dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright) (09/09/90)
In article <9008292257.AA23568@world.std.com> bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) writes: > >>> Remember "innocent until proven guilty?" [ ... ] >> >I believe its roots are in English common law, and might be stated in >the Magna Carta (I don't have a copy handy, if anyone happens to have >the Magna Carta on-line I'd love a copy.) I've looked up my copy (of W.S. McKechnie's translation from the original Latin), and it doesn't cover this point exactly. The nearest I can see is (among articles about the removal of fish-weirs and rights of English and Welsh Barons and the rights of heirs and widows and the right to leave and re-enter the country and ....): "No bailiff for the future shall, upon his own unsupported complaint, put anyone on trial, without credible witnesses brought for this purpose. No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or outlawed or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice." Maybe someone should post the original. I have seen the one at Salisbury Cathedral but I don't think they'd let me fit it into a scanner :-) Four original 'exemplifications' still exist of the 13 made and issued under seal in 1215. Two are in the British Library (one badly damaged), and one in Lincoln Cathedral. Regards, David Wright STL, London Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA, UK dww@stl.stc.co.uk <or> ...uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!dww <or> PSI%234237100122::DWW Living in a country without a written constitution means having to trust in the Good Will of the Government and the Generosity of Civil Servants.