284 THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND. [book i.
nity. The wer belongs to the kindred ; the cyneb6t
to the people.
“ 2. An archbishop’s and an selling's wergyld
is fifteen thousand thrymsas.
“ 3. A bishop’s and an ealdorman’s, eight thou-
sand thrymsas.
“ 4. A hold’s and a king’s high reeve’s, four
thousand thrymsas.
“5. A mass thane’s and a secular thane’s, two
thousand thrymsas.
“ 6. A ceorl’s wergyld is two hundred and sixty-
six thrymsas, that is two hundred shillings by Mer-
cian law.
“ 7. And if a Welshman thrive so well that he
have a hide of land, and can bring forth the king’s
tax, then is his wergyld one hundred and twenty
shillings ; and if he thrive not save to half a hide,
then let his wer be eighty shillings.
“ 8. And if he have not any land, but yet is free,
let him be paid for with seventy shillings.
“9. And if a ceorlish man thrive so well that
he have five hides of land for the king’s utware,
and any one slay him, let him be paid for with two
thousand thrymsas.
“10. And though he thrive so that he have a
helm and coat-of-mail, and a sword ornamented
with gold, if he have not that land, he is notwith-
standing a ceorl.
“11. And if his son and his son’s son so thrive
that they have so much land after him, the off-
spring shall be of gesfδcund [noble] race at two
thousand.
CH, X.]
F√E'HDE. WERG YLD.
285
“ 12. And if they have not that, nor to that
amount can thrive, let them be paid for as ceorl-
ish.”
Another, and perhaps more trustworthy docu-
ment, printed at ρ. 190 of the same volume, gives
us the following values as current in Mercia.
“A ceorl’s wergyld is by Mercian law, two hun-
dred shillings. A thane’s wergyld is six times as
much, that is, twelve hundred shillings. Then is
a king’s simple wergyld, six thanes’ wer by Mer-
cian law, that is thirty thousand sceats and that is
altogether one hundred and twenty pounds. So
much is the wergyld in the folkright by Mercian
law. And for the royal dignity such another sum
is due, as compensation for cynegyld. The wer be-
longs to the kindred, the cynebot to the people.”
A passage already cited in this chapter gives the
wergylds of the freeman and noble in Wessex as
respectively two hundred and twelve hundred scil-
Iingas, whence those classes are called twÿhynde
and twelfhynde: these denominations correspond
to the old and usual ceorl and eorl; and as the
original expression for all classes of society was,
be it churl, be it earl, Cnut could use as perfectly
equivalent, be it twy’hynde, be it twelfhynde 1. But
in Wessex a third class is mentioned, whose wer-
gyld was half that of the twelfhynde, and three
times that of the ceorl : they are called sixhynde,
men of six hundred. It is difficult to say whether
l “ Swa eac we sctta^δ be eallum hadum ge ceorle ge eorle.” Ælf.
§ 4. “ Omit cing grét.... ealɪe mine J>egnast Welfhynde and twÿhynde
freôndlice.” Cod. Dipl. No. 731.