Whoever kills another ignorantly and unintentionally, if he has cherished no animosity against him, is not guilty of murder according to the Word of God; for it is not just that he should suffer the penalty of homicide who committed the act against his will.
FLAVIUS CHINTASVINTUS, KING.
II. Where One Kills Another without Seeing Him.
If one man should kill another, either standing, coming, or passing by, not being aware of his presence at the time, where no cause of enmity had previously existed between them, and he who committed the homicide shall declare that he did it involuntarily, and shall be able to prove this in court, he shall depart in safety.
FLAVIUS RECESVINTUS, KING.
III. Where One, being Pushed, Kills Another.
If anyone, either by accident, or by being pushed in any way, or by rushing headlong upon another, should kill him, he shall not be liable to the penalties of homicide. But if one man should push another, and, impelled by that push, the latter should kill a third party, and he who gave the push did so without malice, he shall pay a fine of a pound of gold, because he neglected to avoid the commission of an injury.
THE GLORIOUS FLAVIUS RECESVINTUS, KING.
IV. Where One, Seeking to Strike Another, Kills a Third Person.
Whenever, in a quarrel, anyone, while endeavoring to strike his adversary, unwillingly kills a third person, a legal investigation must be made to determine who originated the quarrel; and if it should be found that he was guilty who was first struck at, then he who stirred up the strife, although he escaped the blow, yet, because it is apparent that he was the cause of the homicide, shall pay a fine of a hundred golden solidi. He who struck the blow shall pay fifty solidi to the nearest relatives of the person who was killed. Thus both pay a penalty; one, because he intentionally gave an opportunity for the commission of homicide; the other, because he unintentionally committed said homicide.