| 释义 |
‖ salus populi suprema lex (esto)
Latin phr. (occurring in Cicero De Leg. iii. iii. 8): the safety of the people must be the supreme law. Also ellipt. as salus populi. Similarly salus rei publicae.
1612Bacon Essaies xxvii, Judges ought above all, to remember the Conclusion of the Romaine twelve Tables; Salus populi suprema lex, and to know that Lawes, except they bee in order to that end, are but things captious, and Oracles not well inspired. 1617J. Chamberlain Let. 10 May (1939) II. 74 Necessitie hath no law, and yf salus populi be suprema lex, in this case salus regis was included too. 1788Gibbon Let. 29 Nov. in Wks. (1796) I. 193 In so new a case the salus populi must be the first law. 1794[see political science s.v. political a. 6]. 1836J. F. Davis Chinese I. vi. 251 These are contained in their sacred books, whose principle is literally, salus populi suprema lex. 1845H. Broom Legal Maxims i. 1 Salus Populi Suprema Lex... Hence there are many cases in which individals sustain an injury for which the law gives no action. 1910Chesterton G.B. Shaw 89 The real and ancient emotion of the salus populi, almost extinct in our oligarchical chaos. 1963Times 8 Mar. 13/5 In matters concerning the safety of the state, the definition of which can be safely left to our Courts of Law, salus rei publicae must surely still be suprema lex? 1978Times 10 May 17/5, I do not wish to pursue the arguments for and against birching..except to express doubts as to whether the vague and potentially dangerous maxim ‘salus populi suprema lex’..is really the best possible guideline to be recommended to a court of law for the determination of a legal issue. |