ANCIENT LAW

ancient law.The law of antiquity, considered esp. either from an anthropological standpoint or

from the stand-point of tracing precursors to modern law.

“Ancient law uniformly refuses to dispense with a single gesture, however grotesque; with a

single  syllable,  however  its  meaning  may  have  been  forgotten;  with  a  single  witness,  however

superfluous  may  be  his  testimony.  The  entire  solemnities  must  be  scrupulously  completed  by

persons  legally  entitled  to  take  part  in  them,  or  else  the  conveyance  is  null,  and  the  seller  is

re-established in the rights of which he had vainly attempted to divest himself.” Henry S. Maine,

Ancient Law 225–26 (17th ed. 1901). [Blacks Law 8th]