A "twy-hynde" man's "wer" is two hundred shillings.

If any one be slain, let him be paid for according to his birth. And it is right that the slayer, after he has given "wed" for the "wer," find, in addition, a "werborh" according as shall thereto belong; that is, to a "twelve-hynde's ""wer" twelve men are necessary as "wer-borh," VIII. of the paternal kin, and IV. of the maternal kin. When that is done, then let the king's "mund," be established, that is, that they all of either kindred, with their hands in common upon one weapon, engage to the mediator that the king's "mund" shall stand. In XXI. days from that day let cxx. shillings be paid as “heals-fang" at a "twelve-hynde's" "wer." Heals-fang" belongs to the children, brothers, and paternal uncles; that money belongs to no kinsman, except to those who are within the degrees of blood. In XXI. days from the day that the "heals-fang" is paid, let the "man-bot" be paid; in XXI. days from this, the fight-" wite "; in XXI. days from this, the frum-gyld" of the "wer"; and so forth, till it be fully paid, within the time that the "witan" have appointed. After this they may depart with love, if they desire to have full friendship.

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All men shall do with regard to the "wer" of a "ceorl" that which belongs to his condition, like as we have said about a "twelve-hynde" man.

OF OATHS.

HOW THE MAN SHALL SWEAR.

THUS SHALL A MAN SWEAR FEALTY OATHS.*

1. By the Lord, before whom this relic is holy, I will be to N. faithful and true, and love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to God's law, and according to the world's principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do aught of what is loathful to him; on condition that he me keep as I am willing to deserve, and all that fulfill that our agreement was, when I to him submitted and chose his will.

THUS SHALL A MAN SWEAR WHEN HE HAS DISCOV ERED HIS PROPERTY, AND BRINGS IT IN PROCESS.

2. By the Lord, before whom this relic is holy, so I my suit prosecute with full folk-right, without fraud and without deceit, and without any guile, as was

*These oaths and the pieces immediately following are found differently arranged in the different Mss. Their respective dates must therefore be left to some future discovery; though it seems not unreasonable to suppose, from internal evidence, that they cannot have had a later origin than the period in which they here stand. Some of them are probably much earlier.

It is impossible to read the oaths without perceiving at every turn their rhythmical quantity and alliteration. An ear any way accustomed to Anglo-Saxon poetry will easily detect the disjointed members of their poetic formulæ, and instinctively arrange them in the order in which they ought to stand.

[TRANSLATOR.

stolen from me the cattle N. that I claim, and that I have attached with N.

THE OTHER'S OATH WITH WHOM A MAN DISCOVERS HIS CATTLE.

3. By the Lord, I was not at rede nor at deed, neither counselor nor doer, where were unlawfully led away N.'s cattle. But as I cattle have, so did I lawfully obtain it. And: as I vouch it to warranty, so did he sell it to me into whose hand I now set it. And as I cattle have, so did he sell it to me who had it to sell. And as I cattle have, so did it come of my own property, and so it by folk-right my own possession is, and my rearing.

THE OATH OF HIM WHO DISCOVERS HIS PROPERTY, THAT HE DOES IT NOT EITHER FOR HATRED

OR FOR ENVY.

4. By the Lord, I accuse not N. either for hatred or for envy, or for unlawful lust of gain; nor know I any thing soother; but as my informant to me said, and I myself in sooth believe, that he was the thief of my property.

THE OTHER'S OATH THAT HE IS GUILTLESS.

5. By the Lord, I am guiltless, both in deed and counsel, of the charge of which N. accuses me.

HIS COMPANION'S OATH WHO STANDS WITH HIM.

6. By the Lord, the oath is clean and unperjured which N. has sworn.

OATH IF A MAN FINDS HIS PROPERTY UNSOUND AFTER HE HAS BOUGHT IT.

7. In the name of Almighty God, thou didst en

gage to me sound and clean that which thou soldest to me, and full security against after-claim, on the witness of N., who then was with us two.

HOW HE SHALL SWEAR WHO STANDS WITH ANOTHER IN WITNESS.

8. In the name of Almighty God, as I here for N. in true witness stand, unbidden and unbought, so I with my eyes oversaw, and with my ears overheard, that which I with him say.

OATH THAT HE KNEW NOT OF FOULNESS OR FRAUD.

9. In the name of Almighty God, I knew not, in the things about which thou suest, foulness or fraud, or infirmity or blemish, up to that day's-tide that I sold it to thee; but it was both sound and clean, without any kind of fraud.

10. In the name of the living God, as I money demand, so have I lack of that which N. promised me when I mine to him sold.

DENIAL.

11. In the name of the living God, I owe not to N. "sceatt" or shilling, or penny or penny's worth; but I have discharged to him all that I owed him, so far as our verbal contracts were at first.

OF THE OATH AND DEGREE-"BOT" OF MEN IN

ORDERS.

12. A mass-priest's oath, and a secular thane's, are in English-law reckoned of equal value; and by reason of the seven church-degrees that the mass-priest, through the grace of God, has acquired, he is worthy of thane-right.

OF THE MERCIAN OATH.

13. A "twelf-hynde" man's oath stands for six "ceorls"" oaths: because, if a man should avenge a "twelf-hynde" man, he will be fully avenged on six "ceorls," and his "wer-gild" will be six "ceorls"" "wer-gilds."

Bequeathed it, and died, he who it owned, with full folk-right, so as it his elders, with money and with life, lawfully got, and let and left, in power of him, whom they well gifted. And so I it have, as he it gave, who had it to give, without fraud and unforbidden; and I will possess it, as my own property, that that I have; and ne'er for thee design, nor plot nor ploughland, nor turf nor toft, nor furrow nor footmark, nor land nor leasowe, nor fresh nor marsh, nor rough nor plain, by wood nor by field, by land nor by strand, by weald nor by water, but that will maintain, the while that I live; for there is no man alive, who ever heard, that any one made plaint against, or summoned him at the hundred, or anywhere at "gemot," in market-place, or among church-folk, the while that he lived. Sackless he was in life, be he in the grave, so as he may. Do as I teach: be thou with thine, and leave me with mine: I covet not thine, nor “læth” nor land, nor "sac" nor "socn "; nor needest thou mine; nor design I to thee any thing.