ABSTRACT
Itmayseematfirstsightthatnogeneralpropositionsworihtrustingcanbeelicitedfromthehistory oflegalsystemssubsequenttothecodes.Thefield istoovast.Wecannotbesurethatwehaveincluded a§Uffi.cientnumberofphenomenainourobservations, orthatweaccuratelyunderstandthosewhichwe haveobserved.But.theundertakingwillbeseen tohemorefeasible,ifweconsiderthataftertheepoch ofcodesthedistinctionbetweenstationaryandprogressivesocietiesbeginstomakeitselffelt.Itis onlywiththeprogressivesocietiesthatweareconcerned,andnothingismoreremarkablethantheir extremefewness.Inspiteofoverwhelmingevidence, itismostdifficultforacitizenofWesternEuropeto bringthoroughlyhometohimselfthetruththatthe civilisationwhichsurroundshimisarareexception inthehistoryoftheworld.Thetoneofthought commonamongus,allourhopes,fears,andspeculations,wouldbemateriallyaffected,ifwehadvividly beforeustherelationoftheprogressiveracestothe totalityofhumanlife.Itisindisputablethatmuch thegreatestpartofmankindhasnevershownaparticleofdesirethatitscivilinstitutionsshouldbe improvedsincethemomentwhenexternalcompletenesswasfirstgiventothembytheirembodimentin somepermanentrecord.Onesetofusageshasocca-
sionallybeenviolentlyoverthrownandsupersededby another;hereandthereaprimitivecode,pretending toasupernaturalorigin,hasbeengreatlyextended, anddistortedintothemostsurprisingforms,bythe perversityofsacerdotalcommentators;but,except inasmallsectionoftheworld,therehasbeennothing likethegradualameliorationofalegalsystem. Therehasbeenmaterialcivilisation,but,insteadof thecivilisationexpandingthelaw,thelawhaslimited thecivilisation.Thestudyofracesintheirprimitiveconditionaffordsussomecluetothepointat whichthedevelopmentofcertainsocietieshas stopped.WecanseethatBrahminicalIndiahasnot passedbeyondastagewhichoccursinthehistoryof allthefamiliesofmankind,thestageatwhicharule oflawisnotyetdiscriminatedfromaruleofreligion. Themembersofsuchasocietyconsiderthatthe transgressionofareligiousordinanceshouldbepunishedbycivHpenalties,andthattheviolationofa civildutyexposesthedelinquenttodivinecorrection. InChinathispointhasbeenpassed,butprogressseems tohavebeentherearrested,becausethecivillaws arecoextensivewithalltheideasofwhichtheraceis capable.Thedifferencebetweenthestationaryand progressivesocietiesis,however,oneofthegreat secretswhich·inquiryhasyettopenetrate.Among partialexplanationsofitIventuretoplacetheconsiderationsurgedattheendofthelastchapter.H
mayfurtherberemarkedthatnooneislikelyto succeedintheinvestigationwhodoesnotclearly realisethatthestationaryconditionofthehuman raceistherule,theprogressivetheexception.And anotherindispensableconditionofsuccessisanaccurateknowledgeofRomanlawinallitsprincipal stages.TheRomanjurisprudencehasthelongest knownhistoryofanysetofhumaninstitutions.The characterofallthechangeswhichitunderwentis tolerablywellascertained..Fromitscommencement toitsclose,itwasprogressivelymodifiedforthe better,orforwhattheauthorsofthemodification conceivedtobethebetter,andthecourseofimprovementwascontinuedthroughperiodsatwhichallthe restofhumanthoughtandactionmateriallyslackened itspace,andrepeatedlythreatenedtosettledown intostagnation.
