THE CODE OF HAMMURABI.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9679, 31 December 1909, Page 6

THE CODE OF HAMMURABI.

In view of the cablegram in a recent issue reporting an archaeological find in Nineveh, a few remarks on another Mesopotamian treasure, unearthed nut so many years ago, may be of interest. The October number of the "Chautauquan" magazine gives a summary of the most ancient code of laws in the world—laws engraven on a monolith found in Persia by M. de Morgan, and framed some time in the twenty-third century, 8.C., by Hammurabi, King of Babylonia. Some of these laws at least show for those far off ages an honest endeavour to mete out justice im-partially—left-handed as in many cases it must appaar to us. If, for instance, a man brought an accusa 1 - tion against another man and charged him with a capital crime, but could not prove it, he. the accuser, was to be put to death. As regards slavery, the severest penalty was enforced against anyone who aided a slave to escape from his master, and brigandagejwas also punishable by death. Another law enacted that if the brigand was not captured, the man who had been robbed should make _"an itemized statement of his loss, and the city and governor, in whose province and jurisdiction the robbery was committed, shall compensate him for whatever was lost." In the event of his losing his life, compensation was to be paid to his heirs. Thieves who stole articles from a burnincr house were to be thrown into the fire. There may be some husbands who woujd be ungallant enough to welcome the following law:—"lf the wife of a man who is living in his house, set her face to go out and play the part of a fool, neglect her house, .belittle her husband, they shall call her to account." Apparently the divorce law was of a very tree and easy character:—"lf a man take wife and she become afflicted with disease, and if he set his face to take another, he may." But there was a humane provisions that, "His wife, who is afflicted with disease, he shalljnot put away. She shall remain in the house which he has built and he shall maintain her as long as she lives." The Mosaic justice "an eye for an eye," was forestalled in, "If a man destroy the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye," and ■'if one break a man's bone, they shall break his bone." Another section regulates the fees to be paid to a physician, and enacts that he shall be responsible foi the life of his patient. Sorcery, the duties of constables, landlords, and the manifold questions arising from a high state of civilisation are similarly dealt with, j