The Law
"THESE ARE THE DOOMS [DECREES] WHICH KING AETHELBERHT ESTABLISHED IN THE DAYS OF AUGUSTINE
- [Theft of] the property of God and of the church [shall be compensated], twelve fold; a bishop's property, eleven fold; a priest's property, nine fold; a deacon's property, six fold; a cleric's property, three fold; church frith [breach of the peace of the church; right of sanctuary and protection given to those within its precincts], two fold [that of ordinary breach of the public peace]; m....frith [breach of the peace of a meeting place], two fold.
- If the King calls his leod [his people] to him, and any one there do them evil, [let him compensate with] a twofold bot [damages for the injury], and 50 shillings to the King.
- If the King drink at any one's home, and any one there do any lyswe [evil deed], let him make twofold bot.
- If a freeman steal from the King, let him repay nine fold.
- If a man slay another in the King's tun [enclosed dwelling premises], let him make bot with 50 shillings.
- If any one slay a freeman, 50 shillings to the King, as drihtin beah [payment to a lord in compensation for killing his freeman].
- If the King's ambiht smith [smith or carpenter] or laad rine [man who walks before the King or guide or escort], slay a man, let him pay a half leod geld.
- [Offenses against anyone or anyplace under] the King's mund byrd [protection or patronage], 50 shillings.
- If a freeman steal from a freeman, let him make threefold bot; and let the King have the wite [fine] and all the chattels [necessary to pay the fine]. (Chattels was a variant of "cattle".)
- If a man lie with the King's maiden [female servant], let him pay a bot of 50 shillings.
- If she be a grinding slave, let him pay a bot of 25 shillings. The third [class of servant] 12 shillings.
- Let the King's fed esl [woman who serves him food or nurse] be paid for with 20 shillings.
- If a man slay another in an eorl's tun [premises], let [him] make bot with 12 shillings.
- If a man lie with an eorl's birele [female cupbearer], let him make bot with 12 shillings.
- [Offenses against a person or place under] a ceorl's mund byrd [protection], 6 shillings.
- If a man lie with a ceorl's birele [female cupbearer], let him make bot with 6 shillings; with a slave of the second [class], 50 scaetts; with one of the third, 30 scaetts.
- If any one be the first to invade a man's tun [premises], let him make bot with 6 shillings; let him who follows, with 3 shillings; after, each, a shilling.
- If a man furnish weapons to another where there is a quarrel, though no injury results, let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- If a weg reaf [highway robbery] be done [with weapons furnished by another], let him [the man who provided the weapons] make bot with 6 shillings.
- If the man be slain, let him [the man who provided the weapons] make bot with 20 shillings.
- If a [free] man slay another, let him make bot with a half leod geld [wergeld for manslaughter] of 100 shillings.
- If a man slay another, at the open grave let him pay 20 shillings, and pay the whole leod within 40 days.
- If the slayer departs from the land, let his kindred pay a half leod.
- If any one bind a freeman, let him make bot with 20 shillings.
- If any one slay a ceorl's hlaf aeta [loaf or bread eater; domestic or menial servant], let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- If [anyone] slay a laet of the highest class, let him pay 80 shillings; of the second class, let him pay 60 shillings; of the third class, let him pay 40 shillings.
- If a freeman commit edor breach [breaking through the fenced enclosure and forcibly entering a ceorl's dwelling], let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- If any one take property from a dwelling, let him pay a three-fold bot.
- If a freeman goes with hostile intent through an edor [the fence enclosing a dwelling], let him make bot with 4 shillings.
- If [in so doing] a man slay another, let him pay with his own money, and with any sound property whatever.
- If a freeman lie with a freeman's wife, let him pay for it with his wer geld, and obtain another wife with his own money, and bring her to the other [man's dwelling].
- If any one thrusts through the riht ham scyld [legal means of protecting one's home], let him adequately compensate.
- If there be feax fang [seizing someone by the hair], let there be 50 sceatts for bot.
- If there be an exposure of the bone, let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If there be an injury to the bone, let bot be made with 4 shillings.
- If the outer hion [outer membrane covering the brain] be broken, let bot be made with 10 shillings.
- If it be both [outer and inner membranes covering the brain], let bot be made with 20 shillings.
- If a shoulder be lamed, let bot be made with 30 shillings.
- If an ear be struck off, let bot be made with 12 shillings.
- If the other ear hear not, let bot be made with 25 shillings.
- If an ear be pierced, let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If an ear be mutilated, let bot be made with 6 shillings.
- If an eye be [struck] out, let bot be made with 50 shillings.
- If the mouth or an eye be injured, let bot be made with 12 shillings.
- If the nose be pierced, let bot be made with 9 shillings.
- If it be one ala, let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If both be pierced, let bot be made with 6 shillings.
- If the nose be otherwise mutilated, for each [cut, let] bot be made with 6 shillings.
- If it be pierced, let bot be made with 6 shillings.
- Let him who breaks the jaw bone pay for it with 20 shillings.
- For each of the four front teeth, 6 shillings; for the tooth which stands next to them 4 shillings; for that which stands next to that, 3 shillings; and then afterwards, for each a shilling.
- If the speech be injured, 12 shillings. If the collar bone be broken, let bot be made with 6 shillings.
- Let him who stabs [another] through an arm, make bot with 6 shillings. If an arm be broken, let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- If a thumb be struck off, 20 shillings. If a thumb nail be off, let bot be made with 3 shillings. If the shooting [fore] finger be struck off, let bot be made with 8 shillings. If the middle finger be struck off, let bot be made with 4 shillings. If the gold [ring] finger be struck off, let bot be made with 6 shillings. If the little finger be struck off, let bot be made with 11 shillings.
- For every nail, a shilling.
- For the smallest disfigurement of the face, 3 shillings; and for the greater, 6 shillings.
- If any one strike another with his fist on the nose, 3 shillings.
- If there be a bruise [on the nose], a shilling; if he receive a right hand bruise [from protecting his face with his arm], let him [the striker] pay a shilling.
- If the bruise [on the arm] be black in a part not covered by the clothes, let bot be made with 30 scaetts.
- If it be covered by the clothes, let bot for each be made with 20 scaetts.
- If the belly be wounded, let bot be made with 12 shillings; if it be pierced through, let bot be made with 20 shillings.
- If any one be gegemed [pregnant], let bot be made with 30 shillings.
- If any one be cear wund [badly wounded], let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If any one destroy [another's] organ of generation [penis], let him pay him with 3 leod gelds: if he pierce it through, let him make bot with 6 shillings; if it be pierced within, let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- If a thigh be broken, let bot be made with 12 shillings; if the man become halt [lame], then friends must arbitrate.
- If a rib be broken, let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If [the skin of] a thigh be pierced through, for each stab 6 shillings; if [the wound be] above an inch [deep], a shilling; for two inches, 2; above three, 3 shillings.
- If a sinew be wounded, let bot be made with 3 shillings.
- If a foot be cut off, let 50 shillings be paid.
- If a great toe be cut off, let 10 shillings be paid.
- For each of the other toes, let one half that for the corresponding finger be paid.
- If the nail of a great toe be cut off, 30 scaetts for bot; for each of the others, make bot with 10 scaetts.
- If a freewoman loc bore [with long hair] commit any leswe [evil deed], let her make a bot of 30 shillings.
- Let maiden bot [compensation for injury to an unmarried woman] be as that of a freeman.
- For [breach of] the mund [protection] of a widow of the best class, of an eorl's degree, let the bot be 50 shillings; of the second, 20 shillings; of the third, 12 shillings; of the fourth, 6 shillings.
- If a man carry off a widow not under his own protection by right, let the mund be twofold.
- If a man buy a maiden with cattle, let the bargain stand, if it be without fraud; but if there be fraud, let him bring her home again, and let his property be restored to him.
- If she bear a live child, she shall have half the property, if the husband die first.
- If she wish to go away with her children, she shall have half the property.
- If the husband wish to keep them [the children], [she shall have the same portion] as one child.
- If she bear no child, her paternal kindred shall have the fioh [her money and chattels] and the morgen gyfe [morning gift: a gift made to the bride by her husband on the morning following the consummation of the marriage].
- If a man carry off a maiden by force, let him pay 50 shillings to the owner, and afterwards buy [the object of] his will from the owner.
- If she be betrothed to another man in money [at a bride price], let him [who carried her off] make bot with 20 shillings.
- If she become gaengang [pregnant], 35 shillings; and 15 shillings to the King.
- If a man lie with an esne's wife, her husband still living, let him make twofold bot.
- If one esne slay another unoffending, let him pay for him at his full worth.
- If an esne's eye and foot be struck out or off, let him be paid for at his full worth.
- If any one bind another man's esne, let him make bot with 6 shillings.
- Let [compensation for] weg reaf [highway robbery] of a theow [slave] be 3 shillings.
- If a theow steal, let him make twofold bot [twice the value of the stolen goods]."
