her friends. The man
also had to arrange for the foster lean, that is, remuneration for
rearing and support of expected children. He also declared the
amount of money or land he would give the lady for her consent,
that is, the morgengift, and what he would bequeath her in case of
his death. It was given to her on the morning after the wedding
night. The family of the bride was paid a "mund" for transferring
the rightful protection they possessed over her to the family of
the husband. If the husband died and his kindred did not accept
the terms sanctioned by law, her kindred could repurchase the
rightful protection. If she remarried within a year of his death,
she had to forfeit the morgengift and his nearest kin received the
lands and possessions she had. The word for man was "waepnedmenn"
or weaponed person. A woman was "wifmenn" or wife person, with
"wif" being derived from the word for weaving.
Great men and monasteries had millers, smiths, carpenters,
architects, agriculturists, fishermen, weavers, embroiders, dyers,
and illuminators.
For entertainment, minstrels sang ballads about heroes or Bible
stories, harpers played, jesters joked, and tumblers threw and
caught balls and knives. There was gambling, dice games, and
chasing deer with hounds.
Fraternal guilds were established for mutual advantage and
protection. A guild imposed fines for any injury of one member by
another member. It assisted in paying any murder fine imposed on a
member. It avenged the murder of a member and abided by the
consequences. It buried its members and purchased masses for his
soul.
Mercantile guilds in seaports carried out commercial speculations
not possible by the capital of only one person.
There were some ale houses, probably part of certain dwellings.
- The Law -
Alfred issued a set of laws to cover the whole country, which were
drawn from the best laws of each region. There was no real
distinction between the concepts of law, morals, and religion.
The importance of telling the truth and keeping one's word are
expressed by this law: "1. At the first we teach that it is most
needful that every man warily keep his oath and his wed. If any
one be constrained to either of these wrongfully, either to
treason against his lord, or to any unlawful aid; then it is
juster to belie than to fulfill. But if he pledge himself to that
which is lawful to fulfill, and in that belie himself, le
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