The attachment of livestock: If anyone desires to claim it as stolen, and is willing to give pledge and find surety for prosecuting his claim, he who has possession of it must name his warrantor if he has one. If not, he shall name his surety and his witnesses, and produce them at the appointed day and time, if he has them, and the claimant shall give a pledge with 5 compurgators, and the other shall give the livestock into the hands of his warrantor or his surety, whichever of these he has. And if he has neither but has witnesses that he bought it in the public market and that he does not know whether his warrantor or his pledge is dead or alive, he shall swear to this along with his witnesses with a simple oath. In this way he shall lose his goods, but escape punishment, if they bear witness that he obtained a surety for them. And, in Mercia, if he can produce neither warrantor nor witness, he shall lose the goods and pay in addition compensation to the claimant and forfeit is wergeld to his lord. And if he can prove that it is of his own breeding by means of witnesses drawn from three parts of his neighborhood he shall have won his case.
There shall be no market or fair except in boroughs or castles or other enclosed or well-guarded places.
Weights and measures shall be stamped and reliable as before.
"Likewise if slaves have remained for a year and a day, without being claimed, in our cities or in our walled boroughs or in our castles, from that day they shall become free men."
I forbid anyone to sell a Christian out of the country, especially into heathen lands, or pay the fine for insubordination to me.
Anyone can set free a slave of his by presenting him to the sheriff in the county court and giving him the arms of a freeman, namely a lance and sword.
If I cast your things overboard from a ship in fear of death, then you cannot bring a charge against me. The things that remained in the ship shall be divided in common according to the value of the goods originally belonging to each person.
He who possesses livestock of the value of 30 d. shall pay Peter's
Pence, and then his laborers, herdsmen, and servants shall be exempt.
Otherwise he shall pay a fine of 30d. to the bishop and 40s. to the
king.
If a man accuses another of theft and the latter is a free man and can produce witnesses to prove that he is entitled to the benefit of the law, he shall clear himself by the simple oath (of exculpation). And those who have been (previously) accused shall clear themselves by the oath with selected compurgators, that is by means of 14 qualified men nominated (by the court) of whom 11 must act as the accused man's compurgators to clear him of the charge, if he can find as many to do so. And if he cannot find them, he shall defend himself against the charge by the ordeal. And the plaintiff shall swear by means of 7 men nominated (by the court), of whom 5 must act as his compurgators, that he does nothing through malice or for any other reason than to obtain his legal right.
And if anyone is accused of breaking into a church or a treasury, and has no previous convictions, he shall clear himself with 11 compurgators found among 14 qualified men nominated (by the court). And if he has been previously accused, he shall clear himself with three times as many, namely with 35 compurgators found among 42 qualified men nominated (by the court). And if he cannot find them, he shall go to the triple ordeal, just as he had (to produce) a triple oath. And if he has previously paid compensation for theft, he shall go to the water ordeal.