ANCIENT LAW.
XIX. Where a Freeman, or a Slave, Undertakes the Concealment of Robbers.
Any freeman or slave who knowingly conceals robbers, shall be compelled to produce them, and shall receive two hundred lashes with the scourge; and should he not produce them, he shall be liable for the penalty for their crime.
XX. A Judge must Surrender a Fugitive Slave, with all the Property Found in his Possession, to his Master.
Whatever property a judge finds in the possession of a criminal or a fugitive slave, in the absence of him who has a right to claim said criminal or slave, must be delivered to the governor of the city, and kept by him, to be restored to the owner when he arrives.
EGICA, KING.
XXI. Concerning Fugitive Slaves, and those who Shelter Them.
It has been plainly set forth in former laws, by what means and investigations the secret escape of fugitive slaves may be repressed. But as, under various legal pretexts of judges, or through the fraud of those who shelter them, their flight is concealed, and the enforcement of the laws becomes difficult, and with the increasing number of fugitives, the facilities for their concealment become greater, to such an extent has this evil grown that there is scarcely a town, castle, village, or hamlet, where a number of fugitive slaves are not known to be in hiding.
Leaving the provisions of a former law relating to fugitive slaves in full force, we now decree that hereafter, whoever shelters a fugitive slave belonging to another, shall immediately subject him to a judicial examination, even though he should assert that he is freeborn, in order that it may be ascertained whether he is a freeman or a slave, and should he prove to be a slave, that he may be returned to his master. If, however, said person should not produce said fugitive in court, or restore him to his master, whether he proves to be either a slave or a freeman, said person shall receive a hundred and fifty lashes by order of the judge. In case he should be freeborn, he shall receive a hundred and fifty lashes, and shall pay in addition a pound of gold to the master of the fugitive slave, and should he not have the means to pay said sum, he shall receive two hundred lashes. All other residents of that neighborhood, whether they be natives, or foreigners, freemen or slaves, whether they belong to the clergy or are in the service of the Crown, shall be liable to similar penalties, if they do not give notice of said fugitive, or drive him from the possession of him who concealed him, when they are aware of the presence of said slave.
And we also provide that the following shall be strictly observed, to wit: that whenever any fugitive slaves come into any locality, all the inhabitants shall assemble, and shall make a thorough examination of said fugitive slaves, either by the application of torture, or by any other severe method; in order to ascertain whose slaves they are, when they escaped from their masters, and when they arrived in that vicinity; and to this end they must use every means possible, in order that said slaves may be delivered up, or sent to their masters, as provided by a former law. If, however, said persons should not comply with this provision, and should neither make inquiry concerning said fugitive slaves, nor endeavor to restore them to their masters, nor subject them to judicial examination, as aforesaid, but said slaves should subsequently be found in the place where they had first taken refuge, all the inhabitants of that neighborhood, both men and women, of whatever race, family, rank, or dignity to which they may belong, shall each receive two hundred lashes in public, by order of the judges. And if the tiuphadi or deputies, or all invested with judicial power, or officials of the treasury, or attorneys, or priests, or any employees of the royal service, should, in any way, connive at the concealment of said fugitive slaves, or should neglect to execute the sentence of this law upon all persons subject to their jurisdiction, they shall be arrested by the bishop, or the governor of the province, and shall publicly receive two hundred lashes. If any bishop having jurisdiction of such a cause either influenced by friendship, or corrupted by a bribe, or through lukewarmness, should not carry out the sentence of the law upon those who are guilty, he shall bind himself before God, and in the presence of the governor, or his deputy, that, by way of penance, for thirty days he will not touch wine or food, excepting each day at vespers, and then only a morsel of barley bread and a cup of water, for the sustenance of his body; and this bitter penalty he must endure for the reason that he refused to carry out the provisions of the law. We hereby admonish all judges and governors to execute the sentence aforesaid; and, should they neglect to perform their executive and judicial duties, they shall each forfeit three pounds of gold to the royal treasury.