio, partim communi omnium ho- milium iure utuntur. nam quod quisque populus ipse sibi ius con- stituit, id ipsius proprium est uo- caturque ius ciuile, quasi ius pro- prium ciuitatis ; quod uero naturalis ratio inter omnes homines con- stituit, id apud omnes populos per- aeque custodituruocaturque ius gen- tium, quasi quo iure omnes gentes utuntur. populus itaque Romanus partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utitur. quae singula qualia sint, suis locis pro- ponents.

§ 2. Constant autem iura populi Romani ex legibus, plebiscitis, sena- tusconsultis, constitutionibus prin- cipum,edictiseorum qui ius edicendi habent, responsis prudentium.

§ 3. Lex est quod populus iubet atque constituit. Plebiscitum est quod pleba. iubet atque constituit. plebs autem a populo eo distat, quod populi appellatione uniuersi ciues significantur, connumeratis etiam patriciis ; plebis autem appellatione sine patriciis ceteri ciues signifi- cantur ; unde olim patricii dice- bant plebiscitis se non teneri, quia sine auctoritate eorum facta essent ; sed postea lex Hortensia lata est, qua cautum est ut plebiscita uni- uersum populum tenerent; itaque eo modo legibus exaequata sunt.

§ 4. Senatusconsultum est quod senatus iubet atque constituit, id- que legis uicem optinet, quamuis fuerit quaesitum.

§ 5. Constitutio principis est quod imperator decreto uel edicto

ON CIVIL LAW AND NATURAL LAW.

§ 1. The laws of every people governed by statutes and customs are partly peculiar to itself, partly common to all mankind. The rules enacted by a given state for its own members are peculiar to itself, and are called civil law ; the rules j)rescribed by natural reason for all are observed by all nations alike, and are called gentile law. So the laws of the people of Rome are partly peculiar to itself, partly com- mon to all nations; and this dis- tinction shall be traced, as occasion offers, through all the branches of the code.

§ 2. Roman law consists of sta- tutes, plebiscites, senatusconsults, constitutions of the emperors, edicts of magistrates authorized to issue them, and opinions of jurists.

§ 3. A statute is a command and ordinance of the people : a plebi- scite is a command and ordinance of the commonalty. The common- alty and the people are thus distin- guished : the people are all the citizens, including the patricians ; the commonalty are all the citizens, except the patricians. Whence in former times the patricians main- tained that they were not subject to the plebiscites, as passed without their authority; but afterwards a statute called the lex Hortensia was enacted, which provided that the plebiscites should bind the people, and thus plebiscites were made coordinate with statutes.

§ 4. A senatusconsult is a com- mand and ordinance of the senate, and is assimilated in force to a statute, a point which was formerly controverted.

§ 5. A constitution is an ordi- nance of the emperor by decree,