ABSTRACT
Neithertheorycorrespondedexactlywiththefacts, buteachproducedconsequencesoftheutmostimportance.
Ineedhardlysaythatthepublicationofthe TwelveTablesisnottheearliestpointatwhichwe cantakeupthehistoryoflaw.TheancientRoman codebelongstoaclassofwhichalmosteverycivilised nationintheworldcanshowasample,andwhich, sofarastheRomanandHellenicworldswereconcerned,werelargelydiffusedoverthematepochsnot widelydistantfromoneanother.Theyappeared underexceedinglysimilarcircumstances,andwere produced,toourknowledge,byverysimilarcauses. Unquestionably,manyjuralphenomenaliebehind thesecodesandprecededtheminpointoftime.Not afewdocumentaryrecordsexistwhichprofessto giveusinformationconcerningtheearlyphenomena oflaw;but,untilphilologyhaseff~ctedacomplete analysisoftheSanskritliterature,ourbestsources ofknowledgeareundoubtedlytheGreekHomeric poems,consideredofcoursenotasahistoryof actualoccurrences,butasadescription,notwholly idealised,ofastateofsocietyknowntothewriter. Howeverthefancyofthepoetmayhaveexaggerated certainfeaturesoftheheroicage,theprowessof warriorsandthepotencyofgods,thereisnoreason tobelievethatithas·tamperedwithmoralormetaphysicalconceptionswhichwerenotyetthesubjects
ofconsciousobservation;andinthisrespectthe Homericliteratureisfarmoretrustworthythan thoserelativelylaterdocumentswhichpretendto giveanaccountoftimessimilarlyearly,butwhich werecompiledunderphilosophicalortheologicalinfluences.Ifbyanymeanswecandeterminethe earlyformsofjuralconceptions,theywillbeinvaluable tous.Theserudimentaryideasaretothejuristwhat theprimarycrustsoftheeartharetothegeologist. Theycontain,potentially,alltheformsinwhichlaw hassubsequentlyexhibiteditself.Thehasteorthe prejudicewhichhasgenerallyrefusedthemallhut themostsuperficialexamination,mustbearthe blameoftheunsatisfactoryconditioninwhichwe findthescienceofjurisprudence.Theinquiriesof thejuristareintruthprosecutedmuchasinquiry inphysicsandphysiologywasprosecutedbefore observationhadtakentheplaceofassumption. Theories,plausibleandcomprehensive,butabsolutely unverified,suchastheLawofNatureortheSocial Compact,enjoyauniversalpreferenceoversoberresearchintotheprimitivehistoryofsocietyandlaw; andtheyobscurethetruthnotonlybydiverting attentionfromtheonlyquarterinwhichitcanbe found,butbythatmostrealandmostimportant influencewhich,whenonceentertainedandbelieved in,theyareenabledtoexerciseonthelaterstagesof jurisprudence.
