llision the boat under way
was responsible for damages to the boat at anchor. The Code also regulated
the liquor traffic, fixing a fair price for beer and forbidding the
connivance of the tavern-keeper (a female!) at disorderly conduct or
treasonable assembly, under pain of death. She was to hale the offenders to
the palace, which implied an efficient and accessible police system.

Payment through a banker or by written draft against deposit was frequent.
Bonds to pay were treated as negotiable. Interest was rarely charged on
advances by the temple or wealthy landowners for pressing needs, but this
may have been part of the metayer system. The borrowers may have been
tenants. Interest was charged at very high rates for overdue loans of this
kind. Merchants (and even temples in some cases) made ordinary business
loans, charging from 20 to 30%.

Marriage retained the form of purchase, but was essentially a contract to
be man and wife together. The marriage of young people was usually arranged
between the relatives, the bridegroom's father providing the bride-price,
which with other presents the suitor ceremonially presented to the bride's
father. This bride-price was usually handed over by her father to the bride
on her marriage, and so came back into the bridegroom's possession, along
with her dowry, which was her portion as a daughter. The bride-price varied
much, according to the position of the parties, but was in excess of that
paid for a slave. The Code enacted that if the father does not, after
accepting a man's presents, give him his daughter, he must return the
presents doubled. Even if his decision was brought about by libel on the
part of the suitor's friend this was done, and the Code enacted that the
faithless friend should not marry the girl. If a suitor changed his mind,
he forfeited the presents. The dowry might include real estate, but
generally consisted of personal effects and household furniture. It
remained the wife's for life, descending to her children, if any; otherwise
returning to her family, when the husband could deduct the bride-price if
it had not been given to her, or return it, if it had. The marriage
ceremony included joining of hands and the utterance of some formula of
acceptance on the part of the bridegroom, as "I am the son of nobles,
silver and gold shall fill thy lap, thou shall be my wife, I will be thy
husband. Like the fruit of a garden I will give thee offspring." It must be
per