開場白
這裡說古代大不列顛聯合王國的法律。
腳長
普通法對原告的救濟措施較為有限,人們便直接向英國國王申訴,而國王則將案件轉交首席大法官(Lord Chancellor)去處理。由此,逐漸形成了衡平法院(Court of Chancery)。從 1473 年開始,衡平法院的大法官開始發出判決。
約翰·塞爾登(John Selden,1584 - 1654)是一位英國法學家。
他說:
衡平法是一個無賴的東西;因為我們的法律,是有一個尺度,知道該相信什麼;衡平法是根據大法官的良知來決定的;大法官的良知有大有小,衡平法也是如此。如果他們要定一個衡量的標準,那就是一位大法官的腳長;這將是一個多麼不確定的衡量標準!一位大法官的腳長,另一位大法官的腳短,第三位大法官的腳無所謂:在大法官的良心裡,這都是一樣的。
Equity is a roguish thing; for law we have a measure, know what to trust to; equity is according to the conscience of him that is chancellor; and as that is larger or narrower, so is equity. It is all one as if they should make the standard for the measure, a chancellor’s foot; what an uncertain measure would this be? One chancellor has a long foot, another a short foot, a third an indifferent foot: it is the same thing in that chancellor’s conscience.
參考:John Selden 的 “Table Talk: Being the Discourses of John Selden, Esq.” 第 45 頁,名為 “Epitaph, Equity”。
丹寧勳爵(1899 - 1999)曾任法官達 38 年,以 82 歲之齡退休。
丹寧勳爵繼續強烈批評上議院作出的判決。在一個移民案件中,他說,「上議院沒有給予任何指導,他們讓每一位法官,都按他們的意願做···根據他們的腳的長度···一團糟。」
Lord Denning continued to be sharply critical of the judgments handled down by the House of Lords. In an immigration case, he remarked that the House of Lords had given no guidance, they left every judge to do as he liked . . . according to the length of his foot . . . . what a state of affairs.
參考:Charles Stephens 的 “A Study in Legal History Volume I: Fiat Justitia: Lord Denning and the Common Law”,第 82 頁,第 3 章,題目是: “Denning’s Law: The Judge’s Role”。 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 出版。
收場白
有一個廣東話「俚語」,叫「9 號鞋」,來自英語 “nine size”。