13 June 1805

Evidence

Introd

Ch. Procedure Technical

''.3.

4. For the purpose of the discourses thus to be carried on by and between the parties through the endeavour of such their assistants to exempt them, one or both of them the force of these obligations /employment/ of punishment and terror, from those his which were at the same time to continue to be employed for the purpose of securing against mendacity and temerity the evidence of extraneous witnesses.

5. In the case of all such assertions on the part of either party, (in particular of the defendant, the party most generally interested in the production of delay) as of time, might in reality or in appearance have afforded a just and reasonable ground for ulterior instruments or operations, to give them, coincidentally without opportunity of disproval or contradiction, the immediate effect of [...?] on the part of one or other party or both the necessity of such ulterior instruments or operations.

By the former /forth/ arrangement, mendacity, in so far as the man of law was in the way of reaping his profit from it, was trained: by this fifth arrangement it was crowned: whatever profit it might aim at, was then secured to it. By the former false [...?] were permitted; by the latter being [...?] for true, they were encouraged and [...?].

6. Not to suffer so much the proxies of the parties to come to any explanations in his presence with relation to the facts in which the ultimate [...?] for the fall principally and ultimately in question on the cause, [...?] far as [...?] mass of operations and instruments had been interchanged between them of course a mass as large as there could be found in so sufficient pretence for making.

By this refusal a diverse number of [...?] were answered at once

1. He saved these his dominant partners from the obligation of presenting, and himself from that of receiving any of those explanations which if they could not have been kept had might have put a premature period to the cause.

2. By forcing them to perform their operations and before other eyes and present their instruments to their hands, he promoted the [...?] of the list of objects abovementioned, encreasing the number of hands through which the parties were to be made to save the gantlet for his benefit, 3 d So many offers as could thus be piled up, are upon another, take Offer upon Pelion[?], all out of the eye of the principal, so many sources and scenes of occasional misconduct, real or pretended, on the part of parties' Agents and officers, each [...?] every other, so many occasions for incidental applications to be made to him for redress, applications producing more instruments, more operations, with their inseparable fires[?].

In regard to each of these several contrivances a word or two of explanation or observation may be of use.

On the present occasion I give no other than the leading features of the technical system: those which contrast at first view with the corresponding features of the natural. In relation to those, what ulterior features there may be occasion to bring to view will be but so many fillings up of the outline traced by those more essential ones: or to change the metaphor, os many edifices erected in those broad foundations, so many dreams drawn from those copious sources.
Similar Items
  • Title: [18 June 1805 Evidence Introd]
    Description: 18 June 1805

    Evidence

    Introd

    Ch. Procedure Technical

    ''.8 Mendacity encouraged

    limited to parties

    ''.8. Limitations to the encouragement given to mendacity - not extended to witnesses - why.

    The encouragement to be given to mendacity was not indiscriminate. In whatever cause profit was to be made by it, to these uses the encouragement was to be extended: where no profit was to be made by it, the encouragement did not /was not to/ follow it.

    It was accordingly to be given to parties and t both parties: because it might happen to either party, demandant or defendant to be in the wrong /and that knowingly, in/ in respect of his acting in that character and to know himself to be so. and whichsoever of them was /were/ conscious of being in the wrong, to him it could be but natural to apply the licence given to him for mendacity /his mendacity-licence/ to the purpose for which it was given to him /put into his hands/, viz: the manufacturing of those operations /fabricating of such false assertions/ to which when exhibited in the form the effect was annexed[?] of giving rise /birth/ to those operations instruments and delay, to which so many definite portion of expence at the charge of the suitor, and to the benefit and profit of the man of law were /had been/ attached.

    To be given - to parties, yes; who in virtue of the mendacious assertions, express or implied, in which the delays given to them, ... to that one of them who was in the wrong) were grounded, were witnesses in /each for himself /on his own behalf/, witnesses/ put through without the name. To parties in the character of witnesses, self-regarding witnesses, yes: but not to what are commonly understood by the name of witnesses, extraneous witnesses in case of mendacity and the other securities against mendacity. To these punishment was accordingly applied, and why? 1 Because from mendacity on their part no such service as in the case of parties, as above, nor in short any other service accrued to the man of law: 2. Because on the other hand in case /[...?]/ of mendacity on their part, in case of prosecution for the mendacity, where prosecution supposes punishment by this suit as by any other the mass of profit was encreased: which suit, even and above the pecuniary profit would afford to the man of law the opportunity of encreasing his stock of [...?] popularity, by the zeal /reputable quality/ which the prosecution would afford him an opportunity for displaying - the law of justice.
  • Title: [16 May 1805 Evidence Introd]
    Description: 16 May 1805

    Evidence

    Introd.

    Ch. Reconciliat. Offices

    It is time the strain upon the reader's conception were relaxed: it is time the mystery were unravelled.

    In Denmark the characteristic features appear to have been these. I put /place/ in front those which appear to have been /present themselves/ the efficient courses of whatever has been done: in the rear, those whose /of which/ the highest praise is that of not having been triumphant obstacles - 1. First step, the Meeting of both /all/ parties in the presence of the Judge. /Court./ the characteristic feature of the natural system of procedure, in contradistinction to the technical.

    2. No professional lawyer suffered to set his foot either on the bench or so much as at the bar: an arrangement desirable as far as it is practicable, but in some cases scarce /not/ practicable. /absolutely impracticable./

    3. Fees, none at all, or so inconsiderable as not to be felt.

    4. The parties neither of them upon oath, nor in any other way punishable, understand by legal punishment, as for mendacity

    5. The proceedings secret from first to last.

    6. The officers, so many bees without stings, serpents without teeth. Judges without power to in force, or to procure the inforcement of their own decrees: in recompence an unlimited power of preaching and giving good advice.

    7. No plaintiff in any course within the jurisdiction of this Court, permitted to [...?] a defendant into any other Court, without having given him a previous option of meeting him at one of these Courts.
  • Title: [18 June 1805 Evidence Introd]
    Description: 18 June 1805

    Evidence

    Introd

    Ch. Procedure Technical

    ''.7. Writing abused

    Among the essential points of the technical system one that we have seen is the abuse of the art of writing. On this head a distinction requires to be made: for in the instance /regard to/ of this master art, on this as on so many other grounds, thin and delicate /slight/ are the particulars by which the abuse is divided from the use.

    The purposes /occasions/ the application of it to which comes under the head of use will be spoken of at large in the body of this work. + These are the registration of the few operations and instruments for which the natural system produces in the several cases a genuine demand: and where the expence is warranted by the importance of the cause or by the anxiety of the party who is willing to defray it, the registration of the evidence. meaning by evidence such information, whether it came from the parties, or from extraneous witnesses, such information for the truth /correctness/ of which such securities as are requisite, and as such are afforded by the natural system of procedure, are /have been/ applied.

    The abuse consists in the fabricating and registration of such /these/ /whatever/ useless instruments and operations and instruments as the technical system may have happened to superadd or substitute to the few that would be called for and exhibited under the natural system: together with such information true or false but for the verity of which no security is employed /applied/, such information true or false, as both parties either /purely/ from the obligation inferred[?] upon them by the regulation of the system, partly from /by/ the sinister policy of that one of the parties who is conscious of being in the wrong, have been led to furnish /exhibit/.

    Under the natural system whatever[?] writing is employed about the evidence succeeds /follows/ /comes after/ oral delivery of the testimony. and in neither more nor less than that testimony itself consigned to their [...?] under the technical system it either precedes /comes between or is substituted/ and is super[?] - [...?] [...?] added to the oral testimony, it also is substituted to it.

    Securities. Rules