Article VII. On the Interpretation of Law. (Juridical Hermeneutics.)

227. The interpretation of law is necessary for a twofold reason: 1. because law (at least human law) is sometimes obscure, and the mind of the legislator is not established; 2. because a doubt can arise whether the law extends even to extraordinary cases perhaps not foreseen by the legislator. In the first case simple interpretation has place; in the other, epikeia comes into use. For the sake of clarity each must be treated separately.