ORDEAL. 



559 



A still stronger settareid is mentioned in G-ulathing's Law 

 under the name of grimueid. 1 In this six men of equal rett 

 with the defendant were chosen, and were co-swearers with 

 him. 



" Then there is grimueid. Three men shall be named on 

 each side of equal rett as him who is to be the seventh " 

 (Gulath., 134). 



In the lyritareid (a kind of oath of justification given by 

 three men), the defendant himself was one of the swearers ; 

 the man of equal rett not related to him was his co-swearer, 

 and the third was any chosen freeman. 



" The lyritareid shall be taken thus. He (plaintiff) shall 

 take it himself, and another man of equal rett who must neither 

 be a kinsman on male or female side, nor a near relative. The 

 third shall be a free and full-grown man who will be responsible 

 for his word and oath " (Gulath., 135). 



In the oath by two men, " tveggja manna eid" the defendant 

 seems to have himself chosen his co-swearers without restric- 

 tion. Like the oath of twelve, if one refused to swear to the 

 case the procedure was not valid. 



Perjury was punished by fine, and inability thereafter to 

 give evidence, and loss of rett. 



" The men who become false witnesses are liable to pay 

 three marks to the king, and are never able to give evidence 

 after, or use any evidence (on their own behalf), and lose their 

 rett" (Frostath., xiii. 25). 



The Ordeal. The ordeal was a ceremony performed under 

 different forms in order to prove the innocence or the truth 

 of an accusation, and was preceded by an oath. Among 

 the various kinds of ordeal was that of going under an 

 arch or hoop of sods, a ceremony sometimes connected with 

 an oath. 2 



If the plaintiff succeeded in passing under these sods without 

 breaking them, or without their falling down, he was considered 



1 Grima, a hood covering the face ; 

 grimueid, a kind of oath taken by six 

 compurgators. The origin of the word 

 is obscure ; perhaps the compurgators 



had to appear in court with cowls or 

 hoods on. 



2 See chapter on Foster-brotherhood. 

 Vol. ii. p. 61. 



