Archæologiæ Græcæ, or, The antiquities of Greece by John Potter ...

Laws against Ruffians, and Assassins.

THE Areopagite Senate shall sit in Judgment over Cases of wilfull Murder, of Wounds given wilfully, Setting Houses on Fire, or killing by Poyson.

The Assassin's Council shall not make any preliminary Apology, use any motives for the gaining of Compassion, or speak any thing forreign to the Cause.

The Thesmothetae shall condemn Murderers, who fly after the Fact.

The Assassin shall suffer Death in the Murdred Person's Country; and, being hal'd away to the Thesmothetae according to the appointment of the Law, he shall be liable to no other violence or ill usage, be∣sides what his Capital punishment includes; no body shall take Mo∣ney for his Pardon; he that doth, shall pay double the Money he re∣ceiv'd of the Criminal, his Name likewise by any body shall be carried in to the Archons, but the Heliastick Court alone shall pass Judg∣ment upon him.

If any one kills, or assists in killing a Murderer that abstains from the Forum, Consecrated places, publick Sports, and the Amphictyonick Festivals, he shall undergo the severity of the Law as much as if he had kill'd a Citizen of Athens. The Ephetae are to take Cognizance of this Matter.

One accus'd of Murder shall have nothing to do with City-Privi∣leges.

He, that puts him in trouble, who was forc'd to make flight out of Attica for Chance-medley, shall undergo the same penalty with him, who doth the like to one within Athens.

He, who commits Chance-medley, shall fly his Country for a Year, till satisfaction be made to the dead Person's Kindred; then he shall re∣turn, sacrifice, and be purified.

He, shall not have an Action of Murther brought against him, who binds him over to his appearance before the Magistrate, that return'd from banishment before his limited time is completed.

If any one hath unadvisedly given his Antagonist in the Exercises his Death, or kill'd by chance a Man lying in Ambuscade, or being in the brunt of an engagement in War, or one debauching his Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Miss, or the Nurse of his legitimate Chil∣dren, let not such an one be banisht.

It shall be lawful to kill that Person, who shall make an assault on the Innocent.

If any one, being banisht for Chance-medley, shall have an Indict∣ment of wilful Murder laid to his charge, before he hath made up the difference with those who banisht him, He shall make his defence be∣fore the Court 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in a little Vessel, which shall not be per∣mitted to come to shore, but his Judges shall give Sentence on the

Land; if he is cast, he shall answer Justice for wilful Murder; but if ab∣solv'd, shall only undergo the former Sentence of banishment for Chance-medley.

If any Archon, or Man in a private capacity is instrumental in the depravation, or repeal of these Statutes, let him, and his Chil∣dren be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and his Goods be sold.

It shall be lawful to hale a Murderer, if found in any religious Places, or the Forum, to Gaol, and if he prove guilty, to put him to Death; but if the committer of him to Gaol do not procure the fifth part of the Votes, he shall be fin'd a thousand Drachms.

If any one comes to an untimely End, his nearest Relations may bring the Action of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 against those People they suspect, ei∣ther to be Abettors of the Murder, or Protectors of the Felon, and till such time as these either make satisfaction, or surrender the Delinquent, the Murdered Man's Relations are privileg'd to seize three Men of their Body.

The Right of the prosecution of Murderers belongs to the Kindred of the Murdered, Kins-folks Children, their Sons in Law, Fathers in Law, Sisters Children, and those of the same 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; the Murde∣rers have liberty granted of imploring the Father of the Murder'd to be mild and favourable; but if he is not alive, then his Brother, or Sons all together shall be intreated, for without the joynt consent of them all, nothing shall prevail; if these fore-mention'd Persons are all dead, and the Death of the Person came by Chance-medley, ac∣cording to the determination of the fifty Ephetae, ten of the same 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 may, if they think fit, convene, and delegate one and fifty out of the Nobility to the Ephetae * * All they, who were Murderers before the making of this Law, shall be subject to it's obligation. If any one hath been Murder'd in any of the Burroughs, and no body re∣moves him, the Demarchus shall give orders to his Friends to take him away, bury him, and perform the Duty of Lustration towards the Burrough that very day on which he was kill'd; when a Slave is Murdered, He shall inform the Master; when a Free-man, the succeed∣ing Heirs; but if the Person Murder'd, was not a money'd Man, or had no Possessions, the Demarchus shall acquaint the Relations, and sup∣posing they give no heed, and neglect to take him away, the Demar∣chus himself shall see him taken away, and bury'd, and take care the Bur∣rough be lustrated, but all this with as little charges as may be, which if He neglect, He shall be Fin'd a thousand Drachms, to be paid to the publick Exchequer. He shall take of the Murder'd Person's Debtors double the money he expended for the Funeral, which if he neglect, he shall pay it himself to those of his Tribe.

He, who is Felo de se, shall have the Hand cut off, that did the Murder, which shall be buried in a place separate from the Body.

No Murderer shall be permitted to be within the City.

Inanimate Things, which have been instrumental to People's Deaths, shall be cast out of Attica.

He, who strikes the first blow in a Quarrel, shall have the Peace sworn against him.

He, who hath maliciously hurt another's body, head, face, hands, or feet, shall be proscrib'd the City of that Man to whom he offer'd the detriment; if he returns, he shall suffer Death, and his Goods be sold by Auction.