1. First about our land boundaries: up on Thames, and then up on Lea, and along Lea to its source, then straight to Bedford, then up on Ouse to Watling Street.
2. Then is this: if a man be slain we reckon all equally dear, English and Danish, at 8 half marks of pure gold, except the ceorl who lives on rent-land and their [_i.e._, the Danes’] liesings: they are also equally dear, either at 200 shillings.
3. And if a king’s thegn be accused of murder and he dare to clear himself, let him do it with 12 king’s thegns. If a man accuse a man of less degree than the king’s thegn, let him clear himself with 11 of his equals and with one king’s thegn. And similarly in every suit that is for more than 4 mancuses. And if he dare not, let him pay it three-fold as it may be valued.
4. And that every man know his guarantor for men and for horses and for oxen.
5. And we all declared on the day that the oaths were sworn that neither slave nor free might go to the army without leave, and their men none the more to us. But if it happen that for need any of them will have traffic with us, or we with them, with cattle and with goods, that is to be allowed on this wise: that hostages be furnished as security for peace and as evidence whereby one may know that the man has a clean back.
=Source.=—Thorpe, _Ancient Laws and Institutes of England_.
These are the dooms which Alfred the king chose, in order that no man should deem them otherwise than according to his will.
... “That which ye will that other men do not unto you, do ye not that to other men.” On this one doom let a man think that he judge every one righteously: he need heed no other doom-book. Let him remember that he adjudge to no man that which he would not that he should adjudge to him, if he sought judgment against him.
After this, then it happened that many nations received the faith of Christ; then were many synods assembled throughout all the earth, and also among the English race, after they had received the faith of Christ, synods of holy bishops, and also of other distinguished witan. They then ordained, for that mildness of heart which Christ had taught, that secular lords, with their leave, might without sin, take for almost every misdeed, for the first offence, the money-amends which they then ordained; except in cases of treason against a lord, to which they dared not assign any mildness of heart, because God Almighty adjudged none to them who despised him, nor did Christ the Son of God adjudge any to him who sold Him to death; and he commanded that a lord should be loved as one’s self. They then in many synods ordained amends for many human misdeeds: and in many synod-books they wrote, at one place one doom, at another another.