[100]
He will dismiss the letter of the
law, pointing out that in any case the position of a
bastard is not prejudiced by the fact that no legitimate
son was born after him, and arguing as follows:—
“Suppose that the only son is a bastard, what will
his position be? Merely that of a citizen? and yet
he was not born after any legitimate son. Or
will he rank as a son in all respects? But he
was not born before the legitimate sons. As it is
impossible to stand by the letter of the law we
must stand by its intentions.”
Quintilian. With an English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1920.
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