254 'THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 



vered that he had an ill-fcented breath. With re- 

 fpeO: to the hufband, he was not allowed to divorce 

 his wife, but for the moft ferious offences. If fhe 

 called him opprobrious names, pulled him by the 

 beard, or fquandered away his goods, the injured 

 fpoufe might give her three blows with a flick on 

 any part of her body except the head. If, however, 

 he beat her more feverely, or for a lefs caufe, he 

 was liabb to a heavy fine. 



The compenfation for the murder of a mayor or 

 chancellor was a fine of a hundred and eighty-nine 

 cov/s. For the murder of the chief of a familv, the 

 fme was thrice this number of cows ; of a king*s 

 villein, it was fixty-three cows ; and a pound and a 

 half was reckoned full fatisfaftion for the murder of 

 a found-bodied Have. — The barbarous cuftom of 

 exempting from capital punifliment, even the m.ofl 

 atrocious alfaliin, by payment of a fine, was retained 

 much longer in this country than in any other part 

 of Britain. It v/as praftifed by the lords marchers 

 in the fifteenth century, and even in the year 1536 

 an inftance occurred in Merionethfliire of five pounds 

 being received in compenfation for the commilTion 

 of a murder*. — For lelTer offences this people had 

 various atonements. A Welfhman, for the lofs ol 

 his finger, received from the olfender one cow and 

 twenty pence ; for the lofs of his nofe he had fix 

 oxen, and a hundred and twenty pence ; and for 

 being pulled by the hair, a penny for every finger, 



* Wynne, 407. 



and 



