Page:The dialect of the southern counties of Scotland - Murray - 1873.djvu/46

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32
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.

þe blude of þe sone of a thayne is iii ky.Item þe blud of þe nevo of a thayn is twa ky and twa pert a kow.Item þe blud of a carl (rustici) a kow.—Leges inter Scottos et Brettos.

Giff ony be tane with. þe laff (loaf—pane) of a halpenny in burgh, he aw throu þe toun to be dungyn.And for a halpenny worth to iiij penijs worth, he aw to be mar fayrly (A.S. faeᵹer) dungyn.And for a pair of schone of iiij penijs he aw to be put on the cuk stull, and efter þat led to þe hed of þe toune and þar he sail forsuer þe toune.And fra iiij penijs till viij penijs and a ferthing he sall be put upon þe cuk stull, and efter þat led to þe hed of þe toune and þer he at tuk hym aw to out his eyr (A.S. eár, South, eȝr) of.And fra viij penijs and a ferding to xvj penijs and a obolus he sail be set apone þe cuk stull and efter þat led to þe hed of þe toune, and þer he at tuk hym aw to cut his uther ear of.And efter þat, gif he be tane with viij penijs and a ferding he þat takis hym sail hing hym.Item for xxxij penijs j obl he þat takis a man may hing hym.—Fragmenta Vetusta, ii. t 364.

It is to wyt þat all playntis þe quhilkis ar in burgh sail be endyt wythin þe burgh, out-takyn þa at fallis to þe kyngis croune—Leges Quatuor Burgorum, vj.

Þa landis at war gottyn in þe tyme of þe fyrst wyffe sail turn agayne to þe childer ayris of þe first wyffe.—Ibid, xxiv.

Nane aldirman, bailȝe (French bailli), na beddell sail bake brede na brew ale to sell wythin þar awin propir house durande þe tym þat þai stande in office.—Ibid, lix.

Baxtaris at bakis brede to sell sail bake quhyte brede and gray eftir þe consideraoion and prise of þe gud men of þe toune eftir as þe sesson askis . . . And quha þat bakis brede to sell aw nocht for to hyde it, but sett it in þair wyndow, or in þe mercat þat it may be opynly sauld.—Ibid, lx.

Gif ony man fyndis his bonde in the fayre, the quhilk is fra hym fled, quhil the pece of the fayre is lestande, he may nocht of lauch chace na tak hym.—Ibid, lxxxviii.

Gif a leil man passis thruch a wildernesse or thruch woddis, and seis a man þat he weil knawis leddand a hors or an ox, or suilk othir maner of gudis, and he knawis nocht quha þat it aucht, and syn it be spent at hym be ony man þat þe said gudis hes tynt, gif he wyst ocht of suilk maner of gudis, and gif he sayis þat he saw sic a thyng in þe hand of sic a man, he aw to suer þat sa it is, as he sais, and syn e tothir sal seik to his gudis. And gif forsuth he þat challangis þe gudis sais wytterly þat he hes art and part of þa gudis takyng, and þat he wald pruff eftir þe assyse of þe land, þat he þat sa is challangyt, gif he be fre man and worthi to fecht, wyth his awyn hand he sal defend hym thruch bataile.—Assise Regis Davidis, xx.

Here ou has come into use for the Anglo-Saxon ú (u being used