ANTECEDENT. Something that goes before. In the construction of laws, agreements, and the like, reference is always to be made to the last antecedent; ad proximun antecedens fiat¹ relatio. But not only the antecedents but the subsequent clauses of the instrument must be considered: Ex antecedentibus et consequentibus fit optima interpretatio.

/B>. Before suit brought, before controversy² moved.

ANTEDATE³. To, put a date to an instrument of a time before the time it was written. Vide Date.

ANTENATI. Born before. This term is applied⁴ to those who were born or resided within the United States before or at the time of the declaration of independence. These had all the rights of citizens. 2 Kent, Com. 51, et seq.

ANTE-NUPTIAL. What takes place before marriage; as, an ante-nuptial agreement, which is an agreement made between a man and a woman in contemplation of marriage. Vide Settlement.

ANTHETARIUS, obsolete⁵ See Anti-thetarius.

ANTI-MANlFESTO. The declaration of the reasons which one of the belligerents⁶ publishes, to show that the war as to him is defensive⁷. Wolff, 1187. See Manifesto⁸.

ANTlCIPATION. The act of doing or taking a thing before its proper time.

2. In deeds of trust there is frequently a provision that the income of the estate shall be paid by the trustee as it shall accrue⁹, and not by way of anticipation¹⁰. A payment made contrary to such provision would not be considered as a discharge of the trustee.

ANTICHRESIS, contracts. A word used in the civil law to denote the contract by which a creditor¹¹ acquires the right of reaping the fruit or other revenues of the immovables given to him in pledge, on condition of deducting¹², annually¹³, their proceeds from the interest, if any is due to him, and afterwards from the principal of his debt. Louis. Code, art. 3143 Dict. de Juris. Antichrese, Mortgage; Code Civ. 2085. Dig. 13, 7, 7 ; 4, 24, 1 Code, 8, 28, 1.

ANTINOMY. A term used in the civil law to signify the real or apparent contradiction between two laws or two decisions. Merl. Repert. h. t. Vide Conflict of Laws.

ANTIQUA CUSTOMA, Eng. law. A duty or imposition which was collected on wool, wool-felts, and leather, was so called. This custom was called nova customa until the 22 Edw. I., when the king, without parliament, set a new imposition of 40s. a sack, and then, for the first time, the nova customa went by the name of antiqua customa. Bac. Ab. Smuggling¹⁴ &c. B.

ANTIQUA STATUTA. In England the statutes¹⁵ are divided into new and ancient statutes; since the time of memory; those from the time 1 R. I. to E. III., are called antiqua statuta – those made since, nova statuta.

ANTITHETARIUS, old English law. The name given to a man who endeavors to discharge himself of the crime of which he is accused, by retorting the charge on the accuser. He differs from an approver (q, v.) in this, that the latter does not charge the accuser, but others. Jacob's Law Dict.