ATTICK LAWS.

I.

WHEN a woman, in order to enjoy the rights of a lawful

wife, has been duly betrothed by her father, or her brother by the fame father, or her paternal grandfire, her children born in wedlock are legitimate. If none of those relations be living, and the be an heirefs, let her nearest kinsman marry her; but, if fhe have no kinfman entitled to claim her, let him, who fhall be appointed her guardian, give her in marriage.

II.

The legitimate fons of heireffes fhall enter upon their eftates at the age of fixteen years, and fhall allow their mothers a fuitable maintenance.

III.

If the nearest kinsman of a woman without an eftate refufe to marry her, he shall give her in marriage with a portion of five minas, if he belong to the first order of citizens; or of three, if he belong to the fecond; or of a mina and a half, if he be of the third clafs. If the have many kinsmen in the fame degree, they shall severally contribute to her por

tion; and if there be many fuch women, each of their kinfmen fhall be obliged to marry or to give in marriage one of them only. If the next of kin will neither marry them nor give them in marriage, the Archon fhall compel them to do either one or the other; and, if he neglect this duty, he shall forfeit ten minas to the Temple of Juno. Any citizen may prefer a complaint before the Archon against such as difobey this law.

IV.

Let the Archon take care of orphans and heireffes, of defolate heritages, and of women, who, alledging that they are enceint, remain in the houses of their deceafed hufbands: let him not suffer them to be infulted or injuriously treated. If any one should injure them, let him impofe a fine within the limits of his authority; and, if the offender should seem deferving of a heavier punishment, let the Archon summon him to appear within five days, and, laying the damages at such a sum as he thinks proper, let him bring him to a trial in the court of Heliæa, where, if he be found guilty, let the jury inflict such a corporal pain, or fet fuch a fine, as he fhall deserve.

V.

If a husband repudiate his wife, he fhall return her portion, or pay intereft for it at the rate of nine obolus's a month for every mina. Her next of kin, under whose protection she is, may fue for her portion or her alimony before the Archon in the Odeum.

VI.

All genuine unadopted citizens may devife their eftates as they think fit, provided that they have no legitimate children, and be not difabled by lunacy or age, or poison or disease,

nor influenced by women fo as to have loft their reason from any of these causes, nor be under any durefs or confinement.

VII.

The wills of fuch as have legitimate fons shall stand good, if thofe fons die before their age of fixteen years.

VIII.

If a man have legitimate daughters, he may devise his eftate as he pleases, on condition that the devisees take them in marriage.

IX.

Infants and women fhall not transfer or devife more than the value of a bushel of barley.

X.

Adopted fons fhall not devife the property acquired by adoption; but, if they leave legitimate fons, they may return to their natural family. If they do not return, the eftates fhall go to the heirs of the perfons who adopted them.

XI.

The adopted fon and the after born fons of the person who adopted him, shall be coheirs of the estate; but no adoption by a man, who has legitimate fons then born, fhall be valid.

XII.

If a citizen die inteftate and leave daughters, the nearest kinfmen who marry them fhall inherit the eftate; but, if he die childless, his brothers by the fame father fhall be his

heirs, and the legitimate fons of thofe brothers fhall fucceedto the share of their fathers. If there be no brothers, the fifters on the father's fide, and their children, fhall inherit. On failure of fifters and nephews, the coufins on the father's fide fhall be heirs in the fame manner; but males and the children of males shall be preferred, although in a remoter degree, provided that they belong to the fame branch. If there be no kinsman on the father's fide so near as the fecond coufins, then let those on the mother's fide fucceed to the estate in the same order. Should there be no maternal kinfmen within the degree above limited, the next paternal kinsmen fhall be the heirs.

XIII.

No male or female bastard, born after the Archonfhip of Euclid, fhall fucceed either to facred or civil rights.

XIV.

Inheritances and heireffes may be claimed every month in the year except Auguft, and no devifee fhall poffefs an estate except by an adjudication of the court.

XV.

If any man fhall controvert the title of another, to whom an inheritance or an heirefs has been adjudged, let him cite his adversary before the Archon, as in other causes. The demandant shall depofit a stated fum as a pledge of profecution, and, if there be no citation, the judgement shall be reverfed. If the perfon, to whom the eftate was adjudged, be dead, his heir may be impleaded in the fame form, provided that the limited time be not expired. Let the fuit proceed before the Archon in the fame manner as the claim was at first made by the poffeffor of the inheritance in dispute.

ΝΟΤΕ.

The Athenians made no difference between the tranfmiffion of real and perfonal property: in these laws, therefore, and in the followin fpeeches, the words devife, heir, inheritance, and the like, are applied both to lands and to goods, without being reftrained to the peculiar fense in which we use them.