In the Roman law. An edict; a mandate, or ordinance. An ordinance, or law, enacted by the emperor without tbe senate; belonging to the class of constitutiones principis. Inst. 1, 2, 6. An edict was a mere voluntary constitution of the emperor; differing from a rescript, in not being returned
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In the Roman law. An edict; a mandate, or ordinance. An ordinance, or law, enacted by the emperor without tbe senate; belonging to the class of constitutiones principis. Inst. 1, 2, 6. An edict was a mere voluntary constitution of the emperor; differing from a rescript, in not being returned in the way of answer; and from a decree, in not being given in judgment; and from both, in not being founded upon solicitation. Tayl. Civil Law, 233.
A general order published by the praetor, on entering upon his office, containing the system of rules by which he would administer justice during the year of his office. Dig. 1, 2, 2, 10; Mackeld. Rom. Law, | 35. Tayl. Civil Law, 214. See Calvin.
-Edictum annuum. The annual edict or system of rules promulgated by a Roman praetor immediately upon assuming his office, setting forth the principles by which he would be guided in determining causes during his term of office. Mackeld. Rom. Law, $ 36.-Edictum perpetuum. The perpetual edict. A compilation or system of law in fifty books, digested by Julian, a lawyer of great eminence under the reign of Adrian, from the praetor's edicts and other parts of the Jus Honorarium. All the remains of it which have come down to us are the extracts of it in the Digests. Butl. Hor. Jur. 52.-Edictum provinciale. An edict or system of rules for tbe administration of justice, similar to the edict of the praetor, put forth by the proconsuls and propraetors in the provinces of the Roman Empire. Mackeld. Rom. Law, s 36.-Edictum Theodorici. This is the first collection of law that was made after the downfall of the Roman power in Italy. It was promulgated by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, at Rome in A. D. 500. It consists of 154 chapters, in which we recognise parts taken from the Code and Novelise of Theodosiua, from the Codices Gregorianua and Hermogenian-us, and the Sententise of Paulus. The edict was doubtless drawn up by Roman writers, but the original sources are more disfigured and altered than in any other compilation. This collection of law was intended to apply both to the Goths and the Romans, so far as its provisions went; but, when it made no alteration in the Gothic law, that law was still to be in force. Savigny, Geschichte des R. R,-Edictum tralatitium. Where a Roman praetor, upon assuming office, did not publish a wholly new edict, but retained the whole or a principal part of the edict of his predecessor (as was usually the case) only adding to it such rules as appeared to be necessary to adapt it to changing social conditions or juristic ideas, it was called "edictum tralatitium." Mackeld. Rom: Law, | 36.
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