Justice of the Rus

Document Text

A. Short Version

[I. Iaroslav’s Pravda]

Article 1. If a man kills a man [the following relatives of the murdered man may avenge him]: the brother is to avenge his brother; the son, his father; or the father, his son; and the son of the brother [of the murdered man] or the son of his sister, [their respective uncle]. If there is no avenger, [the murderer pays] 40 grivna wergeld. Be [the murdered man] a [ievan] Russian—a palace guard, a merchant, an agent, or a sheriff—be he an Izgoi, or a [Novgorodian] Slav, his wergeld is 40 grivna.

Article 2. If [a man injures a man, and the injured man] is smeared with blood or is blue from bruises, he needs no eyewitness [to prove the offense]; if there is no mark [of injury] upon him, let him produce an eyewitness; if he cannot, the matter ends there. If he is not able to avenge, he receives 3 grivna for the offense and the physician receives his honorarium.

Article 3. If anyone hits another with a club, or a rod, or a fist, or a bowl, or a [drinking] horn, or the butt [of a tool or of a vessel], and [the offender] evades being hit [in his turn], he [the offender] has to pay 12 grivna and that ends the matter.

Article 4. If [anyone] strikes [another] with a sword without unsheathing it, or with the hilt of a sword, 12 grivna for the offense.

Article 5. If [anyone] cuts [another’s] arm, and the arm is cut off or shrinks, 40 grivna.

Article 6. If [anyone cuts another’s leg and] the leg is cut off, or the [injured man] becomes lame, then the latter’s sons have to chastise [the offender].

Article 7. If a finger is cut off, 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 8. And for the mustache, 12 grivna; and for the beard, 12 grivna.

Article 9. He who unsheathes his sword, but does not strike, pays one grivna.

Article 10. If a man pulls a man toward himself or pushes him, 3 grivna, but [the offended man] has to bring two eyewitnesses; [however] in case he is a Varangian, or a Kolbiag, an oath is to be taken.

Article 11. If a slave runs away from a Varangian or a Kolbiag and [the man who conceals that slave] does not declare him for three days, and [the owner] discovers him on the third day, he [the owner] receives his slave back and 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 12. If anyone rides another’s horse without asking the owner’s permission, he has to pay 3 grivna.

Article 13. If anyone takes another’s horse, or weapon, or clothes, and [the owner] identifies [the object] within his township, he receives it back and 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 14. If the owner identifies [his property outside of his town] he must not seize it outright; do not tell [the man who holds the property]: “This is mine,” but tell him thus: “Come for confrontment to the place where you got it”; and if he does not come immediately he must produce two bails [to guarantee that he will come] within five days.

Article 15. If a man [engaged in business] claims his share in the balance from his partner, and the latter balks, he has to go for an investigation by [a jury of] 12 men; if [it is established] that he [the partner] maliciously refused to refund [the first man’s share], the man must receive his money and 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 16. If anyone, having recognized his [runaway] slave [in another’s possession] wants to take him, [the man who holds that slave] has to lead [the owner] to the party from whom he bought that slave, and that party has to lead [the owner] to the one [from whom he bought the slave], and [so they go eventually] even to the third party. Then tell the third party: “Give me the slave, and sue [the fourth party] for your money with [the help of] an eyewitness.”

Article 17. And if a slave strikes a freeman and hides in [his master’s] house, and his master is not willing to give him up, the master has to pay 12 grivna, and the offended freeman beats the slave whenever he finds him.

Article 18. And if anyone breaks [another’s] spear, or shield, or [cuts his] clothes and wants to keep them, he must pay for them. And if he wants to return the damaged things he has to pay for the damage.

[II. The Pravda of Iaroslav’s Sons]

[Preamble]. The Law of the Russian land enacted when [the princes] Iziaslav, Vsevolod, Sviatoslav, [and their councilors] Kosniachko, Pereneg, Mikyfor the Kievan, Chudin, and Mikula met together.

Article 19. If they kill the bailiff, deliberately, the [actual] murderer has to pay 80 grivna [as bloodwite], and the guild is not liable. And for the prince’s adjutant, 80 grivna.

Article 20. And if the bailiff is killed in a highway attack and they do not search for the murderers, that guild within the boundaries of which the body has been found has to pay the bloodwite.

Article 21. And if, while stealing cows, they murder the bailiff near a barn, or near a horse [stable] or a cow [shed], [the one who murders the bailiff] is to be killed like a dog. This also refers to [the case of the murder of] the assistant steward.

Article 22. And for the prince’s steward, 80 grivna.

Article 23. And for the master of the stable 80 grivna, as constituted by Iziaslav in the case of his master of the stable whom the Dorogobuzhians killed.

Article 24. And for [the murder of] the prince’s farm manager as well as of the field overseer, 12 grivna.

Article 25. And for the contract laborer on princely estates, 5 grivna.

Article 26. And for a peasant, or a herdsman, 5 grivna.

Article 27. And for the slave tutor or nurse, 12 grivna.

Article 28. And for a horse with prince’s brand, 3 grivna, and for the peasant’s horse, 2 grivna; for a mare, 60 rezana; for an ox, one grivna; for a cow, 40 rezana; and for a three-year-old [cow], 15 kuna; and for a yearling [heifer], a half grivna; and for a calf, 5 rezana; and for a yearling ewe, one nogata, and for a [yearling] ram, one nogata.

Article 29. And if anyone abducts another man’s male or female slave, he has to pay 12 grivna for the offense.

Article 30. If there comes a man smeared with blood or blue from bruises he needs no witness [to prove the offense].

Article 31. And if they steal horses or oxen or [some property in the] barn, and if it was the work of one man only, he has to pay [three] grivna and 30 rezana; and if there were [as many as] 18 robbers, each pays three grivna and 30 rezana.

Article 32. And if they burn or break a prince’s beehive, 3 grivna.

Article 33. And if they inflict pain on a peasant without the prince’s order, 3 grivna for the offense; and for the bailiff, and for the assistant steward, and the sheriff, 12 grivna.

Article 34. And if anyone plows beyond the bound [of his property] or beyond a hedge, 12 grivna for the offense.

Article 35. And if anyone steals a boat, he has to pay 30 rezana for the boat and a fine of 60 rezana.

Article 36. And for a dove or a fowl, 9 kuna; and for a duck, or a goose, or a crane, or a swan, 30 rezana; and a fine of 60 rezana.

Article 37. And if they steal another man’s hound or hawk, or falcon, 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 38. And if they kill a thief in their own yard, or at the barn, or at the stable, he is [rightly] killed; but if they hold him until daylight, they have to bring him to the prince’s court; and in case [they hold him until daylight and then] kill him, and people have seen him bound [before he was killed], they have to pay for him.

Article 39. If they steal hay, 9 kuna; and for lumber, 9 kuna.

Article 40. If they steal a ewe, or a goat, or a sow, and ten people were [in the gang], each pays a fine of 60 rezana; and he who rescued [the ewe], receives 10 rezana.

Article 41. And from each [three] grivna [of fines collected] one kuna is paid to the sheriff; 15 kuna goes [to the church] as tithe; and the prince receives three grivna. And from 12 grivna the sheriff receives 70 kuna; [the church], two grivna as tithe; and the prince, 10 grivna.

Article 42. And [when the bloodwite collector and his assistants are on their journey for collecting fines, they receive provisions from the population] according to custom, as follows: the collector receives 7 buckets of malt, and a sheep or a portion [of a beef], or two nogata for one week; and on Wednesday, one rezana or [the equivalent in] curd; and on Friday, the same; and as much bread as they can eat, and millet; and two hens a day; and [they have the right] to put up 4 horses in the stable, and [the owner of the stable] has to give the horses as much [oats] as they can eat. And the bloodwite collector receives 60 grivna, and 10 rezana, and 12 veveritsa [of which] one grivna in advance. And if [the collection drive] occurs during Lent, [then the food is fish] and [he receives] 7 rezana for fish. Thus, they receive 15 kuna a week in cash, and as much food as they can eat; [but in each locality] they have to complete the collection of the bloodwite within a week. Such is Iaroslav’s ordinance.

Article 43. And this is the table of payments for the builders of bridges: when they complete the bridge, they receive one nogata for their work and one nogata for lumber [for each span of the bridge]. And if they have to repair several planks of an old bridge—three, or four, or five—they are paid accordingly.

B. Expanded Version

[I. The Revised Pravda of Iaroslav’s Sons]

The Ordinances of Iaroslav, Son of Vladimir

Article 1. If a man kills a man [the following relatives of the murdered man may avenge him]: the brother is to avenge his brother, or the father, [his son], or the son, [his father]; or the son of the brother, or the son of the sister, [their respective uncle]. If there is no avenger the wergeld is set to the amount of 80 grivna in case [the murdered man] was a prince’s councilor or a prince’s steward; if he was a [Kievan] Russian—a palace guard, a merchant, or a boyar’s steward, or a sheriff—or if he was an Izgoi, or a [Novgorodian] Slav, [the wergeld is] 40 grivna.

Article 2. And after Iaroslav his sons: Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod, and their councilors: Kosniachko, Pereneg, and Nikifor met in a conference and canceled the [custom] of blood revenge, and [instead ordered] composition of [the crime] by money. And as to anything else, all that Iaroslav had decreed, his sons confirmed accordingly.

On Homicide

Article 3. If anyone kills a prince’s man in a highway attack, and the [local people] do not search for the murderer, the guild within the territory where the body lies has to pay the bloodwite [which, for the prince’s official, is] 80 grivna, and for a commoner, 40 grivna.

Article 4. And if a guild has to pay a “dark” bloodwite, its members [are allowed] to pay [in installments] for several years, since they pay on behalf of [an unknown] murderer.

Article 5. If the murderer appears within the guild [after the payments of the “dark” bloodwite have been already started], let him pay the balance, since they [the members of the guild] had helped him by starting payments of the “dark” bloodwite. But in any case they shall together pay 40 grivna [as bloodwite] in full; and as to the bot, it is only the murderer who pays it; and he pays his share of the 40 grivna [bloodwite].

Article 6. And if [a man] kills [a man] publicly in a brawl or at a feast he likewise shall pay his share in the guild’s liabilities.

Concerning [the Man] Who Kills [Another Man] in an Attack without Provocation

Article 7. And if [a man] kills [a man] in an attack without provocation, the [members of the guild] do not pay for the murderer but surrender him with his wife and children for banishment and confiscation of his property.

Article 8. And to one who fails to assume his share in [the payments of] the “dark” bloodwite, the members of the guild give no help but he has to pay [everything] himself.

Article 9. And the customary food rations of the bloodwite collector under Iaroslav are as follows: the bloodwite collector receives 7 buckets of malt and a sheep or a portion [of a beef], or 2 nogata for one week; and on Wednesday one kuna or [the equivalent in] curd; and on Friday the same; and two hens a day; and 7 loaves of bread for a week; and 7 measures of millet; and 7 measures of peas; and 7 bricks of salt. This is to the bloodwite collector with his clerk. And oats for 4 horses. And the bloodwite collector receives 8 grivna, and 10 kuna for traveling expenses; and the sheriff receives 12 veksha. And the arrival [welcome] money is 1 grivna.

Article 10. When the bloodwite is 80 grivna, the collector receives 16 grivna and 10 kuna and 12 veksha; and the arrival [welcome] money grivna in advance, and 3 grivna head money.

Concerning the Prince’s Officials

Article 11. And [the wergeld] of the prince’s page, or groom, or [man] cook is 40 grivna.

Article 12. And for the palace steward and the stable steward, 80 grivna.

Article 13. And for the farm steward or the field overseer, 12 grivna.

Article 14. And for a contract laborer, 5 grivna; and as much for a boyar’s contract laborer.

Concerning the Handicraftsman or Handicraftswoman

Article 15. And for the handicraftsman or a handicraftswoman, 12 grivna.

Article 16. And for a peasant or a slave, 5 grivna; and for a female slave, 6 grivna.

Article 17. And for the tutor, 12 grivna, and the same amount for the nurse, even be he or she a slave.

Concerning the Bloodwite in the Case of a Reported [Homicide]

Article 18. And if a man [not caught in the very act of committing a murder] is accused of homicide, he has to produce 7 witnesses [to prove his innocence, in order] to reject the bloodwite. And if he is a Varangian or other [alien], then [he needs two witnesses only].

Article 19. And when bones are found or a [decomposed] corpse, no bloodwite is to be imposed, since they do not know the name [of the dead man] and cannot identify him.

And if [the Defendant] Rejects the Bloodwite

Article 20. And if [the defendant] rejects the bloodwite [with the aid of witnesses], he has to pay one grivna of kuna to the clerk for the discontinuance; and the man who brought the accusation pays [to the clerk] another grivna; and for [the rejection of] the bloodwite, 9 [kuna] as proceedings costs.

Article 21. And if [the defendant] is unable to produce witnesses but [in his turn] accuses his accuser of the homicide, let them be given an ordeal by iron.

Article 22. And the same refers to all lawsuits, including theft and other accusations. If the [stolen] thing is not produced, give him [that is, the plaintiff] [ordeal by] iron even against his will [in case the amount of the damages] is over one half of a grivna gold. If [the amount] is less [than a half grivna gold] but over 2 [silver] grivna, [the ordeal is] by water. And if the amount is less [than 2 silver grivna], then let him [the plaintiff] take the oath concerning his money.

Article 23. If anyone strikes [another] with a sword without unsheathing it, or with the hilt, a 12 grivna fine for the offense.

Article 24. He who unsheathes his sword but does not strike, one grivna of kuna.

Article 25. If anyone hits another with a club or a bowl or a [drinking] horn or the butt [of a tool or a vessel], 12 grivna.

Article 26. If the man [who has been hit], will not endure it and strikes [his offender] with a sword, he is not guilty.

Article 27. If anyone cuts [another’s] arm, and the arm is severed, or shrinks, or if he cuts a leg, or an eye, or the nose, then [he pays] half a bloodwite, 20 grivna, and the [injured] man receives 10 grivna for his injuries.

Article 28. If he cuts any of the fingers, a 3 grivna fine, and one grivna of kuna to the injured man.

If a Bloody Man Appears [to Seek Justice]

Article 29. If a man smeared with blood or blue [from bruises] comes to [the prince’s] court, he needs no eyewitness [to prove the offense], and [his assailant] pays a 3 grivna fine; if there is no mark [of injury] upon him, he has to produce an eyewitness [to testify] word for word; and the one who started [the fight] pays 60 kuna. And if a man comes smeared with blood but it is subsequently proved by witnesses that it was he who started [the fight], then the beating he received serves him as remuneration.

Article 30. If anyone strikes another with a sword but does not kill him, [he pays] a 3 grivna [fine to the prince] and [the expenses] of the treatment of the wound to the [injured man] himself; if he kills [the man he struck, he pays] the bloodwite.

Article 31. If a man pulls a man toward himself or pushes him, or hits him in the face, or beats him with a rod, two eyewitnesses are to be brought, and the fine is 3 grivna; in case he is a Varangian or a Kolbiag, then a full number of eyewitnesses should be brought and an oath is to be taken.

On Slaves

Article 32. And if a slave should conceal himself, and the owner announces it in the market place, and for three days nobody brings him in, and [the owner] should find him on the third day, he may take his slave and he [who concealed the slave] pays 3 grivna fine.

If Anyone Rides Another’s Horse

Article 33. If anyone rides another’s horse without asking [the owner’s permission], three grivna fine.

Article 34. If anyone loses his horse, or weapons, or clothes, and announces it in the market place and later recognizes [his lost property] in his own town [at another’s house] he takes it back, and [the offender] pays three grivna for the offense.

Article 35, If anyone recognizes [at another’s] his property lost or stolen from him, such as a horse, or clothes, or cattle, do not say “It is mine,” but: “Let us go for confrontment to the party where you received it” [and] settle it by confrontment. He who is guilty, assumes the responsibility for stealing; [the owner] takes his property; and if anything had been damaged, [the guilty] one must pay for it; and if the guilty one is a horse thief, he shall be surrendered to the prince for banishment; if he is a house thief, he pays three grivna [to the prince].

On Confrontment

Article 36. And if the investigation takes place in the same town, the plaintiff has to go to the last confrontment; if the investigation is transferred to other towns, the plaintiff has to go to the third confrontment only; and the third party pays [the original owner], for what has been found, and with it goes through the last confrontment; and the [original] plaintiff has to wait until the end of the investigation; and when the last [guilty] party is found, he pays the damages as well as the fine.

On Theft

Article 37. Similarly, if anyone buys stolen goods, be it a horse, or clothes, or cattle, he has to produce two freemen or the toll collector [to certify the fact of his buying it]; if he cannot state from whom he bought [the goods], his eyewitnesses have to swear [that he did buy the goods] and the plaintiff takes his property; and if there are losses, he [the plaintiff] may lament them; and he [who bought the stolen goods] may lament his money, since he does not know from whom he bought [the goods]. And if eventually he should recognize [the man] from whom he bought them, he receives his money from that [man], and the latter pays the damages and a fine to the prince.

If Anyone Finds His [Stolen] Slave

Article 38. If anyone finds his stolen slave and apprehends him, he must, as in the case of other property litigations, bring him along until the third confrontment; then, he must take [from the third party] some slave instead of his slave and give to him [the third party] his slave as material evidence, and he [the third party] proceeds to the last confrontment. And he [the slave] is not a beast; [in this case] the buyer cannot say, “I do not know from whom I bought him” [because the slave can talk]; and thus by the slave’s word one proceeds to the end, and when the final thief is found, [the third party] returns the slave [to the original owner] and takes back his own; and he [the final thief] pays the damages and 12 grivna fine to the prince for the stolen slave.

More on Confrontment

Article 39. And from one’s own town to a foreign land there is no confrontment; the intermediary party has to produce, in the usual way, witnesses or the toll collector, in whose presence he bought [the goods]; the plaintiff takes back [such] object [as is available] and may lament the rest which he lost; and [the intermediary party] may lament his money.

On Theft

Article 40. If they kill any thief near the barn or in any other kind of thievery, they kill him like a dog; but if they hold him until dawn, they have to bring him to the prince’s court. If they kill [the thief] and some people had seen him bound, they have to pay 12 grivna for the offense.

Article 41. If anyone steals cattle from the stable or [things from the] barn, if he is alone, he pays 3 grivna and 30 kuna; if there are many [thieves], each pays 3 grivna and 30 kuna.

More on Theft

Article 42. If anyone steals cattle in the field, or sheep, or goats, or pigs, 60 kuna; if there are many [thieves], each [pays] 60 kuna.

Article 43. If anyone steals grain from a threshing court or from a pit, irrespective of how many [thieves] there are, each [pays] 3 grivna and 30 kuna.

Article 44. And the owner [of the stolen cattle and goods] takes back the object if there is any at hand, and receives half a grivna [damage refund] for each year [during which the thieves used it].

Article 45. And if there be no object at hand, and [the object stolen] was the prince’s horse, [the offender] pays 3 grivna; and for [the commoner’s] horse, 2 grivna.

And the Following Are the Amends for [Stolen] Cattle

Article 45a. For a mare, 7 kuna; for an ox, 1 grivna; for a cow, 40 kuna, for a three year old [cow], 30 kuna, for a second year [cow], half a grivna, for a heifer, 5 kuna; for a sow, 5 kuna, and for a sucking pig, 1 nogata; for a ewe, 5 kuna, for a ram, 1 nogata; and for a [young] stallion nobody rode on, 1 grivna of kuna, [and] for a colt, 6 nogata; and for milk, 6 nogata. These amends to be paid to the prince by the [free] peasants liable to fines.

And in Regard to Slaves Who Be Thieves, the Prince’s Ordinance Is as Follows

Article 46. If slaves, be they the prince’s or the boyars’, or the monasteries’, happen to be thieves, the prince does not fine them since they are not freemen, but they are to pay double for the offense to the plaintiff.

If Anyone Sues [Another] for Money

Article 47. If anyone sues another for money [loaned] and the latter denies the charges, he has to produce witnesses who must take an oath, and [if they do so], he receives his money back; if the loan has been overdue for many years, [the debtor] has to pay 3 grivna for the offense.

Article 48. If a merchant lends another merchant money for buying [some goods] or for trading, he is not required to do it in the presence of witnesses; there is no need of witnesses for him, but he takes the oath himself in case [the one who received the loan] denies the charges.

On Storage

Article 49. If anyone stores his goods at another’s house, there is no need of witnesses; but if he extends claims for a large amount, he who stored the goods has to swear [as follows]: “You stored at my house such and such volume only.” Because [he who accepted goods for storage] did a favor to [the owner of the goods] and kept them safe.

On Interest

Article 50. If anyone lends money at interest, or honey or grain on accruement, he has to produce witnesses; he receives interest or accruement according to the rate agreed upon.

On Monthly Interest

Article 51. As to the monthly interest, [the lender] shall collect it on short-term [loans] only; if the money has been used for a year, let him [the lender] receive the interest at the third-of-the-year rate, and the monthly rate interest is annulled.

Article 52. If there were no witnesses, and the amount of money [lent] was not over 3 grivna, he has to take an oath; if the amount was greater, they say to him, “It is your fault, you should have done it in the presence of witnesses.”

[II. Vladimir Monomach’s Statute]

The Statute of Vladimir, Son of Vsevolod

Article 53. After the death of [Prince] Sviatopolk, [Prince] Vladimir, son of Vsevolod, called his councilors [for a meeting] at Berestov. [The following were present:] Ratibor, the chiliarch of Kiev; Prokopii, the chiliarch of Belgorod; Stanislav, the chiliarch of Pereiaslav; Nazhir; Miroslav; and Ivanko Chudinovich, of [Prince] Oleg’s retinue. And they ordered that he who lends money at third-of-the-year rates be limited by the third collection of interest. If he has collected interest for two [third-of-the-year] terms, he receives [also] his money back; but if he has collected interest for three terms, he cannot get his money back.

Article 53a. If anyone receives yearly interest [at the rate of] 10 kuna for 1 grivna, this is not annulled.

If a Merchant Be Shipwrecked

Article 54. If a merchant with another’s money in his hands is shipwrecked or loses [his goods] in war or in fire, they should not apply pressure on him, nor sell his entire property, but let him repay [the lender] in yearly installments; because his ruin is from God, and he is not guilty. If he squanders another’s goods on drink or [wrecks them] in a brawl, or damages them through his foolishness, then the lenders may choose: if they so wish, they wait for their goods; if not, they sell his entire property.

On Debts

Article 55. If anyone is indebted to many creditors and there comes a merchant from another town, or a foreigner, and without knowing [of the man’s indebtedness] lends him goods, and he would not pay him and [when the last lender would claim his money back] the former lenders object to his being satisfied first, they [all the lenders] shall bring the man to the market place and sell his entire property. From the proceeds, they first repay the [out of town or foreign] merchant, and the balance is divided among his home-town creditors. If the prince’s money was involved, they first pay the prince, and the balance is divided among the others. And he who had [already] collected much interest, [now] receives nothing.

If an Indentured Laborer Runs Away

Article 56. If an indentured laborer runs away from his lord, he becomes the latter’s slave. But if he departs openly, to sue for his money [and goes] to the prince, or to the judges, to complain of the injustice on the part of his lord, they do not reduce him to slavery but give him justice.

More on the Indentured Laborer

Article 57. If an agricultural indentured laborer ruins a war horse, he does not pay for it. But if the lord from whom he received money intrusts to him [a work horse to work with] plow and harrow and he ruins it, he has to pay for it. But if the lord sends him away for some business of his [that is, the lord’s] and [the work horse] perishes, he [the laborer] need not pay for it.

More on the Indentured Laborer

Article 58. If they steal [cattle] from [the lord’s] stable, the laborer does not have to pay for it. But if [the laborer] loses cattle on the field because he failed to drive them to the yard and did not lock them where the lord ordered him, or because he worked for himself and neglected working for the lord, then he has to pay.

Article 59. If the lord offends the indentured laborer and seizes his money or his movables, he has to return all this and pay 60 kuna for the offense.

Article 60. If the lord transfers the indenture on the laborer [to a third person] for money, [the transaction is annulled:] the [first] lord has to return the money he accepted and pay 3 grivna fine.

Article 61. If the lord sells the indentured laborer into slavery, the laborer is free from all obligations for the money [he had received from the lord], and the lord pays a 12 grivna fine for the offense.

Article 62. If the lord beats the indentured laborer for good reason, he is without fault; but if he beats the indentured laborer foolishly, being drunk, and without any fault on the part of the indentured laborer, he has to pay for the offense to the indentured laborer the same fine as it would be for a freeman.

On Slaves

Article 63. If a full slave steals another’s horse, [the owner of the slave] has to pay 2 grivna.

Article 64. If an indentured laborer steals [a horse] or some other [beast], his lord is responsible for him. And when they find him, the lord first pays for the horse or anything else he stole, and then [the indentured laborer] is his full slave. And if the lord does not want to pay in behalf of [his indentured laborer], he sells him, and first reimburses [the owner] for the horse, or the ox, or cattle, whatever was stolen, and keeps the balance.

And if a Slave Strikes [a Freeman]

Article 65. And if a slave strikes a freeman and hides in the house, and his lord will not surrender him, the lord pays for him a 12 grivna [fine]; and then whenever and wherever the injured man meets the offender, who struck him, [Prince] Iaroslav ordered to [allow him] to kill the offender, but his sons, after their father’s death, ordered the matter to be settled with the alternative of payment: either to bind the slave [to a post] and beat him, or to accept 1 grivna for the offense to his honor.

On Witnesses

Article 66. And the slave cannot serve as a witness; however, at need, when there is no freeman, a boyar’s steward [even if he is a slave] may be a witness, but no other [slave]. And in a minor litigation, at need, an indentured laborer may serve as witness.

[III. Other Enactments]

On Beards

Article 67. If anyone tears [another’s] beard, and [the offended either comes to the court] with the sign of it, or produces men [as witnesses], [the offender pays] a 12 grivna fine; but if there is a claim and no men [to support it], there is no fine.

On Teeth

Article 68. If they knock out anyone’s tooth, and blood is visible in his mouth, or men [as witnesses] are produced, 12 grivna fine, and 1 grivna [damages] for the tooth.

[On Theft of Game]

Article 69. If anyone steals a beaver, 12 grivna.

Article 70. If there are traces on the ground or any evidence of hunting, or a net, the guild must search for the poacher or pay the fine.

If Anyone Obliterates the Sign on a Beehive [or Any Other Marker]

Article 71. If anyone obliterates the sign on a beehive, 12 grivna.

Article 72. If anyone cuts an apiary boundary [hedge], or plows through a field boundary, or bars [another’s] yard boundary by paling, 12 grivna fine.

Article 73. If anyone cuts a landmark oak, 12 grivna fine.

And the Following Is the Supply Quota

Article 74. And this is the supply quota: [to the collector of fines], 12 grivna; to the clerk, 2 grivna and 20 kuna; and he himself and the clerk are to ride on two horses to be given oats; and as to meat, they give them a sheep or a portion of beef; and other food as much as their stomachs will hold; to the scribe, 10 kuna; loading [fee], 5 kuna; fur [fee], 2 nogata.

And the Following Is on Beehives

Article 75. If anyone cuts a beehive [from a tree], 3 grivna fine; and for the tree [on which the beehive is placed], half a grivna.

Article 76. If anyone carries the bees away, 3 grivna fine; and for honey, in case it had not been already cut out, 10 kuna. For [damaging] a honeyless beehive, 5 kuna.

Article 77. If the thief is not on hand, they pursue him on his trail. If the trail leads to a village or to a camp and they [the villagers] cannot prove that it passes [the village]; or if they would not follow the trail, or would evade it, they have to pay the damages as well as the fine. And they have to follow the trail with outside people and witnesses present. If they lose the trail on a highway, with no village in sight, or in a wilderness where there is no village nor people, they do not have to pay the fine, nor the damages.

On Peasants

Article 78. If a peasant inflicts pain on another peasant without the prince’s authorization, 3 grivna fine, and 1 grivna of kuna [amends] for the pain. If he inflicts pain on the prince’s bailiff, 12 grivna fine, and 1 grivna [amends] for the pain.

Article 79. If anyone steals a boat, 60 kuna fine, and the boat to be returned in kind. For a seagoing boat, 3 grivna; for a decked boat, 2 grivna; for a canoe, 20 kuna; for a barge, 1 grivna.

On Hunting Nets

Article 80. If anyone cuts a rope in the hunting net, 3 grivna fine, and to the owner 1 grivna of kuna [damages] for the rope.

Article 81. If anyone steals from a hunting net a hawk or a falcon, 3 grivna fine, and to the owner, 1 grivna; and for a dove, 9 kuna; for a fowl, 9 kuna; for a duck, 30 kuna; for a goose, 30 kuna; for a swan, 30 kuna; and for a crane, 30 kuna.

[On Stealing Hay]

Article 82. And for [stealing] hay or lumber, 9 kuna [fine], and to the owner according to the number of cartloads stolen, 2 nogata for a cartload.

On the Threshing Court

Article 83. If anyone sets fire to a threshing court, he is to be banished and his house confiscated; first, the damages are paid, and the prince takes care of the rest. The same for setting fire to anyone’s homestead.

Article 84. And whoever vilely maims or slaughters [another’s] horse or cattle [shall pay] 12 grivna fine, and, for the damages, amends to the owner.

Article 85. In all the above litigations the trial is with freemen as witnesses. If the witness is a slave, he is not to take [a direct] part in the trial; but if the plaintiff so desires, he seizes [the defendant] and says as follows: “I am seizing thee on the ground of this [man’s] words, but it is I who seize thee, and not the slave.” And he takes him [the defendant] to the ordeal. If he [the plaintiff] succeeds in proving his guilt, he takes back from him [the defendant] his own; if he does not succeed in accusing him, he pays him 1 grivna [amends] for the pain inflicted, since he seized him on the ground of a slave’s words.

Article 86. And they have to pay 40 kuna ordeal-by-iron fee; and to the sheriff, 5 kuna; and to the clerk, half a grivna. Those are the ordeal-by-iron payments,—who receives what.

Article 87. If [the plaintiff] seizes [the defendant] for the ordeal by iron on the ground of a freeman’s word; or if there is a [definite] suspicion [against the defendant]; or if [the witnesses saw the defendant] pass at night near [the spot where the crime was committed]; or [in the case of the defendant’s acquittal] if perchance he is not burned [at the ordeal], he who seized him need not pay [amends] for the pain inflicted, but only the ordeal-by-iron fee.

On Women

Article 88. If anyone kills a woman he is tried in the same way as if he killed a man. If he is found guilty [he shall pay] one half of the bloodwite, 20 grivna.

Article 89. And there is no bloodwite for either a male or a female slave; but if a slave is killed without any fault of his, [the killer] has to pay amends for the male, as well as for the female, slave; and to the prince, 12 grivna fine.

If a Peasant Dies

Article 90. If a peasant dies [without male descendants] his estate goes to the prince; if there are daughters left in the house, each receives a portion [of the estate]; if they are married, they receive no portion.

On the Estates of Boyars and Members of the Princely Retinue

Article 91. In regard to the boyars and the members of the princely retinue, the estate does not go to the prince, but, if there are no sons left, the daughters inherit.

Article 92. If anyone, before dying, makes a settlement dividing his estate between his children, his will stands. If he dies without a will, the estate is divided between his children [in equal shares], except for a portion which goes [to a monastery] for prayers for the soul [of the deceased].

Article 93. If the wife survives her husband, she receives a portion [of the estate in usufruct]; and whatever her husband had given her [by a special settlement], she owns that, but she does not inherit the estate.

Article 94. [In case the deceased had been married more than once], if there are children left, those by the first wife inherit their mother’s share; and whatever the deceased gave to her the children inherit from their mother’s estate.

Article 95. If there is [an unmarried] sister in the house, she has no share in the estate, but her brothers marry her [off] with such dowry as they can.

The Following Is in Regard to Building Town [Walls]

Article 96. And these are the payments to the town builder: at his starting a section of the town [wall] he receives 1 kuna; and at completing it, 1 nogata; and for food and drink and for meat and for fish, 7 kuna a week; 7 loaves of bread; 7 measures of millet; and 7 buckets of oats for 4 horses. He continues to receive all this until he completes the wall; but as to malt, they give him 10 buckets once only.

On Bridgebuilders

Article 97. And those are the payments to the bridgebuilder. When he completes the bridge, he receives 1 nogata for each 10 ells. If he repairs an old bridge, irrespective of how many sections of the bridge he may have repaired, he receives 1 kuna for each section. And the bridgebuilder and his assistant keep two horses to be provided with 4 buckets of oats a week; and [the bridgebuilder and his assistant receive] such food as they can eat.

The Following Is on the Estate of One Deceased

Article 98. If there are children by a man’s female slave left, they do not inherit and are to be set free after his death.

Article 99. If there are small children left in the house who are not able to take care of themselves, and their mother should marry, he who is their nearest relative assumes care of them as well as of all their property and the house until they be of age; and the property is to be given to him [in trust] in the presence of men. And if he succeeds in making a profit on that property, he keeps it; that is, he returns to the children the original amount, and keeps all the profit, since it was he who fed them and took care of them. Similarly in regard to the progeny of both the slaves and cattle; everything should be accounted for; if [the trustee] loses anything, he has to make amends to the children. If it is the stepfather who takes care of the children and their estate the settlement is identical.

Article 100. And the father’s homestead is not subject to any division of the estate, but [is given] to the youngest son.

On the Wife Who Agrees to Manage Her Deceased Husband’s Estate

Article 101. If the wife agrees to manage her deceased husband’s estate and then loses the property and marries, she has to pay the children for everything.

Article 102. If the children do not want to stay on the homestead and she wants to, her will prevails and not the children’s; and she remains on the homestead with what her husband had given her, or the portion [of the estate] she received [in usufruct].

Article 103. And the children cannot dispose of their mother’s portion: to whom the mother gives it, he receives it; if she gives it to all of them, they divide it among themselves. If she dies without a will, he in whose home she lived and who fed her, receives her estate.

Article 104. If there are children left of the same mother by her two [successive] husbands, the children of each respective father receive his estate.

Article 105. If a stepfather spends some property of the father of his stepson [which he holds in trust] and dies, his son must return to his [half]-brother that which his father spent out of his stepfather’s estate, as testified by neighbors; and he keeps what had belonged to his father.

Article 106. And as to the mother, she may give her portion to that one of her sons, whether by her first or by her second husband, who is kind to her. If all her sons are wicked, she may give her portion to her daughter who feeds her.

The Following Are the Court Fees

Article 107. And these are the court fees: from each bloodwite [the court fee is] 9 kuna, and the constable’s fee is 9 veksha. And from [litigations about] the beehive lots [the court fee is] 30 kuna. And from all other kinds of litigation, the litigant who wins the lawsuit pays [the court fee of] 4 kuna, and the constable’s fee, 6 veksha.

On the Estate of the Deceased

Article 108. If brothers contend in the prince’s court concerning [their father’s] estate, the clerk who divides the estate for them receives 1 grivna of kuna.

On the Fees for Administering an Oath

Article 109. And these are the oath fees: in homicide cases, 30 kuna; in [litigations concerning] the beehive lots, 30 kuna minus 3 kuna; the same [in litigations concerning] arable land; and at freeing a slave, 9 kuna.

On Slavery

Article 110. Full slavery is of three kinds: [first] if anyone buys [a man] willing [to sell himself into slavery], for not less than half a grivna, and produces witnesses and pays [the fee of] 1 nogata in the presence of the slave himself. And the second kind of slavery is this: if anyone marries a female slave without special agreement [with her lord]; if he marries her with a special agreement, what he agreed to, stands. And this is the third kind of slavery: if anyone becomes [another’s] steward or housekeeper without a special agreement; if there has been an agreement, what has been agreed upon, stands.

Article 111. And the recipient of a [money] grant is not a slave. And one cannot make a man one’s slave because [he received] a grant-in-aid in grain, or [failed to furnish] additional grain [when repaying the grant]; if he fails to complete the term of work [for the grant], he has to return the grant; if he completes the term, he stands cleared.

Article 112. If a slave runs away and his owner makes due announcement, and someone else, having heard the announcement or knowing about it and understanding that the man is a fugitive slave, gives him some bread or shows him the way [to escape], he has to pay for the male slave 5 grivna and for the female slave 6 grivna.

Article 113. If anyone apprehends another’s slave and informs the owner, he receives 1 grivna for the arrest [of the slave]; if he lets him escape, he has to pay 4 grivna but keeps the fifth grivna [as his remuneration for the attempted] arrest; in case of a female slave, [he pays] 5 grivna and [keeps] the sixth grivna for the [attempted] arrest.

Article 114. If anyone finds by himself his runaway slave in some town the mayor of which did not know about [that slave], he informs the mayor, and the latter sends a clerk with him, and they go and bind the slave, and he gives the clerk 10 kuna binding fee, but no remuneration for the arrest. If the slave escapes when he drives him home, that is his loss, nobody has to pay him, since the slave had not been arrested [by any authority, but on the owner’s initiative].

Article 115. If anyone meets another man’s slave, not knowing that he is such, and gives him information [about traveling], or keeps him in his own house, and then [that slave] leaves him, he has to swear that he did not know that that man was another’s slave, and he is not required to pay [the owner].

Article 116. If a slave should receive [from anyone] money under false pretense, and the creditor lent it not knowing [that the man was a slave], the owner [of the slave] has to redeem or lose him. If the creditor lent the money knowing [that the man was a slave] he loses his money.

Article 117. If anyone authorizes his slave to trade and the latter should fall in debt, the owner redeems him but does not lose him.

Article 118. If anyone buys another man’s slave without knowing it, the original owner takes the slave and the buyer receives his money back after swearing that he had bought him without knowing [who he was].

Article 119. [If a runaway slave obtains goods on credit,] the owner takes back the slave, [and assumes his debt], and also takes the goods.

Article 120. If [a slave] runs away and takes any neighbor’s property or goods, his owner pays the damages.

Article 121. If a slave robs a man, the owner may redeem or surrender him, as well as those who participated with him in the robbery, but not [the slave’s] wife and children unless they helped him to rob, or hid [the stolen goods]; in such a case he [the owner of the slave] surrenders them, or else he redeems them all. If freemen participated in the robbery, they are liable for the payment of the fine to the prince.