Ul                HKMU:v.\i. CIVILIZATION

"r ijl the clmivh. t,, iWibciMU- upon iiu. affairs of the
^"'ininu-, ami ^nriaUy t,, listen to the dedans of
'IH' tu\vn OM-porati.in.

Municipal Justice _Tn seek-in? for justice the hom-
Rp"* ennM „„.. i;kc !ho kni,,,lti havc R,0iursc )o arms>

"^"IJJSt demand jnMia, ,H.ft,lv thc U)wn cnrl,ur;Ui,mt

"^ivtoro the proviKt ,,f tl,0 suzerain; that \\as the

1n"l!n:'1 "f the ]»-n,-e,iMv.    In this e.mrt the oM cus-

11 U';ts sn'"i)»:' I'-'y fulLmil.    The offeii.le.1 party

411 «»c relatno nf the victim was thc ;tccii<er, he ,lesi?-

"alc,! the ndprit. and on his knees, with his hands on

u* relics Of the saints, he swore that thc crime had

'H-en committed l,y that man.    The accused swore,

wonl tor word. (,> the onurarv.   Often the c-tirt made

tlu'»» 'ijfl't a dtu-1 with sticks, and the conquered man

was condemned.     If the accuser hn.i^Iu   u it nesses,

i'|»«'  Witness  was  to swear in  his  turn,  enu.luyhii?

•i.way-* the same words, that the accused was culpable.

Hen two witnesses had so sworn the accused was to

'«•' condemned, kit it was not easy to find two wit-

"«w«. as they had  to swear that they had been

picsent at the commission of the crime.
. i''voiytliin,n- took place in public, often in the open

air. and nothing was written.   After thc duel or the

«a»w, the court pronounced judgment in solemn form:
.Vent-dins- to the truth, which the aldermen have

"card, we say to you that this man is found guilty;

nevertheless we say to you that you should do' justly

\rfnU arC refluircd to cla" The bourgeois of the
Aiid.lle Ages had so much respect for forms that the
least ^error sufficed to cause thc loss of a suit. "Who-
ever," says the custom of Lille, "takes his hand from