That Demosthenes here quotes a genuine law of Draco is proved by an inscription found at Athens belonging to the year 409 B.C., recording this sentence as part of the law of Draco about murder.[177]
In another place Demosthenes thus refers to the action of this law:—
“The law commands the relations to go forth and [pg 077] prosecute as far as descendants of cousins; and in the oath it is defined what the relationship actually is, etc.”[178]
The use of ἀνεψιαδοῖ in addition to ἀνεψιῶν παῖδες in Draco's law above is emphatic as implying that as regards pollution the group of relations to second cousins were treated en masse as under the stain; they had not yet, so to speak, reached the point where they could divide up their responsibility.
The case of murder within the ἀγχιστεία.
If the murder was committed within the narrow limits of the ἀγχιστεία itself, the double pollution of the bloodspilling and the blood spilled rested upon the whole group with overwhelming force.
Plato[179] treats of such a calamity and prescribes the remedy. If a man slay his wife, or she her husband, his children are orphans; their debt of maintenance to their parent is cancelled; he must flee; they possess his goods. If he is childless, his relations shall meet to the children of his cousins on the male and female side (i.e. all his possible heirs) and shall elect not one of themselves, but a younger son of some other and pious family to bring in new blood with better fortune to counteract the curse, as heir to the house (κληρονόμος εἰς τὸν οἶκον), introducing him to the father of the banished (or deceased) man and to those further back in the family (τοῖς ἄνω τοῦ γένους), calling him their son, the continuer of their family (γεννήτωρ), their hearth-keeper [pg 078] (ἑστιοῦχος), and minister of their sacred rites.... But the guilty man they shall “let lie,” nameless, childless, portionless for ever.[180]
The blood-fine or galanas in Wales.
In the ancient Laws of Wales the blood-fine takes a very important position. But whereas all the relations of the murderer are liable to be called upon to pay the “Spearpenny,” as it is called, only the inner kindred within fixed degrees contribute proportionally to the payment of the price. The group upon which this responsibility falls is twice as large in the Welsh Laws as at Athens, and includes fifth cousins, or the greatgrandchildren of greatgrandchildren of a common ancestor.
The Dimetian Code describes the relations who pay galanas as follows.[181] Those beyond only pay “spearpenny.”