LAWS AS T<> i>niu-:i;Y. 239 



bondwoman or a freed woman (free but born of slaves), sin- 

 was severely punished. 



" If a woman of good family steals, she shall be sent from 

 the country to another kind's realm. If a minor steals, it 

 shall be paid back. If a native thrall steals, his head shall be 

 cut off, or his master shall deny it with settar&id. 1 If a foreign 

 thrall, or the son of a foreigner, his hide shall be flogged, or 

 his master shall have him flogged within five days. ... If 

 a man's freedwoman (leysingja) or a native bondwoman steals, 

 one of her ears shall be cut off, the second time her other ear 

 shall be cut off, the third time her nose shall be cut off; then 

 she is called stufa and nit fa, and may steal as much as she 

 likes " (Gulath. 259). 



If a high-born man induced a slave to commit robbery, he 

 and not the slave was punishable. 



" If a freedman and a thrall committed a theft together, the 

 freedrnan alone was regarded as the thief, for, says the law, he 

 who steals with another's thrall steals alone" (Gulath. 261). 



The removal of boundary stones was considered theft. 



" If a man takes up standing boundary stones and lays them 

 down in an another place and moves them into the land of his 

 neighbour, then he is a thief " (Gulath. 264). 



According to the Gulathing Law bargains were made 

 void in case of fals, or cheating, and the cheater was fined 

 3 marks. 



" No man shall sell to another that in which there is fraud 

 or deceit. If a man sells sand or dirt instead of meal or 

 butter, with which he covers the sand or dirt, the fine is 

 3 marks " (Gulath. 40). 



To use the property of another man without his permission 

 was called forncenti 2 if it was a ship, a horse, or snow-shoes, 

 and it was punished by indemnity to the owner, the special 

 name for which was dfang. If he refused to pay the indemnity 

 his act was robbery. 



1 An oath. 



2 The law term fur plundering another 



man's property. 



