Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters Part 8

-- 222. If he be a plebeian, he shall pay three shekels of silver.

-- 223. If he be a man's slave, the owner of the slave shall give two shekels of silver to the doctor.

(M181) -- 224. If a veterinary surgeon has treated an ox, or an a.s.s, for a severe injury, and cured it, the owner of the ox, or the a.s.s, shall pay the surgeon one-sixth of a shekel of silver, as his fee.

-- 225. If he has treated an ox, or an a.s.s, for a severe injury, and caused it to die, he shall pay one-quarter of its value to the owner of the ox, or the a.s.s.

(M182) -- 226. If a brander has cut out a mark on a slave, without the consent of his owner, that brander shall have his hands cut off.

-- 227. If someone has deceived the brander, and induced him to cut out a mark on a slave, that man shall be put to death and buried in his house; the brander shall swear, "I did not mark him knowingly," and shall go free.

(M183) -- 228. If a builder has built a house for a man, and finished it, he shall pay him a fee of two shekels of silver, for each _SAR_ built on.

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

-- 230. If it is the owner's son that is killed, the builder's son shall be put to death.

-- 231. If it is the slave of the owner that is killed, the builder shall give slave for slave to the owner of the house.

-- 232. If he has caused the loss of goods, he shall render back whatever he has destroyed. Moreover, because he did not make sound the house he built, and it fell, at his own cost he shall rebuild the house that fell.

-- 233. If a builder has built a house for a man, and has not keyed his work, and the wall has fallen, that builder shall make that wall firm at his own expense.

(M184) -- 234. If a boatman has built a boat of sixty _GUR_ for a man, he shall pay him a fee of two shekels of silver.

-- 235. If a boatman has built a boat for a man, and has not made his work sound, and in that same year that boat is sent on a voyage and suffers damage, the boatman shall rebuild that boat, and, at his own expense, shall make it strong, or shall give a strong boat to the owner.

(M185) -- 236. If a man has let his boat to a boatman, and the boatman has been careless and the boat has been sunk or lost, the boatman shall restore a boat to the owner.

(M186) -- 237. If a man has hired a boat and boatman, and loaded it with corn, wool, oil, or dates, or whatever it be, and the boatman has been careless, and sunk the boat, or lost what is in it, the boatman shall restore the boat which he sank, and whatever he lost that was in it.

-- 238. If a boatman has sunk a man's boat, and has floated it again, he shall pay half its value in silver.

-- 239. If a man has hired a boatman, he shall pay him six _GUR_ of corn yearly.

(M187) -- 240. If a boat, on its course, has run into a boat at anchor, and sunk it, the owner of the boat that was sunk shall estimate on oath whatever was lost in his boat, and the owner of the moving vessel, which sank the boat at anchor, shall make good his boat and what was lost in it.

(M188) -- 241. If a man has levied a distraint on a working ox, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.

(M189) -- 242. If a man has hired a working ox for one year, its hire is four _GUR_ of corn.

-- 243. As the hire of a milch cow one shall give three _GUR_ of corn to its owner.

(M190) -- 244. If a man has hired an ox, or an a.s.s, and a lion has killed it in the open field, the loss falls on its owner.

(M191) -- 245. If a man has hired an ox and has caused its death, by carelessness, or blows, he shall restore ox for ox, to the owner of the ox.

-- 246. If a man has hired an ox, and has broken its leg, or cut its neck (?), he shall restore ox for ox, to the owner of the ox.

-- 247. If a man has hired an ox, and knocked out its eye, he shall pay to the owner of the ox half its value.

(M192) -- 248. If a man has hired an ox, and has broken its horn, cut off its tail, or torn its muzzle, he shall pay one-quarter of its value.

-- 249. If a man has hired an ox, and G.o.d has struck it, and it has died, the man that hired the ox shall make affidavit and go free.

(M193) -- 250. If a bull has gone wild and gored a man, and caused his death, there can be no suit against the owner.

(M194) -- 251. If a man's ox be a gorer, and has revealed its evil propensity as a gorer, and he has not blunted its horn, or shut up the ox, and then that ox has gored a free man, and caused his death, the owner shall pay half a mina of silver.

-- 252. If it be a slave that has been killed, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.

(M195) -- 253. If a man has set another over his field, hired him, allotted him tools, and intrusted him with oxen for cultivating the field and provided harnesses for them, and if that man has appropriated the seed or provender, and they have been found in his possession, his hands shall be cut off.

-- 254. If he has taken the provender or rations and has enfeebled the oxen, he shall make it good from the corn he has hoed.

-- 255. If he has let out the man's oxen for hire, or stolen the seed-corn, or has not produced a crop, that man shall be prosecuted, and he shall pay sixty _GUR_ of corn for each _GAN_.

-- 256. If he is not able to pay his compensation, he shall be torn in pieces on that field by the oxen.

(M196) -- 257. If a man has hired a field-laborer, he shall pay him eight _GUR_ of corn yearly.

-- 258. If anyone has hired an ox-herd he shall pay him six _GUR_ of corn yearly.

(M197) -- 259. If a man has stolen a watering-machine from the meadow, he shall pay five shekels of silver to the owner of the watering-machine.

-- 260. If a man has stolen a _shadduf_, or a plough, he shall pay three shekels of silver.

(M198) -- 261. If a man has hired a herdsman, to pasture oxen, or sheep, he shall pay him _eight GUR_ of corn yearly.

(M199) -- 262. If a man has intrusted ox or a.s.s to ... [Pa.s.sage mutilated.]

-- 263. If he has lost the ox, or a.s.s, given to him, he shall restore ox for ox, and a.s.s for a.s.s to its owner.

-- 264. If a herdsman, who has had oxen or sheep given to him to pasture, has received his wages for the business, and been satisfied, then diminish the herd or lessen the offspring, he shall give increase and produce according to the nature of his agreements.

-- 265. If a herdsman, to whom oxen or sheep have been given, has defaulted, has altered the price, or sold them, he shall be prosecuted, and shall restore oxen, or sheep, tenfold, to their owner.

-- 266. If lightning has struck a fold, or a lion has made a slaughter, the herdsman shall purge himself by oath, and the owner of the fold shall bear the loss of the fold.

-- 267. If the herdsman has been careless, and a loss has occurred in the fold, the herdsman shall make good the loss in the fold; he shall repay the oxen, or sheep, to their owner.

(M200) -- 268. If a man has hired an ox, for thres.h.i.+ng, its hire is twenty _?A_ of corn.

-- 269. If he has hired an a.s.s, for thres.h.i.+ng, its hire is ten _?A_ of corn.

-- 270. If he has hired a young animal, for thres.h.i.+ng, its hire is one _?A_ of corn.

(M201) -- 271. If a man has hired oxen, a wagon, and its driver, he shall pay one hundred and sixty _?A_ of corn daily.