There was a fine of 120s. for disregarding
a command of the King. He and Augustine decided to write down some
of these laws, which now included the King's new law concerning
the church.
These laws concern personal injury, killing, theft, burglary,
marriage, adultery, and inheritance. The blood feud's private
revenge for killing had been replaced by payment of compensation
to the dead man's kindred. One paid a man's "wergeld" [worth] to
his kindred for causing his wrongful death. The wergeld [wer] of a
king was an unpayable amount of about 7000s., of an aetheling [a
king-worthy man of the extended royal family] was 1500s., of an
eorl, 300s., of a ceorl, 100s., of a laet [agricultural worker in
Kent, which class was between free and slave], 40-80s., and of a
slave nothing. At this time a shilling could buy a cow in Kent or
a sheep elsewhere. If a ceorl killed an eorl, he paid three times
as much as an eorl would have paid as murderer. The penalty for
slander was tearing out of the tongue. If an aetheling was guilty
of this offense, his tongue was worth five times that of a coerl,
so he had to pay proportionately more to ransom it. The crimes of
murder, treachery to one's own lord, arson, house breaking, and
open theft, were punishable by death and forfeiture of all
property.
- The Law -
"THESE ARE THE DOOMS [DECREES] WHICH KING AETHELBERHT ESTABLISHED
IN THE DAYS OF AUGUSTINE
1.
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