Alfred the Great (849 – 26 October 899) (Old English: Ælfrēd, Ælfrǣd, “elf counsel” or “wise elf”) was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.
Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by the time of his death had become the dominant ruler in England.[1] He is one of only two English monarchs to be given the epithet “the Great”, the other being the Scandinavian Cnut the Great. He was also the first King of the West Saxons to style himself “King of the Anglo-Saxons“. Details of Alfred’s life are described in a work by the 10th-century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser. A devout Christian, Alfred had a reputation as a learned and merciful man of a gracious and level-headed nature who encouraged education and improved his kingdom’s legal system, military structure and his people’s quality of life.
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King Alfred’s Book of Dooms (Judgments)
Alfred’s Book of Dooms (Judgments) (2009)
American law was established upon English common law.
King Alfred’s code, or Alfred’s Dooms as it was called, begins with an almost literal transcript of the Decalogue. The only variation is that the second commandment is omitted from its rightful place. The second commandment stands at the tenth. Immediately following the Ten Commandments are selections from the Mosaic code; primarily from the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd chapters of Exodus. They are very slightly modified.
Please understand that King Alfred is spoken of as the
“Father of English Common law” for he created the first written code of English common law.
The ancient British historians declare that English common law began as far back in antiquity as 1100 B.C. It was codified by Brutus (Brute) of Troy grandson of Aenaes descendant of Judah – Zarah. The law was codified in 500 B.C. by Malmutius and codified again by the Saxon lawgiver King Alfred the Great.
Alfred, renowned Saxon lawgiver and administration place Divine origin in the forefront of Saxon law. The following excerpts are from “Alfred the Great” who proclaims the Law of Moses as the foundation of Anglo – Saxon law and administration.
I have contrasted the appropriate selections of Mosaic law with King Alfred’s book of dooms”.
N.B.
From common observance there should be no departure; there must be no departure from common usage {A communi observantia non est recedendum; Coke, Litt. 186};
Custom must be taken strictly {Custome serra prise stricte; Jenks. Cent. Cas. 83};
A custom introduced against reason ought rather be called a “usurpation” than a “custom.” {Consuetudo contra rationem introducta potius usurpatio quam consuetudo appellari debet};
A custom should be certain; for an uncertain custom is considered null {Consuetudo debet esse certa; nam incerta pro nulla habetur};
Custom is another law {Consuetudo est altera lex; 4 Coke, 21};
Custom is the best expounder of the laws {Consuetudo est optimus interpres legum};
Custom and common usage overcomes the unwritten law, if it be special; and interprets the written law, if the law be general {Consuetudo et communis assuetudo vincit legem non scriptam, si sit specialis; et interpretatur legem scriptam, si lex sit generalis};
A custom, grounded on a certain and reasonable cause, supersedes the common law {Consuetudo ex certa causa rationabili usitata privat communem legem.};
A custom, though it be of great authority, should never prejudice manifest truth {Consuetudo licet sit magnæ auctoritatis, nunguam tamen, præjudicat manifestæ veritati};
The custom of the place is to be observed {Consuetudo loci observanda est; 6 Coke, 67};
Custom can neither arise from nor be taken away by injury {Consuetudo neque injuria oriri neque tolli potest};
A prescriptive and legitimate custom overcomes the law {Consuetudo præscripta et legitima vincit legem; Coke, Litt. 113};
Custom once disallowed cannot again be produced {Consuetudo semel reprobata non potest amplius induci; Dav. 33};
Custom takes away the common law {Consuetudo tollit communem legem};
Custom overrules common law {Consuetudo vincit communem legem};
Custom leads the willing, law compels or draws the unwilling {Consuetudo volentes ducit, lex nolentes trahit; Jenk. Cent. 274};
Antiquity did nothing without a good reason {Nil sine prudenti fecit ratione vetustas; Coke, Litt. 65};
A reasonable custom is to be obeyed as a law {Obtemperandum est consuetudini rationabili tanquam legi};
Custom is the best interpreter of laws {Optimus legum interpres consuetudo, 4 Inst. 75};
The thing speaks for itself {Res ipsa loquitur}; and that class of authority, infra:
Cf.
About the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and why the second commandment about no graven images was removed: the Roman Catholic Church, which if you’ve ever been in one is full of graven images (St. So-and-so, Mary the false “goddess”, etc.), removed Commandment Two and replaced it by splitting the tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not take thy neighbor’s wife, they neighbor’s goods…” to Commandment Nine: “thou shalt not take thy neighbor’s wife.” and Commandment Ten “thou shalt not take thy neighbor’s goods.”
Folks I thank God that I was born into a household where my mother grew up Catholic and my dad grew up Protestant,,,hearing them argue at dinner over nonsense like the Pope’s “Infallibility” and screwing with the Ten Commandments really helped me to see the heresy of Roman Catholicism.