Brothers, sisters, half-brothers, uncles, aunts, or their children, also grandsons and granddaughters, shall not be permitted to give evidence in court against strangers; unless relations belonging to the same family should have lawsuits among themselves, or there should not be any other freeman who can testify in the case.

TITLE V. CONCERNING VALID AND INVALID DOCUMENTS; AND HOW WILLS SHOULD BE DRAWN UP.

I.What Documents are Valid in Law.
II.No Witness shall Testify as to the Contents of a Document of which He is Ignorant.
III.Concerning the Drawing Up of Contracts, and Other Legal Documents.
IV.Neither Children, nor Other Heirs, shall contest the Final Disposition of Property by their Ancestors.
V.Concerning the Penalties to which those are Liable who attempt to Repudiate their Written Contracts.
VI.Contracts and Agreements made by Slaves are Invalid, unless Ordered by their Masters.
VII.Concerning Dishonorable and Illegal Contracts.
VIII.No One shall be Liable in Person or Property, under the Terms of any Contract, where Deception has been Practised: nor shall He be Liable to any Penalty provided by the same.
IX.Every Obligation, or Contract, which has been Extorted by Force, or Fear, shall be Void.
X.What Contracts entered into by Minors shall be Valid.
XI.How Wills shall be Drawn Up and Proved.
XII.How the Wills of those who Die during a Journey shall be Proved.
XIII.A Will must be Published in the Presence of a Priest, or of Witnesses, within Six Months.
XIV.Concerning the Comparison of Handwriting, where Doubt attaches to any Document.
XV.Concerning Holographic Wills.
XVI.Concerning the Comparison of Documents, and the Infliction of Penalties prescribed by Wills.
XVII.No Testator shall be Permitted to Dispose of Property in One Way in the Presence of Witnesses, and in Another by a Written Will.

FLAVIUS CHINTASVINTUS, KING.

I. What Documents are Valid in Law.

All documents which have been drawn up for a year and a day, and are known to have been executed according to law; or which are confirmed by the seals or signatures of the parties, or of witnesses; shall be deemed valid. Such documents also, as any person, on account of sickness, was unable to sign, but requested witnesses to affix their signatures thereto, in his presence, shall be equally valid. And, also, where any one is requested to affix his seal or signature to a document, instead of the party himself; it shall be valid only under the condition that if the maker of said document should recover from his illness, and desiring that that which has been thus attested be irrevocably established, should confirm it by his own signature, then it shall have complete validity.

If a testator should die after making a will attested by another, as aforesaid, he who was called as a witness shall see that the will is proved by him within six months, as provided by another law.

FLAVIUS EGICA, KING.

II. No Witness shall Testify as to the Contents of a Document of which He is Ignorant.

Where any one is asked to witness a document of any kind, he must not sign it before he has read it, or has heard it read. And if he should do so, and then attempt to testify concerning what he has done negligently, his evidence shall not be received, because he was ignorant of the contents of the paper to which he affixed his signature; nor shall the document be valid, because its authenticity has not been established by legal proof.