The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-31

islatITe no witness IS hereafter required to
place his lips upon the dirty covers of
q Bible before being suffered 10 give MS
Under the common law the original
mode OF taking The oath was by layinB
the hand on the Bible, which Lord Coke
says Is called a corporal oath, be-
cause the witness touchcth with his hand
some part Of the holy scriptures" LORD
Hale says: THE regular oath as allowed
by the laws Of England is: You swear
by touching the holy gospels, and in the
case Of q. Jew, you touch the book Of the
Kissing The book came into vogue some
year subsequent to Lord Hale 80 as 70
make sure that the corporal" or bodily
oath was taken. for witnesses sometimes
held the Bible in their gloyed hand, ana
IL was insisted that some part of the
naked body must come in contact with
the holy scriptures In order to the com
plction Of a corporal oath.
An old English coronation oath was;
80 help me God, and these holy eVange-
lists by me bodily touched upon this holy
In the various nations there are many
curious forms Of taking oaths to assure
truthfulneSs. A Hindoo law says: Let
a judge swear a Brahmin by his verac-
ity, n soldier by his horses, his elephants
or his arms; an aglcuturlst by MS
COWS MS grain or his money; and a SOudra
by all bis crimes"
In Chinese courts, when witness is
sworn, a live cock is brought Into court
and the head OF the b 70 cut OFF. Another
form Is for the witness to take in his
hands saucer and say: In the face
OF God ! break this saucer; II II comes
together again Chinaman has told a lie
and expects not TO i've flVe days; II IL
remain asunder, Ch.naman has told tho
truth and escapes the vengeance of the
Almighty" He then smashes the saucer
In pieces and becomes a qualified Wit
ness one. and perhaps both, Of these
forms have been used IN California where
Cinnamon have been called as Witnesses.
The ancient jews swOre by the Book
OF the Law; the Egyptians by the head
Of their king and the Greeks By one or
more Of their numerous gOds who was
supposed to have charge Of the particular
matter. The people OF Already swore by
the waters of Styx and the Romans by
their faith and honor; The re FER 2,
taking an oath laid their hand upon
pillar OF stone. The only binding oath
upon a Highlander is one sworn upon the
point Of his dirk; he cares nothing for
an oath taken upon the gospels or the
cross.
The Russians swear by the cross and the
Germans and French by the upllIled mana
as Is common with US. concluding with
the formula. so help me God.
Many forms Of oaths may be found in
Chaucer, Shakespeare and the elder dra-
matists. Hamlet swears HOratio and Mar
cellus upon the hllt of his sword and
'Iogchstone sweaTs Rosalind and Celia by
their boards. which they had not, and con-
sequently could not be foresworn. In the
Canterbury TaNs the prioress sWears by
St. Eioy;" the host by my fathers SOUL
the carpenters wife by st. Thomas Of
Ken" and the merchant by ST. Thomas
OF indie"
The favorite oath of William the Con-
queror was by the splendor Of Cod that
OF Henry TX. Of France par la ventre st.
Girls" and that Of CheValler Bayard par
la vraye corps de Dieu."
Innumerabie other oaths even more Gu
rious may be culled by the students of his
tory and of literature
All of which goes TO prove that the
Psalmists hasty assertion had some foun-
datiOn. For # man is not conscious that he
Is an almost habitual liar why has he al
ways attempted to fortify his word by i'm
precat ting the vengeance of heaven and the
supernatural powers upon himself should
1t not be true?