[308] Liebermann considers that the 300 and 100 scillings are the wergeld of the eorlcundman and the freeman. His translation reads: ‘welcher steht im 300-Scillwergelde’ and ‘welcher im 100-Scillwergelde steht.’ Whether these payments are the wergelds is the point at issue. Schmid, in his note to this passage, favours the view that 300 scillings was the half-wergeld of the eorl and 100 scillings the half-wergeld of the freeman.
[309] xxxv. 5. ‘Si servus alienus aut laetus hominem ingenuum occiderit, ipse homicida pro medietatem compositionis illius hominis occisi parentibus tradatur, et dominus servi aliam medietatem compositionis se noverit soluiturum.’
[310] ‘Ceorlian,’ to marry a husband; ‘wifian,’ to marry a wife. Bosworth, sub voce.
[311] Supra, p. 259.
[312] Supra, p. 176.
[313] Supra, p. 199.
[314] Supra, p. 169.
[315] In the Bavarian and Saxon laws the litus was paid for at one fourth the wergeld of the liber. The inference from this might strengthen the view that the Kentish wergeld of the ceorl could hardly be as low as 100 scillings.
[316] I adhere to this view after careful consideration of the elaborate argument in the Die Gemeinfreien der Karolingischen Volksrechte, von Philipp Heck (Halle, 1900), in reply to the criticism by H. Brunner in the Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, xix Band, 1899.
[317] 1200 scillings of 4d. with one fourth added = 1200 scillings of 5d.