lect02-第8节

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nearly　on　the　footing　required　by　the　Christian　theory；　nor　is






there　any　reasonable　doubt　that　this　result　has　been　brought






about　in　the　main　by　the　Roman　Catholic　clergy。　But　this






purification　of　morals　was　effected　during　the　period　through






which　monks　and　monasticism　were　either　expelled　from　Ireland　or






placed　under　the　ban　of　the　law。






　　　　I　will　take　this　opportunity　of　saying　that　the　influence　of






Christianity　on　a　much　more　famous　system　than　the　Brehon　law　has






always　seemed　to　me　to　be　greatly　overstated　by　M。　Troplong　and






other　well…known　juridical　writers。　There　is；　of　course；　evidence






of　Christian　influence　on　Roman　law　in　the　disabilities　imposed






on　various　classes　of　heretics　and　in　the　limitations　of　that






liberty　of　divorce　which　belonged　to　the　older　jurisprudence。






But；　even　in　respect　of　divorce；　the　modifications　strike　me　as






less　than　might　have　been　expected　from　what　we　know　of　the






condition　of　opinion　in　the　Roman　world；　and；　as　regards　certain






improvements　said　to　have　been　introduced　by　Christianity　into






the　Imperial　law　of　slavery；　they　were　probably　quickened　by　its






influence；　but　they　began　in　principles　which　were　of　Stoical






rather　than　of　Christian　origin。　I　do　not　question　the　received






opinion　that　Christianity　greatly　mitigated　and　did　much　to






abolish　personal　and　predial　slavery　in　the　West；　but　the






Continental　lawyers　of　whom　I　spoke　considerably　antedate　its






influence；　and　take　far　too　little　account　of　the　prodigious






effects　subsequently　produced　by　the　practical　equality　of　all






men　within　the　pale　of　the　Catholic　priesthood。　But　I　principally






deprecate　these　statements；　which　in　some　countries　have　almost






become　professional　commonplaces；　for　two　reasons。　They　slur　over






a　very　instructive　fact；　the　great　unmalleability　of　all　bodies






of　law。　and　they　obscure　an　interesting　and　yet　unsettled；






problem；　the　origin　of　the　Canon　law。　The　truth　seems　to　be　that






the　Imperial　Roman　law　did　not　satisfy　the　morality　of　the






Christian　communities；　and　this　is　the　most　probable　reason　why






another　body　of　rules　grew　up　by　its　side　and　ultimately　almost






rivalled　it。