Study Desk

If ony man sillith his douyter in to seruauntesse, sche schal not go out as handmaidis weren wont to go out;

Forsothe if he weddith hir to his sonne, he schal do to hir `bi the custom of douytris;

If ony man sleeth his neiybore bi biforecastyng, and bi aspies, drawe thou hym awey fro myn auter, that he die.

He that smytith his fadir, ether modir, die by deeth.

He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth.

If men chiden, and the tother smyte his neiybore with a stoon, ether with the fist, and he is not deed, but liggith in the bed,

if he risith, and goith forth on his staf, he that smoot schal be innocent; so netheles that he restore hise trauelis, and costis in lechis.

He that smytith his seruaunt, ether handmayde, with a yerde, and thei ben deed in hise hondis, schal be gilti of cryme.

Sotheli if the seruaunt ouerlyueth o dai, ether tweyne, he schal not be suget to peyne, `that is of deeth, for the seruaunt is his catel.

If a man smytith the iye of his seruaunt, ethir of handmaide, and makith hem oon iyed, he schal delyuere hem fre for `the iye which he puttide out.

Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.

that if prijs is put to the lord, he schal yyue for his lijf what euer he is axide.

If the oxe asailith a seruaunt, and handmaide, the lord of the oxe schal yyue thretti siclis of siluer to `his lord; forsothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus.

the lord of the cisterne schal yelde the prijs of the werk beestis; forsothe that that is deed schal be his.

Forsothe if his lord wiste, that the oxe was a puttere fro yistirdai and the thridde dai ago, and kepte not him, he schal yelde oxe for oxe, and he schal take the hool carkeys.

If a man harmeth a feeld, ethir vyner, and suffrith his beeste, that it waaste othere mennus thingis, he schal restore for the valu of harm, `what euer beste thing he hath in his feeld, ethir vyner.

If the theef is hid, the lord of the hows schal be brouyt to goddis, `that is, iugis, and he schal swere, that he helde not forth the hond in to `the thing of his neiybore,

to `do fraude; as wel in oxe, as in asse, and in scheep, and in clooth; and what euer thing may brynge in harm, the cause of euer eithir schal come to goddis, and if thei demen, he schal restore the double to his neiybore.

If ony man bitakith to his neiybore oxe, asse, scheep, and al werk beeste to kepyng, and it is deed, ether is maad feble, ethir is takun of enemyes, and no man seeth this,

an ooth schal be in the myddis, that he helde not forth the hond to the `thing of his neiybore; and the lord schal resseyue the ooth, and he schal not be compellid to yelde.