A Code of Gentoo Laws, by Nathaniel Brassey Halhed

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CHAP. XXI. Of Sundry Articles.

• Sect. I. Of Gaming.
• Sect. II. Of Finding any Thing that was lost (which is called Needee.)
• Sect. III. Of the Fines for cutting Trees.
• Sect. IV. Of the Tax upon Buying and Selling Goods.
• Sect. V. Of the Quarrels between a Father and Son.
• Sect. VI. Of Serving unclean Victuals.
• Sect. VII. Of the Punishment to be inflicted on a Sooder for reading the Beids.
• Sect. VIII. Of the Properties of Punishment, and of Punishing.
• Sect. IX. Of Adoption.
• Sect. X. Of Sundries.

SECT. I. Of Gaming.

Gaming is of Two Sorts; the First Choperbazee, a Game played with Three long Dice, Chefs or Tables, and Dice, and such other Kind of Games, which are called Dote; the Second is, when Persons cause Elephants to fight with Elephants, Bulls with Bulls, Cocks with Cocks, Nightingales with Nightingales, or any other Animals in the same Manner; the Name of this Is Shemabhee: These Two Sorts of Gaming, with a conditional Wager of Stipulation, are not allowed to any Persons, even in Jest.

If any Man, either openly or in secret, plays with another at either of these Two Sorts of Gaming above specified, upon a stipulated Wager, the Magistrate shall fine that Man in any Sum that he chooses, and shall chastise him.

If any Man has a Propensity to either of these Two Sorts of Gaming, in that Case, he shall play before the Magistrate, or shall cause a Man belonging to the Magistrate to sit there while he plays; in these Two Cases, whoever is the Loser shall pay the Money which was the Condition of the Game.

If any Man, without Leave of the Magistrate, should play for a stipulated Wager, in that Case, the Conqueror in the Game shall not receive the Money played for, but the Magistrate shall fine both Parties.

When a Game is to be played for a Wager, it shall be played in Presence of a Number of People.

When a Man, having gamed with another for a Wager, receives the Money played for, he shall give that Money to the Magistrate's Officer; the Magistrate's Officer shall divide that Money, and give Half thereof to that Person, and Half to the Magistrate.

If a Man to procure himself to be Winner in a Game, cither by numbering the Squares of the Chefs-Table, or by numbering the Cowries of the Game, or by any other Method, is guilty of Artifice and collusive Practice, the Magistrate shall fine him according to his Abilities.

Whoever plays without any stipulated Condition or Wager shall not receive any Money upon the Game.

If a Man plays at these Two Sorts of Games with Deceit and Fraud, the Magistrate shall cut off Two of his Fingers.

If a Man, having played at any Game for a Stake, and, upon winning, having received the Money, doth not give to the Magistrate the Share that is appointed him, then the Magistrate shall fine him.

SECT. II. Of Finding any Thing that was lost (which is called Needee.)

If a Man, having lost any Thing for a long Space of Time, so that he hath no Hopes of finding it, should then recover it, he shall inform the Magistrate thereof; whereupon, if that Man be an ignorant and unscientifick Person, the Magistrate shall take to himself One Sixth Share of the Whole, and give the Five Sixths to the said Person; if he is a Man of Science, the Magistrate shall keep to himself One Half, and return him the rest.

If a Bramin, having for a long Space of Time lost any Thing, so that he hath no Hopes of finding it, should afterwards recover it, he shall inform the Magistrate thereof, but the Magistrate shall not take any Thing from him.

If a learned Bramin, who regulates all his Actions conformably to the Beids, should find any Thing, the Property of a Stranger, which has been lost, and of which the Proprietor is not known, he shall inform the Magistrate; the Magistrate shall not deduct any Thing from that Article, but it shall go entire to the Bramin.

If an unlearned Bramin should find any Thing, the Property of a Stranger, which has been lost, and of which the Proprietor is not known, he shall inform the Magistrate, who shall take to himself One Sixth Share of the Whole, and give the remaining Five Sixths to the Bramin.

If a Chehteree should find any Thing, the Property of another, which has been lost, and of which the Proprietor is not known, he shall divide it into Four Shares; One Fourth he shall give to the Magistrate, One Fourth to the Bramins, and keep the remaining Two Fourths to himself.

If a Bice should find any Thing, the Property of another, that has been lost, and of which the Proprietor is not known, he then shall give One Half thereof to the Bramins, and out of the Remainder he shall give One Moiety to the Magistrate, and keep the other Moiety to himself.

If a Sooder should find any Thing, the Property of another, which hath been lost, and of which the Proprietor is not known, then, having divided it into Twelve Parts, he shall give Five Twelfths thereof to the Magistrate, and Five Twelfths to the Bramins, and keep the remaining Two Twelfths to himself.

If a Man, having found any Thing that was lost, either a Stranger's Property or his own, should neglect to inform the Magistrate, he shall receive the same Punishment as a Thief.

If the Magistrate finds any Thing that was lost, the Proprietor of which is not known, in that Case, he shall give One Half thereof to the Bramins and shall take One Half to himself.

SECT. III. Of the Fines for cutting Trees.

If any Person cuts the Branches of a Male Banyan Tree, or of a Tree, or of a Moolserry Tree, or of a tamarind Tree, or of a Female Banyan Tree, or of any such large Tree, the Magistrate shall fine him Twenty Puns of Cowries; if he cuts the Middle of the Tree, he shall be fined Forty Puns of Cowries; and if he cuts it down from the Roots, he shall be fined Eighty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man cuts any Trees that are in a Yard of a House, or in a Place where the Dead are Cast, or on the Boundaries of Land, or in a Haut, or in a Bazar, or in the Place appropriated to Dewtah (i.e.) the Deity, the Magistrate shall fine him Double the Price of the Trees.

If a Man cuts a Plass Tree, the Magistrate shall fine him Double the Price of the Tree.

If a Man cuts any of the Creeping Tree called Lut, be it a large or a small Tree, or such Kind of the Lut as upon being cut produces a great Number of Branches, or any Tree whose Branches are extremely crooked, or any small Tree, or any Tree which dies after its Fruit is once ripened, the Magistrate shall fine him Ten Puns of Cowries; if he cuts down any Grass, the Magistrate shall fine him One Pun of Cowries.

If a Man cuts a Tree that is capable of bearing Fruit, the Magistrate shall fine him One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If a Man cuts a Tree that is capable of producing Flowers, the Magistrate shall fine him Five Hundred Puns of Cowries.

Of all these Species of Trees above enumerated, if a Man cuts any One, the Magistrate shall cause him to return to the Owner, a Tree of the same Species with that which was cut; if he has no such Kind of Tree, he shall cause the Price thereof to be paid, and take a Fine, according to the Rate already above specified; nevertheless, a Man may cut Trees for the Purpose of performing the Jugg, or for making a Plough, or for his Houshold Business; in such Cases, there is no Fine.

SECT. IV. Of the Tax upon Buying and Selling Goods.

If a Man purchases Goods in his own Kingdom, and sells them again in his own Kingdom, then, whatever Profit he hath made, upon such Purchase and Sale, he shall give One Tenth of that Profit to the Magistrate; and if he made the Purchase in a foreign Kingdom, and the Sale in his own, he shall pay One Twentieth Share of the Profit to the Magistrate.

If a Man, having purchased Flowers or Roots, such as Ginger or Radishes, or such Kind of Things, or Honey, or Grass, or Fire Wood, from another Kingdom, sells them in his own, the Magistrate shall take to himself One Sixth of the Profit arising upon them, and give to that Person the other Five Sixths.

It a Man sells any Thing of a less Value than One Cahawun (or Sixteen Puns of Cowries) the Magistrate shall not take any Tax thereon.

If a Man, having purchased in another Kingdom any Paddee, or Wheat, or Plantains, or such other Fruit whose Tree dies after once bearing, brings and sells them in his own, he shall give to the Magistrate One Sixth of the Profit thereon, and keep Five Sixths to himself.

Whatever Profit a Painter, a Smith, or such Kind of Workman may have made, by labouring at his own Business, the Magistrate shall charge no Tax thereon; nor shall any Tax be taken upon the Profit which any Person hath made, as a Cossid (or Messenger) neither is there any Tax upon selling young Heifers.

If a Part of a Man's Property hath been stolen from him, no Tax shall be levied by the Magistrate upon the Sale of what remains unstolen.

If a Serwutteree (i.e.) a Bramin learned in the Beids, sells any Thing, the Magistrate shall take no Tax from him.

If a Man hath purchased any Thing for the Worship of Dewtah (i.e.) the Deity, the Magistrate shall take no Tax thereon.

SECT. V. Of the Quarrels between a Father and Son.

If a Quarrel should arise between a Father who is a Man of Capacity and his Son, whoever is Witness in such a Case, the Magistrate shall fine him Ten Puns of Cowries.

If a Quarrel should subsist between a Father who is a Man of Capacity and his Son, and any Person contrives by any Means to lengthen out the Quarrel, the Magistrate shall fine him One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If a Quarrel should arise between a Father who is of small Capacity and his Son, whoever is Witness in such a Case, the Magistrate shall fine him Three Puns of Cowries.

If a Quarrel should subsist between a Father who is a Man of no Capacity and his Son, and any Person contrives by any Means to lengthen out the Quarrel, the Magistrate shall fine him Eight Hundred Puns of Cowries.

Whoever is Security upon a Quarrel between a Father and Son, the Magistrate shall fine him Twenty-four Puns of Cowries.

If a Son commits a Fault, the Father shall not be held as guilty for the Fault of the Son.

SECT. VI. Of Serving unclean Victuals.

If a Man causes a superior Bramin to eat Dung or Urine, the Magistrate shall fine him Sixteen Ashrusies; if it be not a superior Bramin, he shall fine him One Thousand Puns of Cowries; and if he causes him to eat Onions or Garlick, the Magistrate shall fine him One Hundred Ashrusies; if he causes him to drink Wine, he shall put him to Death.

If a Man causes a superior Chehteree to eat Dung or Urine, the Magistrate shall fine him Eight Ashrusies; if it be not a superior Chehteree, he shall fine him Five Hundred Puns of Cowries; and if he causes him to eat Onions or Garlick, or to drink Wine, he shall fine him Fifty Ashrusies.

If a Man causes a superior Bice to eat Dung or Urine, the Magistrate shall fine him Four Ashrusies; if it be not a superior Bice, he shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries; and if he causes him to eat Onions or Garlick, or to drink Wine, he shall fine him Twenty-five Ashrusies.

If a Man causes a superior Man of the Sooder Cast to eat Dung or Urine, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries; if it be not a superior Person, he shall fine him One Hundred and Twenty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man causes a Person of the Arzal or lower Cast to eat Dung or Urine, the Magistrate shall fine him Fifty-four Puns of Cowries.

If a Bramin voluntarily eats Onions or Garlick, the Magistrate shall banish such Bramin from the Kingdom.

SECT. VII. Of the Punishment to be inflicted on a Sooder for reading the Beids.

If a Man of the Sooder reads the Beids of the Shaster, or the Pooran, to a Bramin, a Chehteree, or a Bice, then the Magistrate shall heat some bitter Oil, and pour it into the aforesaid Sooder's, Mouth; and if a Sooder listens to the Beids of the Shaster, then the Oil, heated as before, shall be poured into his Ears, and Arzeez and Wax shall be melted together, and the Orifice of his Ears shall be stopped up therewith.— This Ordination serves also for the Arzal Tribe.

If a Sooder gets by heart the Beids of the Shaster, the Magistrate shall put him to Death.

If a Sooder assumes the Braminical Thread, the Magistrate shall fine him Eight Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Sooder always performs Worship and the Jugg, the Magistrate shall put him to Death, or fine him Two Hundred Ashrusies.

If a Sooder gives much and frequent Molestation to a Bramin, the Magistrate shall put him to Death.

If a Sooder assumes the Customs and Appearances of a Chehteree, and passes his Time as such, the Magistrate shall confiscate all his Effects, and banish him the Kingdom; and if, assuming the consecrated Thread of a Bramin, he passes his Time as such, he shall fine him Eight Hundred Puns of Cowries.

SECT. VIII. Of the Properties of Punishment, and of Punishing.

Punishment* [Here the Image of Punishment is introduced, or rather Punishment is personified.] is the Magistrate; Punishment is the Inspirer of Terrour; Punishment is the Nourisher of the Subjects; Punishment is the Defender from Calamity, Punishment is the Guardian of those that sleep; Punishment, with a black Aspect and a red Eye, terrifies the Guilty: If the Magistrate inflicts Punishment according to the Shaster, then Punishment produces such Consequences as have been already specified in the Kingdom of that Magistrate.

He who is of a good Character, and a Man of Veracity, and who forms his Actions according to the Ordinations of the Shaster, and who retains learned Pundits about him, and he himself also is a Man of Science, and not avaricious, such Person is worthy to be a Magistrate, and to have the Power of inflicting Punishment.

He who is not assisted by learned Pundits, and who is avaricious, and who is not a Man of Science, and who pays no Regard to the Shaster, and who doth not practise what he hath read, and who doth not speak the Truth, and is not of a good Character, such Person is not worthy to be a Magistrate, and to have the Power of inflicting Punishment.

If a Magistrate doth not inflict Punishment according to the Shaster, his Subjects, and his Kingdom, and his Possessions, and the Children of his Relations, become miserable and contemptible.


If a Magistrate inflicts Punishment upon the Guilty, and honourably treats the Innocent, such a Man has all the Requisites for Magistracy, and is always successful, and enjoys a good Character, and in the next World goes to Paradise.

SECT. IX. Of Adoption.

He who is desirous to adopt a Child must inform the Magistrate thereof, and shall perform the Jugg, and shall give Gold and Rice to the Father of the Child whom he would adopt; then, supposing the Child not to have had his Ears bored, or to have received the Bramincal Thread, or to have been married in his Father's House, and not to be Five Years old, if the Father will give up such a Child, or if the Mother gives him up by Order of the Father, and there are other Brothers of that Child, such a Child shall be adopted.

A Woman may not adopt a Child without her Husband's Order; if she has her Husband's Consent, she may cause the Bramins to perform a Jugg for her, and may adopt the Child:— According to the Ordinations of Sewarteh Behtacharige: Approved (or Customary.)— Pacheshputtee Misr speaks to this Effect, that, even with the Husband's Consent, a Woman may not adopt a Child.

A Sooder may adopt a Child, upon procuring a Jugg to be performed for him by the Bramins.

He who has no Son, or Grandson, or Grandson's Son, or Brother's Son, shall adopt a Son; and while he has One adopted Son, he shall not adopt a Second.  

SECT. X. Of Sundries.

If a Man, keeping any of such Species of Animals as have Teeth and Horns, and being able to restrain and confine the Strength of that Animal, neglects to secure him, in that Situation, if the aforesaid Animal with his Horns should hurt any Person, or bite him with his Teeth, then the Magistrate shall fine the Owner thereof Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries; but if that Person has not Strength or Ability to restrain the aforesaid Animal, and any Person should be hurt thereby, the Owner of the Animal shall not be blamed.

If a Man keeps a Cow, or a Buffalo, or a Horse, or an Elephant, or a Camel, or a Wolf, or a Dog, and the Animal of any of these Kinds should stand in the Way, and a Person, passing by upon the Road, should desire the Owner of the Animal to keep it on one Side, then, supposing the Owner to have Ability to keep the Animal on one Side, upon his neglecting so to do, if the Animal should by any Means hurt the Passenger, the Magistrate shall fine the Owner thereof Five Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man exacts Labour from a Bullock that is hungry, or thirsty, or fatigued, or obliges him to labour out of Season, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries.

If any Man, by giving greater Wages than the Custom of the Country requires, entertains a Servant, so that all other Persons, by his giving such great Wages, are put to great Inconvenience, or if, when the Magistrate hath fixed the Price of any Article, he buys or sells such Article at a higher or lower Rate, or if, by any Cozenage and Deceit, he sells an Article of low Value for too great a Price, or, by Cozenage and Deceit, purchases a valuable Commodity at too low a Rate, the Magistrate shall fine him One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, without an Order of the Magistrate, sells an Elephant that is fit for Business, or a Horse that is fit for Business, or a Camel that is fit for Business, or any valuable Jewels, or if a Man sells any Article which the Magistrate  hath forbidden to be sold, the Magistrate shall fine him the Price of the Article sold.

If a Man Uses any severe Expression against the Person who hath taught him the Goiteree, or if a Pupil does not observe the Commands of his Spiritual Guide, or is prepared to assault the Wife of his Elder Brother, or if a Man, having been intruded to carry any Article from one Person to another, doth not deliver it accordingly, Of if a Man hath opened the Lock of any Person's House, or if a Man hath a malevolent Disposition towards a Stranger, the Magistrate shall fine the Offender, in any of these Cases, Fifty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, who hath received any Molestation from a Thief, or any other ill-disposed Person, should say to another, "I receive such Molestation from a Thief, or from such other ill-disposed Person, come you and free me from him," then, if that Person, having sufficient Ability for the Purpose, doth not assist, or speak for the other, the Magistrate shall fine him One Hundred Funs of Cowries.

If a Man, who hath not been molested by a Thief, or any other Person, should say, "I am molested by a Thief, or by such other ill-disposed Person, I entreat the People to come to my Assistance," in that Case, the Magistrate shall fine him One Hundred Puns of Cowries.

When a Sooder, or a Sinassee, is performing a Seradeh, or a Worship to Dewtah, if, upon an Invitation from such Men, a Bramin should eat or drink there, or if a Man takes an Oath which does not belong to him to take, or if a Man should perform any Act which he is not permitted by the Shaster to perform, or if a Man hath administered any such Kind of Philter, so that there is no Fruit produced by the Trees, or causes a Cow to take such a Medicine as that she brings forth no Calf, or if a Man, having concealed any Partnership Property, converts it to his own Use, or if a Man of the Arzal, or low Cast, intentionally strikes with his Hand a Bramin, a Chehteree, or any other such superior Cast, the Magistrate shall fine the Offender, in any of these Cases, One Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Father forsakes a Son, who has no Stain upon his Character, such as the Lost of Cast and such other disgraceful Circumstances, or if a Son, of his own accord, forsakes his Father, who has no Stain upon his Character, or if a Friend forsakes his Friend, who is without Blemish, or if a Brother forsakes a Brother, without Discovery of any Fault in him, or if a Husband forsakes his Wife, without Fault in her, then, if any of these, if both the Parties are unfit for Business, and have no Remedy but that of Separation, the Magistrate shall fine the forsaking Party One Hundred Puns of Cowries; if, without any Reason, but merely their own Choice, the one forsakes the other, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred Puns of Cowries; if of the Two Parties one is fit for Business and the other unfit, then, if the unfit Person of his own Choice, quits the other, the Magistrate shall fine him Six Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If one Person be going on a Road, and another be coming on it, then, whomsoever the Ordinations of the Shaster require to give up the Way to the other, that Person shall give way accordingly: — The Distinctions of giving way are as follows: If one Man is blind, and the other hath his Sight, this latter shall give way to the Blind; if one Person be deaf, and the other hath his perfect Hearing, the latter shall give way to the Deaf: A Man shall give way to a Woman, and a Man empty-handed shall give way to a Man with a Burden; the Subject shall give way to the Magistrate, the Pupil to the Spiritual Guide; and so always an inferior Person shall give way to a superior, and an inferior Cast to a superior, and an inferior Degree of Knowledge to a superior Degree; a Man in Health shall give way to a sick Person; and all Persons shall give way to a Bramin: If any Person doth not give way according to this Rule, the Magistrate shall fine him Twenty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man doth not give a Carpet to sit on, to such Person as he ought to present with such a Seat, or doth not treat with proper Veneration a Person to whom Veneration is due, or who, neglecting a faultless Bramin in his Neighbourhood, invites a Bramin from a considerable Distance, or who, having invited any Person, doth not offer him any Thing to eat, or who, having accepted an Invitation, doth not go to the House whither he was invited accordingly, the Magistrate shall fine the Offender, in such Cases, One Masheh of Gold.

If a Man, having accepted anothers Invitation, doth not eat at his House, then he shall be obliged to make good all the Expence that was incurred in consequence of the Invitation.

If the Magistrate appoints any Man upon the Road to this Effect, to take a Toll from all passengers going or coming by Water, and that Man levies a Toll upon those who come or go by Land, the Magistrate shall fine him Ten Puns of Cowries; in the same Manner, if he has appointed him to the Land Collections, and he levies any Thing from the passengers by Water, the Magistrate shall then also fine him Ten Puns of Cowries.

If any Man goes to a Woman, and forcibly commits Adultery with her, and that Woman, from Bashfulness and Modesty, exclaims, that Thieves attacked her House, then the Magistrate shall fine that Woman Five Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If any Man forcibly commits Adultery with a Woman, and the Woman, by Exclamations, being desirous to call the Neighbourhood, the Man gives her Something as a Bribe, so as to make her desist from her Exclamations, then, whatever Bribe the Woman hath taken, in such a Case, the Magistrate shall fine her Eight Times as much.

If a Man, saying, that the Cloaths, which he has taken from the Body of some deceased Person, are fit for Use, and valuable, sells them as such, or, without the Order of the Magistrate, rides out with the Dignity of a Magistrate, or sits upon the Musnud of the Magistrate, the Magistrate shall fine an Offender, in such Cases, Five Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man performs a Jugg, to procure the Death of any innocent Person, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, to procure the Death of any innocent Person, by any Contrivance, causes him to drink a Potion, or otherwise meditates his Death, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man bores a Hole through any Jewel which is not proper for boring, or, in such as are proper for boring, makes a Hole in the wrong Place, or mixes any base and worthless Article with one that is valuable, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man sells any Thing unfit to eat, calling it an Eatable, or if any Cast sells any Articles that are forbidden to be sold by that Cast, or if a Bramin, quitting his prescribed Mode of Life, hath adopted other Manners, in any of these Cases, the Magistrate shall fine the Offender One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If any Man demolishes the Bundareh (i.e ) the Treasury and Store-House of the Magistrate, or performs the Jugg, or the Poojeh, or such other religious Exercises, with a malevolent Intent towards the Magistrate, or if, being appointed to any Business, he spoils that Business, or if he always takes Bribes, in any of these Cases, the Magistrate, confiscating the whole Property of the Offender, shall banish him the Kingdom.

If a Man, by Casting Briers into the Road, blocks up the Passage, or mixes Poison with any Preparation, Salt, or Acid, or Bitter, or Sweet, or who marries to a Slave any Woman who is not herself a Slave, in such Cases, the Magistrate shall cut off One of the Offender's Limbs; if he is always guilty of these Practices, the Magistrate shall put him to Death.

In any Place where the Magistrate is playing with any Person at Choperbazee, or at Tables, or any other such Kind of Game, in that Case, if any Person, without Permission of the Magistrate, interposes with his Hand, or by speaking, the Magistrate shall put him to Death.

If any Man, without Permission of the Magistrate, dresses himself in Cloaths like those of the Magistrate, or who, being appointed to an Office in the Magistrate's Service, continually neglects his Duty, to employ himself in idle Amusements, or to hear Singing, or, in any other Dissipation, misspends Time, or who collects a greater Revenue than the Magistrate hath ordered, or who aims at the Magistracy, without being Descended from the Magistrate's Family, in such Cases, the Magistrate shall put the Offender to Death.

If a Man, for his own Advantage, makes any false Entry in the Magistrate's Books, or, having discovered a Thief, or an Adulterer, suffers him to escape unpunished, the Magistrate shall fine him One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, of his own Invention, says, that the Magistrate has intrusted to him the Discussion of any particular Affair, which, in fact, the Magistrate has not so intrusted, and, upon this Assertion, has caused Damage to any Persons, the Magistrate, in that Case, shall fine him to the Extent of his Abilities; if he be more than once guilty of the same Offence, he shall cut off One of his Limbs; if he hath a violent Propensity to such Crimes, he shall put him to Death.

If any Man disobeys the Order of the Magistrate, which may be executed, and which is proper, the Magistrate shall cut off from him a Hand, or a Foot, or some other Limb; if he always offends in this Manner, he shall put him to Death.

If a Man makes complaint before the Magistrate against the Magistrate's Counsellor, without any real Fault in him, or performs any Business or Service for the Magistrate's Accuser, the Magistrate shall put him to Death.

If the Magistrate's Officer hath brought before the Magistrate any Person for any Crime, and, upon the Magistrate's examining that Person, he should deny the Crime laid to his Charge, then, even if a small Offence be proved against him, upon a trifling Crime, the Magistrate shall levy a great Fine.

If a Woman causes any Person to take Poison, or sets fire to any Person's House, or murders a Man, then the Magistrate, having bound a Stone to her Neck, shall drown her, upon Condition of her not being with Child.

If a Woman murders her Spiritual Guide, or her Husband, or her Son, the Magistrate, having cut off her Ears, her Nose, her Hands, and her Lips, shall expose her to be killed by Cows, on Condition of her not being with Child.

If a Man spoils any Article made of Leather, or any Wooden or Clay Vessels, the Magistrate shall fine him Five Times as much.

If a Man causes another to do any bad Action, the Magistrate shall take from him Double of the Fine annexed to the Commission of any particular Crime: If a Man says to another, "Do you commit this bad Action, I will stand to all the Expences that may arise," then the Magistrate shall fine him Four Times as much.

If a Man causes another to begin any bad Action, or shews him the Way to commit a bad Action, or furnishes him with any Implements for the Commission of it, or who, suspecting that the other Person is a Thief, gives him a Place where to reside, in these Cases, the Magistrate shall fine him to the Extent of his Abilities.

When a Man hath murdered another, if a third Person, who had Power to restrain the Murderer, neglected to do it, or, not having Power of himself to restrain the Murderer, yet, by speaking to another Person, could have caused him to be restrained, and neglected to speak, or when the Magistrate is prepared to chastise any Person, if another, at that Time, relates his Faults, or when a Man tells another, that he is desirous to commit a bad Action, if the other advises him thereto, the Magistrate, in these Cases, shall fine the Offender to the Extent of his Abilities.

If a Man, having committed a bad Action, should say, in Presence of the Magistrate, or of a considerable Number of Persons, that he hath committed such Crime, the Magistrate shall exact from him but Half the Fine.

If a Man in immediate Danger of his Life, by committing a bad Action, can save his Life, in that Case, the Magistrate shall not fine him.

If a Man of Veracity and general good Principles ignorantly commits any bad Action, the Magistrate shall not fine him.  

If a Man, intending to commit a bad Action, hath proceeded so far as to commit some little Part of that bad Action, the Magistrate shall fine him One Quarter Part of the whole Mulct stated for such Crime; if he has proceeded still farther in the Commission of that Crime, the Magistrate shall take from him One Half of that Fine; if he completes the said bad Action, he shall take the equivalent Fine.

If a Reyot commits any Crime, the Magistrate, immediately upon receiving Information thereof, shall exact the Fine, and give him severe Caution not to commit the same Crime a Second Time.

In any Case where many Persons in Confederacy commit any Crime, the Magistrate shall take from each Individual a double Fine.

Punishment is of Two Sorts: The First Corporal, or Infliction of Severity upon the Body, and that is also of Two Sorts; the First binding and lashing the Body, or cutting off some of the Limbs; the Second putting to Death: The Second Sort of Punishment is Attachment of Property, and this has various and many Modes.

If a Man is frequently guilty of any of those Crimes, the Fine for which is stated at One Pun of Cowries, the Magistrate shall fine him One Masheh of Silver; if he frequently commits such Crimes as are stated at One Masheh of Silver, then the Magistrate shall fine him One Cahawun of Cowries; if a Man frequently commits any of those Crimes, the stated Fine for which is One Cahawun  to Two Hundred and Forty-nine Puns of Cowries, then the Magistrate shall fine him Four Times as much; beyond this, in such Sort of Crimes, there is no greater Fine.

In Cases where the stated Fine to be taken from any Man, for a particular Crime, is One Cahawun of Cowries, if the Magistrate commits such Crime, in that Case, the aforesaid Magistrate shall be fined One Thousand Puns of Cowries.

If a Wan of the Arzal Cast, after Contact, of whom Washing is necessary, or if a Man sprung from the Womb of a Woman of superior Cast, and from the Loins of a Man of meaner Cast, or if a Woman, or a Child, or a Man in Necessity, commit any Fault, the Magistrate, from such Persons, shall not exact any Fine.

In Crimes where a Man's whole Property is to be taken as the Fine for them, if Painters commit such a Crime, the Magistrate, giving to them the necessary Implements for Painting, shall confiscate the whole of their Property.

If a Man, who gets his Livelihood by Tillage, commits such Crime as that his whole Property becomes liable to Confiscation, then the Magistrate, leaving him such Subsistence and Implements of Tillage as, upon Computation, will serve till his Crop is ripe, shall confiscate all the Rest of his Property.

If Singers, Musicians, or Dancers, commit any such Crime as that the whole of their Property becomes liable to Confiscation, then the Magistrate, giving them the Implements of their Profession, shall confiscate all the Rest of their Property.

If a Dancing Girl (or common Prostitute) commits such Crime as that all her Property becomes liable to Confiscation, the Magistrate, giving to her her Cloth, or Carpet, for sitting, her Cloaths, Jewels, and a Place of Abode, shall confiscate all the Rest of her Effects: In the same Manner, to a Soldier, shall be given his Implements of War; and to a Man, exercising any Profession,  the Implements of that Profession shall be exempted from the Confiscation of all the Rest of his Property.

In Cases where it is ordered a Man shall be put to Death, instead thereof, he shall pay One Hundred Ashrusies; and where it is specified, that One of his Hands, or One of his Feet shall be cut off, instead thereof; he shall pay Fifty Ashrusies; and instead of having Two of his Fingers cut off, he shall pay Twenty-five Ashrusies; so also, where Banishment from the Kingdom is his Sentence, instead thereof, he shall be fined Twenty-five Ashrusies.

If in Two Places Two different Fines are specified for the same Crime, it must then be considered, whether the Offender hath committed this Crime Once only, or repeatedly; if he hath but Once been guilty, then, in the place where a smaller Fine is specified, according to that Specification he shall be fined; and if he hath frequently committed the same Offence, then he shall pay the larger Fine: It shall be considered also, whether the Criminal be a Man of large or of inconsiderable Property; if he is a Man of large Property, he shall pay according to the Specification of the larger Fine; if he is not a Man of Property, then he shall be fined according to the smaller Mulct specified.

Is Cases where it is specified, that a Man shall be fined the same Mulct as a Robber, or as an Adulterer, or any other Offender, then, whatever Fine is specified to each particular Crime, a Fine of Half as much as that stated Fine shall be taken from him.

If Men of Rank, or of good Principles, or of Learning, commit such a Crime as to deserve a capital Punishment, and are not Men of Property, the Magistrate shall take from them less than One Hundred Ashrusies, in proportion  to their Fortune; if they frequently commit the same Crime, the Magistrate shall confiscate all their Property, by way of Fine, and shall banish them the Kingdom.

If a Bramin, who hath always acted in conformity to the Beids, commits such a Crime as to deserve capital Punishment, then the Magistrate, to prevent him in future from the Commission of such Crimes, shall confine him in perpetual Imprisonment: If a Chehteree, or Bice, or Sooder, is unable to pay such Fine as is ordained by the Shaster, the Magistrate shall cause them to labour in lieu of such Fine; but he shall not cause a Bramin to labour in this Manner, but shall take the Fine from him by small Proportions.

If a Woman of Property commits a Crime, the Magistrate shall fine her; if she hath no Property, he shall chastise her.

If a Child, or an old and impotent Person, or a sick Man out of Ignorance, or an Idiot, commits any Crime, the Magistrate shall not take any Fine from such Persons, but shall chastise them.

If a Bramin goes to wait upon a Magistrate, the Servants and Derbans shall not obstruct his Entrance, but shall give him a ready Admittance.

If a Bramin be passenger in a Boat, he shall not pay any Cowries to the Watermen, and he shall enter into the Boat before any of the other Passengers, and shall also come out before them.

If a Bramin, having purchased any Goods, be passenger in a Boat, he shall not pay any Thing to the Waterman, upon Supposition that he has not bought those Goods for Traffick or Sale.

If a Man borrows Honey, or Sugar, or Salt, and does not repay it in the Space of Fifty Months, he shall be obliged to give Eight Times as much.

If a Man hath borrowed any Seed, he shall be obliged to return Six Times as much, upon Supposition that he does not repay it in the Space of Fifty Months.

If a Man hath intrusted, to be tended by a Herdsman, a Cow, or a Female Buffalo, and hath stipulated some Milk for the Herdsman's Wages, then, upon the Owner's neglecting, for a long Time, to take back such Cow or Buffalo, the Herdsman shall take the Calves produced from them as his own Property.

Exclusive of those Articles sold by Weight, of which mention is made in the Chapter of Borrowing, if a Man borrows any other Article that is sold by Weight, and does not repay it for a long Space of Time, he shall be obliged to give Eight Times as much.

If a Man, having been Loser at any Game, hath, for a long Time, omitted to pay the Wager stipulated thereupon, he nevertheless shall not pay Interest upon it.

If a Man hath by Slight and Cunning taken any Thing from another, that Person, at the Time of recovering his Property, shall not receive any Interest thereon.

If a Man, depositing a Pledge with any Person, borrows Money of him, and the Pledge by any unexpected Accident be destroyed, then the Borrower shall commit some other Article to the Lender's Charge, until Repayment of the Money, or shall repay the Money upon the Spot.

If a Pledge, in the Hands of a Creditor, be destroyed by any Fault of the Creditor, then, supposing the Value of the Pledge to be equivalent to the Money lent, the Borrower shall not make good the Debt; if the Value thereof be less than equivalent, the Borrower shall make good the Amount of the Deficiency; if the Price of the Pledge be more than equivalent to the Money borrowed, the Debt shall go in Part Payment thereof, and the Creditor shall be obliged to make good the Remainder.

If a Father, having borrowed Money, from absolute Inability, neglects to pay the same, his Son, if able to furnish the Money, shall pay the Debt.

If a Husband borrows Money, his Wife shall not repay it; if a Son borrows Money, the Mother shall not pay the Debt; if they have incurred the Debt by mutual Consent, the Mother must pay it.

If a Creditor Once only obliges his Debtor to perform any Labour on Account  of the Debt, which is not proper for that Debtor to perform, the Magistrate shall fine that Creditor Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, having incurred a Debt, is unable to pay it, on Account of a Famine, or any such Calamity, the Creditor shall be contented to receive the Money in small Proportions, and shall not exercise any violent Severity against the Debtor.

If a Man brings a Claim against any Person, saying, "You owe me a Sum of Money," and that Person denies the Debt, then, upon the Creditor's proving the Debt, that Person, if he be rich, shall be fined Twice as much as the Debt; if he be a Man of inconsiderable Property, he shall be fined a Sum equivalent to the Debt.

If a Man, having borrowed Money of several Lenders, hath purchased Goods therewith, and all the Creditors assemble together at Once, and the Debtor hath no immediate Means of paying them, then whatever Goods he hath purchased with each Creditor's Money shall be sold, to repay each Creditor respectively.

When a Debtor hath paid his Creditor the Sum of his Debt, he shall receive his Bond back from the Creditor, and shall tear it; and shall also take a written Release or Receipt from the Creditor.

If a Man hath borrowed Money from a Lender, and hath not given a Bond, but there be Witnesses to the same, then, at the Time of Repayment, the Money shall be delivered in Presence of the same Witnesses.

If any Man, having been expelled and excommunicated from his Cast, performs the Perasuchut, or Expiation, then, during his Life-Time, his Son, and Grandson, and such other natural Heirs, shall not become possessed of his Estate; but his Property shall be divided among them, according to their Right of Inheritance.

If there are Two, or Four, or more Heirs, and One or Two of them, by applying to Use the Partnership Property, acquire some Profit from thence, then all the Partners, according to their Property in the Stock, shall receive a Share of the Profit; but he who acquired this Profit shall divide their Property into equal Shares, and first shall take One Share thereof to himself, and of the rest they all shall take Shares respectively, according to their Proportion of the Stock: But this Ordination is only to be understood in Cases of unequal Shares in a Joint Concern; if the Shares of all the Partners are equal, then he who acquired the Profit thereon shall receive Two Shares, and the others shall each receive One Share.

If the several Partners have an equal Right to a Female Slave, or to a Slave, then all the Partners shall exact an equal Portion of Service from that Slave, or Female Slave.

If any One of the Partners hath concealed any Part of the Joint Property, then, upon Discovery thereof, such concealed Property shall be divided among the Partners; but they shall not receive any Share of that Property which hath already been divided.

If a Man hath forcibly taken any Thing from another, or forcibly caused him to sign any Writing, or by Violence expended any of his Property, it is not approved.

If a Man, by forcible Means, or, by any deceitful Artifice, hath sold any Thing, or managed any other Transaction, it is not approved.

If, during the Night-Time, or in a concealed Part of the House, or without the Precincts of the Town, or in such other concealed and suspicious Places, a Man hath bought and sold any Thing, or managed any other Transaction, it is not approved.

If a Woman, or a Person intoxicated, or an Idiot, or a sick Person, or a Child, or a Man under violent Dread, hath performed any Transaction, it is not approved.

Exclusive of the Plaintiff and Defendant, and the Vakeel, or the Son, or the Slave of the Plaintiff and Defendant, if any other Person takes upon him to settle the Affairs, it is not approved.

If a Man doth not give up Goods intrusted to him, when the Person who intrusted them demands the same, then, if he be rich and void of Religion, the Magistrate shall fine him Twice as much as the Value of the Goods in Trust; if he is not a Man of Property, nor void of Religion, he shall only fine him an Equivalent.

If a Man ignorantly, without any accidental Calamity, spoils Goods intrusted to him, in that Case, he is not to make good the whole of the Effects in Trust, but he shall pay somewhat less than the Value of the Property intrusted to him, and the Sons of that Person are not to pay any Part thereof.

If the Goods in Trust be spoiled by the Fault of the Sons, then the Sons also shall pay.

When a Pupil takes Leave of his Master, after having been Instructed in any Science, the Master, upon giving him his Dismission, shall give him some Money, according to the Extent of his Abilities.

If a Man, having received Service at the Hands of a Servant, doth not pay him his Wages, the Magistrate shall cause him to pay the Wages, and shall also fine him.

If a Man hath married any Female Slave, he becomes the Slave of the Owner of that Female Slave, in Case he is not already the Slave of any Person; if he is the Slave of any Person, and marries that Female Slave, with the Consent of his Master, he then also becomes the Slave of the Owner of the Slave Girl.

If a Marriage is contracted between a Slave and a Slave Girl, without the Consent of the Owner of the Slave, or that of the Owner of the Slave Girl, then the Slave continues to belong to his original Owner, and the Female Slave also remains with her original Owners.

If any Person's Cow, being covered by another Person's Bull, should produce a Calf, then the Owner of the Cow shall have the Calf, and the Owner of the Bull shall not have Power to lay any Claim to it.

If a Man, having purchased any Goods, doth not pay the Toll thereon in the Bazar, or at the Chokey, the Magistrate shall take Eight Times as much as the Toll from him; if that Person, for the Sake of avoiding Payment of Toll, quits the right Road and takes another, the Magistrate shall confiscate all his Property.

If a Man, to avoid paying Toll, doth not sell his Goods at the regular Hours of Sale, but sells them privately, the Magistrate shall fine him Eight Times as much.

In a Transaction of returning purchased Goods, if the Purchaser returns such Articles within the Time limited for that Purpose, in the Chapter of Buying and Selling, then he shall divide that Space of Time into Three Parts; if he returns the Goods within the Space of the First Division of Time, it is of no farther Consequence; if he returns them within the Second Division of Time, he shall give One Thirtieth of the Price of the Article, together with the Article returned to the Seller; if within the Third Space of Time, he then shall give to the Seller One Fifteenth of the Price of the Article, together with the Article so returned; and, after the Expiration of that Space of purchased Articles must not be returned.

In the Chapter of Buying and Selling, according to the Space of Time therein limited for returning purchased Goods, if a Man, having bought any Commodity, returns it after the Expiration of that Period, or, having sold any Articles, takes them back again, the Magistrate shall fine that Person Six Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man, having purchased a Cow or a Buffalo that gives Milk, returns it within the Period of Time limited for such Returns, he shall, upon returning the same, give One Tenth of the Price thereof to the Seller; in returning purchased Cows or Buffaloes, there is no Division of the limited Period into Three Parts, as before.

If the Purchaser of the Cow or Buffalo hath taken the Purchase into his own possession, he shall give to the Seller One Sixth of the Price thereof.

If a Man gives false Testimony in a Matter of Limits and Boundaries, then the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries.

If that Person is an immediate Neighbour to those Boundaries, then the Magistrate shall fine him Five Hundred Puns of Cowries.

If a Man steals any Thread, or Cotton, or Cow Dung, or Grass, or Water, or Sugar Cane, or Vessels of Bamboo (that is Cane) or Salt, or Earthen Pots, or sand, or Dust, or Clay, or Fish, or Birds, or bitter Oil, or Flesh, or Honey, or Leather, or Ivory, or the Horns of Animals, or Wine, or Victuals, or Fruit, which any Person hath bought for his own Use, then the Magistrate, causing such Articles to be returned to the Owners, shall fine the Thief One Hundred Puns of Cowries.

The Shait, or Pooshteh-bundee, is of Two Sorts: The First, Khieu (i.e.) a Bridge, through which the Water has free Passage; the Second, Bundboo (i.e.) Bank, or Dam, through which the Water does not flow.

If a Man erects such a Bridge or Bank upon the Land of another Person, and that Person sustains a small Injury from the said Bank, and the Publick receives a material Benefit, then that Person is not permitted to interrupt the Progress of the said Pooshteh-bundee.

If a Man hath erected a Bridge or Bank upon any particular Spot, from the Construction of which Bridge or Bank the Crops upon other Persons Grounds are much benefited, this Man hath no Power to claim the said Crops; but the Owners of the Land shall possess the Crops respectively.

If a Chehteree commits Adultery with a Woman of the Bramin Cast, has no Master, by her own Consent, the Magistrate shall fine the said Chehteree One Thousand Puns of Cowries, and shall cause the Hair of his Head to be shaved off with the Urine of an Ass.

If any Man stikes the Anus of another, the Magistrate shall fine him Forty Puns of Cowries.

Whatever Ordination such Bramins as are Pundits delivered to the Reyots from the Shaster, the Reyots shall acknowledge and obey the same: Whoever, being a Pundit, does not speak the Sentiments of the Shaster, the Magistrate shall fine him Two Hundred and Fifty Puns of Cowries.

Upon the Magistrate's having made a regular Investigation, whatever Orders he shall issue to any Person, if that Person does not act in conformity thereto, the Magistrate shall fine him.

Men that vilify the Magistrate, or Men of innate bad Principles, or Men, who, without Reason, cause any internal Uneasiness to others, the Magistrate shall banish all such from the Kingdom.

If a Man, having always been used to eat and drink with another, without any Fault of that Person, will no longer eat and drink with him, then the Magistrate shall hold him guilty.

If several Persons in a Confederacy refuse to pay to the Magistrate his proper Dues, the Magistrate shall exact Eight Times as much from each Individual.

If any Person, having borrowed Money in the Name of several Persons, applies the same to his own Use, that Person shall be obliged to pay the Debt.

If the Father or Mother of the Magistrate, or any Person who hath taught the Goiteree, or a Child, or a weak old Person, or a Man of Rank and Knowledge in the Beids of the Shaster, and who acts in conformity to the Beids, or a Kinsman and Relation of the Magistrate, commits a Fault, the Magistrate shall not take a pecuniary Fine from such Persons, nor shall cut off their Limbs, but shall utter severe Expressions of Wrath against them.

If a Sinassee, or a Ban Perust, or a Berhemcharry, commits any Crime, the Magistrate shall not take from them any pecuniary Fine, and shall not cut off the Limbs of such Persons, but shall anathematize them.

There is no Crime in the World so great as that of murdering a Bramin; wherefore the Magistrate shall never desire the Death of a Bramin, nor shall he ever cut off his Limbs.

If a Bramin is guilty of drinking Wine, he shall be branded in the Forehead with the Sooradhuch:— Sooradhuch is that, at the Time of drinking Wine, upon turning down the Cup, in such Manner as that the Wine falls from the Mouth of the Cup; in the same Form, they shall brand the Bramin's Forehead with a hot Iron.

If a Bramin commits Adultery with any of his Father's Wives, exclusive of his own Mother, the Magistrate shall brand him with a hot Iron in the Forehead with the Mark of the Pudendum Muliebre.

If a Bramin hath murdered another Bramin, the Magistrate shall brand him in the Forehead with the Mark of a Man without a Head.

Every Bramin, who does not every Day act according to the Shaster, and who acts in contradiction to the Shaster, shall be confined in Prison by the Magistrate, until such Time as he reverts to the Duties of his Religion; if he never reverts to the Duties of his Religion, he shall be banished the Kingdom.

The Magistrate shall not take any of the Property termed Maha Patuk (a Description of which is to be found in the Chapter of Pak-Parish) if he takes a Fine from thence, he shall Cast it into the Water, or shall give it to such Bramin as is firm in his Religion, and who acts in conformity to the Beids; if the Magistrate doth not appropriate to himself the Property called Maha Patuk, but acts according to what is herein enjoined, then the Lives of Men are prolonged in his Kingdom, and Learning flourishes there, and beautiful Children are propagated there.

From a Man that is rich, a larger Fine than that respectively specified shall be taken, that, feeling the Inconveniencies of the Mulct, from the Fear thereof, he may be restrained from the Commission of such Crimes a Second Time.

After being acquainted with the Fines dated for each particular Species of Theft, as mentioned in the Chapter of Theft, if a Sooder commits a Robbery, he shall pay Eight Times as much; if a Bice, he shall pay Sixteen Times as much; if a Chehteree, he shall pay a Fine of Thirty-two Times as much; if he be a Bramin, he shall pay Sixty-four Times as much; if he be a Bramin of extensive Knowledge, he shall pay One Hundred Times as much; if he be a Man of the greatest Rank, he shall be fined One Hundred and Twenty Times as much.

According to the Ordinations delivered in this Pootee, or Compilation, the Magistrate shall administer justice; if any Master should come before him, which is not included herein, he shall consider the general Scope of this Pootee, and judge accordingly, and fine proportionably; and in such Cases where the Fine is not particularly specified, he shall investigate the Affair, and take a Fine.

THE END.