with its two first
clauses to heathen days). His fame is as widely spread. However, the
only law Saxo gives to him has a story to it that he does not plainly
tell. Sciold had a freedman who repaid his master's manumission of him
by the ingratitude of attempting his life. Sciold thereupon decrees
the unlawfulness of manumissions, or (as Saxo puts it), revoked all
manumissions, thus ordaining perpetual slavery on all that were or might
become slaves. The heathen lack of pity noticed in Alfred's preface
to "Gregory's Handbook" is illustrated here by contrast with the
philosophic humanity of the Civil Law, and the sympathy of the mediaeval
Church.

But FRODE (known also to the compiler of "Beowulf's Lay", 2025) had, in
the Dane's eyes, almost eclipsed Sciold as conqueror and lawgiver. His
name Frode almost looks as if his epithet Sapiens had become his popular
appellation, and it befits him well. Of him were told many stories, and
notably the one related of our Edwin by Bede (and as it has been told by
many men of many rulers since Bede wrote, and before). Frode was able to
hang up an arm-ring of gold in three parts of his kingdom that no thief
for many years dared touch. How this incident (according to our version
preserved by Saxo), brought the just king to his end is an archaic and
interesting story. Was this ring the Brosinga men?

Saxo has even recorded the Laws of Frode in four separate bits, which we
give as A, B, C, D.

A. is mainly a civil and military code of archaic kind:

(a) The division of spoil shall be--gold to captains, silver to
privates, arms to champions, ships to be shared by all. Cf. Jomswickinga
S. on the division of spoil by the law of the pirate community of Jom.

(b) No house stuff to be locked; if a man used a lock he must pay a gold
mark.

(c) He who spares a thief must bear his punishment.

(d) The coward in battle is to forfeit all rights (cf. "Beowulf", 2885).

(e) Women to have free choice (or, at least, veto) in taking husbands.

(f) A free woman that weds a slave loses rank and freedom (cf. Roman
Law).

(g) A man must marry a girl he has seduced.

(h) An adulterer to be mutilated at pleasure of injured husband.

(i) Where Dane robbed Dane, the thief to pay double and peace-breach.

(k) Receivers of stolen goods suffer forfeiture and flogging at most.

(l) Deserter bearing shield against his countrymen to lose life and
property.

(m) Contempt of fyrd-summons or call to mili