In civil law methods such as these of Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Greece, there’s a distinct class of notary, a legally skilled public official, compensated by the parties to a transaction. This is a 16th-century portray of such a notary by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. As time went on, many felt that the widespread law was overly systematised and inflexible, and rising numbers of residents petitioned the King to override the common law. On the King’s behalf, the Lord Chancellor started giving judgments to do what was equitable in a case.
In France, an odd contract is said to…