fraud, fraude

[Fr. fraude, from Lat. fraus (gen it. fraud is )=deceit; Sp., Port. & Ital. fraude.] 1. An act or course of deception deliberately practiced with a view to gaining unlawful or unfair advantage; the obtaining or attempting to obtain goods under false pretenses; deception, cheating, deceit. "The next head of concurrent jurisdiction, that, namely, which the courts of equity early acquired over almost all matters of fraud ; all matters in the private knowledge of the party, which, though concealed, are binding in conscience, and all judgments at law obtained through such fraud or concealment." -Black stone: Comment., bk. iii., ch. 17. *2. Falsene , faithle ne , deceit. "It [love] shall be fickle, false, and full of fraud." Shakesp.: Venus and Adonis, 1,141. 3. Stratagem, artifice, trick. "To work in close design, by fraud or guile, What force effected not." Milton: P. L., 1. 646. IMG:content-0113.png:[blocks in formation] (2) Pious fraud : Ch. Hist.: A fraud considered to be "pious" because it was planned and carried out for some pious object. From the first to the fifteenth century believers in such frauds existed, if, indeed, they are even yet extinct. Sound ethics, whether distinctively Christian or simply philanthropic, declares that there are no "pious" frauds; all are impious. (3) Statute of frauds: Eng . Law : A statute, 29 Charles II., c. 3, pa ed in A. D. 1676. It is believed that it was framed by Sir Matthew Hale, Lord Keeper Guilford, and Sir Leoline Jenkins. Among its complex provisions several enacted that important contracts about land, ., should be in writing, so as to prevent the perjury which occurred when they had to be proved by parole evidence. American Law : This statute has been re-enacted in most of the states of the Union, generally with omi ions, amendments, or alterations. When the words of the statute have been used, the construction put upon them has also been adopted. *fraud, *fraud-en, v.t. [O. Fr. frauder , from Lat. frau do , from fraus (gen it. fraud is )=deceit, fraud; Ital. fraud are .) To defraud, to cheat. 1919