LEGEM

Lat. Accusative of lex, law. Occurring in various legal phrases, as follows: Legem amittere. To lose one’s law; that is, to lose one’s privilege of being admitted to take an oath. Legem facere. In old English law. To make law or oath. Legem ferre. In Roman law. To propose a law to the people for their adoption. Heinecc. Ant. Rom. lib. 1, tit. 2. Legem habere. To be capable of giving evidence upon oath. Witnesses who had been convicted of crime were incapable of giving evidence, until 6 & 7 Vict. c. 85. Legem jubere. In Roman law. To give consent and authority to a proposed law; to make or pass it. Tayl. Civil Law, 9. Legem pone. To propound or lay down the law. By an extremely obscure derivation or analogy, this term was formerly used as a slang equivalent for payment in cash or in ready money. Legem sincere. To give consent and authority to a proposed law; applied to the consent of the people. Legem vadiare. In old English law. To wage law; to offer or to give pledge to make defense, by oath, with compurgators. Legem terrse amittentes, perpetuazn infamise notam inde merito incurrunt. Those who lose the law of the land, then justly incur the ineffaceable brand of infamy. 3 Inst. 221.