chirographum

chīrŏgrăphum, i, n. (access. form * chīrŏgrăphus, i, m., sc. libellus or codex, Fulvius ap. Quint. 6, 3, 100 Spald., together with chirographum, Quint. ib. 5, 13, 8; and chīrŏgrăphon, i, n., Sid. Carm. 16, 56), = χειρόγραφον.

• One’s own handwriting, autograph; pure Lat. manus (in good prose; freq. in Cic.): extrema pagella pupugit me tuo chirographo, Cic. Fam. 2, 13, 3; Planc. ib. 10, 21, 3; Cic. Phil. 1, 7, 16; 2, 4, 8: neque utar meo chirographo neque signo, id. Att. 2, 20, 5: imitari, id. N. D. 3, 30, 74 al.—
• II Meton (abstr. pro concr.), that which is written with one’s own hand: credidi chirographis ejus (assurances in his own handwriting), Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 21, 1; so, Cic. Fam. 2, 13, 3; id. Brut. 80, 277; id. Fam. 12, 1, 2; id. Phil. 1, 7, 16; Quint. 9, 2, 73; Suet. Aug. 87; id. Tib. 6; id. Calig. 24.—
• • B In the lang. of business, t. t., a bond, surety, or obligation under one’s own hand (diff. from syngrapha, q. v.; not found with this meaning in Cic.), Gai Inst. 3, 134; Dig. 20, 1, 26; 49, 14, 3; Suet. Caes. 17; id. Calig. 12; id. Dom. 1; Gell. 14, 2, 7.

chīrographum (chīrografum), ī, n. (χειρόγραφον), Nbf. chīrographus, ī, m. (Fulv. b. Quint. 6, 3, 100), das mit eigener Hand Geschriebene, die Handschrift, eigenhändige Schrift, falsorum commentariorum et chirographorum officina, Cic.: suo chirographo mittere litteras, Planc. in Cic. ep.: alcis chirographum imitari, Cic.: chirographis credere, fidem habere, Cic.: ad proposita (Schreibvorlagen) reformare chirographum, Sen. – insbes., als t. t. der Geschäftsspr. = eigenhändige Verschreibung, Handschrift, Obligation, Wechsel, exhibitio chirographi, Gell.: alci chirographum dare, Sen.: per chirographum et cautionem credere, Porphyr.: domesticā cautione et chirographo obligare se alci ad praestandum, ICt.: chirographum debitoris scindere, Ambros. ep. 37, 44. – ➳ griech. Form chirographon, Sidon. carm. 16, 56.

chirographum (ciro-), ~us [CL < χειρόγραφος] 1 handwriting, manuscript. b chirograph, formal deed or instrument, esp. royal charter. c bond. d bond given to Devil. e (fig., usu. w. ref. to Col. ii 14). cyrograffum, manusscriptio GlC C 975; ~um, rædinggewrit vel handgewrit Ælf. Gl.; 9‥ cyrographum, i. conscriptio hominis vel man, manualis scriptio, gewrit ræden vel agnung WW; 1426 adveniente scripte Legis tempore ‥ decimarum prestacio Veteris Instrumenti roborata ~o ‥ illam patriarcharum progeniem ‥ constringebat Reg. Cant. III 135.  b si qua in eis acceptione videntur digna, fraternitatis tuae ~o firmentur Egb. Dial. pref.; 789 (12c) ea quae ‥ salubriter definiuntur ‥ ob incertam futurorum temporum conditionem firmissimis scripturarum indiciis et cautionum cyrographis sunt roboranda CS 257; †801 (13c) cum auctoritate harum litterarum et ~orum Ib. 282; 803 (c900) praescriptum [sic] cyrographi cartulam (Conc. Clofesho) Ib. 310; 904 corographum Ib. 609 (tit.); rex Æðgarus ‥ xl hidas terre ‥ Deo sancteque Æðeldreðe cum ‥ ~o optulit Lib. Eli. II 7; nullius habens episcopii sui scriptum antecessoris vel ~um, testimonio sue calamitatis Herm. Arch. 25; leguntur ‥ cyrographa emptionis et donationis sed et carte confirmationum Chr. Battle 107; ~orum confectionem Anglicanam, que antea usque ad Edwardi regis tempora fidelium presencium subscripcionibus cum crucibus aureis aliisque sacris signaculis firma fuerunt, Normanni condemnantes ~a chartas vocabant Croyl. 70 (cf. (v. charta 3a)); [Henricus II] militibus ‥ agros, oppida condonat, suisque ~is donationem comprobat P. Verg. XIII 226.  c differunt ~us et syngraphus: quia syngraphus est scriptura inter creditorem et debitorem indentata in cujus scissura literis capitalibus scribebatur hec diccio ‘syngraphus’; sed ~us dicitur quod manu unius tantum, puta debitoris, scribitur et penes creditorem relinquitur; aliquando tamen promiscue sumitur Lyndw. 50s; c1430 cum Tobia sub sirographo pecunias accomodare Reg. Whet. II app. 402; oblygacion, ~us PP; induci non poterat ut Gallo apocham sive ~um traderet Camd. Br. 278.  d tam pia virgo pio fletu cyrographa dampnat / hosti que dederas in tua dampna tuo Garl. Epith. f. 43.  e a680 ut cirografum protoplausti deleret Aldh. Ep. 4 (cf. id. Ep. 5: protoplaustorum ‥ cirografum oblitteraturum); 930 (14c) massam humanae conditionis generalem ‥ ~um servitutis seu dampnationis subituram CS 669; 1002 (12c) nos ‥ inevitabili mortis obnoxii ~o CD 1295; hujus decreti violati ~um, id est ‘memoria’, delevit Lanfr. Comment. Paul. [Coloss. ii 14] 324; O crux alma ‥ per quam ‥ chyrographum mortis deletum est! Expug. Terrae Sanctae 7b; spina scribit Amoris unici / chirographum in fronte simplici J. Howd. Ph. 155; 1291 (v. cancellare 4c); 13‥ claustra fregit infernalia, cyrographum antique prevaricacionis delens morte sua Miss. Westm. I 309; in Christo Deus delevit ~um decreti Wycl. Incarn. 90. 2 chirograph, indenture, deed, or sim. drawn up in duplicate or multiplicate. b (record of) final concord or fine, i. e. settlement of dispute (often fictitious) in court (usu. of Common Pleas), serving as conveyance or sim.. c930 cyrograffum CS 684 (cut through at foot of parchment); 1085 cyrographum de Hamma (Chirog.) EHR XLIV 372; c1098 testante cyrographo ab eodem Y. et T. abbate conscripto Regesta p. 136; omnes carte que dantur de domibus nostris scribantur dupplices in modum cyrographorum, et altera pars remaneat penes domum sigillata sigillo accipientis Inst. Sempr. xxi; 1157 cyrographum quod inter abbatem et me de priore donatione conscriptum fuerat ‥ deletum est Ch. Sal. 27; c1160 noverint omnes ad quos presens cyrographum pervenerit Reg. S. Osm. I 248; a1162 sicut cyrographum eorum ex utraque parte testatur Regesta Scot. 173; s1164 rex ‥ fecit leges illas in ~o poni et medietatem illius tradidit archiepiscopo Cantuariensi R. Howd. I 222 (cf. H. Bos. Thom. III 29: ut decreti funesti ~i propriis utar verbis); factum est ~um inter ecclesiam et eos, in cujus ~i utraque parte dependent sigilla episcoporum qui interfuerunt Episc. Som. 27–8; intrantes vestiarium nostrum omnia ornamenta ecclesie in ~o subscribi fecerunt Brakelond 123; scribatur ‘cyrographum’ et scindatur per medium et tradatur una pars uni et altera pars alteri Garl. PP 150; 1254 presentem cartam in modum cyrographi confecimus Rec. Leic. I 48; 1282 una cum sigillis suis, huic scripto inter se in forma syrographi confecto alternatim appositis, sigillum ‥ regis ‥ de Scaccario apponi procurarunt MGL I 488; 1291 quod castrum ‥ una cum ‥ bonis in eodem castro existentibus per cyrografum inter ipsum et predictum B. conficiendum ‥ libere[t] RScot I 3; 1294 apposuerunt sigilla sua alternatim huic memorando ad modum cyrograffi diviso Mon. Francisc. II 61; 1329 parti hujus instrumenti in modum serographi confecti ‥ penes ‥ abbatem et conventum ‥ remanenti sigillum nostrum est appensum, parti vero penes nos ‥ sigillum commune predictorum religiosorum est appensum Reg. Aberd. I 50; 1522 teste meo †cherogropho Midlothian 200.  b 1194 de eadem terra aliquando tractus fuit in placitum tempore H. regis, et inde fuit tunc concord[atum] et cyrographum inter eos factum CurR RC I 2; 1196 dies datus est abbati ‥ et Simoni ‥ de ~o ‥ recipiendo CurR I 17; 1199 ~um remanet in manum [sic] Rogeri Ib. 89; 1200 dixit quod finis factus fuit inter ipsas in curia regis H., et inde profert ~um et cartam regis H. patris confirmantem concordiam inter eas factam Ib. 157; 1200 de placito capiendi ~um suum de terra de T. Ib. 327; quia non sufficiebat recognitio [servitii] inde facta in curia S. Ædmundi, secum ducebat omnes abbas Lundonias ad suos sumptus ‥ ut recognitionem facerent in curia regis, et singuli singulos ~os acceperunt Brakelond 139v; 1250 (v. chirographare 2b); s1273 prior dat j m. pro licencia concordandi. et est concordia talis quod predictus R. recognovit advocacionem ‥ ecclesie esse jus ipsius prioris. ‥ et ideo consideratum est quod ‥ prior ‥ habeat breve ad ‥ episcopum quod ‥ personam idoneam admittat. et preterea habet cyrographum ‥ et, quia dictus R. ‥ noluit prosequi ad levandum cyrographum, gracia quam uni ex suis promisimus expiravit Ann. Dunstable 256; s1278 abbas dat dim. m. pro licencia concordie et habent inde cyrographa Chr. Peterb. 28; 1285 (v. 2 chirographarius b); 1308 juratores dicunt ‥ quod nulla est fraus sive collusio. ideo habeant cyrographum Year Bk. I (Selden Soc. XVII) 14. 3 bond of debt to Jews, starr. 1194 provideantur sex vel septem loca in quibus [Judei] facient prestita sua; et provideantur duo legales Christiani et duo legales Judei et duo legales scriptores; et coram illis ‥ fiant prestita; et carte prestitorum fiant in modum cirograffi; et altera pars remaneat Judeo, sigillata sigillo illius cui pecunia traditur, et altera pars remaneat in arca communi (Capitula Judeorum) R. Howd. III 266; 1230 (v. 1 arca 1b); 1231 predicto Judeo reddat xx m. quas ei accomodavit ad terminum in cirografo inter eos confecto contentum Cl 549; 1262 per cartas et munimenta sua que sunt in archa cyrografforum nostrorum de Sudbury Cl 56; s1264 arca cyrographorum missa fuit apud Turrim ad †salvandam [? l. salvandum] Leg. Ant. Lond. 62; 1272 per quoddam starrum ~um in archa ~orum Londonie factum inter predictum A. et dictum D. SelPlJews 65 (cf. ib. xix).

chīrŏgrăphum, (12) ī, n. , [qqf. chīrŏgrăphus, ī, m. (cf. Quint. 6, 3, 100 ) et chīrŏgrăphŏn, ī, n. , Sid. Carm. 16, 56 ] ¶ 1 lʼécriture, la main de quelquʼun : quo me teste convincas ? an chirographo ? Cic. Phil. 2, 8, quelle preuve aurais-tu contre moi ? mon écriture ? ¶ 2 ce quʼon écrit de sa propre main : Cic. Br. 277 ; Fam. 2, 13, 3 ¶ 3 engagement signé, reçu, obligation, reconnaissance : chirographi exhibitio Gell. 14, 2, 7, lʼexhibition du reçu ; cf. Sen. Rhet. Contr. 6, 1 ; Sen. Ben. 2, 23, 2.

chirographum , i. n. et, v. chirographus
See an image

chīrographum ī, n

• , χειρόγραφον, a handwriting, hand: quo me teste convincas? an chirographo?: chirographum primorum imitatus est. —An autograph: Caesaris chirographa defendere: falsa chirographa, forgeries.

CHIROGRAPHUM

CHIRO´GRAPHUMthe Latin equivalent of the Greek word χειρόγραφον, means, in its original and widest sense, a document in the handwriting of a person interested in the truth of the facts contained in it: it is used in this general sense by Cicero without reference to legal transactions (cf. Cic. ad Att. 2.20, 5; Phil. 2.4, 8); it was, however, a means of securing evidence against a debtor (cf. Cic. ad Fam. 7.18, cautionem chirographi mei), and so it came to signify specially a written acknowledgment of a debt. In Cicero's time the usual term for an instrument which contained an acknowledgment of a debt, was not chirographum, but syngrapha (συγγραφή) (Cic. pro Rabir.Post. 3; de Har. Resp. 13 ; Phil. 2.37, 95 ; ad Att. 5.21, 11, 6.1, 2). Syngraphae appear to have been common securities for debts in the provinces, and were of Greek origin. According to the statement of the Pseudo-Asconius (ad Cic. in Verr. 2.1, 36), a syngrapha was a particular kind of chirographum; it differed from other chirographa in that a debt acknowledged in it was presumed to exist, whether there had been any real value received or not, whereas other chirographa were not binding unless they were acknowledgments of actual debts for money received. Hence, if Asconius is to be believed, the syngrapha was a written obligation, but the mere chirographum was not. Asconius points out as another characteristic of syngraphae, that they were executed by both parties, not simply by the debtor, and that they were taken charge of for both parties instead of creditors having the exclusive right to their custody.

The distinction made by Asconius between the legal effect of syngraphae and chirographa is shown by the superior authority of Gaius (3.134) not to be well founded. It is thought that Asconius-who, as Niebuhr has shown, cannot have written earlier than the fourth century--misunderstood the allusions of Cicero to syngraphae, and so attached an exceptional importance to them (Savigny, Verm. Schr., vol. i. d<*> Litt. Obl.). Gaius, in the passage above referred to, after describing the Roman literal contract, which was made by transcriptive entries in a family account book (codex), proceeds to say: There appears to be another literal obligation created by chirographa and syngraphae, which were written acknowledgments of debts or promises to pay, unaccompanied by stipulation, a mode of contract proper to aliens. According to the ordinary interpretation of this passage, Gaius is here referring to particular forms of contract current among aliens. Gneist, however, supposes that Gaius is pointing to a general distinction between Roman and Greek law. In Roman law a written agreement was not actionable in itself, but only evidence of a stipulation having been entered into. In Greek law, on the other hand, informal written agreements were enforceable; so Gaius intends to say in this passage, that among aliens any written acknowledgment of a debt was actionable without a stipulation. This principle of Greek law, if it was one, was never adopted into Roman. In the legislation of Justinian the term syngrapha does not occur; and chirographum does not mean, as in the above passage of Gaius, a written contract, but is equivalent to cautio, an evidentiary document containing the terms of a stipulation or loan or a receipt on account of payment of a debt. The words instrumentum and epistola are used in a similar sense. But though a cautio or chirographum of a debt was not binding as a contract, its existence was presumptive evidence of a debt, if the debtor allowed it to remain in the creditor's hands for a certain period. Justinian in his Institutes (3.21) goes so far as to say, that after the prescribed period the debtor is bound by his writing; but the accuracy of this statement is much questioned. So again a chirographum of a stipulation was presumptive evidence of a stipulation having been entered into (Inst. 3.19.12).

Precautions were taken for securing such documents as chirographa against falsification [CAUTIO ; FALSUM ]. The formal requisites, if any, for the validity of chirographa. and syngraphae cannot be determined. According to Gneist, the word συγγραφὴ did not signify among the Greeks any particular form of written contract, since the words συνθήκη and συμβόλαιον are used as synonymous with it; it was usual, however, to seal obligations in writing and to entrust them to a third party. At a later time the word χειρόγραφον, especially in its Latin form, came to be used; but between syngraphae and chirographa, Gneist thinks, there was no essential difference, both being documents of an informal character, not requiring seals or the attestation of witnesses as essentials to their validity. It seems probable that at one time the syngrapha was a common act of creditor and debtor; but a chirographum might be the act of the debtor alone. If it could be supposed that a passage extracted by Heimbach from the MS. of a dictionary written in the 13th century rested on any early authority, there would be some analogy between the form of a syngrapha and an old English deed of indenture. The extract is as follows:--Nota, quod chirographus et syngraphus saepe accipitur indifferenter. Differunt tamen proprietate, quod chirographus dicitur conscriptio manuum seu cautio, quae fit propria manu debitoris et committitur creditori; syngraphus dicitur conscriptio in duorum scilicet scripto. Antiquitus enim creditor et debitor insimul in ligno vel in charta scribebant et nomen debitoris et nomen creditoris et testes et summam pecuniae; et in medio hoc sibi syngraphum capitalibus locis et per medium dividebant. Postea si creditor plus exigeret, quam deberet, vel si debitor denegaret depositum, uterque afferebat partem, quam habebat, ut duae partes convenirent, et id propterea syngraphum dictum est. Syngraphus et dicitur nomen aliquod vel scriptura in re aliqua confirmanda scripta. Sic in cartis publicis omnino non usus tantum scribit, sed plures, ad confirmationem chartae. (Heimbach, Creditum, § 520.) (Gneist, Die Formellen Verträge; Heimbach, Creditum, § 498, &c.; Walter, Gesch. desRöm. Rechts, § § 606-608; Puchta, Inst. 3.274; Danz, Lehrbuch der Gesch. desRöm. Rechts, § 60; Savigny, Verm. Schriften, vol. i. de Litt.Obl.)

[E.A.W]

Chirogrăphum

(χειρόγραφον). A word which meant first, as its derivation implies, a hand writing or autograph. In this, its simple sense, χείρ in Greek and manus in Latin are often substituted for it.

Like similar words in all languages, it acquired several technical senses. From its first meaning was easily derived that of a signature to a will or other instrument, especially a note of hand given by a debtor to his creditor. In this latter case it did not constitute the legal obligation (for the debt might be proved in some other way); it was only a proof of the obligation.

According to Asconius (in Verr. iii. 36), chirographum, in the sense of a promissory note, was distinguished from syngrapha; the former was always given for money actually lent, the latter might be a mere sham agreement to pay a debt which had never been actually incurred. The chirographum was kept by the creditor, and had only the debtor's signature; the syngrapha, on the contrary, was signed and kept by both parties. See Cautio; Falsum.

In the Latin of the Middle Ages, chirographum was used to signify tribute collected under the sign-manual of a person in authority, similar to the briefs and benevolences of former times in Great Britain. It was also used, till comparatively recent times, in the English law for an indenture. Duplicates of deeds were written on one piece of parchment, with the word chirographum between them, which was cut in two in a straight or wavy line, and the parts given to the care of the persons concerned. By the canonists, as Blackstone remarks, the word syngrapha or syngraphus was employed in the same way, and hence gave its name to these kinds of writing.