TITLE I. CONCERNING THE EXERCISE OF MODERATION IN JUDICIAL DECISIONS, AND THE AVOIDING OF OPPRESSION BY THOSE INVESTED WITH AUTHORITY.

I.Concerning the Admonition of the King, by which Judges are Ordered to Display Moderation in the Administration of Justice.
II.No Official, Invested with Power Over the People and Supervision Over their Acts, shall Subject them to Unnecessary Expense, or Other Impositions.

I. Concerning the Admonition of the King, by which Judges are Ordered to Display Moderation in the Administration of Justice.

It is but proper that we, who impose necessary penalties for the misconduct of men, should render aid to the unfortunate, by means agreeable to God. We, therefore, order all judges and other officials to whom has been delegated the power of dispensing justice, and we also admonish them in the name of the omnipotent God, the exemplar of all virtues, that they diligently use their skill in the discovery of truth, in every case which is brought before them; and that they examine, with the utmost care, the claims of the parties to each action, without regard to the rank or condition of said parties; and that they moderate, in some degree, the severity of the law, where parties have lost their cases, especially where said parties are oppressed by poverty; for if the authority of the law were enforced to the utmost in every instance, there would be no opportunity for the exercise of mercy.

II. No Official, Invested with Power Over the People and Supervision Over their Acts, shall Subject them to Unnecessary Expense, or Other Impositions.

We provide laws for all the subjects of our kingdom who are under our sovereignty, for no other reason than the protection of their interests, and to the end that they may not be subjected to unnecessary expense or injury. For who is more concerned in the administration of justice, or who should be more familiar with it than ourselves, who, in the various affairs of life, extend the hand of assistance to our faithful subjects, and aid those whom we rule with equity? We therefore decree, by the following law, that no governor of a city, deputy, or other official, shall presume to oppress the people, for his own benefit, by means of any taxes, exactions, labors, or journeys; or shall accept unnecessary donations of grain from a city or a province; for we are well aware that when we appoint judges, we, at the same time, provide them with the means of subsistence. In like manner, we admonish governors of provinces, those in charge of the royal demesnes, and the officials of our treasury, that they have no power over private persons, and shall not in any way molest them. But where a private person has a lawsuit against any of the slaves of the Crown, the public agent, or attorney of the province, having been notified of the fact, shall cause the matter to be brought before the governor, or the judge of the district, and shall present his case, in order that the action may be legally determined, and such amends made as are equitable.

In order that proper supervision may be exercised over the royal officials in charge of our domains, we have agreed that the tax collectors and defensores shall be changed every year; and, as we are well aware that in consequence of this, much injury results to our people, we hereby decree that any tax collector or defensor, who has been elected by the bishops or the people, shall serve the full term for which he was chosen. Where any tax collector or defensor has been appointed, he shall not give any present to a judge, nor shall a judge presume to accept or exact anything from him. If any judge should violate this law, he shall be deprived of his office, and shall be compelled to pay ten pounds of gold to the royal treasury. Should the priests, whom we address with God as our witness, learn of any misconduct of judges, or of other officials, and not bring the same to our notice, they shall be liable to the sentence imposed by the council, and shall be compelled to make reparation from their own property for such losses as the poor may have suffered through their silence.