BY ORDEAL. 393 



appropriated to it; that a Brahman muft be tried by the 

 balance, a CJJiatriya by fire, a Vaifya by water, and a 

 Siidra by poifon: but fome have decided that any ordeal, 

 except that by poifon, may be performed by a Brahman^ 

 and that a man of any cart may be tried by the balance. 

 It has been determined, that a woman may have any 

 trial,, except thofe by poifon and by water. 



Certain months and days alfo are limited in the 

 Mitdc/Jierd for the different fpecies of ordeal ; as Agra- 

 han, Pau/Ji, Mdgh, Fhdlgun, Srdwan, and Bliddr, for 

 that by fire ; Afwin, Cdrtic, Jai/lit, and A'Jliadh, for that 

 by -water ; PaufJi, Mdgh, and Fhdlgun, for that by poi- 

 fon ; and regularly there mould be no water-ordeal on 

 the Afiemi, or eighth ; the Cheturdasi, or fourteenth 

 day of the new or full moon, in the intercalary month, 

 in the month of B'hddar ; on Sanaifcher, or Saturday s 

 and on Mangal, or Tuefday : but, whenever the magif~ 

 trate decides that there mail be an ordeal, the regular 

 appointment of months and days needs not be re- 

 garded. 



The MitdcfJierd contains alfo the following diftinc- 

 tions. In cafes of theft or fraud to the amount of a hun- 

 dred gold mohrs, the trial by poifon is proper; if eighty 

 mohrs be ftolen, the fufpected perfon may be tried by 

 fire; if forty, by the balance; if from thirty to ten, by 

 the image-water ; if two only, by rice. 



An infpired legiflator, named Calyayana, was of opi- 

 nion, that though a theft or fraud could be proved by 

 witnefTes, the party accufed might be tried by ordeal. 

 He fays too, that, where a thoufand pana's are ftolen, or 

 fraudulently with-held, the proper trial is by poifon ; 

 whzxtfeuen hundred and fifty, by fire ; where fix hundred 

 andfixty-fix, and a fraction, by water; where five hundred y 



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