The Oldest Code of Laws in the World Part 4

section 213. If he has struck a gentleman's maidservant and caused her to drop that which is in her womb, he shall pay two shekels of silver.

section 214. If that maidservant has died, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.

section 215. If a doctor has treated a gentleman for a severe wound with a bronze lancet and has cured the man, or has opened an abscess of the eye for a gentleman with the bronze lancet and has cured the eye of the gentleman, he shall take ten shekels of silver.

section 216. If he (the patient) be the son of a poor man, he shall take five shekels of silver.

section 217. If he be a gentleman's servant, the master of the servant shall give two shekels of silver to the doctor.

section 218. If the doctor has treated a gentleman for a severe wound with a lancet of bronze and has caused the gentleman to die, or has opened an abscess of the eye for a gentleman with the bronze lancet and has caused the loss of the gentleman's eye, one shall cut off his hands.

section 219. If a doctor has treated the severe wound of a slave of a poor man with a bronze lancet and has caused his death, he shall render slave for slave.

section 220. If he has opened his abscess with a bronze lancet and has made him lose his eye, he shall pay money, half his price.

section 221. If a doctor has cured the shattered limb of a gentleman, or has cured the diseased bowel, the patient shall give five shekels of silver to the doctor.

section 222. If it is the son of a poor man, he shall give three shekels of silver.

section 223. If a gentleman's servant, the master of the slave shall give two shekels of silver to the doctor.

section 224. If a cow doctor or a sheep doctor has treated a cow or a sheep for a severe wound and cured it, the owner of the cow or sheep shall give one-sixth of a shekel of silver to the doctor as his fee.

section 225. If he has treated a cow or a sheep for a severe wound and has caused it to die, he shall give a quarter of its price to the owner of the ox or sheep.

section 226. If a brander without consent of the owner of the slave has branded a slave with an indelible mark, one shall cut off the hands of that brander.

section 227. If a man has deceived the brander, and has caused him to brand an indelible mark on the slave, that man one shall kill him and bury him in his house, the brander shall swear, 'Not knowing I branded him,' and shall go free.

section 228. If a builder has built a house for a man and has completed it, he shall give him as his fee two shekels of silver _per SAR_ of house.

section 229. If a builder has built a house for a man and has not made strong his work, and the house he built has fallen, and he has caused the death of the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death.

section 230. If he has caused the son of the owner of the house to die, one shall put to death the son of that builder.

section 231. If he has caused the slave of the owner of the house to die, he shall give slave for slave to the owner of the house.

section 232. If he has caused the loss of goods, he shall render back whatever he has caused the loss of, and because he did not make strong the house he built, and it fell, from his own goods he shall rebuild the house that fell.

section 233. If a builder has built a house for a man, and has not jointed his work, and the wall has fallen, that builder at his own cost shall make good that wall.

section 234. If a boatman has navigated a s.h.i.+p of sixty _GUR_ for a man, he shall give him two shekels of silver for his fee.

section 235. If a boatman has navigated a s.h.i.+p for a man and has not made his work trustworthy, and in that same year that he worked that s.h.i.+p it has suffered an injury, the boatman shall exchange that s.h.i.+p or shall make it strong at his own expense and shall give a strong s.h.i.+p to the owner of the s.h.i.+p.

section 236. If a man has given his s.h.i.+p to a boatman, on hire, and the boatman has been careless, has grounded the s.h.i.+p, or has caused it to be lost, the boatman shall render s.h.i.+p for s.h.i.+p to the owner.

section 237. If a man has hired a boatman and s.h.i.+p, and with corn, wool, oil, dates, or whatever it be as freight, has freighted her, that boatman has been careless and grounded the s.h.i.+p, or has caused what is in her to be lost, the boatman shall render back the s.h.i.+p which he has grounded and whatever in her he has caused to be lost.

section 238. If a boatman has grounded the s.h.i.+p of a man and has refloated her, he shall give money to half her price.

section 239. If a man has hired a boatman, he shall give him six _GUR_ of corn per year.

section 240. If a s.h.i.+p that is going forward has struck a s.h.i.+p at anchor and has sunk her, the owner of the s.h.i.+p that has been sunk whatever he has lost in his s.h.i.+p shall recount before G.o.d, and that of the s.h.i.+p going forward which sunk the s.h.i.+p at anchor shall render to him his s.h.i.+p and whatever of his was lost.

section 241. If a man has taken an ox on distraint, he shall pay one- third of a mina of silver.

section 242. If a man has hired a working ox for one year, he shall pay four _GUR_ of corn as its hire.

section 243. If a milch cow, he shall give three _GUR_ of corn to its owner.

section 244. If a man has hired an ox or sheep and a lion has killed it in the open field, that loss is for its owner forsooth.

section 245. If a man has hired an ox and through neglect or by blows has caused it to die, ox for ox to the owner of the ox he shall render.

section 246. If a man has hired an ox and has crushed its foot or has cut its nape, ox for ox to the owner of the ox he shall render.

section 247. If a man has hired an ox and has caused it to lose its eye, he shall pay half its price to the owner of the ox.

section 248. If a man has hired an ox, and has crushed its horn, cut off its tail, or pierced its nostrils, he shall pay a quarter of its price.

section 249. If a man has hired an ox, and G.o.d has struck it and it has died, the man who has hired the ox shall swear before G.o.d and shall go free.

section 250. If a wild bull in his charge has gored a man and caused him to die, that case has no remedy.

section 251. If the ox has pushed a man, by pus.h.i.+ng has made known his vice, and he has not blunted his horn, has not shut up his ox, and that ox has gored a man of gentle birth and caused him to die, he shall pay half a mina of silver.

section 252. If a gentleman's servant, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.

section 253. If a man has hired a man to reside in his field and has furnished him seed, has entrusted him the oxen and harnessed them for cultivating the field--if that man has stolen the corn or plants, and they have been seized in his hands, one shall cut off his hands.

section 254. If he has taken the seed, worn out the oxen, from the seed which he has hoed he shall restore.

section 255. If he has hired out the oxen of the man or has stolen the corn and has not caused it to grow in the field, that man one shall put him to account and he shall measure out sixty _GUR_ of corn _per GAN_ of land.

section 256. If his compensation he is not able to pay, one shall remove the oxen from that field.

section 257. If a man has hired a harvester, he shall give him eight _GUR_ of corn per year.

section 258. If a man has hired an ox-driver, he shall give him six _GUR_ of corn per year.

section 259. If a man has stolen a watering machine from the meadow, he shall give five shekels of silver to the owner of the watering machine.

section 260. If he has stolen a watering bucket or a harrow, he shall pay three shekels of silver.

section 261. If a man has hired a herdsman for the cows or a shepherd for the sheep, he shall give him eight _GUR_ of corn _per annum_.

section 262. If a man, ox, or sheep to [this section is defaced].