Treble

Is used, somewhat technically, to denote increase of costs or of damages. Treble coats. There have been statutes authorizing in certain actions a recovery of " treble costs; " but the books do not seem agreed whether these are to be literally three times the costs, or are to be computed according to a conventional rule. Burrill (citing 2 Tidd Pr. 988) says that the phrase means a, rate of costs, consisting of the common costs, half of these, and half of the latter; that the word treble, in this application, is not understood in its literal sense of thrice the amount of single costs, but signifies merely the addition together of the three sums fixed as above. Brown, however, says it means three times the amount of the costs incurred by a party in an action, and that payment of such costs is by various statutes imposed as a, punishment upon persons violating the provisions of those statutes; that, for instance, under Stat. 29 Eliz. ch. 4, the sheriff, for extortion on final process, is liable to pay not only treble damages (or three times the amount of the sum which he has extorted), but also treble costs, which is the amount of the plaintiff's costs reckoned three times over. It is believed, however, that any allowance of treble costs has now been very generally abrogated. Treble damages. There have been some statutes, allowing, by way of quasi penalty, a recovery of treble damages. No suggestion has been noticed but that this expression means literally three times the amoimt of the damages. the offence of being common scolds were placed; it was also called the castigatory or cueking stool, which latter is said to signify in the Saxon language scolding stool, though frequently corrupted into ducking stool, from the circumstance of the offender placed therein being plunged in the water for her punishment. Brown. Tres faciunt collegium. Three make a corporation. At least three members are requisite to constitute a corporation. Tliis was a rule of the Roman law. A similar rule has been adopted in some of the United States, in general acts authorizing the creation of corporations, in which a certain number of persons, usually three, are required as the minimum to constitute the corporation.