224. Let the king punish corporally at discretion both the gamefter and the keeper of a gaming houfe, whether they play with in⚫ animate or animated things; and men of the fervile class, who wear the firing and other marks of the twiceborn.

225. Gamesters, publick dancers and fingers, revilers of fcripture, open hereticks, men who perform not the duties of their feveral claffes, and fellers of fpirituous liquor, let him inftantly banish from 'the town:

226. Those wretches, lurking like unfeen thieves in the dominion of a prince, continually harass his good fubjects with their vitious • conduct.

227. Even in a former creation was this vice of gaming found a

great provoker of enmity: let no fenfible man, therefore, addict himfelf to play even for his amusement :

228. On the man addicted to it, either privately or openly, let 'punishment be inflicted at the difcretion of the king.

229. A MAN of the military, commercial, or fervile clafs, who 'cannot pay a fine, shall discharge the debt by his labour: a pricst 'fhall discharge it by little and little.

230. For women, children, perfons of crazy intellect, the old, the poor, and the infirm, the king shall order punishment with a small whip, a twig, or a rope.

231. THOSE minifters, who are employed in publick affairs, and, inflamed by the blaze of wealth, mar the business of any perfon concerned, let the king ftrip of all their property.

232. Such, as forge royal edicts, cause diffentions among the great • ministers, or kill women, priests, or children, let the king put to death; and fuch, as adhere to his enemies.

233. Whatever business has at any time been tranfacted conformably to law, let him confider as finally fettled, and refufe to un'ravel;

234. But whatever bufinefs has been concluded illegally by his minifters or by a judge, let the king himself reexamine; and let • him fine them each a thousand panas.

235.

The flayer of a priest, a soldier or merchant drinking arak, or a priest drinking arak, mead, or rum, he, who steals the gold of a priest, and he, who violates the bed of his natural or Spiritual father, are all to be confidered respectively as offenders in the highest degree, except thofe, whofe crimes are not fit to be named:

236. On fuch of thofe four, as have not actually performed an expiation, let the king legally inflict corporal punishment, together • with a fine.

237. For violating the paternal bed, let the mark of a female part ⚫ be impressed on the forehead with hot iron; for drinking spirits, a vintner's flag; for ftealing facred gold, a dog's foot; for murdering a prieft, the figure of a headless corpse :

238. With none to eat with them, with none to facrifice with them, with none to read with them, with none to be allied by marriage to them, abject and excluded from all focial duties, let them • wander over this earth:

6

• 239. Branded

239. Branded with indelible marks, they fhall be deferted by their paternal and maternal relations, treated by none with affection, received by none with refpect: fuch is the ordinance of · MENU.

240. Criminals of all the claffes, having performed an expiation, as ordained by law, fhall not be marked on the forehead, but condemned to pay the highest fine:

241. For crimes by a priest, who had a good character before his offence, the middle fine fhall be fet on him; or, if his crime was premeditated, he shall be banished from the realm, taking with him his effects and his family;

242. But men of the other claffes, who have committed thofe • crimes, though without premeditation, shall be stripped of all their pof

• feffions; and, if their offence was premeditated, shall be corporally,

⚫ or even capitally, punished, according to circumstances.

243.LET no virtuous prince appropriate the wealth of a criminal

in the highest degree; for he, who appropriates it through covetousness, is contaminated with the fame guilt:

244. Having thrown fuch a fine into the waters, let him offer it to VARUNA; or let him bestow it on fome priest of eminent learning in • the fcriptures:

245. VARUNA is the lord of punishment; he holds a rod even over

kings; and a priest, who has gone through the whole Véda, is equal to a fovereign of all the world.

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246. Where

246. Where the king abftains from receiving to his own use the

• wealth of fuch offenders, there children are born in due feason and

enjoy long lives;

247. There the grain of husbandmen rises abundantly, as it was respectively fown; there no younglings die, nor is one deformed animal born.

248. SHOULD a man of the basest class, with preconceived malice, give pain to Bráhmens, let the prince corporally punish him by va•rious modes, that may raise terrour.

249. A king is pronounced equally unjust in releasing the man, who ' deferves punishment, and in punishing the man, who deserves it not: • he is just, who always inflicts the punishment ordained by law.

250. These established rules for administering juftice, between two litigant parties, have been propounded at length under eighteen ⚫ heads.

251. 'THUS fully performing all duties required by law, let a king

• seek with justice to poffefs regions yet unpoffeffed, and, when they

are in his poffeffion, let him govern them well.

252. His realm being completely arranged and his fortreffes amply

provided, let him ever apply the most diligent care to eradicate bad

• men refembling thorny weeds, as the law directs.

253. By protecting fuch as live virtuously, and by rooting up fuch

as live wickedly, those kings, whose hearts are intent on the fecu

rity of their people, fhall rife to heaven.

254. Of

254. Of that prince, who takes a revenue, without restraining

rogues, the dominions are thrown into diforder, and himself shall be precluded from a celestial abode ;

255. But of him, whose realm, by the strength of his arm, is de'fended and free from terrour, the dominions continually flourish, like 'trees duly watered.

256. LET the king, whose emiffaries are his eyes, difcern well the ' two forts of rogues, the open and the concealed, who deprive other 6 men of their wealth:

257. 'Open rogues are they, who fubfift by cheating in various • marketable commodities; and concealed rogues are they, who steal and rob in forefts and the like fecret places.

258. Receivers of bribes, extorters of money by threats, debasers

of metals, gamefters, fortunetellers, impofters, and profeffors of • palmistry;

259. Elephantbreakers and quacks, not performing what they engage to perform, pretended artists, and fubtil harlots;

260. These and the like thorny weeds, overfpreading the world, let the king discover with a quick fight, and others, who act ill in fecret; worthlefs men, yet bearing the outward figns of the • worthy.

261. Having detected them, by the means of trufty perfons difguised, who pretend to have the fame occupation with them, and of