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as the emoluments of justice; or what may be called the fees of

court; constituted in this manner the whole ordinary revenue

which the sovereign derived from his sovereignty; it could not

well be expected; it could not even decently be proposed; that he

should give them up altogether。 It might; and it frequently was

proposed; that he should regulate and ascertain them。 But after

they had been so regulated and ascertained; how to hinder a

person who was all…powerful from extending them beyond those

regulations was still very difficult; not to say impossible。

During the continuance of this state of things; therefore; the

corruption of justice; naturally resulting from the arbitrary and

uncertain nature of those presents; scarce admitted of any

effectual remedy。

     But when from different causes; chiefly from the continually

increasing expenses of defending the nation against the invasion

of other nations; the private estate of the sovereign had become

altogether insufficient for defraying the expense of the

sovereignty; and when it had become necessary that the people

should; for their own security; contribute towards this expense

by taxes of different kinds; it seems to have been very commonly

stipulated that no present for the administration of justice

should; under any pretence; be accepted either by the sovereign;

or by his bailiffs and substitutes; the judges。 Those presents;

it seems to have been supposed; could more easily be abolished

altogether than effectually regulated and ascertained。 Fixed

salaries were appointed to the judges; which were supposed to

compensate to them the loss of whatever might have been their

share of the ancient emoluments of justice; as the taxes more

than compensated to the sovereign the loss of his。 Justice was

then said to be administered gratis。

     Justice; however; never was in reality administered gratis

in any country。 Lawyers and attorneys; at least; must always be

paid by the parties; and; if they were not; they would perform

their duty still worse than they actually perform it。 The fees

annually paid to lawyers and attorneys amount; in every court; to

a much greater sum than the salaries of the judges。 The

circumstance of those salaries being paid by the crown can

nowhere much diminish the necessary expense of a law…suit。 But it

was not so much to diminish the expense; as to prevent the

corruption of justice; that the judges were prohibited from

receiving any present or fee from the parties。

     The office of judge is in itself so very honourable that men

are willing to accept of it; though accompanied with very small

emoluments。 The inferior office of justice of peace; though

attended with a good deal of trouble; and in most cases with no

emoluments at all; is an object of ambition to the greater part

of our country gentlemen。 The salaries of all the different

judges; high and low; together with the whole expense of the

administration and execution of justice; even where it is not

managed with very good economy; makes; in any civilised country;

but a very inconsiderable part of the whole expense of

government。

     The whole expense of justice; too; might easily be defrayed

by the fees of court; and; without exposing the administration of

justice to any real hazard of corruption; the public revenue

might thus be discharged from a certain; though; perhaps; but a

small incumbrance。 It is difficult to regulate the fees of court

effectually where a person so powerful as the sovereign is to

share in them; and to derive any considerable part of his revenue

from them。 It is very easy where the judge is the principal

person who can reap any benefit from them。 The law can very

easily oblige the judge to respect the regulation; though it

might not always be able to make the sovereign respect it。 Where

the fees of court are precisely regulated and ascertained; where

they are paid all at once; at a certain period of every process;

into the hands of a cashier or receiver; to be by him distributed

in certain known proportions among the different judges after the

process is decided; and not till it is decided; there seems to be

no more danger of corruption than where such fees are prohibited

altogether。 Those fees; without occasioning any considerable

increase in the expense of a lawsuit; might be rendered fully

sufficient for defraying the whole expense of justice。 By not

being paid to the judges till the process was determined; they

might be some incitement to the diligence of the court in

examining and deciding it。 In courts which consisted of a

considerable number of judges; by proportioning the share of each

judge to the number of hours and days which he had employed in

examining the process; either in the court or in a committee by

order of the court; those fees might give some encouragement to

the diligence of each particular judge。 Public services are never

better performed than when their reward comes only in consequence

of their being performed; and is proportioned to the diligence

employed in performing them。 In the different parliaments of

France; the fees of court (called epices and vacations)

constitute the far greater part of the emoluments of the judges。

After all deductions are made; the net salary paid by the crown

to a counsellor or judge in the Parliament of Toulouse; in rank

and dignity the second parliament of the kingdom; amounts only to

a hundred and fifty livres; about six pounds eleven shillings

sterling a year。 About seven years ago that sum was in the same

place the ordinary yearly wages of a common footman。 The

distribution of those epices; too; is according to the diligence

of the judges。 A diligent judge gains a comfortable; though

moderate; revenue by his office: an idle one gets little more

than his salary。 Those Parliaments are perhaps; in many respects;

not very convenient courts of justice; but they have never been

accused; they seem never even to have been suspected; of

corruption。

     The fees of court seem originally to have been the principal

support of the different courts of justice in England。 Each court

endeavoured to draw to itself as much business as it could; and

was; upon that account; willing to take cognisance of many suits

which were not originally intended to fall under its

jurisdiction。 The Court of King's Bench; instituted for the trial

of criminal causes only; took cognisance of civil suits; the

plaintiff pretending that the defendant; in not doing him

justice; had been guilty of some trespass or misdemeanour。 The

Court of Exchequer; instituted for the levying of the king's

revenue; and for enforcing the payment of such debts only as were

due to the king; took cognisance of all other contract debts; the

plaintiff alleging that he could not pay the king because the

defendant would not pay him。 In consequence of such fictions it

came; in many cases; to depend altogether upon the parties before

what court they would choose to have their cause tried; and each

court endeavoured; by superior dispatch and impartiality; to draw

to itself as many causes as it could。 The present admirable

constitution of the courts of justice in England was; perhaps;

originally in a great measure formed by this emulation which

anciently took place between their respective judges; each judge

endeavouring to give; in his own court; the speediest and most

effectual remedy which the law would admit for every sort of

injustice。 Originally the courts of law gave damages only for

breach of contract。 The Court of Chancery; as a court of

conscience; first took upon it to enforce the specific

performance of agreements。 When the breach of contract consisted

in the non…payment of money; the damage sustained could be

compensated in no other way than by ordering payment; which was

equivalent to a specific performance of the agreement。 In such

cases; therefore; the remedy of the courts of law was sufficient。

It was not so in others。 When the tenant sued his lord for having

unjustly outed him of his lease; the damages which he recovered

were by no means equivalent to the possession of the land。 Such

causes; therefore; for some time; went all to the Court of

Chancery; to the no small loss of the courts of law。 It was to

draw back such causes to themselves that the courts of law are

said to have invented the artificial and fictitious Writ of

Ejectment; the most effectual remedy for an unjust outer or

dispossession of land。

     A stamp…duty upon the law proceedings of each particular

court; to be levied by that court; and applied towards the

maintenance of the judges and other officers belonging to it;

might; in the same manner; afford revenue sufficient for

defraying the expense of the administration of justice; without

bringing any burden upon the general revenue of the society。 The

judges indeed might; in this case; be under the temptation of

multiplying unnecessa

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