Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2009
If a German professor announces his intention of speaking on the inner relationship between English and Roman law, he must first state why he intends to do so. When I reviewed Roman law, and later on English law, from the German point of view, it struck me again and again that the two systems touch each other at many points. It is obvious that this relationship must be clearer to a person acquainted with German law (and therefore speaking as an outsider) than it is to an English student who understands his law by working within the system and appreciates it accordingly. This, then, is one justification. Since I have not been brought up in English law, I shall always remain a layman, despite all my efforts to penetrate its nature.
2 Oliver, D. T., Roman Law in Modern Cases in English Courts (Cambridge Legal Essays, 1926, pp. 243–257).Google Scholar
3 SirPollock, Frederick, The Genius of the Common Law (Columbia Univ. Lectures, 1912)Google Scholar; Pound, Roscoe, The Spirit of the Common Law (1921)Google Scholar; Ihering, Geist des röm. Rechts; Schulz, Fr., Prinzipien des röm. Rechts (1934).Google Scholar
4 Partsch, Vom Beruf des röm. Rechts i. d. heutigen Universität (1920) 21 ff.Google Scholar; Babel, , Aufgabe und Notwend. d. Rechtswergl. (1925) 8, 18.Google Scholar
5 Bryce, James, Studies in History and Jurisprudence (1901), Essays XIV and XV.Google Scholar
6 Similar observations are made by ProfessorJolowicz, H. F.: Academical Elements in Roman Law, 48 L. Q. R. (1932), pp. 171, 199.Google Scholar
7 Schwarz, A. B., Das englische Recht und seine Quellen (Die Zivilgesetze der Gegenwart, Bd. II: England, 1, Teil, 1931), 75 ff.Google Scholar
8 Bryce, , loc. cit. II 202.Google Scholar
9 Broom, , Legal Maxims (9th ed.), 1924.Google Scholar
10 ‘They are for the most part so large and general in their language that they always include something which really is not intended to be included in them’: per Lord Esher M.R. in Yarmouth v. France (1887) 19 Q. B. D. 647, at 653.Google Scholar
11 Dig. 50, 17, 1.
12 Beryt, und Bologna, (Festschrift für Otto Lenel, 1921), 244–251Google Scholar; Schulz, F., Prinzipien, 33 ff.Google Scholar
13 P. 93.
14 On Roman freedom see now Schulz, F., Prinzipien, Chapter ‘Freiheit’ (95 ff.)Google Scholar
15 Pringsheim, Höhe u. Ende der röm. Jurisprudenz (Freib. Wiss. Ges. Fasc. 22, 1933Google Scholar; now reprinted in ‘Capitolium,’ Romanorum iuris et historiae commentaria (Istanbul, 1934) I, 2, 65 ff.); Pringsheim, The Legal Policy and Reforms of Hadrian (Roman Studies, 1934), 436.
16 Pringsheim, The Legal Policy and Reforms of Hadrian, 435.Google Scholar
17 [But it is only Blackstone's ghost which now haunts either the form or the substance of Stephen's work.—Ed.]
18 Comp. Buckland, W. W., Equity in Roman Law, 1911.Google Scholar
19 C. Just. 3, l, 8 (314).
20 C. Just. 1, 14, 1 (316).
21 Snell, , Principles of Equity (21st ed.), 9Google Scholar; Schwarz, A. B., loc. cit. 155.Google Scholar
22 Riccobono, , La Fusione del Ius Civile e del lus Praetorium in unicoordinamento (Arch. f. Rechts- u. Wirtschaftsphilosophie, 16 Zitelmann-Festschr.), 503 ff.Google Scholar
23 Wlassak, Anklage u. Streitbefest. (Abhandl, . Wien. Ak. 184, 1917), 146 ff.Google Scholar; Riccobono, , SZ 47 (1927), 101 ff.Google Scholar; Steinwenter, , SZ 54 (1934), 376Google Scholar; Collinet, , Procédure par libelle (1932), 429, 456 (with different treatment).Google Scholar
24 Anson, , Law of Contract (17th ed. 1929), 54.Google Scholar
25 Neuere Ansichten und Literatur bei Betti, Le fonti dell' obbigazione romana (Arch. giur. (1925), 309 ff.) and Luzzatto, G. I., Origini e natura delle obbligazioni Romane (1934), 8et seq., 102 et seq., 233 et seq.Google Scholar
26 Levy, , SZ 42 (1921), 478 ff.Google Scholar
27 Cooper v. Shepherd (1846) 3 C. B. 266, 272Google Scholar; cf. Brinsmead v. Harrison (1871) L. R. 7 C. P. 547.Google Scholar
28 Ehrhardt, , Litis aestimatio (1934), 106Google Scholaret seq.; Carelli, , L'acquisto della proprietà per ‘Litis aestimatio’ nel processo civile Romano (1934).Google Scholar
29 Rheinstein, , Die Struktur des vertragl. Schuldverh. im anglo-amerikan. Recht (Beitr. z. ausl. u. intern. Priv R., Heft 5 (1932), 55et seq., 80 et seq., 119 et seq.).Google Scholar
30 Jörs, , RPR. 170 n. 3Google Scholar; Bruck, , Die Gesinnung des Schenkers bei Joh. Chrysostomus (Mnemosyne Pappoulias, 1934), 79.Google Scholar
31 Goldschmidt, L., Universalgeschichte des Handelrechts I, 1 (ed. 3, 1891), 58et seq.Google Scholar
32 Holdsworth, , Sources and Literature of English Law (1925), 208et seq.Google Scholar
33 The ‘Commercial Court’ is only a part of the High Court of Justice.
34 Gieseke, , Fund u. Schatzfund (Rechtsvergleich. Hand Wört Buch. 3 (1931), 548et seq.Google Scholar
35 Roman law: Dig. 47, 2, 43, 9. English law: Halsbury, Laws of England (2nd ed.) I, 730–733; VIII, 500; Stephen's Comm. (19th ed.) II, 209, 228.
36 Cheshire, G. C., Real Property (3rd ed.), 158.Google Scholar
37 Dig. 43, 26, 4, 1.
38 Woess, Von, Urkundenwesen (Münch. Beitr. 6, 1924), 98 ff.Google Scholar
39 Elphinstone, Introduction to Conveyancing.
40 Law of Property Act, 1925Google Scholar; Land Registration Act, 1925.Google Scholar
41 Siber, , Röm Priv R. (1928), 297.Google Scholar
42 Halsbury, Laws of England (1st ed.) XV. 884 (s), 922 (c) (‘Guarantee’).
43 Nov. Just. 4.
44 Schwarz, A. B., Garantievertrag und Bürgschaft (Rechtsvergl. Hand Wört B. 3 (1931)), 608et seq.Google Scholar
45 Dig. 50, 17, 185.
46 Babel, , Origine de law règle: impossibilium nulla obligatio (Melanges Gérardin (1907))Google Scholar; Rabel, , Unmöglichkeit der Leistung (Aus röm. u. bürg. Recht, Festg, f. E. I. Becker), 193.Google Scholar
47 Paradine v. Jane (1647), Aleyn 26Google Scholar: ‘But when the party by his own contract creates a duty or charge upon himself, he is bound to make it good.’
48 Anson's Law of Contract (17th ed.), 368 et seq.; Rheinstein, D. Struktur des vertragl. Schuldverh. 160 et seq.
49 Roman law: Rabel, loc. cit. Mel. Gérardin 479Google Scholar, Festg. Becker 194.Google ScholarEnglish law: Anson's Law of Contract, 368Google Scholar; Rheinstein, , loc. cit. 161et seq.Google Scholar
50 3 B. & S. 826.
51 Rheinstein, . loc. cit. 173.Google Scholar
52 Taylor v. Caldwell, 3 B. & S. at p. 835Google Scholar; Rheinstein, , loc. cit. 175.Google Scholar
53 English law: E. Heymann, Ueberblick ü. d. engl. Privatrecht (Holtzen-dorff-Kohler, , Encyclop. 2 (1914) 333Google Scholar; Odgers, , Common Law (3rd ed.) II, 563.Google Scholar Roman law: Siber, , Röm Priv R. 275.Google Scholar
54 English law: see last note. Roman law: actio cum deducitene of the bonorum emptor.
55 Biondi, , Compensazione (1927), 48et seq.Google Scholar
56 BGB s. 119 Abs. II: Als Irrtum über den Inhalt der Erklarung gilt auch der Irrtum über soche Eigenschaften der Person oder der Sache, die im Verkehr als wesentlich angesehen werden.
57 Lenel, Otto, Der Irrtum über wesentliche Eigenschaften, Iherings Jahrbücher 44, 1Google Scholar; Revista de derecho privado, (1924) 123, (1925) 161Google Scholar; Beseler, , Error in materia, Byzant.-Neugriech. Jahrb. 1 (1920), 343.Google Scholar
58 Lenel, , Arch. Ziv. Prax. 123 (1925), 172.Google Scholar
59 Roman law: Siber, Röm. Priv. R. 334. English law: Pringsheim, Succession (Die Zivilgesetze der Gegenwart, Bd II; England, 1, Teil), 646.
60 Roman law: Von Woess, Das röm. Erbrecht (1910), 31et seq.Google Scholar English law: Pollock, and Maitland, , Hist. of Eng. Law (2nd ed.) II, 356et seq.Google Scholar
61 Siber, , loc. cit. 374.Google Scholar
62 Pringsheim, , loc. cit. 646.Google Scholar
63 C. Just, 3, 28, 30; Nov. Just. 18 and 115.
64 Colin-Capitant, , Cours élément, de Droit Civil Français (3rd ed.) 3 (1922), 708.Google Scholar
65 La Pirs, Successione ereditaria (1931), 509et seq.Google Scholar
66 Williams, on Executors (12th ed.) i, 21.Google Scholar
67 Dew v. Clark (1822) 1 Add. 279, 284; 3 Add. 79.Google Scholar
68 Williams, ibid.
69 Pringsheim, , loc. cit. 646 n. 2a.Google Scholar