1649:Moscow
Sobornoe Ulozhenie
[Law Code of the Assembly of the Land]

Table: Key historical terms

[SAC editor has translated all forms of "okol'nich..." as "courtier..."]

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(26 chapters with over 960 articles)

Original electronic source =
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aksmith/HY438/ulozh/ [now a dead site]
which was in turn based on
Richard Hellie, ed., The Muscovite Law Code (Ulozhenie) of 1649

Preamble
Chapter 1. = Blasphemers and Church troublemakers (9 Articles)
Chapter 2. = The Sovereign’s honor, and how to safeguard His Royal Well-being (22)
Chapter 3. = Sovereign’s Palace Court -- no misconduct or fighting there (9)
Chapter 4 = Forgers and those who counterfeit seals (4)
Chapter 5 = Mintmasters who make counterfeit coins (2)
Chapter 6 = Travel documents into other states (6)
Chapter 7 = Service [sluzhba] of various military personnel of the Muscovite State (32)
Chapter 8 = Redemption of military captives (7)
Chapter 9 = Tolls, ferry fees, and bridge fees (20)
Chapter 10 = The Judicial Process (287)
Chapter 11 = Judicial process for peasants (34)
Chapter 12 = Judicial process for Patriarch’s Prikaz and Palace Court officials and peasants (3)
Chapter 13 = The Monastery Prikaz (7)
Chapter 14 = The Oath (10)
Chapter 15 = Cases that have been decided (5)
Chapter 16 = Pomest’e lands (69)
Chapter 17 = Votchinas [hereditary estates] (55)
Chapter 18 = Seal Fees (71)
Chapter 19 = Townsmen (40)
Chapter 20 = Judicial process for slaves (119)
Chapter 21 = Robbery and theft cases (104)
Chapter 22 = Decree on which offenses require death penalty and which not (26)
Chapter 23 = The Musketeers (3)
Chapter 24 = Decree on Atamans and Cossacks [including Decree on Statutory Prices] (3)
Chapter 25 = Statute on illicit taverns (21)

FOOTNOTES

 

Preamble =

THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LAND LAW CODE

January 29, 1649. On July 16, 1648, the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince Aleksei Mikhailovich,-Autocrat of all Russia, in the twentieth year of his life, in the third year of his reign protected by God, took counsel with his spiritual father and intercessor, the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and with the metropolitans, and the archbishops, and the bishop, and the entire holy Assembly [Sobor]. And [also] with his own royal boyars, and courtiers, and counselors he discussed the laws written in the canons of the holy apostles and holy fathers and the laws of the Byzantine emperors in the Procheiros Nomos. [They discussed] which of those laws would be suitable for state and civil affairs [k gosudar’stvennym i k zemskim delam] [and they resolved that those statutes] should be extracted. [They also ordered] collected the decrees of the former great sovereigns, tsars, and grand princes of Russia, and of his sovereign father, the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, and [also] the boyar decisions on various state and civil [zemskie] matters. [They ordered] those sovereign decrees and boyar decisions compared with the old law codes [Sudebniki]. Concerning those laws which in prior years were not inserted as a decree in the Sudebniki of the previous sovereigns and those laws which were not [further enacted] as boyar decisions: write down and order accordingly those laws by his sovereign decree [and] by common counsel so that for the people of all ranks, from the highest to the lowest rank, of the Muscovite state the law and justice will be equal for all in all cases. [...chtoby Moskovskogo gosudar’stva vsiakikh qinov liudem, ot bolshago i do menshago qinu, sud i rosprava byla vo vsiakikh delekh vsem rovna.] The Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich ordered the boyars Prince Nikita Ivanovich Odoevskii and Prince Semen Vasil’evich Prozorovskii, and the courtier Prince Fedor Fedorovich Volkonskii, and the State Secretaries Gavrila Levont’ev and Fedor Griboedov to assemble everything and write it up in an official report.

For this, his own royal and civil grand tsarist business [gosudareva i zemskogo, velikogo, tsarstvennogo dela], the sovereign, in counsel with his spiritual father and intercessor, the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia decreed and the boyars affirmed that two men from each rank [iz chinu po dva cheloveka] should be chosen from the stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and zhil’tsy. Also, two men should be selected from the dvoriane of all towns and from the deti boiarskie of the large towns, except Novgorod. One man per borough [should be sent] from the Novgorodians; one man each from the lesser towns, and three men from the first corporation merchants; two men each from the merchants of the second corporation and the third corporation; one man each from the taxpaying hundreds, and the settlements, and the urban taxpaying districts of the towns. [Those sent] were to be worthy and prudent men so that his sovereign tsarist and civil affairs might be affirmed and put into effect with [the participation of] all the delegates so that all these great decisions, [promulgated] by his present royal edict and the Law Code of the Assembly of the Land [Sobornoe Ulozhenie], henceforth would in no way be violated.

By the decree of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, the boyars, Prince Nikita Ivanovich Odoevskii and his associates, extracted [relevant laws] from the Canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers, and from the laws of the Byzantine emperors in the Procheiros Nomus, and from the old Sudebniki of former grand sovereigns, and from the decrees of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, and from boyar decisions, and laws which were not written down in the earlier Sudebniki, and in decrees of the former sovereigns, and in boyar decisions. Having written down these laws anew, they brought them to the sovereign.

In the present [sic] year 1648, on October 3, the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince Aleksei Mikhailovich, Autocrat of all Russia, with his spiritual father and intercessor the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and with the metropolitans, the archbishops, and the bishop; and also with his royal boyars, and courtiers, and counselors of that assemblage [s dumnymi liud’mi togo sobraniia] listened to [a reading] of the Ulozhenie. It was also read to the delegates [vybornym liudem] who had been chosen for the common counsel [k tomu obshchemu sovetu vybrany] in Moscow and from the provincial towns so that in the future the entire Ulozhenie would be solidly based and unshakable.

The sovereign ordered the entire Ulozhenie written on a scroll. He ordered the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and the metropolitans, and the archbishops, and the bishop, and the archimandrites and fathers superior [igumenom], and the entire holy Assembly [vsemu osviashchennomu soboru]; and his royal boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and the chosen dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and the first corporation merchants [gostem], and the trading townsmen [torgovym i posadskim liudem] of the Muscovite state and all the towns of the Russian tsardom to sign the scroll copy.

Once the signatures had been affixed to the Ulozhenie, the sovereign ordered it copied into a [manuscript] book and [ordered] the State Secretaries [d’iakom] Gavrila Levont’ev and Fedor Griboedov to affix their signatures to the [manuscript] book. From that [manuscript] book he ordered many copies printed for use in Moscow in all the chancelleries [prikazy] and in the provincial towns [“provincial towns” here translates gorody], and [he ordered] that all cases be conducted according to the laws in that Ulozhenie.

  • According to the decree of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, the Ulozhenie was written on the scroll. The most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and archimandrites, and fathers superior, and the entire holy Assembly; and also the boyars, and courtiers, and counselors; and the chosen dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and the first corporation merchants and trading townsmen affixed their signatures on the scroll copy of the Ulozhenie. From that Ulozhenie a copy was written into a [manuscript] book, word for word. This book was printed from that [manuscript] book.
  • When the Ulozhenie, by the decree of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, was read to the delegates, at that time, by the sovereign’s decree, boyarin Prince Yur’i Alekseevich Dolgorukoi presided in the Response Chamber [otvetnaia polata], and the delegates [vybornye liudi] were with him.

    CHAPTER 1. - Blasphemers and Church Troublemakers. In It Are 9 Articles.

    1. If believers in non-Orthodox faiths, of whatever Creed, or a Russian, casts abuse on the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, or on the Lady Most Pure Who gave birth to Him, our Mother of God the Chaste Maiden Mary, or on the Holy Cross, or on His Holy Saints: rigorously investigate this by all methods of inquiry. If that is established conclusively: having convicted the blasphemer, execute him by burning him [in a cage].

    2. If a disorderly person, coming into God’s church during the holy liturgy, by any action whatsoever does not permit the completion of the divine liturgy: having arrested him and investigated him rigorously [and having established] that he committed such a deed, punish him with death, without any mercy.

    3. If someone during the holy liturgy [or during] other church services, coming into God’s church, proceeds to address indecent remarks to the patriarch, or a metropolitan, or archbishop and bishop, or archimandrite, or father superior and other member of the clerical order, and thereby in the church creates a disturbance for the divine liturgy, and this becomes known to the sovereign, and that is established conclusively: inflict on that disorderly person a beating [with the knout] in the market places for his offense.

    4. If someone, coming into God’s church, proceeds to assault anyone at all, and kills the person: after investigation, punish that killer himself with death.

    5. If [the assailant] wounds someone, but does not kill him: inflict on him a beating [with the knout] in the market places without mercy, cast him in prison for a month, and the injured party shall collect from him a double dishonor compensation for the injury.

    6. If such a disorderly person assaults anyone at all in God’s church but does not wound [him]: for such an offense beat him with bastinadoes, and the person whom he struck shall collect his dishonor compensation from him.

    7. If someone dishonors someone by word, but does not assault [him]: cast him in prison for a month for the offense. The person who was dishonored by him shall exact from him the dishonor compensation so that those looking on will not commit such offenses in God’s church.

    8. In church, during the church services, no one shall petition the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, or the great lord the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, or the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops about any personal affairs, so that, as a consequence, there will be no disruption of the church services in God’s church because God’s church is designed for prayer. It is fitting for Orthodox Christians to stand in God’s church and pray with fear, and not to contemplate earthly matters.

    9. If someone, forgetting the fear of God and disdaining the Tsar’s order, proceeds to petition the sovereign, or patriarch, or any other high church officials about his personal affairs in God’s church during the church services: cast that petitioner in prison for as long as the sovereign decrees.

    CHAPTER 2. - The Sovereign’s Honor, and How to Safeguard His Royal Well-Being. In It Are 22 Articles.

    1. If someone by any intent proceeds to think up [kakim umyshleniem uchnet myslit’] an evil deed against the sovereign’s well-being, and someone denounces his evil intent, and after that denunciation that evil intent of his is established conclusively, that he conceived all evil deed against his tsarist majesty, and he intended to carry it out [delo myslil]: after investigation, punish such a person with death. {slovo i delo}

    2. Likewise, if in the realm of his tsarist majesty, someone, desiring to seize possessions of the Muscovite state and to become sovereign, begins to assemble an armed force to effect his evil intention; or, if someone proceeds to make friends with enemies of [his] tsarist majesty, and to establish secret relationships by [exchanging] advisory letters, and to render them aid in various ways so that those enemies of the sovereign, using his secret relationship with the enemy, may take possession of the Muscovite state, or commit any other bad deed; and someone denounces his activity; and after that denunciation his treason is established conclusively: punish such a traitor with death accordingly.

    3. If a subject of his tsarist majesty surrenders a town to an enemy in an act of treason [izmenoiu]; or, a subject of his tsarist majesty receives into the towns foreigners from other states for the purpose of similarly committing treason; and that is established conclusively: punish such traitors with death also.

    4. If someone premeditatedly, with treasonous intent, sets fire to a town, or to houses; and at that time, or later, the arsonist is arrested, and that felonious conduct of his is established conclusively: burn him [in a cage] himself without the slightest mercy.

    5. Confiscate the pomest’ia, and votchinas, and movable property of traitors for the sovereign.

    6. If the wives and children of such traitors knew about their treason: similarly punish them with death.

    7. If a wife did not know about the treason of her husband, or children [did not know] about the treason of their father, and it is established about that conclusively that they did not know about that treason: do not execute them for that, and inflict no punishment on them; [give] them a maintenance allotment from [the executed traitor’s] votchinas and pomest’ia that the sovereign grants.

    8. If children remain after [the execution of] a traitor, and those children of his lived separately from him, and not with him [in the same household or on the same estate] prior to his treason, and those children of his did not know about his treason, and they had their own movable property and their votchinas were separate from his: do not confiscate from those children of his their movable property and votchinas.

    9. If someone commits treason, and after him survive a father, or mother, or natural brothers, or half-brothers, or uncles, or any other member of his clan in the Muscovite state; and he lived together with them and they had common movable property and votchinas: conduct a rigorous investigation by all methods of inquiry about that traitor to determine whether his father, and mother, and clan knew about his treason. If it is established conclusively that they knew about the treason of that traitor: punish them with death also, and confiscate their votchinas, and pomest’ia, and movable property for the sovereign.

    10. If it is established conclusively about them that they did not know about the treason of that traitor: do not punish them with death, and do not confiscate the pomest’ia, and votchinas, and movable property from them.

    11. If a traitor, having been in another state, comes to the Muscovite state, and the sovereign bestows favor upon him, orders that he be forgiven his offenses: he shall have to earn pomest’ia anew. The sovereign is free [to return or otherwise dispose of] his votchinas, but his former pomest’ia shall not be returned to him.

    12. If someone proceeds to denounce someone for a treasonous offense but does not present any witnesses in support of his denunciation, and no other evidence is presented to convict [the accused], and there is no basis for initiating an investigation into such a treason case: compile a decree about such a treason case, upon rigorous review, as the sovereign decrees.

    13. If someone’s slaves proceed to denounce those people whom they are serving in the matter of the sovereign’s well-being, or any treason case, or peasants [do the same] against the lords under whom they are living as peasants, and they present no evidence to support the accusation in that case: do not believe their denunciation. Having punished them severely by beating them mercilessly with the knout, give them back to those people whose slaves and peasants they are. With the exception of treason cases, do not place the slightest credence in any [other] cases initiated by such informers.

    14. If slaves of any category proceed to initiate a treason case on their own behalf; but subsequently they themselves proceed to say that they know of no treason case, but that they had initiated the treason case to escape a beating by someone [the accused], or they were drunk: beat them with the knout for that, and having beaten them with the knout, give them back to their owners.

    15. If someone, having overtaken a traitor on the road, kills him; or, having apprehended him, brings him to the sovereign: punish that traitor with death. That person who brings him in or kills him shall be given a royal reward from his [the traitor’s] property, as the sovereign decrees.

    16. If someone proceeds to denounce someone else about an important case involving the sovereign, or treason, but that person whom he denounces [in] that case is not present in person at that time: find that person against whom the denunciation was made and arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation with the informer. Conduct a rigorous investigation by all methods of inquiry about the accusation of a case involving the sovereign and about treason. After investigation, compile a decree as is written about that above this.

    17. If someone has initiated an important case involving the sovereign or a treason charge against someone, but did not support it, and it is established about that conclusively that he deliberately initiated such a [false] case against someone: inflict on that informer [the same sanction that] the person whom he accused would have deserved.

    18. If people of various ranks of the Muscovite state learn about or hear that there is an insurrectionary plot, or any other evil intention, among some people, against his tsarist majesty: they shall inform the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich or his royal boyars and close advisers, or in the provincial towns the governors [voevodam] and chancellery officials, about it.

    19. If someone, having learned about or hearing about an insurrectionary plot or any other evil intention among any people against his tsarist majesty, fails to inform the sovereign and his royal boyars and intimates, or the governors and chancellery officials in the provincial towns, and it becomes known to the sovereign that he knew about such a case, but did not convey the information, and that is established conclusively: punish him with death without any mercy for this.

    20. No one, either by his own volition or as a member of an insurrectionary plot against his tsarist majesty, and his royal boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and intimates, and in the towns and regiments against the governors, and generals, and chancellery officials, shall approach anyone [in a threatening manner], nor shall [anyone] rob or assault anyone.

    21. If someone, as part of an insurrectionary plot, proceeds to approach his tsarist majesty, or his royal boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and intimates, and the governors and generals in the towns and the regiments, and the chancellery officials, or anyone else [in a threatening manner], and proceed[s] to rob or assault someone: similarly punish with death without any mercy those people who commit such an act there.

    22. If generals, governors, and chancellery officials from a provincial town or from the regiments report to the sovereign that servicemen [sluzhilie] or people of any other ranks [inix qinov] approached them as part of an insurrectionary plot and desired to kill them; and those people against whom they wrote the report proceed to petition the sovereign against the generals, governors, and chancellery officials for an investigation [and they respond] that they did not approach them as part of an insurrectionary plot, but rather that only a few people approached them [to submit] a petition: on the basis of that petition, conduct an investigation about them in the towns by interrogating [all the residents of] the town, and all the troops in the regiments. If it is established conclusively about them that they approached the governors in the towns and the generals in the regiments [to submit] a petition, and not for a felonious purpose: do not punish them with death after the investigation. Severely punish the generals, governors, and chancellery officials who reported against them falsely to the sovereign, however, as the sovereign decrees.

    CHAPTER 3. - The Sovereign’s Palace Court. [A Law to Ensure]
    That There Will Be No Misconduct or Fighting by Anyone at the Sovereign’s Palace Court.
    In It Are 9 Articles.

    1. If someone in the presence of [his] tsarist majesty, at his royal palace court and in his royal chambers, not respecting the honor of his tsarist majesty, dishonors someone verbally; and that person whom he dishonored proceeds to petition the sovereign against him for justice, and it is established about that conclusively that the person against whom he petitioned did injure his honor: after investigation, for the honor of the sovereign’s palace court, imprison that person who dishonored someone at the sovereign’s palace court for two weeks so that others looking on will learn henceforth not to do that. Order the person whom he dishonors [to collect] his dishonor compensation from him.

    2. If someone at the sovereign’s palace court initiates a fight with someone else, and with impudence strikes him with his hand: arrest such a person on the spot, and, without letting him go, investigate that fight of his; having established it conclusively, imprison him for a month for the honor of the sovereign’s palace court. That person whom he struck shall collect his dishonor compensation from him. If he struck someone to the point of drawing blood, that person whom he bloodied shall collect his dishonor compensation from him two-fold. For the honor of the sovereign’s palace court, imprison him [the offender] for six weeks.

    3. If someone in the presence of [his] tsarist majesty draws his saber, or any other weapon, against someone, and with that weapon wounds someone; and as a result of that wound, that person whom he wounded dies, or kills him at that time: punish that killer himself with death as well for that homicide.

  • Even if the person whom that assailant wounded does not die: punish that assailant with death.
  • Collect the registered debts of the murdered person from his [the killer’s] movable property.

    4. If someone in the presence of the sovereign draws any weapon against someone, but does not wound or kill [him]: punish that one, cut off his hand.

    5. If someone at the sovereign’s palace court, but not in the presence of the sovereign, draws a weapon against someone, but does not wound [him]: imprison that person for three months. But if he wounds [someone]: the wounded person shall exact from him a dishonor compensation and maiming fee equal to double his compensation entitlement. Put him [the culprit] on bond so that, without a decree, he will not ride out of the town where he wounded someone until that time when the wounded person either heals or dies. If the wounded person heals: cut off the hand of the person who wounded him. If the wounded person dies from his wounds: punish with death that person who wounded him.

    6. Similarly at the palace court of [his] tsarist majesty in Moscow, or wherever his tsarist majesty happens to be on [his] travels: no one shall shoot from handguns, and from bows, and from any other weapon without the sovereign’s order. No one shall walk about with such weapons at the sovereign’s palace court. If someone at the sovereign’s palace court in Moscow or on the [sovereign’s] travels wounds someone, or kills someone: punish that person with death also.

    7. If someone at the sovereign’s palace court in Moscow or on the [sovereign’s] travels proceeds to walk around with handguns and bows, although not to shoot them; and he neither wounds nor kills anyone with that weapon: punish those people for that offense, beat them with bastinadoes and cast them in prison for a week.

    8. If someone happens to be billeted in the sovereign’s court villages: those people shall not catch fish for themselves in the sovereign’s ponds and lakes. If someone without the sovereign’s command proceeds to catch fish in the sovereign’s ponds and lakes in the court villages: collect a fine from that person for the sovereign, or inflict on him a punishment that the sovereign decrees.

    9. If someone steals anything at the palace court of [his] tsarist majesty for the first time, and that is established conclusively: beat that person with the knout. If that [same] thief is apprehended with stolen property at the sovereign’s palace court a second time: beat that one with a knout again, and cast him in prison for half a year. It that same thief is apprehended with stolen property at the sovereign’s palace court a third time: cut off his hand for that so that others looking on will learn not to commit such a felony, not to steal at the sovereign’s palace court.

    CHAPTER 4. - Forgers and Those Who Counterfeit Seals. In It Are 4 Articles.

    1. If someone himself criminally writes a charter [purporting to be] from the sovereign to himself; or by his own design rewrites something in a genuine royal charter or in any other chancellery communications, without a decree from the sovereign or a decision from the boyars; or forges the signatures of counselors, and chancellery officials, and scribes: or makes for himself a seal like the sovereign’s seal: after investigation, punish such a person with death for such offenses.

    2. If someone feloniously proceeds to remove the sovereign’s seals from the sovereign’s charters, or from any other chancellery communications, and proceeds to affix these sovereign’s seals to any fraudulent documents; or if someone feloniously proceeds to concoct documents and letters and alters chancellery communications without the sovereign’s decree: punish that person with death also, and do not believe his counterfeit documents in any matter.

    3. If the person who manufactured such documents dies; and after his death those documents appear in the possession of his relatives or of his stewards; and his relatives and stewards on the basis of those documents proceed to petition the sovereign about some case: investigate them, by what usage those documents came into their possession, where they got them, and whether they knew that those documents were counterfeit. If [others] testify about them in the investigation, or they themselves confess that they knew about the fact that the documents were felonious and counterfeit, but they retained them in their possession for their own profit and greed: similarly punish those people with death.

    4. If [others] testify about them in the investigation that they retained those counterfeit documents in their possession not knowing that they were feloniously compiled: do not punish them with death for that. But do not believe those counterfeit documents in any matter. Do not grant a trial on the basis of them against anyone.

    CHAPTER 5. - Mintmasters Who Proceed to Make Counterfeit Coins. In It Are 2 Articles.

    1. Concerning those mintmasters who proceed to mint copper, or tin, or steel coins; or who proceed to add copper, or tin, or lead to the silver in the minting process, and thereby cause losses to the sovereign’s treasury: punish those mintmasters for such an act with death, pour [molten metal] down their throats.

    2. If masters of gold and silver work take from someone gold and silver to process, and proceed to mix copper, and tin, and lead into the gold and silver: after investigation, beat them with the knout for that. Concerning the fact that they caused someone losses by mixing copper, or tin, or lead into the gold or silver: having exacted [the amount of the loss] from them, return it to that person to whom they caused such loss.

    CHAPTER 6. - Travel Documents into Other States. In It Are 6 Articles.

    1. If someone happens to leave the Muscovite state for a commercial enterprise, or for any other personal purpose, for another state, which state is at peace with the Muscovite state: that person in Moscow shall petition the sovereign, and in the provincial towns the governors, for a travel document. Without a travel document he shall not travel. In the provincial towns the governors shall issue them travel documents without any delay.

    2. If governors do not proceed to issue people travel documents quickly, and thus cause people delay and losses, and there are petitioners against them for that, and that is established conclusively: the governors shall be in great disgrace with the sovereign for that. Concerning the fact that they cause people losses: exact [the value of the losses] from them two-fold and return it to the petitioners.

    3. If someone travels to any [other] state without a travel document, and then, having been in another state, returns to the Muscovite state; and someone else proceeds to denounce him, [alleging] that he traveled on his own volition without a travel document for treasonous purposes, or for any other reprehensible purpose: on the basis of that denunciation, conduct a rigorous investigation by all methods of inquiry of that person who traveled to another state without the sovereign’s travel document. If they say about him in the investigation that he indeed rode into another state without a travel document to commit treason, or for any other reprehensible purpose: after investigation, punish that person with death for treason.

    4. If it is revealed during an investigation that he traveled to another state without a travel document on a trading enterprise, but not to commit treason: inflict punishment on him for that, beat him with the knout, so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    5. Concerning the fact that [some of the] sovereign’s court villages, and rural taxpaying districts, and votchinas and pomest’ia in the possession of people of various ranks of the border towns in the provinces are adjacent to Lithuanian and Swedish border land; and the sovereign’s lands [in the past] have passed to the Lithuanian and Swedish side, and Lithuanian and Swedish land has passed to the sovereign’s side; and the peasants [living in] the sovereign’s court and rural taxpaying districts, and pomeshchiks, and votchinniks, and their slaves and peasants travel across those Lithuanian and Swedish frontier lands from town to town without travel documents, and they meet with Lithuanian and Swedish subjects: do not accuse them of any crime for that because they are living adjacent to Lithuanian and Swedish subjects on the frontier.

    6. If pomeshchiks and votchinniks of the frontier towns learn of anything reprehensible, or of treason, among their slaves or peasants: they shall inform the sovereign about that, and in the provincial towns shall submit formal denunciations on the matter to the governors, and bring in their own slaves and peasants for arraignment. The governors shall interrogate those people against whom there is an accusation and shall conduct a rigorous investigation about them, concerning the accusation, by all methods of inquiry and shall write the sovereign about this; imprison those people against whom there is a denunciation until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    CHAPTER 7. - The Service [sluzhba] of Various Military Personnel of the Muscovite State.
    In It Are 32 Articles.

    The Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich has eternal peace and a treaty with the Polish, and Lithuanian, and Swedish, and other neighboring states.

    1. If by some means war breaks out between any [foreign] state and the Muscovite state, or at some time the sovereign resolves to avenge the enmity of his royal foe; and he orders sent against them his own royal boyars and generals, and with them military personnel of various ranks; and for that service the sovereign orders his royal compensation paid to his royal military personnel of the entire Muscovite state: levy cash for that royal compensation to the military personnel from the entire Muscovite state and impose requisitions depending on the nature of the service.

    2. Send the sovereign’s orders to the governors and chancellery officials in the provincial towns concerning the places where military personnel should report for the sovereign’s service and the time that they should arrive for the sovereign’s service. Order [them] to dispatch the military personnel to the appointed places for the sovereign’s service without any delay.

  • Military personnel, going to the sovereign’s service, on the road, and in camps shall not cause any people any injury or loss. They shall not seize food for themselves or fodder for their horses from anyone without paying for it.

    3. If some of those military personnel happen to buy food for themselves or fodder for their horses, they shall buy those provisions from various people at the fair market price.

  • They shall not trample grain in the fields or hay to be mown in enclosed meadows so that no one individually will suffer any injury anywhere at the hands of military personnel.

    4. Concerning times when the meadows of various pomeshchiks and votchinniks are not enclosed: at that time military personnel going to the sovereign’s service shall camp on the meadows belonging to anybody without penalty. But at the times when the meadows are enclosed: they shall camp on enclosed meadows on one side of the road for a distance of 11 meters without penalty. They shall not camp farther than 11 meters from the road in those enclosed meadows. They shall not mow the grass nor trample it with their horses. All people shall close the meadows after Trinity Day.

    5. When servicemen, going to the sovereign’s service, proceed to buy food and fodder from anyone, those people shall sell military personnel food and fodder at a fair market price. They shall not charge military personnel higher prices for any reason.

    6. If certain military personnel, going to the sovereign’s service, proceed to inflict injury on anyone, and that is established conclusively at trial: inflict on those people a punishment depending on the offense. Exact the financial losses [from the culprits] and give them [the financial losses] to those people who were thereby injured.

    7. If certain people proceed to sell military personnel food and fodder at a dear price: after trial and investigation, similarly inflict punishment on those people. Return the excess money charged [to the military personnel].

    8. Concerning those royal military personnel of all ranks who are in the sovereign’s service in the regiments and are capable of rendering the sovereign’s service as determined by a military review; but they, not waiting for a discharge, flee from the sovereign’s service: compile a decree for them for the flight—he who flees for the first time shall be beaten with the knout. If that same person flees a second time, beat him again with the knout and reduce his pomest’e compensation entitlement by 67 acres, and his cash salary by 1 ruble per 133 acres of pomest’e compensation entitlement. If he flees a third time: beat him again with the knout, confiscate his [entire] pomest’e from him, and distribute it in the allotment [of lands to other pomeshchiks].

    9. If a foreigner, or any other mercenary, or a musketeer, or a cossack, or a [peasant or slave] recruit flees from service: having conducted an investigation of those people and having inflicted on them a severe punishment, a beating with the knout, send them back to the regiments for the sovereign’s service, to the generals, escorted by bailiffs. Recover the salary advances made to the mercenaries, and musketeers, and cossacks in proportion to the service time during which they were absent. If the fugitive recruits are not present during the investigation, exact 20 rubles for each man for those fugitive recruits from those people to whom those men who fled from service belong.

    10. Boyars and generals shall not discharge military personnel from the sovereign’s service without a royal order. They shall not take bribes and gifts.

    11. If boyars and generals, without a royal order, proceed to discharge military personnel from the sovereign’s service, and take bribes and gifts, and that is established conclusively: punish the boyars and generals severely for that, whatever the sovereign decrees.

    12. If someone falsely proceeds to petition the sovereign against boyars and generals for taking bribes, does this deliberately, and that is established conclusively: inflict a severe punishment on them, as the sovereign decrees, for dishonoring the boyars and generals and for the false petition.

    13. If military personnel in the sovereign’s service proceed to petition the boyars and generals for a discharge from the sovereign’s service on the grounds that their own houses have been destroyed, or their slaves have fled, or for any other most urgent reasons: the boyars and generals shall conduct an investigation about those military personnel [by interrogating] the dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and servicemen of all ranks [qinov sluzhilymi lyud’mi] in the regiments. They shall obtain testimony about them from the servicemen over their signatures. After investigation, temporarily discharge military personnel from the sovereign’s service for the most urgent matters.

    14. If at any time there is intelligence about [enemy] troops, and on the basis of that intelligence the approach of [enemy] forces is anticipated: at that time do not discharge military personnel from the sovereign’s service for any reason whatsoever.

    15. Concerning those servicemen in the sovereign’s service registered under someone in a unit of one hundred: centurions shall not discharge those servicemen to go anywhere for their own benefit without the sovereign’s order and without a general’s knowledge.

    16. If a centurion discharges someone from his unit of one hundred to go somewhere without the sovereign’s order and without a general’s knowledge: inflict punishment for that on the centurions. After denouncing their guilt [openly] before many military personnel, inflict punishment: beat [them] with bastinadoes and cast [them] in prison so that other centurions looking on will learn not to do that.

    17. If any servicemen proceed to petition the sovereign that, because of superannuation, or wounds, or disease, they are unable to go to the sovereign’s service, and would the sovereign order their children, and brothers, and nephews, and grandsons who have no pomest’e, who have come of age for the sovereign’s service, but are not serving in the sovereign’s service, and are not registered in any ranks, [to serve] in their stead in his royal service: examine those petitioners in Moscow and in the provincial towns.

  • If according to the examination those servicemen are indeed incapable of being in the sovereign’s service because of superannuation, or wounds, or illness: order those servicemen to send to the sovereign’s service in their stead their own children, and brothers, and nephews, and grandsons who have no pomest’ia who have come of age for the sovereign’s service, are eighteen years of age, but are not rendering any service to the sovereign, and are not registered in any ranks, with all their military gear and supplies. They shall not send anyone for service in their stead who is less than eighteen years of age.
  • If they have no such children, and brothers, and nephews, and grandchildren but themselves are in no way capable of being in the sovereign’s service because of disease or superannuation: collect from them for the sovereign’s service either recruits or cash, depending upon [the size and condition of] their pomest’ia, and votchinas, and maintenance allotments.

    18. If any servicemen proceed to petition the sovereign that they be excused from the sovereign’s service, and testify that they are superannuated, and wounded, or sick; but upon examination they are [deemed] able to be in the sovereign’s service: send such people themselves to the sovereign’s service.

    19. If any serviceman, being in the sovereign’s service, flees from battle to his own home, and the generals report on him about this to the sovereign: reduce by half the pomest’e compensation entitlements and the cash compensation entitlements of such men for that flight. Moreover, confiscate from them for the sovereign one-half of their [actual] pomest’ia. Finally, inflict a punishment on them, beat them mercilessly with the knout for that.

    20. If someone, being in the sovereign’s service in the regiments, as an act of treason proceeds to abandon the regiments for the enemy regiments; and in the enemy regiments talks about intelligence and about the sovereign’s military personnel; and someone informs about this against him; and that is established conclusively: punish such a deserter with death, hang him in view of the enemy regiments, and confiscate his pomest’ia, and votchinas, and movable property for the sovereign.

    21. If someone of the military personnel in the sovereign’s service runs out of supplies and fodder; and at the time in the market grain supplies and fodder are selling for a dear price; and, because of his poverty, he is unable to purchase food and fodder at that price; and if, by order of his tsarist majesty and after review by the local commanding general, there is at that time a statutory price for food and fodder for military personnel that is lower than the market price; and that serviceman who has run out of grain supplies and fodder in the sovereign’s service proceeds to petition the sovereign that he be permitted to buy supplies and fodder from someone at the statutory price because of his poverty: the generals shall send out bailiffs with such a petitioner to those people whom he saw in possession of grain supplies and fodder, and order them to take the grain supplies and fodder from those people at the statutory price.

  • Order the grain supplies and fodder taken at the statutory price from those people who have grain supplies and fodder in surplus, beyond their domestic needs. If someone does not have grain supplies or fodder above his domestic needs, in surplus: do not take from such people grain supplies and fodder at the statutory price.
  • Without the knowledge of a general and without the presence of bailiffs, military personnel shall not go to anyone for grain supplies and fodder. No one shall take by force grain supplies and fodder at the statutory price from anyone.
  • They shall not destroy the houses where they are billeted. They shall not set fire to, or lay waste, fences surrounding yards and gardens. They shall not deliberately trample any grain in the field.

    22. If any servicemen, being in the sovereign’s service, proceed to take grain supplies and fodder from anyone by force, or proceed to rob someone, or proceed to lay waste the houses and gardens where they are billeted, or to cause anyone any other financial losses; and if there are petitioners against them for that; and that is established conclusively: exact those financial losses two-fold from those people who caused anyone any financial losses.

    23. Servicemen are free to ride out into pomest’e and votchina forests to gather firewood and any wood needed to build a camp. The votchinniks and pomeshchiks, to whom those forests belong, shall not take declarations from them. They shall not for any reason ride into the frontier defense line forests or into any other forbidden forests. Servicemen shall cart away firewood and any wood for camp construction for themselves, but not for sale.

    24. If any military personnel, being in the sovereign’s service; or any, who are not military personnel, traveling somewhere on a trip for their own affairs, pitch a tent on a field near the grain, and their horses trample the grain and knock the seeds out; or, having harvested any grain, they bring it to their camps to feed the horses: order them to pay in cash for that trampled grain two-fold without any mercy at the price assessed for that trampled grain by impartial third persons. Moreover, after review, inflict punishment on these same people for that.

    25. If a serviceman, being in the sovereign’s service, desires to buy grain supplies or fodder from someone at the statutory price, but has his own supplies and fodder adequate to cover his needs: order him not to buy such grain supplies and fodder at the statutory price. If he takes any supplies from someone at the statutory price, and it is established about that conclusively that he has his own supplies and fodder besides that [which he had purchased at the statutory price]: exact from those people for such seized supplies the statutory price in cash two-fold. Give [the sums] back to those people from whom they illegally bought those supplies so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    26. If horses belonging to any of the servicemen in the sovereign’s service wander off from the camp, or flee somewhere from the herds; and someone finds and apprehends such horses somewhere: that person shall bring those horses for a declaration for registration to the generals in the regiments. If at that moment it happens that the generals are away somewhere from the regiments on an official mission, bring those horses for a declaration to the judges in the regiments, or to the centurions.

  • If plaintiffs, from whom those horses wandered off, file suit for those horses: return those horses to them whose horses they are. For bringing in those horses, order [a reward] collected from them and give it to that person who brought in those horses for the declaration at the rate of .10 ruble per horse.
  • Do not give a reward for anything else that is lost in the regiments and found by someone on the road or in the camps. Bring found movables for a declaration in the same way to the generals, and to the judges, and to the centurions. [No one] shall keep such found movables for himself.

    27. If someone in the sovereign’s service fails to bring in found horses for a declaration, and does not bring in found movables for a declaration, and there are petitioners against him for that; and if it is established that those horses and that gear are not his, as alleged in someone’s petition: after investigation, deprive him of those horses and movables and give [them] back to the petitioners.

    28. If someone, in service in the regiments, steals a weapon from someone: mercilessly beat that person with the knout. Concerning that which he stole: exact it from him and give it to the person from whom he stole it.

    29. If someone in service steals a horse from someone else: cut off his hand for that theft.

    30. If some military personnel, riding to the sovereign’s service, or returning to their homes from the sovereign’s service, proceed to billet in houses in hamlets and in villages, or in threshing barns, for felonious purposes and proceed to plunder, commit murder or rape, trample the grain in the threshing barns, or catch fish illegally from ponds and nurse-ponds or cause any other injury to anyone of any sort; and there are petitioners against them for that; and that felonious conduct of theirs is established conclusively at trial and investigation: punish those who committed homicide or rape with death.

  • For any other injury and for plundering, inflict on them punishment depending upon the offense. Concerning that which they plundered from someone: exact it from them two-fold and give it back to those people from whom they plundered it.
  • If there is no evidence on which to base an investigation about that case, giant a trial in that case. Use an oath, kissing the cross, [to resolve] everything in the case at trial and investigation.

    31. If someone deliberately slanders servicemen by [filing] such a case, and that is established conclusively: inflict on that person who slanders someone with such a case the same punishment as would be meted out to that person whom he slandered with such a case.

    32. If any serviceman, traveling to the sovereign’s service, or riding [home] from the sovereign’s service, approaches someone in camp out of enmity with intent to commence a fight; and an argument and a fight ensue between them in the matter; and if in the fight that person who illegally rode into someone else’s camp kills, or wounds, or robs someone: after investigation, punish that person with death also for the murder.

  • But if at that camp he only strikes someone with his hand, but does not kill him, and does not wound [his victim]; or if he verbally insults someone, or takes something by plunder, and that is established conclusively: inflict on that person a punishment depending upon the offense. Order that person whom he struck with his hand or insulted verbally to exact from him his dishonor compensation and [the value of] the plunder two-fold.

     

    CHAPTER 8. - The Redemption of Military Captives. In It Are 7 Articles.

    1. To ransom military captives, annually collect money at the rate of .04 ruble per household from the towns of the entire Muscovite state: from the households of townsmen, and post drivers, and various residents who are living in towns in urban taxpaying districts; and from rural areas, and from peasants and landless peasants residing on estates belonging to the patriarch, and metropolitans and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries. [Tax] peasants living in the sovereign’s court villages, and in rural taxpaying districts, and on pomest’ia, and on votchinas at the rate of .02 ruble per household. [Tax] servicemen, musketeers, and cossacks, and artillerymen, and gunners, and gatekeepers, and carpenters and smiths working for the state treasury, and various servicemen at the rate of .01 ruble per household.

  • Collect those monies annually in the Foreign Affairs Prikaz on the basis of the new census books, and not according to the cadastral census [books], so that no one will be omitted from that cash levy because such ransoming is a common act of mercy [for all]. The pious tsar and all Orthodox Christians will receive great recompense from God, as the righteous Enoch said: "Do not spare your gold and silver for your brother, but ransom him, and you will receive a hundred-fold from God."
  • And God told the Prophets: "Do not spare your silver for the sake of a man." Christ ordered that one should lay down not only silver, but his own life for his brethren. He said: "No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his brethren." And thus for the sake of Christ’s words it is not only proper that the pious tsar and all Orthodox Christians ransom military captives, but that they also lay down their lives for them, so that on that day they become worthy of a hundred-fold recompense.

    2. Pay to ransom military captives who are dvoriane and deti boiarskie captured in combat [and later] brought in for ransoming by Turkish and Crimean ambassadors and Greeks an amount determined by their pomest’e compensation entitlements, 20 rubles per 133 acres of land.

    3. Concerning those who are seized into captivity not in combat and not on an official embassy: pay to ransom those people 5 rubles per 133 acres.

    4. [Pay] 40 rubles apiece for Moscow musketeers.

    5. [Pay] 25 rubles apiece for musketeers and cossacks of the frontier towns.

    6. [Pay] 20 rubles apiece for townsmen.

    7. [Pay] 15 rubles apiece for farming peasants and for slaves.

     

     

    CHAPTER 9. -Tolls, Ferry Fees, and Bridge Fees. In It Are 20 Articles.

    1. Concerning the toll houses and ferries in the sovereign’s court villages and the rural taxpaying districts; and on the patriarch’s, and metropolitans’, and archbishops’, and bishops’, and monasteries’ estates; and on the pomest’ia and votchinas of boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and palace intimates, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and foreigners, and people of various ranks; in the hamlets and villages: at those ferries and toll houses do not collect anywhere tolls, and ferry fees, and bridge fees from [provincial] dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and from foreigners, and from various servicemen, and from their slaves and supplies, and from messengers sent on the sovereign’s affairs.

  • The sovereign has ordered that a categorically strict interdiction be issued on this subject in Moscow province and in the provincial towns, and that his royal official charters be sent out so that no one anywhere will collect tolls, and ferry fees, and bridge fees from servicemen, from dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and foreigners, and from any [other] servicemen, and from their slaves and supplies, and from messengers.

    2. If toll collectors at toll houses, and ferry fee collectors at ferries, and bridge fee collectors at toll bridges proceed to collect tolls and ferry fees and bridge fees from servicemen, and from their slaves and from supplies, and from messengers, in spite of this royal decree and boyar decision: those people shall petition the sovereign against those toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors.

  • Interrogate them under the oath of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich about how much someone collected of toll, and ferry fee, and bridge fee from them; which [explicitly] named toll collectors, ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors exacted from them a toll, and a ferry toll, and a bridge fee, and how much they collected.
  • Concerning what a petitioner, a dvorianin, or syn boiarskii, or foreigner testifies under the sovereign’s oath himself (but not [through] his slaves and peasants): on the basis of those testimonies of theirs, exact from those toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors the [illegally collected] toll, and ferry fee, and bridge fee three-fold and give it to those from whom it was [illegally] collected. Inflict punishment on those toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors, beat them with the knout.

    3. If servicemen’s slaves and peasants transport their supplies in the absence [of their lords] that are not for sale; and the toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors exact tolls, and ferry fees, and bridge fees from these slaves and peasants of theirs, and those slaves and peasants of theirs testify under the sovereign’s oath about this: on the basis of those slave and peasant testimonies similarly exact the [illegally collected] tolls, and ferry fees, and bridge fees from the toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors three-fold and give it back to those people from whom it was [illegally] collected.

  • If someone in his petition adds [the accusation] that on the ferry or at the toll house they cursed, and assaulted, and robbed him: adjudicate the matter at trial, and in those cases compile a decree after trial and investigation.

    4. If various people of Moscow ranks, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and foreigners proceed to convoy with them merchants of various ranks with their merchandise through the toll houses, and on ferries, and across toll bridges, and that is established: beat those people with the knout. Collect from them the tolls, and bridge fees, and ferry fees [that should have been paid] three-fold, and give them to the toll collectors, and ferry fee collectors, and bridge fee collectors.

    5. Concerning merchants of various ranks who at ferries and toll houses fraudulently identify themselves with the names of servicemen, and that is established: inflict punishment on those people for that, beat them with the knout and collect a fine for the sovereign of 5 rubles per person. Collect the fine from such people in Moscow and in the provincial towns, where the complaints against them about that [are made].

    6. No one’s slaves and peasants, but only townsmen and peasants of court villages shall serve as chiefs and sworn assistants in customs houses, and in taverns, and in toll houses, and on ferries, and on toll bridges, which customs houses, and taverns, and toll houses, and ferries, and toll bridges are in the provincial towns, and in the provinces, in the sovereign’s court villages and in rural taxpaying districts in the provinces.

    7. In the winter time, no one shall chop away the ice on the rivers from off the shores and around toll bridges in order to collect the bridge tolls [by forcing people to use the bridges rather than crossing the rivers on the ice] in towns, and in the sovereign’s court villages, and in the rural taxpaying districts; and on estates belonging to the patriarch, and the metropolitans, and the archbishops, and the bishops, and the monasteries; and on votchinas and pomest’ia belonging to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and palace officials. Do not cause financial losses to those servicemen, merchants, and people of various ranks. If someone for his own benefit chops away the ice around a bridge, and that is established: inflict punishment on those people, beat [them] with the knout, and collect a fine as decreed by the sovereign.

    8. Do not collect a camping fee from servicemen on the roads, in the villages, and in the hamlets. Issue a firm decree on that matter in Moscow. Order the criers to cry it out for many days. Send the sovereign’s charters [about it] into the provincial towns. Similarly order a firm decree issued about that in the towns so that no one anywhere will ever collect a camping fee from servicemen.

    9. Concerning [places] in villages, and in hamlets, and along the roads at bridges, and at dams, and at rivers, and at ferries, and at markets where from antiquity there was no toll house: no one shall conjure up end establish new toll houses in those places by any means, except in those places in which there have been toll houses and ferries from antiquity, and for which toll houses, and ferries, and toll bridges grant charters were given to someone.

    10. If someone sets up a new toll house, or ferry, or toll bridge for his own gain on his own initiative, without a[n authorizing] decree, confiscate all of that from him for the sovereign.

    11. Concerning the toll bridges and ferries belonging to someone on a votchina or on a pomest’e on the basis of grant charters from antiquity: those people on their own votchinas shall keep the corduroy roads, and bridges, and dams along the roads in repair on their own account. These corduroy roads and bridges on their properties shall be kept in solid condition so that various travelers will experience no wasted time, and delay, and financial losses on those bridges and corduroy roads for any reason.

    12. If someone, a pomeshchik or votchinnik, on his pomest’ia and votchinas proceeds to collect tolls and ferry fees and bridge fees, but does not order the bridges, and corduroy roads, and dams kept in repair; and if traveling servicemen and various [other] people proceed to suffer any financial losses in those places where the bridges, and dams, and corduroy roads are in bad repair; and horses, or supplies, or service and [various] other movables belonging to servicemen, and merchants’ wares, or anything else belonging to anyone sinks to the bottom or gets stuck: all those travelers shall collect all those financial losses after trial and investigation from those pomeshchiks and votchinniks who possess those decrepit bridges, and dams, and corduroy roads.

  • Order those votchinniks and pomeshchiks in those places to construct new bridges, and corduroy roads, and dams so that henceforth on those bridges and corduroy roads of theirs travelers will experience no wasted time and financial losses for any reason.

    13. If, where the bridges and ferries belong to the sovereign and there are trusted chiefs and sworn assistants, or revenue farmers, and travelers proceed to experience financial losses and wasted time because their bridges, and flat-bottomed ferries, and rafts are decrepit: travelers shall collect those financial losses from the trusted chiefs and sworn assistants or from the revenue farmers after trial and investigation. Firmly order the trusted chiefs, and sworn assistants, and revenue farmers that they must see to it personally that their bridges, and the flat-bottomed boats, and other boats, and rafts at the ferries are in good condition so that travelers will experience no wasted time and financial losses on those bridges and ferries of theirs for any reason.

    14. If pomeshchiks of votchinniks flood old roads with ponds, or plow up the roads along with their own land for their own benefit: those pomeshchiks and votchinniks, in the place of those old roads, shall construct on their own land, close to the old roads, new roads similar to the old roads so that various travelers with heavy wagon loads will be able to pass easily and not far out if the way on those new roads.

    15. If pomeshchiks and votchinniks build the new roads worse than the old ones [were], or if the travel distance is significantly farther than it was on the old road: order those votchinniks and pomeshchiks to restore the old roads.

    16. If on anyone’s pomest’e or votchina the passage over the road is difficult, there are no corduroy roads over the mud and no bridges over muddy rivers, and from antiquity there were none; and that pomeshchik or votchinnik proceeds to petition that he be ordered to build bridges over those muddy places for the transit of various people: for his expenditures he shall collect from the travelers a bridge fee equal to [fees on] other bridges. Issue a decree on those new bridges after a visual inspection [of the locale] and an investigation [of the situation].

    17. [Where] boats are navigating rivers, do not build new ponds, and dams, and mills on those rivers so that boat navigation will not be interrupted along those rivers by new ponds and dams.

    18. If someone constructs a dam on such a river: he shall build gates in that dam for boat passage so that it will be possible for boats to sail through those gates. Moreover, on certain rivers fish nets have been strung across the rivers from of old, not recently, and occasionally there is boat traffic on that river: make a gate also through those fish nets for boat traffic. Order that those nets not be tightly constructed across such rivers so that boat traffic will not be interrupted. There shall be no toll houses set up at those new nets or on ponds or dams.

    19. Concerning people of various ranks who, without petitioning the sovereign, of their own free will set up tolls, and ferry fees, and bridge fees along the roads of votchina and pomest’e waterways, and of their own free will they will collect newly established ferry fees and [road] tolls in places where heretofore there were none; and others build new mills, and thereby raise the water, and heretofore in such places there were roads and fords; and with those mill ponds they have obliterated the roads and fords, and are collecting a ferry fee, or a bridge fee, or a toll from people of various ranks: henceforth those ferries, and bridges, and toll houses shall not exist, and those mills, and bridges, and ferries shall be removed.

    20. If someone of those people who have newly set up mills proceeds to petition the sovereign that their mills not be torn down: in response to their petition, those mills shall be allowed to stand. But, order them to build good bridges and ferries in those places where the old roads were for the passage of various people. People of various ranks shall ride over those bridges and on the ferries of theirs, regardless of whose they are, without [payment of] a bridge fee and a ferry fee because they built mills along the roads and set up a ferry landing where previously there had been none, on their own free will for their own profit without petitioning the sovereign.

  • If in the future they proceed to collect a bridge fee, and a ferry fee, or a toll: or in the future there is no bridge or ferry on their property; and there are petitioners against them for that, and that is established conclusively: tear down those mills and mill dams of theirs so that henceforth the road will not be blocked by those mills and mill dams of theirs, and so that servicemen and various people, whoever they may be, will suffer no hindrance and financial losses in [their] travel.

     

     

     

    CHAPTER 10. - The Judicial Process. In It Are 287 Articles.

    1. The judicial process of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich shall be directed by boyars, and courtiers and counselors, and state secretaries, and various chancellery officials, and judges. All justice shall be meted out to all people of the Muscovite state, from the highest to the lowest rank, according to the law. Moreover, arriving foreigners and various people from elsewhere who are in the Muscovite state shall be tried by that same judicial process and rendered justice by the sovereign’s decree according to the law. No one on his own initiative shall out of friendship or out of enmity add anything to or remove anything from judicial records. No one shall favor a friend nor wreak vengeance on an enemy in any matter. No one shall favor anyone in any matter for any reason. All of the sovereign’s cases shall be processed without diffidence to the powerful. Deliver the wronged from the hand of the unjust.

    2. Disputed cases which for any reason cannot be resolved in the chancelleries shall be transferred from the chancelleries in a report to the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich and to his royal boyars, and courtiers and counselors. The boyars, and courtiers and counselors shall sit in the Palace [of Facets], and by the sovereign’s decree shall handle the sovereign’s various cases all together.

    3. If a judge is an enemy of the plaintiff and a friend, or relative, of the defendant, and the plaintiff proceeds to petition the sovereign about that prior to the trial, [saying] that he is unable to bring a suit before that judge; or if a defendant proceeds to petition prior to a trial that the judge is a friend, or relative, of his plaintiff, and that he is unable to defend himself before that judge: that judge against whom there is such a petition shall not try that plaintiff and defendant. Another judge, whom the sovereign will appoint, shall try them.

    4. But if a plaintiff or defendant proceeds to petition against a judge after a trial on grounds that the latter is a relative [of the opposing litigant], or was hostile: do not believe that petition, and do not transfer the case from chancellery to chancellery so that there will be no excessive delay for the plaintiff and defendant in this matter.

    5. If a boyar, or courtier, or counselor, or state secretary, or any other judge, in response to bribes of the plaintiff or defendant, or out of friendship or enmity convicts an innocent party and exculpates the guilty party, and that is established conclusively: collect from such judges the plaintiff’s claim three-fold, and give it to the plaintiff. Collect the legal fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth for the sovereign from them as well. For that offense a boyar, and courtier, and counselor shall be deprived of his rank. If a judge not of counselor rank commits such an injustice: inflict on those people a beating with the knout in the market place, and henceforth they shall not try judicial cases [i.e., they shall be deprived of their offices].

    6. In the provincial towns, apply that same decree to governors and state secretaries, and various chancellery officials for such injustices.

    7. If someone petitions against a judge that he pronounced a verdict against him unjustly, in response to bribes; and that his brother, of son, of kinsman, or slave took the bribe for the judge in that unjustly resolved case: transfer that case before the boyars, and compile the decree in that matter depending on the case. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation between the petitioner and that person whom he accused of taking bribes.

  • Interrogate them and conduct a rigorous investigation about the bribe by all methods of inquiry: did that person against whom the petition about bribe-taking was filed actually take the bribe? If he did take it, did he take it at the command of the judge? If it is established conclusively that he took the bribe at the order of the judge, and the judicial case was resolved unjustly, in response to the bribe: compile a decree for the judge for that as is written above about that.

    8. But if it is established that the bribe was taken without the knowledge of the judge: inflict punishment on that person who took the bribe for the judge (but the judge did not know it), beat him with the knout mercilessly. Take from him what he took for the sovereign’s treasury three-fold. Imprison him until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    9. If a petitioner deliberately files such a case falsely against a judge, and he lost the case on its merits, and not because of bribes: similarly beat that petitioner himself with the knout mercilessly for his false petition. That person whom he slandered shall exact from him a dishonor compensation three-fold. Imprison him [the slanderer] until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    10. If a boyar, or courtier, or counselor, or state secretary, or any other judge commits an error [out of ignorance] and pronounces a verdict against someone contrary to justice, but without evil intent; and it is established about that conclusively that he acted without evil intent: he [shall suffer] for that whatever [sanction] the sovereign decrees, and all the boyars shall resolve the case. If for some reason all the boyars are unable to resolve that case, grant a [re]trial in that case from the very beginning

    11. Scribes shall record judicial proceedings in the chancelleries. There shall be no crossing out, or insertions between the lines, or erasing in these transcripts. When the trial is over, the plaintiff and the defendant shall affix their signatures to those transcripts. Those who are illiterate shall have people they trust affix their signatures in their stead.

  • When a scribe has written a final record of the proceedings in the case from that transcript, the state secretary, having compared that record with the prior transcript, shall affix his signature. The scribe shall retain in his possession the prior transcript with the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s signatures in case of dispute in the future.
  • When the judicial case has been resolved: glue that transcript with the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s signatures [on the scroll] under the court record copy [for reference] in case of dispute in the future.

    12. If a state secretary, favoring someone because of bribes or friendship, or wreaking vengeance on someone because of enmity, orders the scribe to write out the court record not as it was at trial and as written down in the prior transcript signed by the plaintiff and the defendant, and by that state secretary’s instruction the scribe writes down the court record not according to the actual case, and that is established conclusively: inflict punishment on the state secretary for that, beat him in the market place with the knout, and he shall no longer serve as a state secretary.

  • Punish the scribe, cut off his hand.
  • Order the case written down as the plaintiff and the defendant testified at trial. Resolve that case according to the trial as is necessary.

    13. If someone proceeds to petition against a scribe, that he favored either the plaintiff or defendant in [writing down] the official court record, or showed the court record to a plaintiff or a defendant, take away the official record in dispute from the scribe and give it to another scribe. If henceforth, thanks to favoritism by the state secretary, that disputed official record turns up in the hands of that same scribe from whom that record was taken away: or, thanks to favoritism by the same state secretary, at the design of a plaintiff or a defendant a scribe removes it from the chancellery with any evil intent whatsoever, and he is found with that record out of town, or at a private house, and it is established about that conclusively that that record was taken out of the chancellery by order of the state secretary: in that case exact the plaintiff’s claim and the sovereign’s fees from the state secretary because of the state secretary’s favoritism.

  • In addition to that, inflict punishment on the state secretary and scribe, beat them with the knout, discharge them from their post[s], and henceforth they shall have no [government employment] in any legal matter.

    14. If any petitioner proceeds to petition against anyone without [stating] a case; and the boyars, and courtiers, and state secretaries, and other judges [summarily] dismiss his [petition]; and if he proceeds to petition the sovereign mendaciously about the same [alleged] case against a boyar, or courtier, or state secretary, or scribe, and it is established about that conclusively that he lied: for dishonoring the boyars, and courtiers, and state secretaries, and governor, and judge, and for the false petition, beat that petitioner with the knout. For dishonoring a scribe, beat that petitioner with bastinadoes.

    15. If a judge does not proceed to resolve judicial cases because of his own self-interest, and there are petitioners against him [accusing him of] that; and it is established about that conclusively that he is not resolving judicial cases because of his own self-interest, and that he is causing the petitioner delay and financial losses in the case: [inflict on] that judge for his offense the punishment that the sovereign decrees. Order him to resolve judicial cases without any delay so that plaintiffs and defendants personally will experience no delays and financial losses in judicial cases.

    16. Also, if a state secretary or a scribe does not proceed to process cases promptly because of a bribe; and petitioners have to devote much time to those cases; and there are petitioners against the state secretary or against the scribe for that; and it is established about that conclusively that a state secretary or scribe created lengthy delay for a bribe, and it would have been possible for him to process that case more promptly: for that the petitioner after investigation shall exact from the state secretary or from the scribe maintenance expenses from the date when the case commenced through the date when the petitioner proceeds to petition about the matter at the rate of .20 ruble per day. Moreover, inflict punishment on them for that, beat state sectaries with bastinadoes, and scribes with the knout.

    17. If petitioners themselves do not proceed to pursue [their] cases, and proceed to petition falsely against state secretaries and scribes [with an accusation] of contrived procedural delay; and it is established about that conclusively that they petitioned falsely about that: do not fault the state secretaries and scribes for that, but inflict on such petitioners for their false petition the same punishment as is decreed for state secretaries and scribes.

    18. If someone proceeds to bring suit on some matter against someone in which he deliberately slanders the accused; and at trial it is established about that conclusively that he filed a slanderous suit, deliberately desiring to ruin someone: defendants shall exact [their] maintenance expenses from such plaintiffs for their calumnious damage at the rate of .10 ruble per day from that date when the judicial case begins through that date when the judicial case is resolved so that they and others like them henceforth will learn not to cause anyone financial losses deliberately with such slanderous suits of theirs.

    19. Moreover, if a plaintiff proceeds to bring suit against someone for a sum exceeding the amount due, and at trial and investigation it becomes clear that he should collect less from the defendant than he sued for: order him to collect from his defendant the amount which that defendant of his owes him. Reject his claims for the excess that he wrote down in his plea above the amount of that legitimate suit of his. Exact from him three-fold the sovereign’s fees on the excess amount of the suit [to teach the lesson]: sue for the correct sum, and do not add any excess.

    20. Concerning people who have reason to petition the sovereign about their own judicial cases and about any other cases: such people shall submit their petitions about those cases of theirs in the chancelleries to the boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and various chancellery officials in whose chancellery jurisdiction they are. If they will not grant him a trial in the chancellery or will not compile a decree for him in response to his petition: he shall petition about that and submit the petitions to the sovereign. In his petitions he shall describe the case about which he petitioned earlier in the chancellery, but in which no decree was compiled for him in the chancellery.

  • Without [first] petitioning in a chancellery, no one shall submit petitions to the sovereign about any cases. If someone proceeds to petition about some case, and submits petitions to the sovereign, without having [first] petitioned in a chancellery: punish such petitioners for that, beat [them] with bastinadoes. If [the petitioner] is too high-ranking [to be bastinadoed], imprison that person for a week so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    21. Concerning people who, after [the conclusion of a] trial, proceed to bring signed and unsigned petitions to add to the court records; and in those petitions they write down additional matters to supplement the judicial case which [they allege] would prove them correct [in the suit], but they did not produce such matters at trial: do not receive from them such signed and unsigned petitions [for addition] to the court records. Resolve such cases on the basis of what was recorded at the trial [itself].

    22. After [the conclusion of a] trial, judges on their own initiative, out of friendship or enmity for someone, shall not add to the court record anything beyond what the plaintiff and defendant said at trial, nor shall they remove anything. They shall not receive from a plaintiff or a defendant any written legal evidence or notes after trial, other than that which was submitted at trial, and those legal documents which were revealed at trial in written and oral evidence. Concerning those documents [whose existence] the plaintiff or defendant reveals in written or oral evidence, but which are not presented at trial at that time: interrogate them about those documents at the trial itself, where they have such documents. If they testify that they have such documents in Moscow, order them to present such documents promptly. But if they testify that they have such documents in the provincial towns: grant them a time limit based on the distance [from Moscow to the provincial towns], according to the sovereign’s decree, [to retrieve] such documents.

  • Order the scribe, having written down the court record according to the testimony of the plaintiff and defendant, to place it promptly on the table for a decision. He shall not put away for a long time any court records.
  • Concerning those cases which can be resolved on the basis of nearby evidence, and documents, and oaths agreed upon by both litigants: resolve such cases without any delay.
  • Concerning those cases which have to be sent to the provincial towns for [further] investigation: send the sovereign’s charters accordingly to the governors and chancellery officials in such matters promptly without any delay. Order an investigation conducted in the provincial towns. Also, promptly send the [results of] the investigations from the provincial towns. When the investigations arrive from the provincial towns, order a copy made in the official transcript from such investigations to aid in the resolution of the judicial case. Issue the resolution of a judicial case promptly after investigations accordingly so that no one in judicial cases [will experience] excessive delay or financial losses.

    23. If in a chancellery by the sovereign’s decree there is a boyar, or courtier, or counselor with associates, three or four men: and at some time one or two of them do not come to the chancellery because they are ill, or are occupied by any other pressing personal domestic concern, or some one of them is on a mission away from Moscow; and at that time plaintiffs proceed to petition against defendants for a trial: at that time their associates who are in Moscow in the chancelleries shall try the plaintiffs and defendants.

  • All the judges together shall resolve that case after trial and investigation. If one of them for reason of illness or any other pressing concern is not in the chancellery at the resolution of that judicial case: those associates who are present in the chancellery shall resolve that case and they shall sign their own names to the verdict. If someone is not present at the resolution of that case, he shall not sign the verdict. Write down explicitly in the verdict the reason why he was not present at the resolution of that case.

    24. If a judge does not proceed to go to [work in] a chancellery because of his own stubbornness, desiring not to be in that chancellery except on family business, and not because of illness or any other kind of pressing concern, and he is absent from the chancellery for many, days: inflict on that judge for his offense a punishment that the sovereign decrees. Order him to attend to the sovereign’s business and to resolve all judicial cases without delay so that no people, on account of a judge or other chancellery official, will experience excessive delay and maintenance expenses in any chancellery.

    25. On Sunday no one shall hold trials and work in the chancelleries. No business shall be conducted except the most essential affairs of the sovereign.

  • Moreover, do not hold a trial or conduct any business in the chancelleries except the vital affairs of the tsar on Christmas, on the day of the Epiphany and other holidays of the Lord: [during] Butter Week, the first week of the Great Fast, Passion Week, [and] the seven days after Easter. Furthermore, [no work shall be done in the chancelleries] on the birthdays of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of All Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, and his good lady Tsarina and Grand Princess Maria Il’inichna, and their noble children [blagorodnykh chad; this the single appearance of “noble” in Ulj].

    26. Before Sundays, on all Saturdays Orthodox Christians shall cease all work and commerce and shall close up the shop rows three hours before sundown. On Sunday do not open the shop rows, and do not trade in anything except food commodities and horse fodder. Food commodities and horse fodder, oats and hay, shall be sold unhindered on any day and at any hour. No one shall do any work on Sunday, and on the Lord’s holidays it shall be the same as on Sundays.

  • Concerning those days when there is a religious procession: on such days do not trade in anything in the shop rows, do not open the shop rows until that time when [those bearing] the crosses from the march have gone into the cathedral church, and then trade [shall proceed].
  • If someone injures the honor of someone in some way, compile a decree for the dishonor [as follows]:

    27. If a boyar, or courtier, or counselor verbally dishonors the patriarch: for the patriarch’s dishonor, a boyar, and courtier, and counselor, after investigation, shall be sent as a slave to the patriarch.

    28. If a boyar, or courtier, or counselor verbally dishonors a metropolitan, or archbishop, or bishop: for dishonoring a metropolitan, and archbishop, and bishop, a boyar, and courtier, and counselor shall pay a metropolitan 400 rubles, an archbishop 300 rubles, a bishop 200 rubles for the dishonor. If someone has no means to pay: for dishonoring a high church official, send him as a slave to the high church official if [the case is] established conclusively.

    29. If a boyar, or courtier, or counselor dishonors an archimandrite, or hegumen, or person of any other monkly rank: for the dishonor, after trial and investigation, they shall pay the dishonor compensation according to the sovereign’s decree.

    30. If the patriarch, or a metropolitan, or archbishop, or bishop, or archimandrite, or hegumen, or cellarer, or treasurer, or person of any other monkly rank is verbally dishonored by a stol’nik, or striapchii, or Moscow dvorianin, or merchant of the first merchant corporation, or state secretary, or zhilets, or dvorianin, or provincial syn boiarskii, or foreigner, or palace court official, and that is established conclusively at trial and investigation: compile for them a decree for such a dishonor [as follows]—[for dishonoring] the patriarch, beat [the guilty party] with bastinadoes; [for dishonoring] a metropolitan, imprison [the guilty party]; [for dishonoring] an archbishop and bishop, also imprison [the guilty party].

    31. If the patriarch, or a metropolitan, or archbishop, or bishop, or archimandrite, or hegumen, or cellarer, or treasurer, or person of any other monkly rank is verbally dishonored by a member of the second and third merchant corporation, or a taxpayer of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements, or a musketeer, or cossack, or gunner, or anyone else, of whatever rank, and that is established conclusively at trial or investigation, compile a decree against them for that [as follows] - for [dishonoring] the patriarch, subject [the guilty party] to a beating [with the knout] in the market places, and imprison [him] for a month; for [dishonoring] a metropolitan, beat [the guilty party] with bastinadoes and imprison [him] for four days; for [dishonoring] an archbishop or bishop, beat [the guilty party] with bastinadoes and imprison [him] for three days.

  • The archimandrites, and hegumens, and archdeacon, and the cellarers and treasurers, and cathedral elders, and ordinary brothers of the Trinity Sergei [Monastery] and all [other] monasteries shall collect for dishonor:

    32. The archimandrite of the Life-Giving Trinity Sergei Monastery, 100 rubles; the cellarer of the same monastery, 80 rubles; the treasurer, 70 rubles; the cathedral elders, 40 rubles apiece.

    33. The archimandrite of the Nativity Monastery of Vladimir, 90 rubles; the cellarer, 70 rubles; the treasurer, 60 rubles; the cathedral elders, 20 rubles apiece.

    34. The archimandrite of the Miracles Monastery, 80 rubles; the cellarer, 60 rubles; the treasurer, 50 rubles; the cathedral elders, 20 rubles apiece.

    35. The archimandrite of the Savior Monastery at Novoe, 70 rubles; the cellarer, 50 rubles; the treasurer, 40 rubles; the cathedral elders, 20 rubles apiece.

    36. The archimandrite of the St. George Monastery of Great Novgorod, 70 rubles; the cellarer, 50 rubles; the treasurer, 40 rubles; the cathedral elders, 20 rubles apiece.

    37. The archimandrite of the St. Simon Monastery, 60 rubles; the cellarer, 50 rubles; the treasurer, 40 rubles; the cathedral elders, 20 rubles apiece.

    38. The archimandrite, of the Mother of God Monastery of Sviiazhsk, 60 rubles; the cellarer, 40 rubles; the treasurer, 35 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    39. The archimandrite of the Andronik Monastery, 60 rubles; the cellarer, 40 rubles; the treasurer, 35 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    40. The archimandrite of the Transfiguration Monastery of Kazan’, 60 rubles; the cellarer, 40 rubles; the treasurer, 30 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    41. The archimandrite of the Hypatian Monastery of Kostroma, 60 rubles; the cellarer, 40 rubles; the treasurer, 30 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    42. The archimandrite of the Caves Monastery of Nizhnii Novgorod, 50 rubles; the cellarer, 30 rubles; the treasurer, 25 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    43. The archimandrite of the Futyn’ Monastery of Novgorod, 50 rubles; the cellarer, 30 rubles; the treasurer, 25 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    44. The hegumen of the Cyril Monastery of Beloozero, 50 rubles; the cellarer, and treasurer, and cathedral elders of the same monastery, 30 rubles apiece.

    45. The archimandrite of the Goritskii Monastery of Pereslavl’, 50 rubles; the cellarer, 30 rubles; the treasurer, 20 rubles; the cathedral elders, 15 rubles apiece.

    46. The archimandrite of the Luzhetskii Monastery of Mozhaisk, 45 rubles; the cellarer, 25 rubles; the treasurer, 15 rubles; the cathedral elders, 10 rubles apiece.

    47. The archimandrite of the Epiphany Monastery of Rostov, 40 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 15 rubles; the cathedral elders, 10 rubles apiece.

    48. The hegumen of the Epiphany Monastery of Kostroma, 40 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 15 rubles; the cathedral elders, 10 rubles apiece.

    49. The hegumen of the Epiphany Monastery of the Old Clothing Shop District, 40 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 15 rubles; the cathedral elders, 10 rubles apiece.

    50. The hegumen of the Sign [of the Cross] Monastery at Varvarskii Krestets, 35 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles; the cathedral elders, 5 rubles apiece.

    51. The archimandrite of the Savior Monastery of Iaroslavl’, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    52. The hegumen of the Pafnutii Monastery of Borovsk, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles, the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    53. The hegumen of the Joseph Monastery of Volokolamsk, 50 rubles; the cellarer, 30 rubles; the treasurer, 20 rubles.

    54. The archimandrite of the Savior Monastery of Suzdal’, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    55. The hegumen of the [St.] Anthony Monastery of Great Novgorod, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles

    56. The archimandrite of the Caves Monastery of Pskov, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    57. The hegumen of the Solovetskii Monastery, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    58. The hegumen of the Zheltovodskii Monastery of Un’zha, 30 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    59. The archimandrite of the Savior Monastery or Riazan’, 25 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    60. The hegumen of the Tikhvin Monastery of Great Novgorod, 25 rubles; the cellarer, 20 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    61. The archimandrite of the Kamenskii Monastery of Vologda, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    62. The archimandrite of the Infant Monastery of Tver’, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    63. The archimandrite of the Vozmitskii Monastery of Volokolamsk, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    64. The archimandrite of the [St.] Daniil Monastery of Pereslavl’-Zalesskii, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    65. The hegumen of the [St.] Ferapont Monastery of Beloozero, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    66. The hegumen from the Boris and Gleb Monastery of Rostov at the river mouth, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    67. The archimandrite or the Solochinskii Monastery of Riazan’, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    68. The hegumen of the Prilutskii Monastery of Vologda, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    69. The archimandrite of the Trinity Monastery of Astrakhan’, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    70. The hegumen of the Viazhitskii Monastery of Great Novgorod, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    71. The hegumen of the Holy Spirit Monastery, also of Great Novgorod, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    72. The hegumen of the Storozhevskii Monastery of Zvenigorod, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    73. The hegumen of the [St.] Paul Monastery of Vologda, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    74. The hegumen of the Glushitskii Monastery, also of Vologda, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles, the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    75. The hegumen of the Koliazinskii Monastery of Kashin, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    76. The hegumen of the [St.] Cornelius Monastery of Vologda, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    77. The hegumen of the Nikita Monastery of Pereslavl’-Zalesskii, 20 rubles; the cellarer, 15 rubles; the treasurer, 10 rubles.

    78. The hegumen of the Kolotskii Monastery of Mozhaisk, 15 rubles, the cellarer, 10 rubles; the treasurer, 8 rubles.

    79. The hegumen of the Ugreshskii Monastery, 15 rubles; the cellarer, 10 rubles; the treasurer, 7 rubles.

    80. The hegumen of the Holy Cross Monastery in the Arbat [district of Moscow], 15 rubles; the cellarer, 10 rubles; the treasurer, 7 rubles.

    81. Concerning those monasteries which are not inscribed in the official ladder [of monasteries], after trial prescribe [the following compensation] for dishonor to them: archimandrites, 10 rubles apiece; hegumens, 8 rubles apiece; cellarers and treasurers, 6 rubles apiece.

    82. The dishonor compensation for ordinary elders of all monasteries is 5 rubles apiece.

    83. If a metropolitan, or archbishop, or bishop, or archimandrite, or hegumen, or cellarer, or treasurer, or ordinary elders verbally dishonor boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, or stol’niki, or striapchie, or Moscow dvoriane, or merchants of the first merchant corporation, or state secretaries, or zhil’tsy, or dvoriane, or provincial deti boiarskie, or [anyone else] of other ranks, and that is established conclusively: after investigation, they shall pay those people whom they dishonored [sums] for the dishonor equal to their cash salary compensation entitlements assigned by the sovereign. They shall compensate the merchants of the first merchant corporation and people of other ranks according to the legislative articles written below.

    84. If an archimandrite, or hegumen, or cellarer, or treasurer, or ordinary elder has no means to pay for having dishonored someone: such people [the plaintiffs] shall exact the dishonor compensation from them mercilessly until that time when they have made an arrangement with the plaintiffs, or when they have become the slaves of their plaintiffs in that case.

    85. If someone dishonors an archpriest, or archdeacon, or priest, or deacon of cathedral and treasury-supported churches, and that is established conclusively after trial or investigation; the archpriests, and archdeacons, and priests, and deacons shall exact from them for the dishonor compensations: the archpriest of the Great Cathedral of the Most Pure Mother of God, 50 rubles; the archdeacon, 40 rubles; the keepers of the keys 30 rubles apiece, priests 25 rubles apiece, and deacons 15 rubles apiece; the archpriest of the Annunciation Cathedral, the sovereign’s confessor, 100 rubles; the Annunciation keepers of the keys, and priests, and deacons, [an amount] equal to [their] salary from the sovereign, [their] treasury cash stipends. The archpriests, and archdeacons, and priests of other cathedral churches shall exact for the dishonor sums equal to their compensation entitlements, their cash salary stipends from the sovereign.

    86. Concerning priests and deacons of parish churches who have no annual cash salary paid by the treasury: for the dishonor compensation they shall exact [from those who dishonor them] one-half [the rate prescribed] for priests and deacons of the Moscow great Most Pure Cathedral.

    87. Provincial archpriests and archdeacons, and priests, and deacons of cathedral churches shall collect for the dishonor compensation the amount of their cash compensation entitlements.

    88. [The dishonor compensation for] priests and deacons of parish churches which have no treasury subsidy is one-half that for provincial town cathedral priests and deacons.

    89. [The dishonor compensation for] provincial priests and priests without posts is 5 rubles apiece.

    90. If a dispute arises among boyars, and courtiers, and counselors; and one of them dishonors another with an insulting word: after trial or investigation exact from those [people] the dishonor compensation specified in the sovereign’s decree.

    91. If a stol’nik, or striapchii, or Moscow dvorianin, merchant of the first merchant corporation, or state secretary, or zhilets, or dvorianin, or provincial syn boiarskii, or foreigner, or palace court official dishonors a boyar, or courtier, or counselor: the boyars, and courtiers, and counselors shall exact the dishonor compensation from them after trial or investigation. If someone from those ranks has no means to pay the dishonor compensation to a boyar, or courtier, or counselor: beat them with the knout.

    92. If someone of the second and third merchant corporations, of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements, a taxpayer, or a musketeer, or a cossack, or an artilleryman, or a monastery servitor, or people of [any] other ranks, whoever they may be, or a master’s slave verbally dishonors boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and that is established conclusively at trial and investigation: beat them with the knout for dishonoring boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and then imprison them for two weeks.

    93. If someone, of whatever rank, dishonors stol’niki, or striapchie, or Moscow dvoriane, or state secretaries, or zhil’tsy, or [provincial] dvoriane, or provincial deti boiarskie, or foreigners, or palace court officials, or scribes, or people of any other ranks who have been certified [to receive] the sovereign’s cash salary, and that is established conclusively after trial or investigation: they shall exact their dishonor compensation from those people who dishonor them.

    94. If someone dishonors members of the distinguished Stroganov family, or a merchant of the first merchant corporation, or merchants of the second or third corporations, or [people living in] treasury settlements, or townsmen living in the taxpaying hundreds and settlements and urban areas, or post drivers, or peasants living in the court villages and taxpaying rural districts, or masters’ slaves, or peasants living on the lands of pomeshchiks and votchinniks, or wanderers, and that is established conclusively at trial or investigation, they shall exact for the dishonor: members of the distinguished Stroganov family, 100 rubles per man; a merchant of the first corporation, 50 rubles per man, a man of the second merchant corporation of the top rank, 20 rubles per man; of middling rank, 15 rubles per man; and the junior rank, 10 rubles per man; of the third merchant corporation of top rank, 15 rubles per man; of middle rank, 10 rubles per man; of junior rank, 5 rubles per man; [a person living in a] treasury settlement, 5 rubles per man; wealthy urban taxpayers of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements, 7 rubles per man; middling, 6 rubles per man; poor, 5 rubles per man; post drivers, 5 rubles per man; the sovereign’s peasants living in court villages and rural taxpaying districts, 1 ruble per man.

  • If someone proceeds to assault the sovereign’s peasants, and while assaulting them, maims them, gouges out an eye, or breaks an arm or a leg, or inflicts any other mutilation: the sovereign’s peasants shall collect 10 rubles per person for the mutilation and for the dishonor from that person. If someone bruises a sovereign’s peasant, but inflicts no mutilation: the sovereign’s peasants shall collect 2 rubles per person for the assault and for the dishonor from that person. Elite slaves shall exact 5 rubles per person, but for ordinary slaves, and peasants, and landless peasants living on monastery estates, and pomest’ia and votchinas compile a decree for dishonor and for mutilation like that for the peasants of the sovereign’s court villages. For wanderers, [the dishonor compensation will be] 1 ruble per man.

    95. If anyone dishonors secretaries, or deti boiarskie, or household officials of [any] other rank working for the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, [such people] shall exact from them [the following] dishonor compensation: patriarchal secretaries, [the amount of] their compensation entitlements; patriarchal deti boiarskie, of the first grade, 15 rubles per man; of the second grade, 10 rubles per man; of the third grade, 5 rubles per man; cooks, 2 rubles per person; bakers, also 2 rubles per person; grooms, 2 rubles per person; patriarchal singers of the first station, 7 rubles per man; of the second station, 5 rubles per man; apprentice singers of the great stations, 5 rubles per man, and of the lesser stations, 3 rubles per man.

  • [The dishonor compensation] for deti boiarskie working for metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops is: of the first grade, 10 rubles per man; of the second grade, 7 rubles per man; of the third grade, 5 rubles per man. Cantors [in the employ of metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops have a dishonor compensation] of 3 rubles per man; apprentice singers, 2 rubles per man; cooks, bakers, and grooms, 1 ruble per man.

    96. If anyone dishonors monastery servitors who are employed as scribes, [the latter) shall exact from them for dishonor: a scribe of the Trinity Sergei Monastery, 15 rubles; [scribes in the employ] of the Nativity Monastery of Vladimir, the Miracles Monastery, the Savior Monastery at Novoe, the St. George Monastery in Great Novgorod, [or] the St. Simon Monastery, 10 rubles per man; scribes of other monasteries, 5 rubles per man; ordinary servants of the first grade, 4 rubles per person; of the second grade, 3 rubles per person; and agricultural dependents working at a monastery, 1 ruble per person.

    97. [The dishonor compensation] of nuns situated in a nunnery is 5 rubles apiece; for those not situated in a nunnery, 3 rubles apiece.

    98. [The dishonor compensation] of church cantors is 3 and 2 rubles apiece; for sextons, 2 rubles apiece; for the women who bake communion bread, 3 rubles apiece.

    99. If anybody dishonors with an insulting word someone’s wife, or unmarried daughter, or minor son who is not yet in the service, or whatever rank, the wives, and unmarried daughters, and sons without rank shall exact [the following] for their dishonor compensation after trial and investigation: a wife, [a sum] equal to double the husband’s compensation entitlement; an unmarried daughter, [a sum] equal to four times the father’s compensation entitlement; an unranked son, [a sum] equal to one-half the father’s compensation entitlement.

    100. Plaintiffs shall describe precisely the amount [of damages] they are seeking in their claims in the summonses delivered by the court bailiff [to the defendant]. If a claim is written down in a summons to be delivered by a bailiff without an amount [of damages specified]: state secretaries shall not sign such summonses.

    101. If a defendant, in response to a summons, posts bond on himself, appears for trial, and having heard the plaintiff’s plea at trial, does not defend himself; and if the claim is written down in the plea with the amount [of damages specified]: direct the verdict against that defendant without trial. Order the plaintiff’s claim, having been exacted from him [the defendant], given to the plaintiff.

    102. If a defendant, having heard the plaintiff’s plea at trial, does not defend himself because the plaintiff in his plea failed to write down the amount [sought] in his suit: do not direct the verdict against that defendant without trial. Order the plaintiff to rewrite his plea, and order him to write down his claim with the amount [of damages specified] in that plea.

    103. If a plaintiff sends a summons against someone for any matter whatsoever; and while prosecuting that case at trial, without leaving the trial, he proceeds to petition against the defendant for a trial in other matters in separate pleadings: grant him a trial in those [other] cases with the defendant.

  • If the defendant proceeds to petition on the basis of the trial transcript [and complains] that the plaintiff sent the summons against him in one case, but at trial in addition is suing about other cases: reject the defendant[‘s objections] in that matter, do not place that [defendant’s petition] in the transcript.

    104. If someone, having sent a summons against someone, proceeds to pursue the same case that he initiated, but in his plea in his suit he writes down more or less than what was written in the [initial] summons, and the defendant proceeds to petition against him on the basis of the transcript: direct the verdict against such plaintiffs in their suits because of [the inconsistency revealed by comparison with] this transcript.

    105. When judges order people to appear for trial: the plaintiff and the defendant, having appeared before the judges, shall sue and defend themselves politely, and peaceably, and without making a lot of noise. They shall not utter any impolite words in the presence of the judges, and shall not quarrel between themselves.

  • If in the presence of the judges a plaintiff or a defendant begins a quarrel between themselves [the litigants], and one of them injures the honor of the other with an insulting word: for the dishonor done to the judges, imprison for a week that person who verbally dishonored someone in the presence of the judges. Concerning the person whom he verbally dishonored: order that person to exact from him his dishonor compensation according to the law.
  • If someone in the presence of the judges with impudence strikes someone with his hand, but does not wound [him]: order that person whom he struck to exact his dishonor compensation two-fold from that one. If in the presence of the judges he brandishes any kind of a weapon whatsoever, or a knife, against someone, but does not wound him: inflict a punishment on him for that, beat him with bastinadoes.
  • If he wounds someone, beat him with the knout. If the person who was wounded dies from that wound, or he at the same time kills him at the trial: punish him himself with death also for that without the slightest mercy.
  • Satisfy the registered debts of the murdered man from the movable property and votchinas of the killer. But if the wife or children of the murdered man proceed to petition about unregistered debts: reject them in that.
  • If such a killer runs away from the trial and acts contumaciously, will not allow himself to be arrested: wherever that person is arrested, punish him with death accordingly.
  • But if before the judges he inflicts injuries on someone, or kills someone in self-defense because that person whom he injured or killed in the presence of the judges had himself begun the fight earlier, and the judges testify about that: do not inflict any punishment on that person because he acted out of self-defense.

    106. If anyone, having arrived in a chancellery for trial, of for any other matter, dishonors the judge with an improper word, and that is established conclusively: for the sovereign’s sanction, beat that person either with the knout or bastinadoes, as the sovereign decrees, and order the judge to exact his dishonor compensation from him.

  • If someone strikes or wounds a judge in some way: punish him for that, cut off his hand, and order the judge to exact [his maiming fee and dishonor compensation] from him two-fold for the wounds and the dishonor.
  • If someone kills a judge in the chancellery, or anywhere else: punish that killer himself with death also, and collect the registered debts of the person who was killed from his movable property. If that killer, having wounded or killed a judge, flees somewhere, and [later he is found,] having investigated him similarly, punish him with death.

    107. If a judge proceeds to petition the sovereign falsely for redress against someone in the matter of injured honor, and it is established about that conclusively that he petitioned falsely: after investigation, compile for him for that same decree which would have been necessary for that person against whom he petitioned for redress.

    108. When plaintiffs and defendants, not having come to trial, proceed to bring in continuance petitions signed by their own hands; and if in their petitions it is written that they are resolving the suit between themselves, but if they cannot resolve the case by themselves, then they both should appear in the chancellery for trial on the date about which they agree between themselves; and if one of them does not appear on that date, that person by his failure to appear on that date forfeits the case; and having submitted such a petition, one of them appears alone on the appointed date in the chancellery, and registers his petition, but the other does not appear on that date: direct the verdict, on the basis of their mutual petition, against that one [who defaulted by failing to appear on the appointed date] - except in cases where registered documents are involved.

  • But if a plaintiff or defendant becomes incapacitated prior to that continuance date, and because of illness he is unable to come to the chancellery by any means: he shall send on the appointed date someone whom he trusts in his stead to pursue the suit or the defense. If someone fails to send someone in his stead on that mutually agreed date to pursue the suit or the defense: direct the verdict against him in that case for that reason.
  • If someone proceeds to petition about him that he is extremely ill, and that he has no one to send to the trial in his stead, that he is a man without family and without slaves: dispatch a trustworthy scribe to examine that sick person. If he proves, upon inspection, to be extremely ill, and he is unable to come to the trial, and he has no one to send in his stead: do not direct the verdict against him by default without trial because of that mutually agreed continuance date. Grant him a delay until that time when he recovers.

    109. If in response to a summons a defendant appears for the trial on the decreed date, but his plaintiff does not appear on that decreed date and a week after that date: that plaintiff shall forfeit his case, except in cases where registered documents are involved, and henceforth do not grant him a trial against that defendant in that suit of his, except in cases where the same registered documents are involved.

  • If that plaintiff on the appointed date and after the date proceeds to send in his stead for the trial his son, or kinsman, or anyone else; and he himself at that time is unable to go to trial because of illness or for any other reason: order that person whom he sends to trial in his stead to pursue the suit in his stead.
  • If that plaintiff proceeds to petition that he is ill, and that he has no one to send in his stead for trial: order an inspection of that plaintiff, whether he is genuinely ill. If upon inspection that plaintiff proves to be genuinely ill and because of that illness he is unable to go to trial for any matter, and it is established that he has no one to send in his stead: the defendant in his suit shall postpone [the suit] until that time when the plaintiff recovers. Do not direct the verdict against that plaintiff in his suit without trial. If the illness of that plaintiff is prolonged, grant his defendant a continuance in that case, and allow him to leave Moscow until that time when his plaintiff files a petition against him.

    110. Concerning people who, having sent a summons [to a defendant], do not initiate the suit for a week; and the defendants proceed to petition against them about that, that they are not taking any action, and the defendants’ petition and the bailiffs’ testimony are entered in the witness record: reject such plaintiffs after that prescribed week. Henceforth do not grant a trial in that case. Issue the plaintiffs a[n acquittal] notice.

    111. If a defendant in a plaintiff’s suit, having posted a surety bond on himself, fails to appear for a trial; and he does not bring his own petition [with his defenses] in the case; a week passes from that date when the bond was posted for him; and plaintiffs [sic] proceed to petition against them [sic], that they are failing to come to trial out of desire to win the case against them by means of delay: direct the verdict against those defendants in the plaintiffs’ suits in accordance with the plaintiffs’ [citation] of the statute [allowing the lapse of a] week after the posting of a surety bond so that no one will suffer delay because of anyone. Do not direct the verdict against the defendant without a surety bond having been posted in response to the summons. On whatever date the surety bond is posted for the defendant for the trial, write down explicitly that date in the surety bond so that, on the basis of that surety bond on that matter it will be known who was put on bond for trial on what date.

    112. Concerning a plaintiff, or a defendant, who has posted a surety bond on himself after trial [in which he guarantees] that he will not leave Moscow prior to the resolution of a judicial case; and he leaves; and there is a petition about that against him from that person with whom he is litigating the case; and his guarantors, or his son, or slave, or custodian testifies under interrogation about his departure, and they affix their signatures to their testimony; and on the next day, or the second, or third day that plaintiff, or defendant, against whom the petition was filed because of his departure, appears in Moscow: do not direct the verdict against such plaintiffs and defendants because they left town. But concerning those who fail to appear in Moscow within three days after the guarantors’ testimony: direct the verdict against them because of the departure.

    113. Concerning judicial cases which have been tried, but the plaintiffs and defendants in those cases have been granted continuances to a specific date for the sovereign’s service, and the plaintiffs and the defendants have left Moscow: resolve those judicial cases without the presence of the plaintiffs and the defendants. Inform the plaintiffs and the defendants of the verdict in those judicial cases on the date prescribed in the continuance.

  • If a defendant or a plaintiff fails to appear on the date prescribed in the continuance: do not direct the verdict against him in spite of [the evidence presented in] the judicial proceedings just because of [his failure to appear on] the continuance date.
  • Read the verdict for them to their guarantors who have posted bond for them for trial. Order the sovereign’s fees and the plaintiffs’ claims exacted from their guarantors according to the guarantee bonds.
  • If the guarantors also leave Moscow, send the bailiff out after all of them. Once they have been located, order them brought to Moscow. While they are being located and brought to Moscow and through the date when they appear in Moscow, the plaintiffs shall exact their maintenance expenses at the rate of .10 ruble per day [from them].
  • Resolve all cases at trial and investigation, as is necessary. Do not direct a verdict against anyone for any reason contrary to [the evidence presented in] the judicial proceedings because of a [missed] continuance date.

    114. If anyone in a plaintiff’s suit in response to a summons is put on bail for trial; and the surety bond on him is in the chancellery; and according to that surety bond he is ordered to appear for trial on a date prescribed in a continuance; and he fails to appear in Moscow on the date prescribed in the continuance; and sends no one to trial in his stead; and his plaintiff proceeds to petition against him to the sovereign, [noting] that he has failed to appear on the date prescribed in the continuance: do not direct the verdict against him for that. Issue the sovereign’s summons for him to the plaintiff. Order the plaintiff to exact from him for this royal summons the signature and seal fees, and 3 rubles per month for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay.

    115. If that defendant does not appear to defend himself in response to the sovereign’s summons, and sends no one in his stead; but a surety bond has been sent on him: do not direct the verdict against him without trial for that. Issue a second royal summons, and order the plaintiff to exact from him for that second summons the signature and seal fees, and also 3 rubles for a second month for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay.

  • If he fails to appeal after the second royal summons, and sends no one for the defense in his stead, and if a surety bond has been sent on him: direct the verdict against him in the plaintiff’s suit without trial because he, having posted bond on himself for trial three times, did not appear for trial. Order the plaintiff’s claim, having been exacted from him and his guarantors, given to the plaintiff.

    116. If someone in response to a summons comes to Moscow, and appears to defend himself on the appointed date, or before the appointed date which is written in the summons, and his plaintiff proceeds to petition against him for a trial before that same date: try them before the appointed date and render justice between them as becomes necessary.

  • If the plaintiff and the defendant have litigated their case, and one of them leaves Moscow without waiting for a verdict in the judicial case: for that departure, direct the verdict against that person who departed without a verdict.
  • If the plaintiff leaves, he shall forfeit his suit; order the fees in the judicial case, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth exacted from his guarantors.
  • If the defendant leaves, order the plaintiff’s claim, and the sovereign’s fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth exacted from his same guarantors who guaranteed his availability for trial.

    117. If someone does not appear to defend himself in response to the first summons, and sends no one in his stead, and a surety bond on him is sent: issue his plaintiff a second summons for him, and order exacted from him for that second summons the signature and the seal fees, and also 3 rubles per month for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay for the plaintiff.

  • If he fails to appear for the defense in response to the second summons and sends no one in his stead, and a surety bond on him is sent: issue a third summons for him, and order exacted from him for that third summons the signature and the seal fees, and 3 rubles for a second month for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay for the plaintiff.
  • If he fails to appear in response to the third summons, and sends no one in his stead to defend him, and a surety bond is sent on him, direct the verdict against him for this in the plaintiff’s suit because he, in response to three royal summonses, having posted bond on himself, did not appear for the defense. Order the plaintiff’s claim, having been exacted from him and his guarantors, given to the plaintiff.

    118. But if a defendant fails to appear for his defense in response to the third summons because he at that time is in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba], and he went to the sovereign’s service because he was sent, and not out of his own desire: do not direct the verdict against such a defendant in a plaintiff’s suit without trial. He shall appear for trial after the service on a specified continuance date. Order exacted from him, without trial, the signature and the seal fees for the two royal summonses, and also the 3 rubles per month for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay for the plaintiff at that time when after service he appears for trial. If after service he fails to appear for trial on the specified date, and sends no one in his stead, and the plaintiff proceeds to initiate a petition against him about that: order him located, and once he has been located, order the plaintiff’s claim exacted from him without trial.

    119. Concerning those people in the provincial towns who proceed to act contumaciously, do not proceed to post bond; and the governors write against them about that to the sovereign: in response to those reports from the governors, send the sovereign’s charters to the governors in the provincial towns, and order musketeers, and artillerymen, and gunners, and many people on dispatch sent after such miscreants. When they are found, order them brought into town for arraignment.

  • When such miscreants have been found and brought into town for arraignment, order those people who were sent after them to exact their travel expenses from them. From the provincial towns send them under performance bonds to Moscow. When they appear in Moscow in the chancellery: inflict punishment on them for disobedience, beat them with bastinadoes. Order the plaintiffs to exact from them their maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay, as is written above this. Grant a trial against them in response to the petitions.

    120. If someone is given three royal summonses against some defendants, and in the provincial towns they proceed to act contumaciously, do not post bond on themselves in response to the three royal summonses; and the governors write the sovereign about their disobedience to all three summonses; and with their reports they send travel memoranda signed by those people who were sent out after them from the provincial towns, and signed by third persons, which third persons are witnesses; and it is established about that conclusively that such defendants deliberately defied the three royal summonses, [and] refused to post bond: send out bailiffs from Moscow after such defendants.

  • Order them brought from the provincial towns to Moscow. In Moscow direct the verdicts against them. Exact from them the plaintiffs’ claims and the bailiffs’ travel expenses without trial.

    121. If plaintiffs and defendants proceed to settle prior to the conclusion of the judicial proceedings: order them to bring settlement petitions, signed by their own hands, for entry into the court records. If a plaintiff and defendant settle before the conclusion of the judicial proceedings, but fail to bring in a settlement petition for the record; and, without paying the sovereign’s fees, they leave Moscow; and if this becomes known to the judges in the chancellery: order the sovereign’s fees exacted for them from their guarantors who happen to be present in person.

    122. If the guarantors leave as well: order those fees of the sovereign exacted from them, or from their slaves and peasants, in the provincial towns where they live. To exact such money by beating them on the shins in the righter, send a bailiff from Moscow. Order the bailiff to exact his travel expenses from them also, or from their slaves and peasants, whoever happens to be personally present.

    123. After trial, obtain appearance guarantee bonds for the plaintiffs and defendants which [guarantee] that those plaintiffs and defendants will not leave Moscow without a special decree until the resolution of the case. Order the bailiffs to collect such guarantee bonds. Such guarantee bonds shall be submitted into the record promptly after trial. Order the plaintiff and the defendant not to be dismissed after trial without such a performance bond.

  • The bailiff shall bring that surety bond to the chancellery for the state secretary’s certification no later than the third day [after trial]. The state secretary, having certified that guarantee bond, shall give it to the scribe who is keeping the court record.
  • If on the third day after trial the bailiff does not bring the guarantee bond to the chancellery: the scribe who is keeping the court record shall inform the state secretary about the fact that the bailiff has not brought the guarantee bond into the record for three days after the judicial proceedings. On the basis of the scribe’s testimony, inflict a punishment on the bailiff for that, beat him mercilessly with bastinadoes. After the beating, order him, having collected the surety bond on the bailiff and on the defendant, to bring [it] into the record on the very same day.
  • If, after punishment, the bailiff fails to bring that guarantee note into the record on the same day: order another bailiff to collect that guarantee note on the plaintiff and on the defendant. Discharge from the case the bailiff who, after punishment, failed to bring in the guarantee bonds on the third day, and order him not to take part in the case in the chancellery.
  • If a bailiff fails to bring in the surety bond on the plaintiff or on the defendant into the record, and the scribe does not notify the judges about that; and the plaintiff and the defendant, not having posted a performance bond on themselves, leave Moscow: exact the sovereign’s fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth for such plaintiffs and defendants on the basis of the court records from the bailiffs and the scribes who have [custody of] the case. Issue them the sovereign’s charters and bailiffs [to go] to the towns after those people on whose behalf they were obliged to pay that money. Having found those people in the towns, [they] are to return them to Moscow under performance bonds.
  • When the governors send those people from the provincial towns to Moscow, or the bailiffs bring them in: in place of those fees which were exacted from the scribe and from the bailiff, order money exacted from those people and returned to the scribes and bailiffs.
  • If, after trial, only the defendant leaves Moscow without posting performance bonds, and his plaintiff remains in Moscow; and, in the judicial proceedings the plaintiff is shown to be right, and the defendant is found liable: order the scribe and the bailiff who allowed him to leave Moscow without [posting] performance bonds to hunt down that defendant who departed without [posting] performance bonds. Issue the sovereign’s charters to the scribes and bailiffs on such defendants, and assign the bailiffs a date [to produce the defendants] based on the distance from [Moscow they have to travel to apprehend them]. Order the sovereign’s fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth exacted from them for that defendant immediately. Order them to replace those fees by exacting the money from such defendants at the times when they have discovered them.
  • If a scribe and bailiff fail to locate such a defendant, and that defendant is not personally present: order the plaintiff’s claim exacted for that defendant from that scribe and bailiff who allowed that defendant to leave Moscow without [posting] performance bonds. Give [the money collected] to the plaintiffs without any delay.

    124. Collect fees on judicial cases for the sovereign’s treasury from boyars, and from courtiers, and from counselors, and from stol’niki, and from striapchie, and from Moscow dvoriane, and from state secretaries, and from zhil’tsy, and from musketeer commanders, and from [provincial] dvoriane, and from provincial deti boiarskie, and from foreigners, and from merchants of the first merchant corporation, and from palace court officials of all ranks, and from scribes, and merchants of the second and third corporations, and townsmen of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements, and from the weavers and merchants of the Kadashi settlement, and from the custodians of [the sovereign’s] tents, and from gardeners, and from cossacks, and from artillerymen, and from gunners, and from post drivers, and from various servicemen except musketeers, and peasants and landless peasants living in the sovereign’s court villages and on pomest’ia and on votchinas: .10 ruble per ruble [of the value of a suit], and the judicial transaction fee of .20 ruble for the trial, and .02 ruble for the legal tenth. Collect double these fees for counterfeit debt contracts, and for notes, and for illegal activity. For which illegal activity those fees shall be collected two-fold is written in the articles below this.

    125. Concerning the fees from judicial cases that have been granted to the custodians of [the sovereign’s] tents and palace court officials: they shall collect those fees according to statute as before, but collect the remaining fees for the sovereign’s treasury.

    126. Do not collect the sovereign’s fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth in judicial cases from the Moscow and from the provincial musketeers on the musketeers’ own suits for sums under 12 rubles. But if a non-musketeer proceeds to sue a musketeer for 100 rubles, and at trial the musketeer is found liable in that suit: do not collect the fees on the 100 rubles from that suit.

  • Concerning musketeers who proceed to sue a non-musketeer for more than 12 rubles, or a non-musketeer proceeds to sue a musketeer for more than 100 rubles, and the musketeer is found liable in the suit: collect the fees from that [portion of the] suit which is above [the amount specified in] the decree at the rate of .10 ruble per ruble [of the value of the suit], and .20 ruble for the judicial transaction fee from the trial, and .02 ruble for the legal tenth.
  • If the verdict is given against a non-musketeer plaintiff in his own suit for 100 rubles after trial, or if it becomes necessary to collect the fees on an oath from non-musketeers; and the musketeer settles with the non-musketeer; and himself [agrees] to assume the fees, and the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth because according to the sovereign’s statute it has been ordered not to collect from him the fees from that suit on sums up to 100 rubles: [nevertheless] exact those fees according to statute from that musketeer because he himself feloniously [agreed to] assume those fees for the non-musketeer.
  • The same statute about fees shall apply to musketeer children, and brothers, and kinsmen who are living with them in their households, and not separately, as [applies] to musketeers.

    127. Concerning the sovereign’s fees, the judicial transaction fee, and the legal tenth that it is necessary to collect from people for judicial cases: collect those judicial fees from them for the sovereign’s treasury in full. Do not refund such judicial fees to them. Do not sign petitions [requesting a refund] of such judicial fees for anyone.

    128. Registration log books signed by state secretaries shall be [kept] in all chancelleries for [recording] the sovereign’s judicial fees and recording judicial cases. Scribes shall enter judicial cases in such books immediately after the trial is over so that it will be known who sued whom for what on what date, and how much of the sovereign’s fees must be collected from that case.

    129. If a scribe fails to register a judicial case in the [log] book so that it will be unknown how much must be collected for the sovereign’s fees from that case, in order to enrich himself with those fees, and that is established conclusively, or someone denounces him openly: inflict punishment for that on that scribe, order him beaten with the knout at the chancellery in the presence of many people. Order the fees for that judicial case exacted from that person from whom those fees are due.

  • If that same scribe is discovered committing such a felonious act a second time: order him beaten for that with the knout around the market places. Discharge him from employment among the scribes. Exile him to fitting service [sluzhba] in the frontier towns [ukrainnye gorody].

    130. If a governor, or chancellery official, or elder of the felony control administration in the provincial towns holds a trial in any case whatsoever, but for some reason does not resolve that judicial case; and he sends that judicial case to Moscow for resolution; but he does not send the surety bonds on the plaintiff and on the defendant with that case; and the plaintiff or the defendant comes to Moscow alone and proceeds to petition the sovereign for a resolution of that judicial case; and, in response to the plaintiff’s or to the defendant’s petition that judicial case is resolved; and it becomes necessary to collect the sovereign’s fees and the plaintiff’s claim from someone for that case, but there is no one [present]to collect those fees and the plaintiff’s claim from because the person from whom those fees and the claim should be collected is not in Moscow, and the surety bond on him was not sent: write about that to the judge who tried that judicial case in the provincial town and sent it to Moscow, and order him to send the surety bonds on the plaintiff and the defendant to Moscow.

  • If that judge who tried that case, in response to the sovereign’s charter, sends the surety bonds on the plaintiff and on the defendant to Moscow: the plaintiff or file defendant, whoever is given the verdict in the case, shall collect his maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay at the rate of .10 ruble per day from that judge from that date when the plaintiff or the defendant appeared in Moscow and registered his appearance through that date when he [the judge] sent the guarantee bonds to Moscow.

    131. If that judge fails to send the surety bonds on the plaintiff and the defendant, and writes back that surety bonds were not taken in that case in his [court] after trial on the plaintiff and on the defendant; or he writes back that he has no surety bonds at all in that judicial case on the plaintiff and on the defendant: exact that claim, and the judicial fees, and the maintenance expenses of the winning litigant from the judge according to statute.

    132. If a defendant dies after the time when he is found liable in a plaintiff’s suit, but he did not settle accounts with the plaintiff prior to his death: order the plaintiff’s claim on such deceased defendants [sic] exacted from his wife and children, or from a brother who, after his death, remains in his house and [inherits] his movable property.

    133. If someone who has a pomest’e and a votchina and is a propertied and wealthy person of any rank proceeds to boast that he is going to kill a particular person, and that person against whom he boasts proceeds to petition the sovereign that the sovereign order that he be granted a protective [restraining] charter containing a provision for a huge [preventive] fine, and that the sovereign order written in the protective [restraining] charter a sum of 5,000, or 6,000, or 7,000 rubles, and more against that person who boasted [that he would kill] him: issue that person such a protective [restraining] charter.

  • If in spite of such a charter and the sanction provision, that person against whom that charter was issued himself kills that person who petitioned against him, or at his instruction someone else kills him: grant the wife of that murdered man, and his children, and clan, and kinsmen a trial against that killer, and conduct all investigation at the trial.
  • If it is established about that conclusively that that person against whom the protective [restraining] charter was granted himself killed that person to whom the protective [restraining] charter was granted, or [that] at his instruction someone else committed that murder: punish with death without the slightest mercy both that killer himself and that person whom he instructed to commit the murder. Exact that fine in full as listed in the Protective [restraining] charter from his movable property, and from his pomest’e, and from his votchina. Take half of that fine to the sovereign’s treasury, and give the other half to the wife of the murdered man, and his children, and clan who proceed to petition the sovereign against that killer.
  • If that person against whom the protective [restraining] charter with the huge [preventive] fine was issued wounds that person who petitioned against him, but does not kill him: that person whom he wounded shall collect his dishonor compensation from him, depending on who he is. After investigation, he shall also collect his financial losses and also the fine spelled out in the protective [restraining] charter in full. Take half of that fine to the sovereign’s treasury, and give the other half to the petitioner.
  • If that killer [or assailant] does not have [enough] movable property [to pay] the fine: take whatever movable property he has to satisfy the fine, and also his votchinas, whatever he has; take half of that which was confiscated for the sovereign, and give the other half to the petitioner. Concerning the amount by which he falls short of the fine, exact that from him; do not forgive him this [amount of the] fine: beat him on the shins in the righter without the slightest mercy, not for the purpose of exacting the remaining money from him, [but] to teach others looking on not to commit such a felony.
  • If someone in a murder case, having gotten a protective [restraining] charter with a [preventative] fine against someone, himself commits such an act, then [compile for him] that very same decree which would have been necessary for that person against whom he petitioned.

    134. If after [the issuance of such] a prohibition charter the slaves of both [litigants], the plaintiff and the defendant, meet without the knowledge of their owners somewhere in the market, or on the road, or in a tavern and begin a fight and a murder occurs among them, or they wound someone among themselves: both sides, the plaintiff and the defendant, are free from violation of the prohibition in this matter. They shall initiate a trial in the matter of that battle and the maiming of their slaves. After trial, compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    135. If someone who has no pomest’e and no votchina, or a mercenary foreigner, or anyone else, boasts that he is going to kill someone either directly [to the intended victim] or out of his presence, and that person against whom the boast was made proceeds to petition the sovereign against him: grant a trial against him, and conduct an investigation at the trial.

  • If in the investigation the people being interrogated testify in support of the petitioner: on the basis of that investigation, cast that person who boasted that he would kill [the petitioner] in prison for three months.
  • When he has sat in prison for the specified months: that person against whom he boasted shall take from him a note signed by him in which [he promises] that he henceforth will commit no illegal act against that person against whom he boasted.
  • If, after giving the note on himself in that matter, he violates it by killing that person against whom he boasted: punish him with death himself.
  • If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign against someone for boasting that he would kill him, but there is no one to investigate about this: grant them a trial in that matter. After trial compile the decree that is necessary.

    136. If someone proceeds to sue another person for assault and robbery, and the defendant does not deny the assault, but about the robbery says that he did not rob: order the plaintiff to exact from him for the maiming and dishonor his compensation entitlement two-fold, and the fine on him which the sovereign decrees. For the robbery, compile the decree for them that is necessary on the basis of the judicial case.

  • If that defendant does not deny the robbery, but testifies about the assault in [his] defense that he did not strike [anyone]: order [the goods taken in] the robbery exacted from him as demanded in the plea and given to the plaintiff. [Exact] from that defendant the fine that the sovereign decrees. In the assault case, similarly compile after trial the decree that is necessary.
  • If in any other cases a defendant at trial, in response to someone’s plea, proceeds to admit liability for less than the entire suit: order exacted from them [sic] only that to which they [sic] proceed to admit liability. Concerning that to which they do not proceed to admit liability: compile after trial the decree for that that is necessary.

    137. [State secretaries] shall issue summonses to be delivered by bailiffs over their signatures to plaintiffs, and when the state secretary signs that summons: register that summons in the [log] book of that same date on which date the summons is signed. Having registered it in the [log] book, give that summons to the bailiff. He, having located the defendant, on the basis of that summons shall put him on bonds, and set a date for the defendant to come to trial without any delay. When the bailiff cannot find the defendant in town: the bailiff shall go after that defendant to his house. On the basis of the summons, put him on bond for trial without any delay accordingly.

    138. If a defendant proceeds to hide from the bailiff, and proceeds to say that he is not at home in his house: the bailiff, taking companions with him, shall stand guard at his house for a day, and two, and three. When that defendant himself, or his slave, or custodian leaves the house: the bailiff, having arrested that defendant, or his slave, or custodian, shall bring him to the chancellery, and shall tell the judges about him. The judges shall put him on performance bonds for trial accordingly.

    139. If the bailiff on the basis of the summons apprehends the defendant or his slaves at his gates, or somewhere on the street, and proceeds to ask him for performance bonds for trial; or brings him into town; and that defendant, or his slave, fights his way free from the bailiff: the bailiff shall inform bystanders about their [conduct] in that place where they fought their way free from him. Having written down the names of the bystanders, [the bailiff] shall submit them to the judges in the chancellery over his signature. The judges shall order that an investigation of those bystanders be conducted.

  • If in the investigation the bystanders testify that they saw how that defendant and his slaves fought their way free from the bailiff: the judges shall send out after that defendant a scribe of a high grade in service, and with him that same bailiff who went after him [the defendant]. Order them, not yet approaching his house, to take with them witnesses, local bystanders, and as many men as necessary, and with these witnesses order them to approach him in the yard of his house. In the yard, read him the summons and officially reproach him because he committed an illegal act, fought his way free from the bailiff, and did not post bond on himself in response to the summons. Having officially reproached him, the bailiff shall order him to post bond for trial according to the summons, and is not to release him without bond.
  • If he fails to post bond on himself, and will not go into town, and sends no [one] in his stead, and acts contumaciously toward the bailiff’s lawful orders, and fighting away from the bailiff, flees from Moscow to his votchina or to his pomest’e: arrest his slaves or the custodian he has at his house. Order them to be put on bond [in which they guarantee] that they will present their owner in the chancellery on a specified date. Give them for that a time limit based on the distance according to statute.
  • If those slaves post guarantee bonds on themselves: order them to appear [in the chancellery] prior to the date under bond. If that owner of theirs appears for them in the chancellery: grant the plaintiff a trial against him on the basis of the petition. Concerning the fact that he did not obey the sovereign’s decree, failed to post bond, and, having fought away from the bailiff, fled from Moscow: inflict punishment off him for that, cast him in prison for a week. Order the plaintiff to exact from him .10 ruble per day for his maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay beginning a week after that date which is written in the summons and through that date when he appears in Moscow.

    140. If no bail [is posted] by those slaves who after his [flight] were taken to the chancellery from his house: detain those slaves of his in the chancellery until that time when he himself appears. If he does not appear for a long time, desiring thereby to exhaust his plaintiff by delay; and [if] the plaintiff proceeds to petition that a bailiff be sent after him to his pomest’e or votchina: send a bailiff after him to his pomest’e or votchina.

  • Order the bailiff to bring him with him to Moscow to defend [himself] under bond. When the bailiff brings him to Moscow: for his disobedience inflict the punishment on him that the sovereign decrees. Grant the plaintiff a trial against him. After trial, compile the decree that is necessary. The plaintiff shall exact from him maintenance expense and compensation for the delay at the rate of .10 ruble per day without trial, beginning a week after that date when the summons was signed for him and through that date when they bring him to Moscow. Order the bailiff to exact his travel expenses from him as well according to statute.

    141. If that defendant hides from the bailiff in the countryside, or acts contumaciously: the bailiff shall bring with him in his stead a slave, or his peasant also under bond. If he [the defendant] has no slaves or peasants, and there is no one [for the bailiff] to take with him, the bailiff shall submit to the chancellery his trip report about that over his signature. On the basis of that trip report the judges shall dispatch a different bailiff a second time after that disobedient fellow. They shall send the sovereign’s message to the governor in that town where that disobedient fellow lives so that the governor will assign musketeers, and gunners, and artillerymen, as many men as needed, to that bailiff, so that the bailiff has the men he needs to arrest that disobedient fellow.

  • When the bailiff, having arrested that disobedient fellow, brings him to Moscow: punish that disobedient fellow for his disobedience, beat him with bastinadoes. Exact from him the maintenance expense and compensation for the delay for the plaintiff according to statute and the bailiffs’ travel expenses without trial. Turn [the money] over to the plaintiff. In the suit, grant the plaintiff a trial against him, and after trial compile the decree that is necessary.
  • If that disobedient fellow further proceeds to hide from the bailiff a third time, or acts contumaciously toward the bailiff, and subsequently he is found: exact from him the plaintiff’s claim, and maintenance expense, and compensation for the delay according to statute, and the bailiff shall exact [his] travel expenses without trial. Turn [the money] over to the plaintiff. Also exact the bailiff’s travel expenses without trial. Beat him with bastinadoes and cast him in prison for a month.

    142. If in response to a plaintiff’s petition a bailiff is sent after a defendant with an official order to a provincial town, or into the provinces; or the judges order that someone’s defendant be located in Moscow in response to a summons, and be presented for trial or for any other matter; or a bailiff or syn boiarskii is sent to someone with the sovereign’s charters about any matter whatsoever; and that person for whom the bailiff is sent with the official order and with the summons; or that person to whom the bailiff is sent with the sovereign’s charters, proceeds himself to assault that bailiff or syn boiarskii or orders someone besides himself, his slaves, or peasants, or anyone else, to assault him; or he takes away from him the official order, and the summons, of the sovereign’s charters and rips them to shreds; and thereby he dishonors the chancellery officials from whom that bailiff was sent; and that is established conclusively; beat such a disobedient fellow with the knout for [the destruction of] the sovereign’s charter and imprison him for three months. Order the bailiff to exact from him his dishonor compensation and the maiming fee in an amount equal to double his compensation entitlement.

  • If there are bystanders as witnesses with that bailiff; and that person for whom the bailiff is sent proceeds to assault and dishonor the bystanders: order the bailiff and the bystanders to exact their dishonor compensation from him accordingly, and also their financial losses two-fold, whatever is taken from someone, after investigation.
  • If someone kills the bailiff or the witnesses, and that is established conclusively: punish that killer himself with death also. Collect the registered debts of the murdered men from his [the killer’s] pomest’e, and from [his] votchinas, and from [his] movable property.
  • If any dishonor or assault is inflicted on the bailiff or witnesses by the slaves and peasants of that person after whom that bailiff and the witnesses are sent; and he [the master] himself is not there at the time; but the bailiff or witnesses proceed to petition about that against him himself, and not against his slaves or peasants; and he proceeds to testify that he knows nothing about that: grant them a trial in that matter.
  • If at trial and investigation it is established about that case conclusively that his slaves and peasants assaulted that bailiff and the witnesses: inflict a punishment on those slaves and peasants of his for that, beat them with the knout. The assaulted bailiff and the witnesses shall exact their financial losses two-fold from them after investigation.

    143. If a bailiff or witnesses deliberately lie about those people after whom they were sent, [they concoct] a case [in which they allege] that they were assaulted or dishonored by them, or they testify that they acted contumaciously; and if it is established about that conclusively that those people against whom they proceed to petition did not inflict any dishonor on them: beat the bailiff and the witnesses with the knout for such a deliberate false petition. Collect from the same witnesses a fine of 2 rubles per person for the sovereign’s treasury for that so others looking on will learn not to petition [falsely] against someone deliberately or to fabricate a case.

    144. The bailiff shall collect .05 ruble for his walking fee in town. If a bailiff is sent on a common errand, he shall collect for his walking fee .05 ruble from the plaintiff and likewise .05 ruble from the defendant. More than that the bailiffs shall not collect for the walking fee from any cases. They shall not take bribes and presents from a bond. They shall present plaintiffs and defendants for trial without any favor.

    145, Bailiffs in service [sluzhba] in the regiments shall collect a walking fee [for delivering] a summons of .01 ruble. But if a bailiff while in service, in response to someone’s petition, is sent into the provinces after someone: he shall collect .01 ruble per 5.3 kilometers from the plaintiff for his walking fee.

    146. If a bailiff, favoring someone because of bribes or out of friendship, does not proceed to present plaintiffs and defendants for trial promptly: or he collects an extra walking fee above the [amount allowed by] statute; and there are petitioners against him for that, and that is established conclusively: inflict punishment for that on that bailiff, beat him mercilessly with bastinadoes. Order the extra walking fee exacted from him and give it to the petitioner. If he so feloniously behaves a second or a third time, beat him with the knout and expel him from [the ranks of] the bailiffs.

    147. Bailiffs shall serve in all the chancelleries under stout performance bonds. Order performance bonds posted on them so that they, while tending to the sovereign’s business in bailiff service, will not conceive any felonious plans; and will not in any matter inflict undue expenses and financial losses on petitioners; and will not discharge suspects in chains from the chancellery and from their own houses [where they are being detained for a contract chaining fee] without a[n official] decree [authorizing their release]; and will not subcontract any official business to anyone.

    148. Bailiffs shall charge .50 ruble per 106.7 kilometers for the riding fee. Where there are more kilometers, or less than that: charge for the riding fee for those kilometers according to the same calculation. If a bailiff is sent on a joint errand for justice, he shall collect half of his riding fee from the plaintiff, and the other [half] from the defendant. When the judicial case is resolved, and someone loses the case, collect that half of the riding fee from the loser and give it to the winner.

  • Bailiffs shall deliver official orders and summonses and get performance bonds by themselves and with the aid of their companions whom they trust. They shall send out [their] slaves with official orders.
  • From performance bonds they themselves and their companions shall not take any fees.
  • Concerning the town in which a bailiff resides: he shall not deliver official orders in that town, and shall not send his companions in his stead. If a bailiff should gather a group of companions in an association, the state secretaries shall register that in the books so that bailiffs will not be able to deny their associates [later on].
  • If a bailiff or his companions cause someone financial losses, and that is established conclusively: exact that from all the associates and give it to the petitioner. Moreover, beat with the knout around the market places that same person who committed such a deed and cast him in prison for as long as the sovereign decrees. Bailiffs shall not perform their tasks without associates.

    149. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign for justice against boyars, and courtiers, and stol’niki, and Moscow dvoriane and their slaves about wrongs that have been committed; and they [the defendants] at that time are serving as governors in the provincial towns: [grant an immediate trial] against those governors who are in the provincial towns, except in Astrakhan’, and in Siberia, and on the Terek; and except those [people] who are in the sovereign’s service in the regiments, or ambassadors, or envoys, or as messengers, or anyone sent anywhere for any of the sovereign’s urgent business, for which urgent embassy the sovereign bestows favor upon him, orders that he be granted a continuance in all legal cases. Grant a trial in Moscow immediately to people of all ranks so that no one will suffer undue delay in such matters. Order brothers, and children, and kinsmen, or their slaves who are Moscow after their departure, or their friends whom they trust in that [matter], to respond for them in their defense. Do not excuse governors in such cases on grounds of their service because that service [sluzhba] of theirs is not regimental.

  • If someone in such legal cases proceeds to petition the sovereign in Moscow against governors and various chancellery officials and servicemen who are in Astrakhan’, and in Siberia, and on the Terek; or those generals and any servicemen [sluzhilye liudi] who are in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] in the regiments in the Ukraine or in other places: grant such petitioners a trial against such generals, and governors, and various chancellery officials, and servicemen in such cases at that time when the sovereign’s service of such generals and service personnel ends.
  • If some offense occurs in the regiments among service personnel [sluzhilye liudi]: the regimental generals, or judges who have been commanded [to do so] by the regimental generals, shall try them in such cases and render justice among them. If someone proceeds to petition against someone in the regiments for offenses which occurred among them prior to the sovereign’s service, on their pomest’ia, or votchinas, or anywhere else, but not in the regiments: in such cases do not grant anyone a trial against anyone else in the regiments. Judge them in such cases on the statutory dates at those times when the sovereign’s service has ended because those offenses occurred among them prior to the sovereign’s service, not in the regiments.

    150. Concerning governors, and state secretaries, and various chancellery officials who, being in the provincial towns on the sovereign’s affairs, proceed to cause town and provincial people of various ranks injury and financial losses, and there are petitioners against them for that, and the matter of their injuries and financial losses is established conclusively: those people whom they have wronged in some way after investigation shall exact from such governors whatever was taken. Exact from those same people the fine for the sovereign which the sovereign decrees, depending on the case.

    151. If any stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and zhil’tsy, are found liable at trial in plaintiffs’ suits; and it is decreed that the plaintiffs’ claims should be exacted from them; and if edicts ordering the debts beaten out of them have been issued; and if surety bonds have been obtained on them; but they do not proceed to send their slaves to be beaten in the righter because they have been given a continuance for service; but they do not go to service, and in their stead send to service [sluzhba] their children, or brothers, or kinsmen, or recruits from their landed estates; and they themselves proceed to live in Moscow and in the countryside: order the plaintiffs’ claims exacted immediately from those people who are not in service.

    152. If provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie themselves are not in the sovereign’s service; but they send in their stead to the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] their children, or brothers and kinsmen, or recruits; and they themselves proceed to live in Moscow tending to their own affairs, and in the countryside: similarly exact from them immediately the plaintiffs’ claims for which they were found liable.

    153. Do not grant immunity charters to anyone in the provincial towns because great financial losses, and wrongs, and offenses have been inflicted on various people in the provincial towns because of immunity charters. If such immunity charters were granted to someone in the provincial towns in past years: repeal such immunity charters. When such charters come to light in someone’s possession, confiscate those charters from those people. Send those charters to the sovereign in Moscow to those chancelleries from which those charters were issued to those people.

    154. If a plaintiff loses his own suit after trial, and his defendant is exonerated in that suit; or a defendant in someone’s suit wins by taking an oath; or someone settles with someone in his suit before trial; but later he proceeds to file that very same suit of his against those very same people a second time: do not grant him a trial in that suit.

  • Inflict a punishment on him for such a case, beat him with bastinadoes so that he and others like him, looking on, will learn not to do that. Order the defendant to exact from him his maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay at the rate of .10 ruble per day from that date when the surety bond was taken on him in response to the summons.

    155. Concerning people who guarantee that someone will appear for trial or [will appear for the reading of the verdict or its enforcement] after trial; and that person [the principal] whom they guarantee violates their bond; and the plaintiff’s claims and the fees are exacted from the guarantors for him: those guarantors shall collect from him [the principal] whom they guaranteed all that which was exacted from them. Order them to exact from him 3 rubles per month for maintenance expense and compensation for the delay, plus their financial losses as determined by trial and investigation. Exact plaintiffs’ claims from those guarantors who are present in person.

    156. Concerning residents of provincial towns of all ranks who, in response to the sovereign’s summonses, send their children, or brothers, or kinsmen, or slaves in their stead to Moscow to defend them in plaintiffs’ suits, but do not come to Moscow themselves; and they proceed to live in their homes; and in the judicial proceedings it is necessary to conduct all investigation about them in those places where they proceed to live: when they [the authorities] proceed to investigate them, at that time send them out of those towns where they are living to other towns, where they have pomest’ia and votchinas, or to Moscow. Conduct the investigation in their absence. Concerning the people who were defending them at trial: those people shall be present in Moscow when they proceed to investigate. They shall not leave Moscow for any destination without a special decree. If [someone] leaves, direct the verdict against him [the person under investigation] for that.

    157. If children, and brothers, and kinsmen, and friends, and slaves proceed to bring suit or to enter a defense for someone: such people who are at trial shall not leave Moscow until the resolution of the judicial case. If it becomes necessary to conduct an investigation in the judicial case: at that time those people [the principals] who themselves were not at trial shall not ride to those towns where the investigation is being conducted. If those people [the principals] who themselves were not at trial wish to travel somewhere into the provinces from Moscow, to their own votchinas and pomest’ia of other provincial towns, and not of those where the investigation is to be conducted: they are free to travel to their own pomest’ia and votchinas, except they are not to be in those towns and provinces where the investigation is being conducted.

    158. If someone proceeds to sue anyone in a suit for 50 rubles, and during trial in that suit proceeds to name stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and musketeer commanders, and merchants of the first merchant corporation, and state secretaries, and zhil’tsy and palace court officials, and musketeer centurions, and scribes, tell men by name [as witnesses]; but the defendant in that suit does not proceed to name those [same] people; or the defendant proceeds to name those people, but the plaintiff does not proceed to name [them]: do not believe that challenge. Interrogate those people who were named under the sovereign’s oath and resolve the case on the basis of the testimony of those people who were named in that case.

    159. If someone, a plaintiff or a defendant, during a trial for 20 rubles proceeds to name merchants of the second or third corporations, and townsmen of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements, and musketeers, and cossacks, and servicemen of other ranks, and post drivers, and monastery servitors, and peasants, ten men [as witnesses]: similarly interrogate such people. Resolve the case on the basis of the testimony of those people who were named. Do not believe a challenge.

    160. If someone in such suits names as witnesses those people who were listed above; but under interrogation those people testify not as he said they would in his reference; or they do testify as he said they would when he named them [as witnesses], but not all give similar testimony, even though only one [witness] does not testify as he [the litigant] said he [the witness) would when he named him; or they testify that they know nothing about that case: direct the verdict against him thereby because he himself of his own volition named those people, but they testified not as he said they would when he named them [as witnesses).

    161. Concerning plaintiffs, people of various ranks, who during trial proceed to refer to a general investigation of many nameless people, but the defendants proceed to challenge the general investigation; or defendants during trial proceed to refer to a general investigation, but the plaintiffs proceed to challenge the general investigation: do not cancel the general investigation. Dispatch [investigators] to conduct a general investigation of many people of various ranks without challenges.

  • [Interrogate] archimandrites, and hegumens and monks according to the monk’s oath, and archpriests, and priests, and deacons under the clerical oath. [Interrogate] dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and various servicemen, and townsmen; and elders of court villages and rural taxpaying districts, [their] sworn assistants, and peasants; votchina and pomest’e stewards and elders, [their] sworn assistants, and peasants; and Russians of various ranks according to the oath of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia, Aleksei Mikhailovich. [Interrogate] princes, and mirzas, and Tatars, and Chuvash, and Cheremis, and Votiaks, and the various peoples who pay tribute in furs according to the oath of their faith.
  • Investigate the people of those various ranks face to face, interrogating each person individually. Order the investigators to write down the testimony taken in their presence; order them not to record in the investigation the inquiries and [the testimony of] the people being investigated without their presence.
  • Take the testimony of Russians over their signatures and the signatures of their spiritual fathers; of Lithuanians and Swedes also over their signatures, or [the signatures of] someone whom they order in their stead to sign the investigations. Get the investigation testimony of princes, and mirzas, and Tatars who are literate in the Tatar language over their signatures; for those who are not literate, take the testimony of such people and the peoples who pay tribute in furs over their marks.
  • Order the investigation testimony written down by the people being interrogated themselves.
  • Take the investigation testimony of dvoriane and deti boiarskie separately. Do not record the investigation testimony of dvoriane and deti boiarskie together with that of their slaves and peasants.
  • If someone at trial proceeds to challenge [the testimony of] some people who were interrogated in the general investigation, and submits at trial a list of names of the challenged people, but he writes in the list the clan, and kinsmen, and friends of many people: do not believe that challenge, interrogate everyone.
  • The investigators shall tell the people being interrogated explicitly that they must testify the absolute truth in the investigation, without fearing anyone, or favoring anyone in any way.
  • If the people being interrogated testify in the investigation not according to the truth: they shall be in great disgrace with the sovereign and shall be punished for that. Instruct the investigators sternly about this, and write to them in their working orders with great emphasis that they must conduct the investigation justly, under the sovereign’s oath, not favoring a friend and not wreaking vengeance on an enemy. They must see to it and take utmost care that the people being interrogated do not collude in family groups [and] lie in the investigation.
  • Concerning people who proceed to lie in investigations by family groups, and this becomes known to the investigators and people proceed to become disobedient, and do not proceed to give testimony in the investigations: the investigators shall write about this to the sovereign, [stating] by name which people being interrogated proceeded to testify untruthfully in family groups in the investigations, and who did not proceed to give testimony in the investigations, and the investigators shall submit lists of names of such people to the sovereign over their signatures.
  • If the investigators proceed to conduct the investigation unlawfully for their own gain, or they proceed to favor a friend in the investigation, [and] wreak vengeance on an enemy; or if people lie in family groups in investigations, and others do not proceed to give testimony in investigations, but the investigators, favoring the plaintiff or the defendant, do not proceed to write about that to the sovereign, and this becomes known to the sovereign in spite of them: the investigators shall be in great disgrace with the sovereign and shall be punished for that.
  • If people being interrogated proceed to give differing testimonies in the investigations, some testify for the plaintiff, and others for the defendant: if there are more people testifying on one side in investigations, give the verdict after investigation to that [litigant] for whom more of the people interrogated testified.

    162. If a plaintiff or a defendant who is found liable in those investigations proceeds to petition the sovereign against the greater half [i.e., the majority] of the people who were interrogated, and alleges that those people who were interrogated in the greater half lied, and that the lesser half of the people who were interrogated told the truth in the investigations: on the basis of that petition take from both halves of those people who were interrogated two of the worthiest men per hundred townsmen, and servicemen, and [peasants] living in court villages and on estates belonging to the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries; and [peasants living in the] pomest’ia and votchinas in the possession of boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and various pomeshchiks and votchinniks; and where there are less than one hundred men, [take] from such people only one man: arrange for them a visual confrontation, and rigorously conduct an investigation about them using all methods of inquiry [to determine] which half lied in the investigations.

  • If the petitioner and the people being interrogated of the lesser half somehow expose the greater half of people being interrogated [by showing] that the people being interrogated of the greater half lied in the investigations: exact a fine for the sovereign for perjured investigations from those people who were in the greater half of the people being interrogated: 50 rubles per person from archimandrites; 40 rubles per person from hegumens and cellarers; 30 rubles per person from [monastery] treasurers and stewards and cathedral elders; 5 rubles per person from ordinary monks; 20 rubles per person from monastery servitors of large monasteries, and 5 rubles per person from servitors of small monasteries and dependent laborers of all monasteries; 40 rubles per person from archpriests; 30 rubles per person from archdeacons; 20 rubles per person from priests; 10 rubles per person from deacons and church cantors; 30 rubles per person from stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and from miscreants who will not participate in investigations; 20 rubles per person from town elders; 10 rubles per person from townsmen, and post drivers, and stewards of votchinas and pomest’ia; 5 rubles per person from [peasant] elders and [their] sworn assistants; and 1 ruble per person from peasants and landless peasants. Moreover, having selected the stewards and most reliable peasants from these interrogated people, beat every tenth person with the knout.
  • Concerning archimandrites, and hegumens, and priests, and deacons who lie in investigations: send them for penance to the patriarch, and the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops in whose jurisdiction they are.
  • Concerning the financial losses, maintenance expenses, and financial losses stemming from the delay that are inflicted on a plaintiff or a defendant as a result of perjured investigations: order that all of that be exacted from those people who lied in the investigation and give it to that person on whom the financial losses were inflicted.
  • If some people are tortured as a consequence of such perjured investigations: order those people who were tortured to exact their dishonor compensation and maiming fee four-fold from those people who lied in the investigation so that henceforth they will not commit perjury.

    163. If those people being interrogated from the lesser half are not able to expose the people being interrogated from the greater half in perjured investigations, and there is no [further] evidence to investigate, and a dispute arises among them, and they proceed to agree among themselves [to resolve the case by committing themselves] to torture: in such an instance torture them [to resolve the case].

  • If certain people in that case are tortured, and it is established conclusively which half of the interrogated people lied: exact from those interrogated people a fine for the sovereign, and inflict punishment as is written about that above this. Order those who were tortured to exact from their dishonor compensation and maiming fee four-fold. Resolve the judicial case on the basis of that investigation and of the [earlier general] investigations, [in] whichever [the] people were telling the truth.

    164. Concerning people who in the investigations proceed to say that they know nothing about that case about which there is an investigation; and other people expose them in that [by showing] that they do know about that case, and that is established conclusively: exact such a fine for the sovereign from such people for their perjured testimony accordingly. Inflict on them a punishment as is written about that above this.

    165. If some people being interrogated testify in an investigation about some matter that they do not know [about it], and there are no denunciations exposing them in the matter: do not fault them for that.

    166. If during investigations some people say two [different] things in a single case: compile a decree for such people like the one that is ordered compiled for perjured investigations, as is written above this.

    167. Send out [investigators] to conduct a general investigation in those cases in which the plaintiff and the defendant do not have close mutual witnesses. But if a plaintiff and a defendant at trial both name a mutual witness, even if only one person: resolve the case on the basis of [the evidence provided by] that mutual witness. Do not send out [investigators] to conduct a general investigation in addition to that mutual witness so that this does not cause excess maintenance expenses and delay for the plaintiff and the defendant.

    168. If a plaintiff and a defendant both name someone as a witness; and later on in the same trial they proceed to submit other evidence in addition to that mutual witness: judges shall not accept from them the later evidence. Resolve the case according to the first mutual witness.

    169. If in any case the plaintiff and the defendant in the same reference both name three people as mutual witnesses; and of those people one proceeds to testify falsely, and the [other] two proceed to expose him [and show] that he is testifying falsely: in such a case believe the two, and disregard the one.

    170. If any mutual witness, in response to bribes or for any other reason, violating God’s law, commits perjury and slanders someone who is not guilty; and if there is a petition about that against that mutual witness submitted by that person who was slandered without guilt; and it is established about that conclusively that that mutual witness lied: inflict for that on that mutual witness a severe punishment, beat [him] mercilessly with the knout. Order the financial losses of that person who was slandered without guilt exacted [from the perjurer] and give [them] to the plaintiff.

    171. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign against a mutual witness and alleges that that mutual witness slandered him falsely, not because of guilt, but does not submit any [evidence] exposing that mutual witness as a liar; order the mutual witness to exact his dishonor compensation from him [who accused him of perjury]. Inflict on him a severe punishment for that accordingly, order him beaten mercilessly with the knout so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    172. If a mutual witness says under interrogation that he has only heard about that case from [other] people, but himself does not know that case: that witness may not be a witness.

    173. If somewhere it becomes necessary to interrogate slaves, or peasants, or [people of] the feminine gender in an investigation or in an interrogation: interrogate them in all cases under the sovereign’s oath before the Lord’s icon so that they will tell the truth, as when they appear at Christ’s Last Judgment.

    174. If someone for whatever reason manumits his own male slave or female slave from himself into freedom; and later on someone [else] proceeds to sue that person who manumitted that male slave or female slave, or his son, for something; and in his suit he proceeds to call that manumitted male slave or female slave [as a witness]: do not interrogate that manumitted male slave and female slave in response to such a call, and do not place them [on the stand] as witnesses.

    175. If at trial a plaintiff calls many people for a general investigation without specific names, and the defendant does not proceed to challenge that general investigation; but later on the defendant proceeds to call as witnesses two, or three, or four, or five, or six, or ten, or twenty people by name from that general investigation: order, as specified in the original call, that the case be conducted [by interrogating] all the people [living in the area] of the general investigation, without any selection.

    176. If at trial a defendant calls the plaintiff’s father or mother, or if the plaintiff calls the defendant’s father or mother [as witnesses]: interrogate the father and mother in response to such calls. No one shall challenge a father and mother at trial. Resolve the case on the basis of the father’s and mother’s testimony.

    177. But if at trial a defendant calls the plaintiff’s wife, or the plaintiff calls the defendant’s wife [as witnesses]: do not interrogate wives in response to such calls.

    178. If someone sues a slave for something, but the slave proceeds to defend his owner [rather than himself]; and at trial the plaintiff calls for the testimony of his defendant’s owner himself, and desires that the verdict be given for or against him by that alone; or if at trial a defendant calls for the testimony of his plaintiff’s owner himself: do not interrogate the owners themselves in response to such calls from plaintiffs and defendants. Resolve the case at trial, as necessary.

    179. If someone, calculating feloniously, deliberately desires to ruin someone, and sends a bailiff for someone in a small suit, for plundering [property worth] a ruble or two; and at trial proceeds in that small suit of his to name someone [as a witness] with a secret collusive intention; and the defendant, desiring not to commit perjury in that slanderous small suit, names the same witness and decides that even though the witness accuses him wrongly, he will pay the small claim.

  • And if that plaintiff of his, cunningly, without leaving the trial, [then] proceeds to sue him in a second petition for a large suit; and proceeds to name that same first mutual witness at trial in that large suit of his; but [if] his defendant also proceeds to name as witness that first mutual witness in the large suit, and proceeds to petition that he is unable to name that first mutual witness [as witness] in that large suit because his plaintiff, cunningly had deceived him: he named that witness in his first small suit, and he [the defendant] also named that witness in the small suit, thinking that, even though that mutual witness, not fearing God, accused him wrongly in that small suit, he would pay that small claim. But in the large suit he is unable to name that first mutual witness because his plaintiff committed a deliberate offense against him in collusion with that witness: do not interrogate that witness in the latter large suit.
  • Do not direct the verdict against that defendant [just] because he does not name that first witness in the second suit. Resolve the judicial case [on the basis of the evidence presented] at trial as necessary.

    180. If a plaintiff and a defendant during a trial in a large suit both name someone as witness; and later, not departing from the trial, one of them proceeds to challenge that first mutual witness in a counterclaim, and he begins to name [other] witnesses: direct the verdict against him in the counterclaim for that. Resolve the initial trial on the basis of [the evidence presented by] the mutual witness.

    181. If a plaintiff and a defendant during a trial both name a mutual witness, but later, on the second or third day, or a week later, the same plaintiff and defendant have a trial in another case; and at trial one of them proceeds to name that same first witness, but the other proceeds to challenge that first witness and testifies that he has some kind of bad relations with that first witness: do not interrogate that witness in the latter suit.

  • Resolve the initial trial on the basis of [the evidence presented by] that mutual witness.

    182. If someone, contemplating cunningly, initiates a suit against someone in collusion with someone else; [and they agree] what he will sue someone for, and they name witnesses against him in their suit; and when they [the authorities] proceed to put his defendant on bond for trial, and that plaintiff sends that man [his partner] to post bond on behalf of his defendant for the trial; and later on at trial he proceeds to name [as witness] in his own suit that person who has posted bond on behalf of the defendant for the trial; and the defendant [also] proceeds to name that person as a witness, but [notes that] that person sent to post bond on him is registered as his surety for the trial, and about that he [the defendant] alleges that he [the surety] signed as [his] surety on him in collusion with his plaintiff: do not direct the verdict on that basis, but resolve the case on the basis of [the evidence presented at] the trial.

    183. If some injury is inflicted by someone on three or four men, or however many there may be, [and they suffer that injury] together; and of those people who were injured someone wishes to sue for the injury done to him, one person for his own share; but his associates do not want to join the suit with him [to recover damages] for the injury because they all will not be personally present at that time: grant the one person a trial for such an injury, and order him to sue the defendant [only] for his one share. Concerning those of his associates who will not be with him at the trial: those associates of his shall sue for their shares when they wish.

    184. If someone lives on one pomest’e or on one votchina in common with his brothers and with other pomeshchiks; and they inflict any injury on someone; and that injured person sends a summons because of his injury against all of them collectively; and one of them, recognizing his offense, settles with the plaintiff before trial; but the remaining [defendants] will not settle without trial: grant the plaintiff a trial against those remaining. After trial, compile the decree for them that is necessary. Do not direct the verdict against them without trial because of their associates’ settlement.

    185. If someone, in any case whatsoever, sends a summons to a minor boy, or to a widow, or to an unmarried young woman; and they are unable to defend themselves, and they have no relatives in Moscow; but they say that they do have relatives who might defend them were a continuance granted for those relatives of theirs; but they have no slaves and such peasants who might defend them; and they proceed to petition the sovereign that their relatives [be allowed to] defend them on a date granted in a continuance: grant such minors, and widows, and unmarried young women a [continuance] date in plaintiff’s suits in response to their petition.

  • Put them on surety bonds [guaranteeing] that they will present those who will defend them for the defense by the decreed date without any postponement. If they fail to present defenders in their stead on the decreed date: direct the verdict against them for that.

    186. If someone, forgetting the fear of God and his oath to the sovereign, desires by his own intention, or at someone else’s instruction, deliberately to ruin someone, and sends a summons against someone in a large slanderous suit [accusing him] of assault and robbery; and, not going to trial, takes a small sum from that person against whom he sent the summons; and gives up the case because the suit he filed was a deliberate slander; and that felonious act of his is established conclusively: collect from such felons a fine for the sovereign of 5 rubles for such a slanderous case. Concerning that which he took from someone: order that exacted from him two-fold and give it back to that person from whom he took it. Moreover, inflict on him a severe punishment: order him beaten mercilessly with the knout at the chancellery in the presence of many people, and imprison him for whatever term the sovereign decrees so that no one will [suffer] deliberate financial losses at the hands of such felons.

    187. If that felon is exposed in such a slanderous case a second time: for such a second case collect from him for the sovereign a fine of 10 rubles. [Exact] also the financial losses two-fold of that person from whom he, having slandered him, took [the money]. Inflict punishment on him: order him beaten with the knout on the rack again at the chancellery. From the chancellery send him to prison for as long as the sovereign decrees. Order him beaten mercilessly with the knout again [on the way] to prison.

    188. If that felon is exposed in such a slanderous case a third time: for such a felony of his collect from him a fine of 20 rubles for the sovereign. [Exact] also the financial losses two-fold of that person from whom he, having slandered him, took [the money]. Inflict a punishment on him again: after beating him with the knout on the rack at the chancellery, send him [for continued flogging] into the market among the rows of shops so that various people will know about that, the reason why this punishment is being inflicted on him.

  • Having beaten him with the knout around the market places, cast him in prison for as long as the sovereign decrees. Henceforth do not sign for him any summonses for anyone it, any suits and do not grant him a trial.

    189. Concerning people of various ranks who proceed to petition against someone for loaned money, or for goods left in storage, or for any other loan; but they fail to include in their petitions and in the summonses to be delivered by the bailiff the notes, and loan memoranda, and any other documents for those debts, or stored property, or loans on those people against whom they proceed to petition: do not grant them a trial against those people, do not issue summonses in such suits, and do not send out the bailiffs.

    190. Concerning servicemen [sluzhilye] who are in the sovereign’s service in the regiments, and the regiments by the sovereign’s order are in the provincial towns; and military personnel proceed to petition against someone on the subject of stored goods in those towns where they are in the sovereign’s service: grant a trial to such people for the stored goods against those people against whom they petition, even if they lack written evidence because servicemen of various ranks are [routinely] in the sovereign’s service in the provincial towns and store their supplies and their gear and various movables at the houses of those people with whom they are billeted; and it happens that military personnel in the sovereign’s services are sent [routinely] on sudden missions, and at those times they leave behind all of their movables and supplies with those people where they are billeted.

  • If, after trial and investigation, it becomes necessary for military personnel to take stored goods from certain town residents: after trial and investigation, having exacted that stored property from them, return it to the plaintiffs. But if there is no evidence on which to base an investigation: the plaintiff and the defendant shall take an oath by kissing the cross in that case.

    191. If servicemen, deliberately slandering [someone], proceed to send a summons for someone in such storage cases, and that is established conclusively: after investigation, inflict on those servicemen who deliberately proceed to slander someone a severe punishment, beat them mercilessly with the knout.

    192. Except for service [sluzhba] in Moscow and in the provincial towns, do not grant a trial in storage cases to anyone without documentation so that no one thereby will suffer deliberate financial losses in slanderous suits at the hands of anyone.

    193. Concerning people of various ranks who give out their various projects for artisans to work on; and the artisans simply deny that they have [received] those projects, and there are petitioners against them for that: giant the petitioners a trial against such artisans, and after trial compile the decree that is necessary.

    194. If someone pawns something for debt with someone, or gives out something for safekeeping: and that pawn or item left for safekeeping perishes in a fire in the possession of that person to whom it was pawned or left for safekeeping, or thieves steal it, and his [the safekeeper’s] property is lost also at the same time as that which was deposited with him: that person who has in his possession such stored goods which are lost with his own property shall declare this to the neighbors and shall submit written declarations about this in the chancelleries, that such stored items in his possession perished not by his malicious intent.

  • If that person to whom the stored item belonged proceeds to petition against him, [and alleges that] that stored item of his in the possession of that person with whom he left it was together with his property, but only his stored item is lost and the property of that person is still present and intact: grant them a trial in that matter. After trial and investigation, compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    195. If someone deposits his own property for safekeeping with someone under his own seal and lock; and that person with whom [the goods] were deposited opens up those goods that belong to someone else, and breaks the seal, and examines [them] in the absence of that person to whom such goods belong; and that person to whom such property belongs proceeds to petition against him, and [alleges] that something from those goods of his is missing; and it is established about that conclusively that those goods of his were opened, and unsealed, and examined in his absence: after investigation exact that [part of the] deposit which is not actually present, as noted in the plaintiff’s petition from that person with whom they [the goods] were deposited under lock and seal. If any kind of dispute arises between them over that property: they shall take an oath by kissing the cross in that case.

    196. If someone in debt to someone for money, of anything else, pawns something until a certain date, and he gives a pawn note on that pawn of his; and in that note he writes that if he does not redeem that pawn of his on the date due: that loan note of his pawn becomes a purchase document.

  • Having given such a loan note, if he fails to redeem that pawn of his on the date due: henceforth he shall have no claim to that pawn of his. That person to whom he pawned it shall own his pawn. That person is free to sell or pawn that pawn, or to give it away in a dowry.

    197. If someone pawns a horse, or any other animal, for a debt until a certain date: and that horse, or any other animal, dies naturally in the possession of that person to whom it was pawned before the date, not from overwork, and not from starvation, and not [because it was] killed: that person in whose possession the pawn was [when it died] shall collect half of his debt from the borrower, but he shall not take the other half. If the borrower petitions against him, [alleging] that he committed some evil deed to his pawn, grant them a trial in that matter. After trial compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    198. If someone, contemplating felonious thoughts, forcibly invades someone’s house as part of an insurrectionary band; and murders that person whose house he invades, or his wife, or children, or slaves, and that is established conclusively: punish that person himself who committed the murder with death also. Beat all of his accomplices with the knout and exile them whither the sovereign decrees.

    199. If they do not murder that person whose [house] they invade, but only dishonor him in some way, or cause him some financial losses: order that person whom they dishonor and inflict financial losses on to exact his dishonor compensation and financial losses two-fold. Moreover, inflict on them for that felonious invasion of theirs a severe punishment, beat them with the knout.

  • If one of such felonious invaders at those times wounds someone, and that is established conclusively: cut off the hand of that person who wounded someone. Beat with the knout his accomplices who made the invasion with him and put them on bond so that henceforth they will not so feloniously comport themselves. Exact a two-fold dishonor compensation and maiming fee from all of them accordingly.

    200. If that person whose house they invaded with such [felonious] premeditation kills one of them in self-defense and [while] defending his own house and brings those killed to the judges; and it is established about that conclusively that he committed that homicide involuntarily, in self-defense: do not fault him for that. The person he killed brought his death on himself: do not forcibly invade someone else’s house.

    201. If someone himself begins a fight with someone, and a fight occurs between them; and in that right someone injures that person who earlier had begun the fight; and he proceeds to petition for his maiming fee against the person who injured him; and that person against whom he proceeds to petition does not deny that, but testifies that he injured him in self-defense; and it is established about that conclusively that that fight was initiated by that petitioner himself: do not give the verdict against the defendant for that fight, and do not award anything for the maiming fee to the injured party against him because that injured person himself is in the wrong.

    202. If someone boasts that he is going to do a wicked deed to someone, and he desires to burn down his house, or his threshing floor and the grain [stored there], or inflict some other loss: that person against whom he boasted that he would inflict such things shall announce it to neighbors, submit written declarations to the chancelleries, and petition for all investigation.

  • If that person against whom such declarations have been made denies having made such a boast, but in spite of [his denials] it is established about that conclusively that he boasted of such a feat: put him on strict surety bonds so that he will not commit such wicked deeds. If he does not post bond on himself in that matter: cast him in prison until that time when he posts bonds on himself in that matter.
  • If he posts bonds on himself in that matter, and some unknown people burn down the house or threshing floor of that person against whom he made his boast, or cause him some other losses: in the matter of that felony, torture that person who boasted that wicked deeds would be done to that person on whom such losses have been inflicted.
  • If under torture he confesses that this event happened because of him: order that person against whom he committed such a deed to exact all the losses from him. If something cannot be exacted from him: order that exacted from his guarantors.
  • If he flees somewhere and is not present in person, and if there is no one to torture in that felony: order that person against whom he committed such a deed to exact all of his losses from the guarantors of that fugitive.
  • If only that person who boasted of such wicked deeds is present in person, and under torture he does not proceed to testify against himself in that felony: he shall be freed in that case. Concerning the fact that he was tortured in that case: he brought it on himself by boasting that he would [commit] wicked deeds.

    203. If someone is in debt to someone for some reason on the basis of debt agreements, or notes, or any other documents; and if he is unable to pay that debt to him promptly because he fell into poverty by the will of God as a result of [an accidental] fiery blaze, or [because] his property sank by some means, or [because] robbers, or thieves, or any other evil people or soldiers ruined him and plundered his property: after review [of the circumstances], grant such debtors a deferment of a year or two or three for various debts, but do not grant a deferment for such debts for more than three years.

  • In the matter of such debts, get on them [the debtors] surety bonds [guaranteeing] that they will repay those debts to those people to whom they are due on the specified dates, without any delay, and that they will not flee anywhere, and will not defect, will not ride off anywhere into any other states. Order listed in that matter in the surety bond worthy people who can be trusted in that matter as guarantors for them. On the basis of those surety bonds order those debtors to pay [their] debts to those people to whom they are indebted for something on the specified dates, without any delay, without interest.
  • If some debtor fails to repay that debt on the specified date, and if he is not present in person: collect that debt from his guarantors and give it to that person to whom that debtor is indebted, also without interest.
  • If some debtor, having posted a bond on himself [guaranteeing] that he will not defect, commits treason and rides off into another state: both that treasonous offense of his and the debt are [the responsibilities of] his guarantors.
  • If that debtor dies before the specified date, and in the surety note it is written that he will pay that debt on a specified date, but he fails to pay that debt on that date: his guarantors shall pay that debt according to the debt agreement or note.
  • After the death of a borrower, his wife and children shall pay that debt. If nothing can be collected from the wife and children: collect that remaining debt from his guarantors, whoever is personally present.

    204. If no one guarantees such debtors for such debts, and they themselves have nothing with which to pay them off: for such debts turn them over [as slaves] to the plaintiffs until they are redeemed, with the exception of dvoriane and deti boiarskie. Beat dvoriane and deti boiarskie in the righter until that time when [their creditors] settle accounts with the debtors.

    205. If guarantors guarantee that someone will be available [for legal proceedings] by a specified date, and subsequently that person whose availability they guaranteed dies before the specified date: [creditors have] no claim on his guarantors on the basis of that guarantee note because they guaranteed his availability [for legal proceedings] but not the debts themselves.

    206. If someone takes money from someone as a loan, or something for trade, and wastes that debt through his own mindlessness, drinks it up, or steals it in some manner; and that is established conclusively; and he has no means to pay it back: turn him over as a slave to the plaintiff until he is redeemed.

    207. If someone inflicts violence, or an assault, or wounds, or any other losses and injuries on someone; and if there are petitioners against him for that: and that wrong he committed is established conclusively at trial, but he dies without having settled [accounts for] that same suit; and he leaves after his death votchinas and movable property, and his wife and children possess those votchinas of his and use his movable property: order plaintiffs to exact their claim from the wife and children of the deceased.

    208. If a pomeshchik, or all votchinnik, or their slaves and peasants drive someone else’s horses or any other kind of livestock to their own yards out of their own grain or unmown meadows: having made a declaration about that to neighbors, he [whose property was invaded] shall send for that person to whom the livestock belong so that he, coming with neighbors, will inspect his trampled grain or meadows.

  • If that person to whom that livestock belong, having come to him with neighbors, inspects his [the victim’s] trampled grain, or meadows, and pays for that trampled grain or grass of his: he shall return that livestock which he drove out of his own grain or meadows to that person to whom the livestock belong, all of it in the condition in which he found it.
  • If that person to whom the livestock belong does not come to inspect the trampled grain or meadows: [the victim] shall keep his livestock at his place; he shall petition the sovereign against him for the trampled grain and meadows, and he shall initiate a suit for judicial process.
  • If it is established conclusively about that at trial that his grain or meadows were trampled by that livestock, the livestock which he drove to his place: order him to exact in full [the damages done to] that trampled grain and meadows of his as assessed by the investigation from that person to whom the livestock belong. Moreover, older him to exact the assessed value of the fodder fed to the livestock from that person to whom that livestock belong. Finally, order the sovereign’s fees for the judicial case exacted two-fold from that losing defendant for his violations of the law.

    209. If someone, having driven another person’s livestock to his own yard from his grain or meadows, proceeds to keep [them] in a pen; and keeping them in the pen, starves them to death, and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: order exacted from him for that livestock which he starved its value as determined by the statutory price [in chapter 24, article 3], and give it to the plaintiff.

  • If someone earlier had traded that horse or any other animal with the plaintiff and had offered more money [than the statutory price], and that is established conclusively also: order him to exact for that dead horse or any other animal that price which the buyers offered from that person who starved it.

    210. If someone illegally, without doing harm [in the passage], drives [another] person’s herd of horses or other livestock from his own or from any other’s land to his own yard; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively at trial and investigation that he deliberately drove that herd to his own yard: order him to return that herd of horses or any other livestock to the plaintiff, all of it in the condition in which he found it.

  • If he starves to death or kills any animal: order exacted from him for that animal the statutory price two-fold, and give it to the plaintiff in accordance with that which is written above this. Finally, order the sovereign’s fees for the judicial case exacted from him for his illegal conduct two-fold.

    211. If someone desires to seize someone else’s land illegally; and toward that end sows that land belonging to someone else with grain; and proceeds to call that land his own land; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively at trial that he illegally sowed grain on that land belonging to someone else in order to seize that land from him: give all that grain, as much as is sown on that land, to that person to whom the land belongs.

  • If after the petition he lets the grain rot on that land belonging to someone else, or [maliciously allows his] cattle to trample it, or, having harvested [it], carries [it] home: for that illegal action, order that grain, having been measured, exacted from him two-fold. Having exacted it, give it to the plaintiff. Moreover, order the sovereign’s fees for the trial exacted from him for that same illegal act of his two-fold.

    212. If someone sows grain on his own land; and another [person] proceeds to claim falsely that that grain and land are his, and that is established conclusively at trial: similarly order the sovereign’s fees for the judicial case exacted two-fold from that plaintiff for his false petition.

    213. If someone illegally sows grain on the land of someone [else]: [the latter] shall initiate a suit for judicial process to recover that land and shall not take the law into his own hands. He shall not cart away grain from the field without a decree [permitting it] and [shall not permit his] livestock to knock the seeds out of the grain of trample it.

    214. If anyone has beaver runs on his votchina or pomest’e usufruct possessions, and these beaver runs are on property adjoining other votchina and pomest’e usufruct possessions: order the pomeshchiks and votchinniks of these adjoining usufruct possessions not to drive off the beavers from such beaver runs by any means.

  • If those adjacent pomeshchiks or votchinniks themselves, or their slaves and peasants, in some manner frighten away the beavers from someone’s usufruct possessions, or illegally kill the beavers, or steal them; and there are petitioners against them for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: order the plaintiffs to exact money from them for those beavers at the statutory price.
  • But if beavers leave someone’s usufruct possessions for someone else’s usufruct possession, and they proceed to live in the new place, and they abandon the old nest: that person shall possess that beaver nest on whose usufruct possession they are newly living. The pomeshchik or votchinnik of the former usufruct possession shall have no claim on the new beaver nest.

    215. If someone illegally snitches the hops on someone’s usufruct possession, and cuts down the plot sown with hops; and that is established conclusively at trial: order the plaintiff to exact the claim from him after investigation as demanded in the plea.

    216. If someone builds a bird blind on his own usufruct possession, and lures birds to that blind; and someone else out of enmity ruins that bird blind, and drives away the birds from that blind; or illegally proceeds to catch birds at that blind, or proceeds to shoot them; and that person to whom the blind belongs proceeds to petition the sovereign against him; and that illegal activity of his is established conclusively at trial: order the plaintiff’s claim exacted from him after investigation and give it to the plaintiff.

    217. If someone spoils such a bird blind belonging to another [person], smears it with tar, or garlic, or anything else, and thereby drives away the birds from that blind; or if someone steals a black grouse cone-shaped net or a partridge net; and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: for that the plaintiff shall exact from him 3 rubles for the black grouse cone-shaped net, and a ruble for a partridge net. For the fact that he spoiled that bird blind, inflict on him a punishment, beat him mercilessly with bastinadoes so that he and other such [types] will learn henceforth not to do that.

    218. If someone on someone else’s usufruct possession ruins a beehive tree, cuts the roots or sets fire to it, or by any other means deliberately causes any damage; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively that he committed such a deed: for such an illegal act exact from him after trial and investigation 3 rubles for a beehive tree with bees; 1.50 rubles for [such a tree] without bees, a tree in which there were bees earlier; .75 ruble for a tree in which a hive had been made, but there were no bees; .375 ruble for an unused tree stump, for however many of these he ruined.

    219. If someone scoops out someone’s bees, but does not damage the beehive trees: exact from him 1.50 rubles for all the bees. If someone steals hives with bees from anyone at home, or in an apiary, or in the forest, and that is established conclusively: exact from him 3 rubles each for any hive. Moreover, inflict a severe punishment on him for that, beat him with the knout. If someone intentionally cuts down a hollow tree with bees in someone else’s forest and scoops the honey out of that tree: exact 6 rubles from him for that and give it to the plaintiff.

    220. If a pomeshchik or votchinnik illegally cuts down a forest on someone else’s usufruct possession, and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established conclusively at trial that he committed such an illegal action: order the plaintiff to exact the money for the cutover forest from him at the statutory price.

    221. If someone illegally plucks, or steals at night, apples from apple trees in someone’s garden, and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: the plaintiff shall exact from him the losses according to his testimony.

  • If someone illegally cuts down or steals any tree in someone’s garden, and that is established conclusively at trial: exact from him 3 rubles for each tree.

    222. If someone illegally plunders or steals any vegetable from someone’s vegetable garden, and that is established conclusively: order the plaintiff to exact money for such vegetables from him, assessed on the basis of what kind of vegetable it is. Inflict punishment on him for the plundering or for the theft, depending on the case.

    223. If someone out of enmity proceeds to start a camp fire in camps in someone’s forest: and as a result a fire breaks out in that forest; of if a fire occurs in someone’s forest because of the carelessness of herdsmen of horses or other livestock; and by such a fire they inflict damage on a beehive tree and bees, and by that fire they drive the wild animals and birds out of that forest; and there are petitioners against them for that; and it is established about that conclusively at trial that such a fire occurred either by someone’s design or because of the herdsmen’s carelessness: collect from those people the fine that the sovereign decrees for such destruction by fire. Order the plaintiff to exact [his] losses from them after investigation.

  • If such a case occurs without anyone’s evil intent: do not exact the fine and the plaintiff’s claim from them.

    224. If someone proceeds to burn the straw in his own grain fields, or grass in the meadows: and at that time the fire gets out of hand, and burns up someone else’s grain fields or gardens; and there are petitioners against him for that: conduct an investigation about that. If in the investigation it is revealed that he committed the act with evil intent, that he set the fire when the wind was blowing, and that he did not protect another’s grain field or garden because of his own sloth, and that it would have been possible to protect [it]: order the plaintiffs to exact their losses from them after investigation.

    225. If the investigation [reveals] that the burning occurred without evil intent, that he set fire to his own grain fields or grass at a quiet time, but later the fire got out of control because of the wind, that the wind appeared suddenly as part of a storm or whirlwind: do not exact the plaintiffs’ claims from the defendants for such a fire because such all accidental fire occurred by God’s design, and not with the defendants’ intent.

    226. If someone’s house burns down by accident, and as a result the houses of other people catch on fire too: no one shall exact anything from that person whose house first caught fire because the accidental burning of his house occurred without his intent.

    227. If someone proceeds to stay at someone’s house as a renter; and if in his contract it is stipulated that he will not set fire to that house and will protect it from fire; and later a conflagration engulfs that house as a result of his negligence, and that house burns down: that person from whom he rented that house shall exact from him for that house the price which that house cost.

    228. If someone as a result of a certain enmity or plundering sets fire to someone’s house; and later he is arrested; and it is established about him conclusively that he caused the fire deliberately: punish such an arsonist, burn him [in a cage].

    229. If someone sends a summons to anyone for any kind of village injury; and that injury was committed by the slaves or peasants of that person to whom the summons is sent while they were fugitive slaves and peasants; and that person who is being sued by someone in such a case proceeds to petition that he does not know whether his slaves and peasants committed that injury, and whether the fugitive slaves and peasants are on his pomest’e or votchina, and that he be granted a continuance until he can learn something about that case: in such cases grant such petitioners a continuance, based on the distance [to the landholding or estate] according to statute, to gain information. Put them on surety bonds so that they will inform themselves about that injury and will appear for trial on that continuance date.

  • If he does not appear for trial on that date: do not direct the verdict against him for this, but order his guarantors to find him. Get a surety bond on those guarantors [to ensure] that they will present him promptly for the defense.
  • While they are hunting down that defendant: order the plaintiff to collect from them .10 ruble per day for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay.
  • If those guarantors proceed to petition the sovereign for an official order or for a bailiff for that defendant: issue them the sovereign’s official order for that defendant, or assign them a bailiff with a time limit based on the distance. While they are presenting him for trial, order exacted from them .10 ruble per day for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay.
  • If those guarantors do not present that defendant on that date which is written in the sovereign’s order, and proceed to petition the sovereign for a second continuance date based on the distance: grant them a second continuance date based on the distance. Order the plaintiff to exact from them the same .10 ruble per day for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay until that time when they produce that defendant.
  • If such guarantors do not produce that defendant on the second continuance date based on the distance: direct the verdict against that defendant in the plaintiff’s suit without trial. Order the plaintiff’s claim exacted from his guarantors and give it to the plaintiff.

    230. Order votchinniks and pomeshchiks to put up fencing between villages and hamlets [and share the expenses] equally. If any livestock enter someone’s field through someone’s fence, and that livestock trample the grain and knock it out of the stalks: order that person through whose fence the livestock passed into the field to pay the plaintiffs [sic] for that grain which has been trampled and knocked out of the stalks.

  • If pomeshchiks or estate owners have distant meadows, and someone’s arable land borders those meadows: that person to whom the arable belongs shall fence those places between the meadows and the arable. If his or someone else’s animal goes through that fence of his into those meadows and that animal tramples that meadow: that person to whom the fence belongs shall pay for that trampling.

    231. If anyone, on land belonging to the sovereign, or to an votchinnik or a pomeshchik, destroys a cadastral surveying boundary and clears away marking posts, or cuts down boundary markets, or levels off pits in the ground, or plows the land over boundaries [and thus obliterates them], and that is established conclusively at trial and investigation: beat such people mercilessly with the knout on the disputed boundaries. After beating them with the knout, cast them in prison for a week. Order the plaintiff to collect from them 5 rubles for each boundary marker [destroyed]. Order the boundaries and boundary markers restored and the pits redug as they were previously.

  • If peasants commit such an act between themselves in one rural district or in a village: similarly inflict a punishment on them for that, beat them with the knout also. Order them to restore the boundary and markers as they were previously.

    232. If there is nothing on which to base an investigation about such a case: in that [case], administer an oath, [have them] kiss the cross. If the plaintiff kisses the cross in the case: order him to exact from the defendant 5 rubles for each boundary marker [destroyed]. Do not inflict a punishment on him, but restore the boundary markings and various [other] markings as they were previously.

    233. If someone forcibly seizes laud from someone, or alters boundaries or landmarks, and that is established conclusively: having taken away that land of someone else’s from that person who committed the deed, give it back to that person from whom it was taken. Exact from him [the culprit] the fee for illegal possession of the land according to the sovereign’s decree, and inflict the punishment for the forcible seizure that the sovereign decrees.

    234. If somewhere the boundaries and landmarks are overgrown, and it is necessary to restore them; and that person to whom those boundaries and landmarks belong proceeds to petition the sovereign about that: in response to that petition of his, send a worthy dvorianin to those overgrown boundaries and landmarks. Order those boundaries and landmarks restored with [the participation of] long-time residents and neighbors in the presence of both pomeshchiks and the votchinniks between whose lands those boundaries and landmarks lie. Order those boundaries and landmarks registered in a book. Order that the old marks on such boundaries not be damaged so that henceforth the pomeshchiks and estate owners will have no dispute about that.

    235. If land belonging to peasants living in the sovereign’s court villages and the rural taxpaying districts borders on lands belonging to the patriarch, or metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, or pomeshchiks and votchinniks, and a dispute arises over such adjacent lands: investigate such disputed lands in the cadastral and tax review, and land allotment books, and in various other documents, [and by interrogating] long-time residents and various neighbors to whom the peasants of the court villages and rural taxpaying districts, and the votchinniks, and the pomeshchiks proceed to refer. After investigation, compile a decree on such disputed lands. Divide those disputed lands with [the participation of] the long-time residents on the basis of the old boundaries and landmarks.

    236. If for some reason it is impossible to compile a decree in the matter of such disputed lands, administer an oath on such disputed lands to the plaintiff and the defendant by [having them] walk around [the boundaries) with an icon. Order that person who took the oath on his soul at trial to walk with the icon.

    237. If on any disputed lands there are long-time residents on both sides; and a dispute arises among those long-time residents themselves, some longtime residents proceed to testify in favor of the plaintiff, and other long-time residents proceed to testify in favor of the defendant: on that disputed land the plaintiff and the defendant shall cast lots [to determine] which one of them will carry the icon around the contested land [to verify] the testimony of the long-time residents. He who is singled out by the lot shall walk the boundary of the contested land with the icon.

    238. If a pomeshchik or an votchinnik desires to build a dam on a river in his pomest’e or votchina, and [then] build a new mill, and both banks of that river are his; and if upstream from that dam on that same river other pomeshchiks and votchinniks do not have old mills, and arable lands, and hay meadows close to the banks of that mill, or if they do, but no damage will be caused to those upstream mills, and arable, and hay meadows by that new pond water: he is free to build that new mill.

  • But if on that very river someone else above that [place] has mills that were built long ago, or someone’s arable lands or hay meadows come down close to the banks of that river, and if damage would be inflicted on those earlier mills and arable and hay meadows by his new pond water: he shall not build a new dam on that river and shall not construct a mill.
  • If he illegally builds a mill in that place, and floods someone’s upstream mills, or arable, or hay meadows with the pond water, and as a result of his illegal act any losses are inflicted on anybody; and there are petitioners against him for that, and that is established conclusively at trial: order him to let out the water so that there will be no damage done to upstream mills, and arable, and hay meadows. Concerning the losses he inflicted on someone with that new mill: after investigation, order those losses extracted from him, and give them in full to the plaintiff.
  • If he built the dam of that mill across the river to someone else’s bank, and there are petitioners against him for that: order him to remove that dam from the other bank. Order him henceforth not to build that dam across to the other person’s bank.

    239. If someone has wild beehives, or fish weirs, lakes, or hay meadows in a forest belonging to the sovereign, or a pomeshchik, or an votchinnik: those people shall possess those wild beehives, and lakes, and hay meadows of theirs according to the old boundaries. No one shall newly expand hay meadows beyond the boundaries onto someone else’s land.

  • If those old hay meadows are overgrown with forest: they shall clear those hay meadows inside their own boundaries. They shall not clear the forest beyond the boundaries onto someone else’s land, and they shall not [thereby) expand the hay meadows.
  • If in that forest someone’s beehive tree, with bees or without bees, falls over, and he desires to cut the bees out of that tree, or cut out the hive without the bees: he is free to take those bees with the hive out of the forest, but he shall leave the upper branches and roots in the forest for that person to whom that forest belongs.
  • He in no way shall cart off any construction materials or firewood from that forest belonging to someone else. He shall not meddle in that forest that belongs to someone else, and he shall not call it his own forest.
  • Similarly, those people to whom that forest belongs shall not illegally take possession of someone else’s beehives, and fish weirs, and hay meadows, and they shall in no way meddle in those usufruct possessions.

    240. If those people who possess that forest desire to clear that forest: when clearing that forest, they shall inflict no damage to a beehive tree. If someone clearing a forest cuts down someone else’s beehive tree with bees, or without bees, or burns it down with fire, or if someone plows up to someone else’s beehive tree with his two-pronged wooden plow on arable in his field, and inflicts damage on those beehive trees; and there are petitioners against them for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: order the statutory price for that beehive tree exacted from them and give it to the plaintiffs.

    241. If someone clears and plows up his entire forest, and in that forest of his there are lakes and hay meadows that belong to others: he shall in no way by this action meddle with those lakes and hay meadows belonging to others. He shall not deny access to those lakes and hay meadows to those people to whom those lakes or hay meadows belong. He shall allow them a road to those usufruct possessions.

  • Those people to whom such usufruct possessions belong, when going to their usufruct possessions, shall not trample the arable and hay meadows and shall not inflict any losses.

    242. If someone in his own forest illegally fishes out others’ lakes, or mows [others’] hay fields, and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: order the plaintiff to exact the losses from him after investigation.

    243. If according to the cadastral books certain votchinniks and pomeshchiks have their wild beehives on their pomest’ia and votchina lands, or also according to the cadastral books they have forests awarded for service within the confines of their boundaries and borders: those estate owners and pomeshchiks are free to clear those wild beehives and forests awarded for service of theirs inside their own boundaries and borders (which boundaries and borders are recorded in the cadastral books), for arable and hay meadows. They are free to set up villages and hamlets.

    244. If someone proceeds to sue someone for a votchina, or a house, or a shop, or a mill, of any other kind of fixture on a votchina or pomest’e; and the defendant, while litigating with the plaintiff and not waiting for the decree in the judicial case, sells or mortgages that for which the plaintiff was suing him to someone, and after trial and investigation it becomes necessary to give the verdict against him in that [case]: take that from that person to whom he sold it and give it to the plaintiff. Order that person who bought that from him [to get] back the money from him at the purchase and at the mortgage price.

  • If after trial and investigation it becomes necessary in such a suit to give the verdict to the defendant, and to give it against the plaintiff: do not take from the purchaser that which the defendant sold or mortgaged to him.

    245. If someone, having executed on himself a loan document for borrowed money, or a document clearing the debt of a votchina, or a document concerning any other business, dies; and his wife and children, or any others of his clan, have survived him and inherited his property; and when he was living, he had a trial with plaintiffs over the borrowed money based on the loan documents, and on the clearing of the debt of the votchina based on the registered notes; but the judicial proceedings were not completed at the time of his death; but on the basis of these judicial proceedings it became necessary to give the verdict against him: according to those proceedings, order the plaintiffs to exact their claims from the wife and children of that deceased, or from other members of his clan, whoever is left after him in his property, and to whom his estates have been granted.

  • If, while he was still alive, he and the plaintiffs did not have a trial concerning those loan documents and various other documents of that deceased: and the plaintiffs want to pursue their suits based on those documents against the wife and children of that deceased, or against others of his clan, to whom his movable property and estates have been bequeathed: grant them a trial in those suits of theirs against the wife and children of that deceased and against the other members of his clan. After trial and investigation, compile the decree for him that is necessary.

    246. Concerning people who proceed to borrow money or anything else in loan documents from someone; or who proceed to give notes or any other documents on themselves for large transactions: order them to write loan documents and various [other] documents on themselves, and have town square scribes sign them as witnesses in Moscow and in the provincial towns. Register witnesses in documents in Moscow and in the Provincial towns: five and six people each in large transactions, and two and three people in small transactions. Do not register less than two people as witnesses in any documents. They shall give such loan documents and various other documents on themselves signed in their own hands.

  • Those who are illiterate shall order their spiritual fathers, or their own natural brothers, or uncles, or kinsmen, or whomever they trust in this, to affix their signatures to those loan documents and to all other documents in their stead.
  • No one except town square scribes shall write documents on anyone without witnesses.
  • If someone who himself is borrowing money, or anything else, from someone, writes a loan memorandum on himself in his own hand, or orders his own slave to write that memorandum on himself; and himself signs that memorandum: believe such loan memoranda and grant a trial on the basis of them.

    247. If anybody in a village or hamlet happens to borrow from someone money in the amount of 5, or 6, or 10 rubles, or grain, or anything else for a stated money value; or someone rents out a usufruct possession for such a price; and he is literate, and himself writes the document for himself; or he orders someone to write it, but signs it himself, although without witnesses: for that reason believe such documents, and grant a trial on the basis of them.

    248. Concerning people in the villages and hamlets who are illiterate: in such moderate transactions they shall order such documents written for themselves by civil administration scribes, or church scribes, or someone else of other villages. They shall order their spiritual fathers or someone else among the neighbors they trust in this to affix their signatures to those documents in their stead.

    249. Concerning people who proceed to get such documents on someone: they shall not order their own priests, and scribes, and slaves to write such documents within their own votchinas?? and pomest’ia. If such documents come to light in someone’s presence: do not believe such documents because the priests and scribes of their own villages wrote those documents.

    250. Order people of all ranks to write documents of purchase of votchinas and houses, and mortgages, and dowries, and all other documents involving large transactions in Moscow and in the provincial towns. The town square scribes on the town squares shall record themselves as witnesses.

  • In the villages, and hamlets, and isolated homesteads no one shall write such documents for large transactions, except for wedding contracts, and marriage registrations, and wills, and loan memoranda.

    251. If someone, contemplating feloniously and colluding with the town square scribes, writes a loan document for a large debt, or any other document involving a large transaction on someone out of his presence; and, having written that document, summons him to his house, or to someone else’s house, and orders him to affix his hand to that document, or orders him to write in his own hand a loan document on anything involuntarily: that person to whom such a deed is done shall make an announcement to [his] neighbors about the one who did such a deed to him. He shall also submit declarations to the chancellery directors in the chancelleries, and to the governors and chancellery officials in the provincial towns immediately after such a deed is done to him, on the same day. He shall petition against those people who did such a deed to him and [ask for] a visual confrontation and an investigation promptly, in three or four days, and at most a week.

  • If someone proceeds to petition against someone about such a case: in response to that petition, the chancellery directors, and governors, and various chancellery officials, after locating those people against whom the petition was filed, shall interrogate and arrange a visual confrontation [of them] with the petitioners, and shall conduct a rigorous investigation using all methods of inquiry.
  • If the case goes to torture, torture those people to whom it leads.
  • If it is established that someone took any document on someone else feloniously and against his will: inflict a severe punishment on such people who proceed to take such documents by compulsion, beat them mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people so that they and others like them will learn not to commit such a felony henceforth. Order those people on whom they issued such felonious documents to exact their dishonor compensation from them. Moreover, for that offense, imprison them for half a year.
  • Inflict a punishment on the town square scribes who feloniously proceed to write such documents in the absence [of a party]: cut off a hand [of the felon].
  • Concerning the persons who feloniously proceed to sign such documents as witnesses: inflict a severe punishment on them, beat them with the knout around the market places, and imprison them for as long as the sovereign decrees.

    252. If someone, having given any kind of document on himself to someone, proceeds to file a declaration and to petition the sovereign against that person to whom he gave that document and to testify that that document was taken on him against his will; and in that matter he proceeds to call people of the vicinity [as witnesses] after collusion [with them); but that document was written on the public square: and the public square scribes themselves signed that document as witnesses; and his [the plaintiff’s] signature is on that document; and that person to whom he gave that document on himself and the public square scribes testify in a visual confrontation with him that that document is legitimate, and not forged: and those people whom that petitioner called [as witnesses] in collusion with them call that document a forgery; but later it is established conclusively that that document is genuine, and not forged; and they denied its authenticity in order not to pay the plaintiff’s claim based on it: inflict a severe punishment on that petitioner for such a perjured petition of his, and also on those people who proceed to testify falsely on his behalf in collusion with him, order them beaten mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people so that they and others like them henceforth will learn not to do that.

  • Order that person against whom they deliberately initiated the case to exact from them his dishonor compensation, and also his claim based on the document in full.
  • Cast him [the plaintiff] in prison for half a year.

    253. If someone, having given any document on himself to someone else, proceeds to deny that document at trial; but that document bears his signature and that document was written on the public square; and the public square scribes are signed as witnesses to that document; and prior to the trial [he filed] no petition or declarations against that document: do not believe such defendants. Order the plaintiffs’ claims exacted from them according to such documents and turn them over to the plaintiffs.

    254. If someone on the basis of a loan document proceeds to sue someone for the money loaned, or anything else; and the borrower in defense says that he has already repaid the plaintiff the borrowed money or anything else in that loan document; but that payment is not registered on the loan document; and he does not produce a receipt for that payment, or he produces a receipt, but the signature of the plaintiff is not on that receipt: do not believe them [defendants making such claims] in that matter. Order the money and other debts exacted from them on the basis of the loan documents and give it back in full to the plaintiffs as recorded in the loan documents.

    255. Plaintiffs shall exact the principal of loaned money on the basis of loan documents and wills from borrowers, but they shall not exact any interest on this loaned money because, by the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers, it is ordered that interest not be collected on loaned money.

    256. Grant a trial on the basis of loan documents within fifteen years. Do not grant a trial for loaned money on the basis of loan documents after fifteen years.

    257. If a loan document is older than fifteen years, and a payment was made on it, and it is written down in which year the payment was made and that is signed explicitly on the loan document: giant a trial for the remaining loaned money on the basis of the loan document even though it is older than fifteen years, beginning with that year when the payment was made and for [the following] fifteen years.

    258. If someone proceeds to sue someone for loaned money on the basis of loan documents that were issued, and the load documents have not yet expired; and on the loan documents it is written that these loan documents were issued to them for debt, or that these loan documents were given to them as gift documents: order the plaintiffs to exact the loaned money without interest from the borrowers on the basis of those issued loan documents.

  • If that loan document which the plaintiff produces in the judicial process is not signed, and he has in his possession no gift document for that loan document in whose name that loan document was written: do not grant a trial on the basis of that loan document.

    259. If someone denies the authenticity of a loan document, and he is convicted in that matter -- that he falsely denied the authenticity of the loan document: the plaintiff shall exact the debt two-fold from him for that.

  • If that borrower, having [initially] denied the authenticity of that document at trial, confesses without leaving the trial that he deliberately had denied the authenticity of that loan document: collect the debt from him on the basis of that loan document only once because he himself declared his guilt.

    260. If someone is indebted to Russians of various ranks and to foreigners; and the Russian and foreign plaintiffs proceed to sue him in a judicial process for their own debts; and that debtor, desiring not to pay the foreigner his debt, proceeds to avoid him because he is indebted to many Russians, besides that foreigner: order the foreigner to exact the debt money from such a debtor first, and order the Russians to exact their debt from him afterward.

  • Moreover, if it is necessary to exact something from someone for the sovereign’s treasury, and at the same time [civil] plaintiffs petition against him for debts: exact from him first what is due the sovereign, and order him to pay his debts to [other] creditors afterward.

    261. Concerning dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and people of various ranks who are found liable in judicial proceedings in plaintiffs’ suits for documented and undocumented debts: they, or their slaves, shall sit in the righter for one month for every hundred rubles. Concerning those who are found liable for more or less than one hundred rubles: they shall sit there according to the same calculation.

  • Concerning people who proceed to petition for a postponement: they shall postpone [paying] the money for a month, but do not give them a longer continuance than that in plaintiffs’ suits so that the plaintiffs will not suffer excessive loss stemming from delay in that case.

    262. Concerning those people who proceed to contest their opponent’s claims while in the righter, but have the means to [pay their debts] and buy their way out of it: after the statutory month order an appraisal of their houses and movable property, and surrender [them to satisfy] the plaintiff’s claim; or, order the plaintiff’s claim exacted for them from their slaves and peasants on their pomest’ia and votchinas.

    263. If someone has no means to pay a plaintiff’s claim, and his votchina is not populated: having appraised that votchina, give it to the plaintiff in payment. If the plaintiff does not want to take that vacant votchina, sell that votchina to third persons who wish to buy it and give the money in payment to the plaintiff.

  • If that votchina is a clan [estate], or one that was awarded for service, and relatives desire to acquire it for that price at which it was appraised: give that votchina to the relatives for that price, and, having collected the money for that votchina, give it in payment to the plaintiff.
  • If that money which was received from someone for that estate exceeds the plaintiff’s claim: give that extra money back to that person whose votchina was sold.
  • If the sale of the votchina yields less money than the plaintiff’s claim: that money which is still lacking to pay the plaintiffs suit shall be exacted from that person who owes that money.

    264. If service personnel of various ranks [sluzhilym vsyakix qinov], excepting the lesser ranks, lack the means to buy themselves out of the righter: exact from them themselves and from their slaves the money owed after the statutory month without the slightest mercy. Do not turn them over to the plaintiffs as slaves, with the exception of those deti boiarskie who are serving as bailiffs.

    265. If musketeers have no means to repay the borrowed money recorded in loan contracts or in plaintiffs’ suits: do not turn them over as slaves to the plaintiffs [to satisfy] the plaintiffs’ claims. Pay 4 rubles apiece per year from the sovereign’s cash salary for them to the plaintiffs. While they are being freed from their debts, they shall serve for their grain salary only.

    266. Concerning cossacks, and gunners, and artillerymen, and servicemen of other lesser ranks and all taxpayers who have no means to buy themselves out of the righter: after the statutory month, hand them over as slaves to the plaintiff until they are redeemed.

  • They shall perform slave labor [and thereby redeem themselves] at the rate of 5 rubles per year for males and 2.50 rubles per year for females.
  • Concerning that person to whom they are given: get a written surety bond on them [from third persons guaranteeing] that they will not kill and will not injure them.
  • When those people who were handed over into slavery have performed slave labor for the stipulated years, present them in the chancellery.

    267. If such people who were handed over [into slavery] flee from [their creditors], those people from whom they fled shall file a declaration about that in that chancellery from which those people were handed over to them as slaves.

    268. If someone proceeds to petition against someone that he has killed a person [who had been] handed over as a slave: conduct an investigation about that, and if it is established conclusively, [inflict the punishment] for that homicide which the sovereign decrees.

    269. Concerning taxpayers of various hundreds and settlements, and merchants and various townsmen in the towns who proceed to sit in the righter in plaintiffs’ suits based on loan notes and on court records produced by people exempt from paying taxes, and they have no means to buy themselves out [of the righter], although they do own houses and shops: sell those houses and shops of theirs to [other] taxpayers to pay off the plaintiff’s claim, but do not give over and do not sell those houses and shops of theirs to the people exempt from taxes [to satisfy] the claim.

    270. Concerning people brought into a chancellery who were caught red-handed with plunder: on the basis of the red-handed evidence grant plaintiffs a trial against those people who have been brought in for arraignment. After trial, [compile the decree] that is necessary.

    271. Concerning people who have been arraigned and handed over to bailiffs for detention until [the issuance of] a decree [in their case]; but the bailiffs release those arraigned people, and the plaintiffs proceed to petition against those bailiffs to the sovereign for a decree in the matter of their release of those arraigned people: put the bailiffs on surety bonds, and order them to hunt down those arraigned people. For the hunt, give them [the bailiffs] the statutory time limits so that, having hunted down those arraigned people, they can present them in the chancellery.

  • If the bailiffs do not hunt down these arraigned people within the statutory time limits: exact the plaintiffs’ claims from those bailiffs and from their guarantors. Do not torture those bailiffs in the matter of the detainees’ flight.
  • If there is nothing from which a plaintiff’s claim can be exacted from those bailiffs and their guarantors: turn over those bailiffs as slaves to the plaintiffs until they are redeemed. Get written surety bonds on those plaintiffs that they will do no wrong to them and will not injure them.

    272. If a master craftsman takes jewelry merchandise from someone -- a diamond, or ruby, or emerald or yellow sapphire, or any other precious stone -- for polishing, or faceting, or the cutting of a seal; and through negligence he breaks that gem, or inflicts any other damage on it; and there are petitioners against him for that: exact from him for that stone a price appraised by third persons.

    273. If someone takes from someone garments as a loan until any specific time; or if a tailor takes clothing to work on it; and [he allows] those garments to be eaten by mice, or spoils [them] in some other way; and there are petitioners against him for that: the plaintiffs shall exact from them the value of that eaten garment, and give the clothing back to them [who ruined it].

    274. If someone hires a horse, or something else, from someone and ruins it; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively at trial that he ruined what he had hired: order plaintiffs to exact from him a price determined in an appraisal by third persons for that hired article. Give what he ruined back to him.

    275. If someone hires himself out to someone to guard his house or shop, or anything else; and he posts a bond on himself in that; and later on something thing under his guard is stolen; and there are petitioners against him for that: and it is established about that conclusively that something was stolen [while it was] under his guard: order that which was stolen exacted from that guard and his guarantors.

  • If he and his guarantors have no means to repay what was stolen: turn them over to the plaintiff [as slaves] for the claim until they redeem themselves.

    276. If someone proceeds to make an agreement for a trading venture with someone, and one partner of them goes off on a journey somewhere with the money or with merchandise for trading, and on the road criminals rob him and they take the goods and the money from him down to the last item; and his partner proceeds to bring suit against him for his half of those goods and the money; and if it is established about that conclusively at trial that robbers robbed him and took the goods and money down to the last item: order his partner not to exact those goods and money from him because that plundering was inflicted on him by an event out of his control.

  • But if it is established that robbers approached him, but they took none of the property: exact that claim from the guilty party and give it to the plaintiff.

    277. If someone proceeds to set up buildings in his yard close to his neighbor’s property line: he shall not set up buildings on the property line of his neighbor. If someone sets up buildings on the property line, and there is a petition against him for that: order that person to remove the buildings from the property line.

    278. No one shall build a stove or kitchen in his house or yard adjoining the wall of his neighbor[‘s house]. But if someone does build a stove or kitchen in his house or yard adjacent to his neighbor’s wall, and there is a petition by his neighbor against him for that: break that stove or kitchen of his away from his neighbor’s wall so that nothing bad will happen to his neighbor on account of his kitchen or stove.

    279. If someone has tall buildings in his yard, but his neighbor has ground-level buildings close to those tall buildings: he shall not pour water and hurl garbage from his tall buildings on to those low buildings of his neighbor, and shall not inflict any other nuisance on that neighbor of his.

  • If he proceeds to pour water or hurl garbage on to those low buildings of his neighbor, or commit any other outrage, and that is established conclusively at trial: order him to remove those high buildings of his away from such neighboring buildings.
  • If he does not remove those buildings of his away from the neighboring buildings, and he inflicts that same nuisance on his neighbor as before: order those buildings of his demolished so that henceforth his neighbor will suffer no illegal actions of any sort by him.

    280. If someone is cursing someone, calls him a whore’s son, and that person whom he called a whore’s son proceeds to petition the sovereign against him about the dishonor; and it is established about that plaintiff conclusively at trial that he is not a whore’s son: after investigation, order him to exact from that person who called him a whore’s son his dishonor compensation two-fold without any mercy.

  • If [witnesses] testify in an investigation about that petitioner that he is in fact a whore’s son, that he was begotten by a concubine before [the father had] a legal wife, or while [he had] a legal wife, or after [he had] a legal wife: reject such whores’ sons [in their claims for] dishonor compensation.
  • Do not consider [him one of] the legal children of that person who begat him by a concubine and do not give him the pomest’ia and votchinas of that person who begat him illegally.
  • If that person who begat that whore’s son by a concubine marries that concubine: he still shall not consider that whore’s son [one of] the legal children. That person shall not give his pomest’ia and votchinas to his whore’s son because he illegally begat that whore’s son by his concubine prior to the marriage.

    281. If someone deliberately sics his dog on someone; and that dog of his bites that person on whom he sicked it, or rips his clothing; and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively at trial: order the plaintiff to exact front him [his] dishonor compensation, and maiming fee, and losses [all] two-fold. If there is nothing on which to base an investigation about that matter: at trial grant them an oath, a kissing of the cross, in that matter [to resolve the dispute]

    282. If someone deliberately kills someone’s dog: after investigation, having exacted the statutory price for that dog from him, give it to the plaintiff.

    283. If someone kills a dog with his bare hands in self-defense, not with a weapon: he shall not pay the price for that dog, and do not fault him for that.

    284. If someone’s dog rushes people; or an animal, a cow, or bull, or goat, or ram butts people or an animal; and he [the owner] does not proceed to keep such a dog on a leash and to look after the animal; and as a result of his carelessness something bad happens to someone or losses are caused by that dog or animal of his; and there are petitioners against him for that; and that is established conclusively: order all those losses exacted front him [and] given to the plaintiff.

  • Order him strictly in that matter that in the future he must keep that dog on a leash and the animal within a fence so that henceforth nothing bad will happen to anyone because of that animal.
  • If he does not proceed to keep that dog of his on a leash and his animal within a fence, and something bad happens to someone because of that dog or that animal, and there are petitioners against him for that: order such petitioners to exact their claims from him on the basis of their testimony without trial, and, having taken that animal from him, give it to the petitioners.

    285. If someone proceeds to sue someone for swine, or mares, or cows, or sheep, or any other animal, or bees, and their offspring after [several] years have passed, about five years, or more or less; and at trial and investigation the plaintiff is shown to be right in his claim: for the swine, and for the mares, and for the cows, and the sheep, or any other animal, and bees, he shall exact that which someone had seized from him. Reject [his claim] for the offspring because he did not demand all of it in that year when someone seized something from him.

    286. If someone proceeds to sue someone for [illegally using or mowing] acres of hay meadows, and he wins the suit for those hay meadows: order him to exact from the plaintiff .30 ruble for each 2.7 acres of hay meadow.

    287. If someone proceeds to sue someone for ricks of cut hay, piled up in ricks, and he wins the suit: order him to exact from the defendant .03 ruble for each rick of cut hay.

     

    CHAPTER 11. - The Judicial Process for Peasants. In It Are 34 Articles.

    1. Concerning the sovereign’s peasants and landless peasants of court villages and rural taxpaying districts who, having fled from the sovereign’s court villages and from the rural taxpaying districts, are now living under the patriarch, or under the metropolitans, and under the archbishops, and the bishop [sic]; or under monasteries; or under boyars, or under courtiers, and under counselors, and under chamberlains, and under stol’niki, and under striapchie, and under Moscow dvoriane, and under state secretaries, and under zhil’tsy, and under provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and under foreigners, and under all votchinniks and pomeshchiks; and in the cadastral books, which books the census takers submitted to the Pomest’e Prikaz and to other chancelleries after the Moscow fire of the past year 1626, those fugitive peasants or their fathers were registered [as living] under the sovereign: having hunted down those fugitive peasants and landless peasants of the sovereign, cart them [back] to the sovereign’s court villages and to the rural taxpaying districts, to their old allotments as [registered in] the cadastral books, with their wives, and with their children, and with all their movable peasant property, without any statute of limitations.

    2. Similarly, if votchinniks and pomeshchiks proceed to petition the sovereign about their fugitive peasants and about landless peasants; and they testify that their peasants and landless peasants, having fled from them, are living in the sovereign’s court villages, and in rural taxpaying districts, or as townsmen in the urban taxpaying districts, or as musketeers, or as cossacks, or as gunners, or as any other type of servicemen in the trans-Moscow or in the frontier towns; or under the patriarch, or under the metropolitans, or under the archbishops and bishops; or under monasteries; or under boyars, and under courtiers, and under counselors, and under chamberlains, and under stol’niki, and under striapchie, and under Moscow dvoriane, and under state secretaries, and under zhil’tsy, and under provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and under foreigners, and under any votchinniks and pomeshchiks: return such peasants and landless peasants after trial and investigation on the basis of the cadastral books, which books the census takers submitted to the Pomest’e Prikaz after the Moscow fire of the past year 1626, if those fugitive peasants of theirs, or the fathers of those peasants of theirs, were recorded [as living] under them in those cadastral books, or [if] after those cadastral books [were compiled] those peasants, or their children, were recorded in new grants [as living] under someone in books allotting lands or in books registering land transfers. Return fugitive peasants and landless peasants from flight on the basis of the cadastral books to people of all ranks, without any statute of limitations.

    3. If it becomes necessary to return fugitive peasants and landless peasants to someone after trial and investigation: return those peasants with their wives, and with their children, and with all their movable property, with their standing grain and with their threshed grain. Do not impose a fine for those peasants [on their current lords] for the years prior to this present Law Code.

  • Concerning peasants who, while fugitives, married off their unmarried daughters, or sisters, or kinswomen to peasants of those estate owners and pomeshchiks under whom they were living, or elsewhere in another village or hamlet: do not fault that person and, on the basis of the status of those unmarried women, do not hand over the husbands to their former estate owners and pomeshchiks because until the present sovereign’s decree there was no rule by the sovereign that no one could receive peasants [to live] under him. [Only] statutes of limitations [on the recovery of] fugitive peasants were decreed and, moreover, in many years after the census takers [did their work], the votchinas and pomest’ia of many votchinniks and pomeshchiks changed hands.

    4. If fugitive peasants and landless peasants are returned to someone: chancellery officials of the sovereign’s court villages and the rural taxpaying districts, and estate owners, and pomeshchiks shall get from those people [to whom the fugitives are returned] inventory receipts, signed by them, for those peasants and landless peasants of theirs and their movable property in case of dispute in the future.

  • Order the town public square scribes to write the inventory receipts in Moscow and in the provincial towns; in villages and hamlets where there are no public square scribes, order the civil administration or church scribes of other villages to write such inventories. They shall issue such inventory receipts signed by their own hand.
  • Concerning people who are illiterate: those people shall order their own spiritual fathers, or people of the vicinity whom they trust, to sign those inventory receipts in their stead. No one shall order his own priests, and scribes, and slaves to write such inventories so that henceforth there will be no dispute by anybody or with anybody over such inventories.

    5. Concerning the vacant houses of peasants and landless peasants, or [their] house lots, registered in the cadastral books with certain estate owners and pomeshchiks; and in the cadastral books it is written about the peasants and landless peasants of those houses that those peasants and landless peasants fled from them in the years prior to [the compilation of] those cadastral books, but there was no petition from them against anyone about those peasants throughout this time: do not grant a trial for those peasants and landless peasants on the basis of those vacant houses and vacant lots because for many years they did not petition the sovereign against anyone about those peasants of theirs.

    6. If fugitive peasants and landless peasants are returned from someone to plaintiffs after trial and investigation, and according to the cadastral books; or if someone returns [fugitives] without trial according to [this] Law Code: on the petition of those people under whom they had lived while fugitives, register those peasants in the Pomest’e Prikaz [as living] under those people to whom they are returned.

  • Concerning those people from whom they are taken: do not collect any of the sovereign’s levies [due from the peasants] from such pomeshchiks and votchinniks on the basis of the census books. Collect all of the sovereign’s levies from those estate owners and pomeshchiks under whom they proceed to live as peasants upon their return.

    7. If, after trial and investigation, and according to the cadastral books, peasants are taken away from any votchinniks and returned to plaintiffs from their purchased votchinas; and they purchased those votchinas from votchinniks with those peasants [living on them] after [the compilation of] the cadastres; and those peasants are registered on their lands in the purchase documents: those votchinniks, in the stead of those returned peasants, shall take from the sellers similar peasants with all [their] movable property, and with [their] standing grain and with [their] threshed grain, from their other votchinas.

    8. Concerning those estate owners and pomeshchiks who in the past years had a trial about fugitive peasants and landless peasants; and at trial someone’s [claims] to such fugitive peasants were rejected, prior to this decree of the sovereign, on the basis of the statute of limitations on the recovery of fugitive peasants in the prior decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory; and those fugitive peasants and landless peasants were ordered to live under those people under whom they lived out the years [of the] statute of limitations: or certain pomeshchiks and votchinniks arranged an amicable agreement in past years, prior to this decree of the sovereign, about fugitive peasants and landless peasants, and according to the amicable agreement someone ceded his peasants to someone else, and they confirmed it with registered documents, or they submitted reconciliation petitions [to settle court suits] : all those cases shall remain as those cases were resolved prior to this decree of the sovereign. Do not consider those cases anew and do not renegotiate [them].[i][i]

    9. Concerning peasants and landless peasants registered under someone in the census books of the past years 1645/46 and 1646/47; and after [the compilation of] those census books they fled from those people under whom they were registered in the census books, or they proceed to flee in the future: return those fugitive peasants and landless peasants, and their brothers, and children, and kinsmen, and grandchildren with [their] wives and with [their] children and with all [their] movable property, and with [their] standing grain and with threshed grain, from flight to those people from whom they fled, on the basis of the census books, without any statute of limitations. Henceforth no one ever shall receive others’ peasants and shall not retain them under himself.

    10. If someone after this royal Law Code proceeds to receive and retain under himself fugitive peasants, and landless peasants, and their children, and brothers, and kinsmen; and votchinniks and pomeshchiks demand those fugitive peasants of theirs from them [in a trial] : after trial and investigation, and according to the census books, return those fugitive peasants and landless peasants of theirs to them with [their] wives and with [their] children, and with all their movable property, and with [their] standing grain, and with [their] threshed grain, and with [their] grain still in the ground, without any statute of limitations.

  • Concerning the length of the time they live under someone as fugitives after this royal Law Code: collect from those under whom they proceed to live 10 rubles each for any peasant per year for the sovereign’s taxes and the pomeshchik’s incomes. Give [the money] to the plaintiffs whose peasants and landless peasants they are.

    11. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign against someone about such fugitive peasants and landless peasants; and those peasants and their fathers are not registered in the cadastral books under either the plaintiff or the defendant, but those peasants are registered under the plaintiff or the defendant in the census books of the past years 1645/46 and 1646/47: on the basis of the census books, return those peasants and landless peasants to that person under whom they are registered in the census books.

    12. If a peasant’s daughter of marriageable age flees from someone, from a votchina or from a pomest’e, after this royal decree; and while a fugitive she marries someone’s limited service contract slave [kabalnogo cheloveka] or a peasant; or after this royal decree someone entices a peasant’s daughter of marriageable age, and having enticed [her] , marries her to his own limited service contract slave, or peasant, or landless peasant; and that person from whom she fled proceeds to petition the sovereign about her; and it is established about that conclusively at trial and investigation that that unmarried young woman fled, or was enticed away: return her to that person from whom she fled, along with her husband and with her children, which children she bore by that husband. Do not return her husband’s movable property with her.

    13. If that fugitive unmarried young woman marries someone’s slave or peasant who is a widower; and prior [to his marriage] to her, that husband of hers had children by his first wife: do not return those first children of her husband to the plaintiff. They shall remain with that person in whose possession they were born into slavery or into peasantry.

    14. If a plaintiff proceeds to sue for stolen property along with that fugitive unmarried young woman [which she allegedly stole when she fled]: grant him a trial for that. After trial compile the decree that is necessary.

    15. If a peasant widow flees from someone; and her husband had been registered in the cadastral or allotment books, and in extracts [from them], or in any other documents among the peasants or the landless peasants [living] under that person from whom she fled; and having fled, that peasant woman marries someone’s limited service contract slave [kabalnogo] or peasant: return that peasant widow with her [new] husband to that pomeshchik under whom her first husband had been registered in the cadastral or census books. or in the extracts, and in any other documents.

    16. If the first husband of that widow is not registered [as living] under that person from whom she fled in the cadastral and census books and in any other documents: that widow shall live under that person whose slave or peasant she marries.

    17. If a peasant or landless peasant flees from someone; and in flight he marries his daughter of marriageable age or a widow to someone’s limited service contract slave [kabal...], or to a peasant, or to a landless peasant [living under] that person to whom he flees; and later on after trial it becomes necessary to return that fugitive peasant with [his] wife and with [his] children to that person from whom he fled: return that fugitive peasant or landless peasant to his former pomeshchik, together with his son-in-law to whom lie had married his daughter [while] in flight. If that son-in-law of his has children by his first wife: do not hand over those first children of his to the plaintiff.

    18. If such a fugitive peasant or landless peasant, while in flight marries his daughter to someone’s limited service contract slave [kabaln...], or hereditary slave, or peasant, or landless peasant [registered under] another pomeshchik or votchinnik: return that peasant’s daughter who was married while in flight, along with her husband, to the plaintiff.

    19. If a pomeshchik or estate owner proceeds to discharge from his pomest’e or from his votchina, or someone’s bailiffs and elders proceed to discharge, peasant daughters of marriageable age or widows to marry someone’s slaves or peasants: they shall give such peasant daughters, women of marriageable age and widows, manumission documents signed by their own hands, or by their spiritual fathers, in case of a future dispute.

  • Collect the fee for permitting such peasant daughters to marry peasants of another lord by mutual agreement. Concerning that which someone collects for the marriage departure fee: write that explicitly in the manumission documents.

    20. If any people come to someone on [his] votchina and pomest’e and say about themselves that they are free; and those people desire to live under them as peasants or landless peasants: those people whom they approach shall interrogate them - what kind of free people are they? And where is their birth place? And under whom did they live? And whence did they come? And are they not someone’s fugitive slaves, and peasants, and landless peasants? And do they have manumission documents?

  • If they say that they do not have manumission documents on their person: pomeshchiks and votchinniks shall find out about such people accurately, whether they really are free people. Having investigated accurately, bring them in the same year for registration to the Pomest’e Prikaz in Moscow; Kazan’-area residents and residents of Kazan’ by-towns shall bring them to Kazan’; Novgorodians and residents of the Novgorodian by-towns shall bring them to Novgorod; Pskovians and residents of the Pskov by-towns shall bring them to Pskov. [Prikaz officials] in the Pomest’e Prikaz and governors in the provincial towns shall interrogate such free people on that subject and shall record their testimonies accurately.
  • If it becomes necessary to give those people who are brought in for registration, on the basis of their testimony under interrogation, as peasants to those people who brought them in for registration: order those people to whom they will be given as peasants to affix their signatures to the testimonies of those people after they have been taken.

    21. If an estate owner or a pomeshchik brings in for registration the person who approached him without having checked accurately, and they proceed to take such people in as peasants: return such people as peasants to plaintiffs after trial and investigation, and according to the census books, along with [their] wives, and with [their] children, and with [their] movable property.

  • Concerning [what shall be exacted] from those people who take in someone else’s peasant or landless peasant without checking accurately: collect for those years, however many [the peasant] lived under someone, 10 rubles per year for the sovereign’s taxes and for the incomes of the votchinnik and pomeshchik because [of this rule]: without checking accurately, do not receive someone else’s [peasant].

    22. Concerning peasant children who proceed to deny their fathers and mothers: torture them.

    23. If people of all ranks, desiring to bind under themselves others’ fugitive peasants and landless peasants as their own, take loan documents or loan notes on them for a large [crop] loan; and those fugitive peasants and landless peasants are returned to someone after trial and investigation; and they [who gave the loans] proceed to petition against those people [to whom the peasants were returned] for that [crop] loan on the basis of those loan notes and loan documents: reject those people who have such [crop] loan notes and loan documents. Do not grant them a trial on the basis of those [crop] loan documents or of any other documents. Do not believe those loan documents and [crop] loan notes.

  • Take those notes and loan documents from them to the chancellery and register [them] in the books. Return those fugitive peasants and landless peasants with the entire [crop] loan to [their] old estate owners and pomeshchiks.
  • Concerning those people from whom those fugitive peasants or landless peasants are taken: reject [their claims] for that [crop] loan [because of this rule]: do not receive others’ peasants and landless peasants, and do not give them a [crop] loan.

    24. Concerning brothers, and children, and kinsmen of their peasants [living on the lands] of votchinniks and pomeshchiks who are registered in the census books in households together with their fathers and kinsmen; and after the census they split up and proceeded to live by themselves in their own households: do not place those households in the category of concealed households, and do not call them additional households, and do not register them in the Pomest’e Prikaz because they are registered together with their fathers and kinsmen in the census books.

  • Henceforth from September 1 of the present year 1648 [sic] no one shall petition the sovereign [to denounce] concealed households. Do not accept petitions in the Pomest’e Prikaz about that from anyone because in the past years 1645/46 and 1646/47 by the sovereign’s decree stol’niki and Moscow dvoriane under oath took a census of peasants and landless peasants [living] under all votchinniks and pomeshchiks. [In instances where] they did not conduct the census according to the law, [census takers] were sent back to those places to conduct the census a second time, A severe punishment was inflicted on census takers for an illegal census.

    25. Concerning people of all ranks who proceed to sue someone for their own fugitive peasants and for their peasant movable property, and they demand sums of 50 rubles and more in their claim [s] for such peasant movable property; and someone proceeds to sue someone for his own fugitive peasants, but he does not state the peasant movable property precisely in the plea, how much of what kinds of property, and the price of it; and the defendant does not testify that those peasants are [living] under him, and it becomes necessary [to resolve the case by] an oath: place [under the cross] 4 rubles per head for those peasants, as [demanded in] the plea; and for unspecified movable property, [place] 5 rubles for each [lot]; for large quantities of movable property, resolve [the case] by a trial.

    26. If a defendant does not deny [that fugitive] peasants [are living under him] , but testifies about the movable property that that peasant came to him without any movable property; but the plaintiff testifies that his peasant came to that defendant of his with movable property; but he does not state in his plea how much of what kinds of movable property that peasants of his had, or the value of that peasant movable property; and it also becomes necessary [to resolve the case by] an oath: place 5 rubles per lot of undescribed peasant movables under the cross. Having taken the peasants from the defendant, return them to the plaintiff.

    27. If someone at a trial denies [retaining] someone’s peasant and takes an oath on the matter; but later on that peasant, whom he denied under oath, appears on his property: having taken that peasant from him, return him to the plaintiff with all the movable property as [demanded] in the plea. Inflict a severe punishment on him for the offense that he kissed the cross not in accordance with the truth, beat him with the knout around the market places for three days so that it will become known to many people why the decreed punishment is being inflicted on him. Having beaten him with the knout around the market places for three days, imprison him for a year. Henceforth do not believe him in any matter, and do not grant him a trial in any cases against anyone.

    28. Concerning defendants who do not deny having possession of peasants at trial, and after trial it becomes necessary, having taken such peasants from the defendant, to return them to the plaintiff: return such peasants as peasants to the plaintiffs with [their] wives and with [their] children, even though the children of those fugitive peasants are not registered in the cadastral books, but are living together with their father and mother, and not in separate households.

    29. Concerning defendants who at a trial proceed to deny [having possession of] fugitive peasants and their peasant movable property; and later on they testify under oath that they do have those peasants; and they proceed to return them to the plaintiffs, but as previously they deny having the movable property: order that peasant movable property exacted from them and give it to the plaintiffs without taking an oath because at trial they denied everything concerning both people and property, but later they returned the peasants, but they want to reap the benefits from their property themselves.

    30. Concerning peasants and landless peasants who are registered in the cadastral books, or in allotment books, or in records of land transfers, and in extracts [from these books as living] under pomeshchiks and votchinniks separately on their pomest’ia and votchinas: those pomeshchiks and votchinniks shall not move their peasants from their pomest’e lands to their votchina lands. They shall not thereby lay waste their pomest’ia.

    31. If some pomeshchiks and votchinniks proceed to move their peasants from their pomest’e lands to their votchina lands; and subsequently their pomest’ia are given to any other pomeshchiks; and those new pomeshchiks proceed to petition the sovereign about those peasants who were moved from the pomest’ia to the votchinas [and they ask] that such peasants be returned from the votchinas to the pomest’ia from which they were moved: return those peasants from the votchinas to the pomest’ia for those new pomeshchiks with all their peasant movable property, and with [their] standing grain and with [their] threshed grain.

    32. If someone’s peasants and landless peasants proceed to hire themselves out to labor for someone: those peasants and landless peasants shall hire themselves out to labor for people of all ranks voluntarily with written documents or without written documents.

  • Those people to whom they hire themselves out to labor shall not take indentures, and [crop] loan notes, and limited service slavery [kabaln...] contracts on them, and shall not bind them to themselves by any means.
  • When those hirelings have completed laboring for them, they shall release them from themselves without any restraint.

    33. Concerning slaves and peasants who flee across the frontier from pomeshchiks and from votchinniks of all ranks and from the border towns; and, having been across the frontier and returning from across the frontier, they do not want to live with their own old pomeshchiks and votchinniks, [and] they proceed to request their freedom: having interrogated those fugitive slaves and peasants, return them to their old pomeshchiks and votchinniks from whom they fled. Do not grant them freedom.

    34. Concerning slaves and peasants who flee across the frontier to the Swedish and [Polish-] Lithuanian side from any votchinniks and pomeshchiks who have been granted pomest’ia in the frontier towns; and across the frontier they marry similarly fugitive older women and young women of marriageable age [who belong to] different pomeshchiks; and having gotten married, they return from across the frontier to their own old pomeshchiks and votchinniks; and, when they return, those old pomeshchiks of theirs proceed to petition the sovereign, one about the young woman of marriageable age or about the older woman, [stating] that his peasant woman married that fugitive peasant; and his defendant proceeds to testify that his peasant married that fugitive young woman or the older woman across the frontier while a fugitive: at trial and investigation, grant them lots on the question of those fugitive slaves and peasants of theirs. Whoever gets the lot, that one [shall get the couple and] shall pay a 5-ruble marriage departure fee for the young woman, or for the older woman, or for the man because they were both fugitives across the frontier.

     

    CHAPTER 12. -- The Judicial Process for the Patriarch’s Various Prikaz and
    Palace Court Officials and Peasants.
    In It Are 3 Articles.

    1. Grant a trial immediately at the patriarch’s palace court in any cases against the patriarch’s chancellery and palace court officials, and deti boiarskie, and peasants, and people of all ranks who are living on the patriarch’s household estates because during the reign of the previous sovereigns, and during the reign of the great sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory they did not grant a trial against them in any of the chancelleries. They tried them at the patriarch’s palace court, [where] the patriarch hears and resolves judicial cases [himself].

    2. If the patriarch’s chancellery officials in any case give a verdict against a just litigant, and give a verdict to an unjust litigant, in response to bribes, or out of friendship or enmity: those people against whom verdicts are given against the evidence shall petition the sovereign against such patriarchal chancellery officials. In response to that petition, transfer the disputed cases from the patriarch’s chancelleries to the sovereign and to all the boyars.

  • If it is established that the patriarch’s judges gave a verdict against someone against the evidence: compile a decree for such patriarchal judges for their injustice like the one decreed for the sovereign’s judges.

    3. When the patriarch’s chancellery and palace court officials, and deti boiarskie, and patriarchal peasants proceed to sue any people in any of the chancelleries in any cases, and the defendants, not leaving the trial, proceed to file a counterclaim against them in the same chancelleries: grant a trial against them in those same chancelleries.

     

    CHAPTER 13. -- The Monastery Prikaz. In It Are 7 Articles.

    1. Up until [the promulgation] of this royal Law Code, a trial in all cases against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and bishops, and against their chancellery officials, and against [ecclesiastical] palace court officials, against deti boiarskie, and against their peasants, and against monasteries, and archimandrites, and hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against ordinary monks, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants, and against priests, and against other church officials was granted in the Prikaz of the Great Court.

  • But now the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, in response to a petition by stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and merchants of the first, and second, and third corporations, and [townsmen of] various other hundreds and settlements, and ordinary merchants, and townsmen, has decreed [the creation] of a separate Monastery Prikaz.
  • Grant a trial in all plaintiffs’ claims against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and against bishops, and against their chancellery and palace court officials, and against deti boiarskie, and against their peasants, and against monasteries, against archimandrites, and hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against ordinary monks, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants, and against priests and against other church officials in the Monastery Prikaz.

    2. When the metropolitans’, and archbishops’, and bishops’ chancellery and palace court officials, and deti boiarskie, and peasants, and also the archimandrites, and hegumens, and stewards, and cellarers, and treasurers of various monasteries, and cathedral and ordinary elders, and monastery servitors and peasants proceed to sue people of various ranks in a particular chancellery: and after his [sic] defense the defendants proceed to submit petitions with claims against those plaintiffs in their own grievances: in response to their counterclaims, grant trials to those defendants [who initiate their counterclaims] against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and against bishops, and against archimandrites, and against hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against cathedral and ordinary elders, and against the metropolitans’, and against the archbishops’ and against the bishops’ chancellery and palace court officials, and against deti boiarskie, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants in those same chancelleries, in response to their counterclaim petitions.

    3. Concerning stewards and peasants of the patriarch, and the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and peoples of all Moscow ranks who are living in the towns on votchinas and pomest’ia belonging to church officials and lay lords: grant a trial to townsmen of all ranks against those bailiffs, and against their slaves, and against peasants of the patriarch, and of the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and people of all ranks in the towns: and against townsmen to the stewards and peasants of the patriarch and other high church officials, and the monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and peoples of all Moscow ranks in a suit for up to 20 rubles.

  • In suits for over 20 rubles and in cases involving votchinas, and pomest’ia, and slaves, do not grant a trial against them in the provincial towns, except in those towns in which by the sovereign’s decree state secretaries [are stationed] with governors, and except in the Lower Volga towns which are subordinate to the Kazan’ Regional Administrative Prikaz.

    4. If people of spiritual rank and monasteries proceed to initiate their own suits against servicemen; but in their petitions are written the names of archimandrites, and hegumens, and cellarers, and treasurers, and elders, and priests, and deacons; and if they themselves were assaulted, and dishonored, and robbed, or any wrongs were inflicted on them: in such suits where there is a petition [by someone] of monkly or priestly rank, according to the teaching of the Holy Apostles and the canons of the Holy Fathers there must be a casting of lots. There cannot be an oath by kissing the cross because, if an archimandrite, and a hegumen, and a priest, and a deacon, or someone in their stead kisses the cross, that person shall no longer function as a member of the clergy.

    5. If in petitions are written the names of high church officials, and elders, and priests, deacons, and any kind of wrongs were committed on their estates, or anywhere against their servants or peasants, in any cases whatsoever: there will be no casting of lots in those suits. Grant them, [their] servants and peasants, an oath, kissing the cross.

    6. If any plaintiffs or defendants, lay people, proceed to petition that, instead of taking an oath or casting lots in suits, people of spiritual rank be interrogated by the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, those of priestly rank under the priestly oath, and monks under the monkly oath, and that judicial cases be resolved in that manner: grant those lay people, plaintiffs and defendants, their choice, whatever they want, [in their suits] with [people of] the priestly and monkly rank, whether [the evidence should be provided] by lots or by clerical interrogation. Order the lay people to affix their signatures to those testimonial transcripts. Resolve the cases on the basis of that [evidence].

    7. Grant a trial in legal matters against all agriculturists on those same dates on which dates it is decreed that a trial will be granted against dvoriane and deti boiarskie because they, the same dvoriane and deti boiarskie, sue for and defend their peasants in all cases except theft and robbery, and crimes in which the suspect is apprehended red-handed, and homicide.

     

    CHAPTER 14. -- The Oath. In It Are 10 Articles.

    1. Concerning those Russians of all ranks of the Muscovite state for whom it becomes necessary to take an oath in judicial cases in all the chancelleries: they, or their slaves for them, shall kiss the cross in different suits [a total of] three times.

  • Those people who kiss the cross shall be 20 years of age. Those less than 20 years of age shall not kiss [the cross], and do not allow such [minors] to approach the cross.
  • Those who do not have any such slaves of their own shall kiss the cross for themselves.

    2. If someone himself, or his slaves for him, kiss the cross three times in different suits; and if subsequently someone files a suit against him; or he himself proceeds to sue someone, and in those cases an oath would be appropriate: and if he desires either in the plaintiff’s, or in his own, suit to kiss the cross a fourth time: resolve that case by investigation. Do not grant him a cross-kissing oath in that case. If there is no evidence on which to conduct an investigation, resolve that case by torture.

    3. If Lithuanians, or Northern Europeans, or Tatars, or various other foreigners proceed to sue Russians; and if in that suit of theirs it becomes necessary for the Russians to kiss the cross and the foreigners to take an oath: in the foreigners’ suits, take the oath from the Russians in the chancelleries where the foreigner proceeds to sue, and keep a cross traced on an icon for that in the chancellery.

  • Also, if a Russian proceeds to sue a foreigner, and it becomes necessary to take an oath from the foreigner: take an oath from the foreigners according to their creed in the same chancelleries.

    4. If a person of the Muscovite state sues any foreigner for anything, and the foreigner in that suit of his gives him the right to take an oath, and he in that suit of his also wants to take an oath by kissing the cross: give him his choice in that matter. If he in that suit of his does not want to kiss the cross; or the foreigner proceeds to sue him himself for something; and in that foreigner’s suit he does not want to take an oath by kissing the cross; and he proceeds to petition that he and the foreigner be given lots [to cast, to determine] who should kiss the cross: grant them lots in that case. Whoever’s lot comes up, that one, kissing the cross shall take his own [property he placed under the cross], or refuse to kiss the cross.

    5. If it becomes necessary for any slaves to kiss the cross for plaintiffs or defendants, and they [the litigants] bring themselves to the cross [because] they have no slaves; and those plaintiffs and defendants themselves are less than 20 years of age, about age 15, and if they have no one to substitute for them: those plaintiffs and defendants shall kiss the cross involuntarily, they shall bring themselves to the cross, even though [that person is] less that] 20 years old.

  • But no one less than 15 years of age shall kiss the cross. That person who is at trial for them shall kiss the cross for them. Hirelings shall not kiss the cross as substitutes. Do not bring them to the cross in any case.

    6. Present at the cross-kissing shall be a dvorianin and a scribe, plus sworn assistants from the hundreds for protection. Plaintiffs and defendants shall kiss the cross in their suits in September [and] October from the 2nd through the 6th hour of the day; in November, December, January, and February, from the 1st through the 5th hour of the day; in March April, May, and July, from the 2nd through the 7th hour of the day; in July [and] August, from the 3rd through the 6th hour of the day. Do not kiss the cross after the statutory hours and in the evening.

  • Order plaintiffs and defendants to present themselves at the cross-kissing [in the course of] three days. Direct the verdict against litigants in the following situations: when a litigant, plaintiff or defendant, of his own volition does not appear for the cross-kissing at the third session without [having submitted] a petition [requesting further postponement of the case]; or does appear, but does not kiss the cross during the statutory hours; or [when] a litigant does not bring anyone to the cross during those hours.

    7. Concerning slaves who proceed to sue someone in their own suits, and in the complaint he [sic] enters specifically the name of that one himself at whom the complaint is directed, [that is,] his [the defendant’s] slaves: and the defendant has his slave take the oath; and he [the plaintiff] states the name of that slave [whom he wishes to take the oath]: In such a case that slave of the defendant shall kiss the cross, [and it shall be] that [particular] slave of his who is named in the complaint, but not that person whom that defendant mentions by name at the trial.

    8. Concerning plaintiffs who sue defendants for 300 rubles and more, and at trial the defendant proposes the taking of an oath to the plaintiff: in that suit one slave whom the defendant trusts shall kiss the cross.

  • If a defendant entrusts the oath to his own slave, give the plaintiff a choice of a slave whom the plaintiff trusts.
  • If someone, not departing from the trial, brings different suits against someone in two or three petitions; and the defendant proposes to defend himself in all of those suits by taking an oath; or he proposes that the plaintiff take an oath; and besides the oath of kissing the cross there is no evidence on which to give a verdict in such cases: in those suits the defendant or the plaintiff shall kiss the cross separately in each suit.

    9. If someone kisses the cross, or if someone brings someone [else] to the cross [to kiss it for him], and commits perjury, and that is established conclusively: inflict on those people [slaves?] a severe punishment for that in the manner described above this in [chapter 11 on the] judicial process for peasants.

    10. In the canons of the Holy Fathers about the oath of kissing the cross the following is written: If a Christian falsely leads [another] Christian to a kissing of the cross; and he orders him to kiss the cross; and he [the latter] kisses the cross [to prove] that his case is just: Basil the Great lays under a six-year [ecclesiastical] censure such a person who takes an oath as a result of coercion, that is, he separates him from the church, according to his 82nd canon.

  • If a magnate kisses the cross falsely, or orders another person to kiss the cross falsely: clergymen shall not admit such people into the church of God, shall not enter their houses, and shall not chant the divine liturgy in their houses.
  • If a priest proceeds to chant the divine liturgy in anyone’s house, and such oath breakers who proceeded to kiss the cross falsely are also present there: cast them out of such a temple.
  • Concerning that person who kisses [1] [1] the cross falsely: Basil the Great in his 64th canon lays that person under [ecclesiastical] censure for ten years: two years of weeping, three years of listening to divine liturgy, four years of kneeling penance, and one year of standing with the faithful, and then he is deemed worthy to partake of communion.
  • On that same subject, the 72nd novel of Emperor Leo the Wise commands the cutting out of the tongue of the person who swears falsely, in case he is convicted [of perjury]. If someone asks for penance, and the priest gives him a punishment for those years, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he shall eat bread and warm water once a day, on Tuesday and Thursday he shall eat bread and cabbage soup twice [a day] without any fat.
  • For this reason spiritual fathers shall teach their spiritual children and admonish them with the fear of God so that they will live with love among themselves and in community [with one another]; will not steal, and will not rob, and will not slander, and will not bear false witness, and will not ravish someone else’s [possessions], and will not themselves give offense, and will not reproach [others] with foul speech, and will not take false oaths by kissing the cross, and will not swear and take an oath in vain in the Lord’s name, because Orthodox Christians who take false oaths in the end will be excommunicated according to the rules of the holy canons. The Cross was given by Christ to Christians for consecration and enlightenment and to expel enemies seen and unseen.
  • For that reason it behooves Orthodox Christians to revere the holy cross with faith and truth, and purity; and to kiss that venerable cross with fear and trepidation, and a clear conscience. Kissing the cross in such a manner consecrates one and cures [one] of disease and various ailments.
  • To kiss the cross not in [good] faith and not in truth, in a lie, is to be an accomplice in that lie, a person is incurably harming himself. According to the holy scripture, such a desecrator of the holy cross is considered a Christ-killer.
  • The most evil [offense] of all is to transgress the oath of kissing the cross, to kiss falsely the holy cross, or the icon of the holy Mother of God, or an icon of another saint.
  • Thus the Prophet Zechariah, seeing a fiery sickle descending from heaven to the earth, asked, "Lord, what is this sickle?" And [the Lord] said, "This is the wrath of God sent from the hand of God against those who walk falsely to the oath. The flame will set them on fire, and the soul is given up to an inextinguishable fire."
  • Write down this law from the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers in extracts for the oath of kissing the cross in all judicial cases. Order scribes to read aloud this law at the kissing of the cross to plaintiff’s and defendants in the presence of many people so that all people will know about that, how it is written about the kissing of the cross in the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers.
  • Concerning people who send a summons against someone for small claims, a ruble or less than a ruble: grant those people [a trial by] lots in their suit. But if someone proceeds to sue for more than a ruble, grant a kissing of the cross in that suit.

     

    CHAPTER 15. -- Cases That Have Been Decided. In It Are 5 Articles.

    1. If someone has a suit over some matter with metropolitans, or with archbishops, or with bishops, or with monasteries; and those high church officials settle those cases with them out of court; and they confirm by officially registered notes that henceforth they will not revive those cases; but subsequently other metropolitans, or archbishops, or bishops, and, in monasteries, archimandrites, and hegumens, and cellarers, and stewards are in those positions; and they proceed to revive those former cases, and proceed to say about the former high church officials that those prior high church officials settled the cases out of court and submitted the registration notes unjustly: do not believe that petition of theirs. Do not retry those cases. [Those old cases] shall remain as settled by the previous high Church officials.

    2. If any pomeshchiks or votchinniks have a suit with someone about peasants, or landless peasants, or lands, or any service [usufruct possessions] and votchina usufruct possessions; and they settle those cases with them out of court; and they confirm with officially registered notes that henceforth they will not revive those cases; but subsequently the pomest’ia or votchinas belonging to those pomeshchiks and votchinniks are given to other pomeshchiks or votchinniks; and the new pomeshchiks or votchinniks proceed to revive those prior cases; and they proceed to testify about the former pomeshchiks and votchinniks that those former pomeshchiks or votchinniks settled those cases out of court and gave the registration notes on themselves unjustly: do not believe that petition of the new pomeshchiks and votchinniks. Do not revive the old cases. Those old cases shall remain as settled by the previous pomeshchiks and votchinniks.

    3. If a pomeshchik or an votchinnik sets free his own peasant or landless peasant from his own pomest’e or votchina and gives him a manumission document; and that peasant or landless peasant is registered under him in the cadastral books; and if subsequently that pomest’e or votchina is given to someone else; and the new pomeshchik or votchinnik proceeds to petition about that peasant or landless peasant whom the former pomeshchik or votchinnik had set free, [and alleges in his petition] that the former pomeshchik or votchinnik set free that peasant or landless peasant wrongly and [requests] that that peasant or landless peasant be returned turned to him; and if that peasant or landless peasant was set free from a votchina with a manumission document: do not return that peasant to the new votchinnik. But if the peasant was set free from a pomest’e: return that peasant to the new pomeshchik on the basis of the cadastral books because it has been decreed that pomeshchiks shall not set free peasants from pomest’ia.

    4. Concerning all judicial cases of people of all ranks in all chancelleries which were resolved prior to this present Law Code by the sovereign’s decree and by decisions of the boyars: do not revive such judicial cases in the future. Those cases shall remain as those cases were resolved previously.

  • The Arbitration Process

    5. If a plaintiff and a defendant, amicably agreeing among themselves, go to trial before arbiters; and they give to their arbiters a memorandum on themselves in which they agree to obey their arbitration decision; but if they do not proceed to obey the arbitration decision: exact from them the sovereign’s fine, as the sovereign decrees, and the arbiters shall exact from them their dishonor compensation.

  • Concerning the case when, in response to that memorandum of theirs, the arbiters resolve their case and give the plaintiff and the defendant differing decisions -- one arbiter decides for the plaintiff and against the defendant, and the other arbiter decides for the defendant and against the plaintiff: in response to a petition from the plaintiff or from the defendant, remove that arbitration case, and the decisions, and the arbiters’ transcript from the arbiters to a chancellery.
  • If that memorandum is written down with a fine for the sovereign: resolve that arbitration case according to the trial and according to the arbiters’ decision, which arbiters’ decision will be written down according to the court record.
  • Concerning that decision which is written unjustly: put aside that decision. Inflict a punishment on that arbiter for that unjust decision, or collect a fine from him that the sovereign decrees on the basis of the transcript. Moreover, order that person against whom he gave the decision unjustly to exact from him .10 ruble per day for maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay from that date when that case was initiated through that date when the case is resolved.
  • If a fine for the sovereign is not prescribed in an arbitration transcript: do not remove that arbitration case from the arbiters to a chancellery.
  • If arbiters resolve a case, and they both give a single decision in favor of the person whose cause is just and against the guilty person; and that person against whom they give the decision proceeds to petition against them to the sovereign [and alleges] that they gave the decision against him unjustly: in response to his petition, do not remove his case from the arbiters to a chancellery because he himself chose those arbiters for himself. That case shall remain as the arbiters decide.

     

     

     

    CHAPTER 16. -Pomest’e Lands. In It Are 69 Articles.

    1. [The following size] pomest’ia shall be in Moscow province:

  • For boyars, 260 acres per man.
  • For courtiers and for counselor state secretaries, 195 acres per man.
  • For stol’niki, and for striapchie, and for Moscow dvoriane, and for state secretaries, and for commanders of Moscow musketeers, and for senior stewards of the Palace Prikaz, and for stewards responsible for managing various parts of the palace economy, 130 acres per man.
  • For provincial dvoriane who are serving by selection in Moscow, 91 acres per man.
  • For zhil’tsy, and for mounted grooms, and for centurions of the Moscow musketeers, 65 acres per man.
  • For palace court officials, and for striapchie, and for provisioners, and for officials working for the tsaritsa, and for deti boiarskie, 13 acres per each 130 acres of their pomest’e compensation entitlements.

    2. Concerning pomeshchiks of all ranks who desire to exchange their pomest’ia among themselves: they shall petition the sovereign about registering those exchanged pomest’ia of theirs. They shall submit signed petitions on that matter to the Pomest’e Prikaz.

    3. Moscow people of all ranks shall exchange pomest’ia with [other] Moscow people of all ranks, and with provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, [and] with foreigners, acre for acre, and inhabited land for inhabited land, and waste land for waste land, and [also] uninhabited land for waste land. In response to their joint petition and the signed petitions, record those pomest’ia of theirs [which] they exchanged among themselves.

  • Where someone in an exchange received a few extra acres above an equal exchange: in response to their joint petition about that transaction, record those few [extra] acres for them.

    4. If some pomeshchiks and votchinniks proceed to exchange their own pomest’e lands or votchina lands for monastery votchina lands [in transactions with] archimandrites, and hegumens, and stewards, and monks of any monasteries; and those pomeshchiks, and votchinniks, and archimandrites, and hegumens, and stewards, and monks proceed to petition the sovereign for a registration of those exchanged lands: in response to their joint petition and their signed petitions, register such lands for them accordingly.

    5. Concerning pomeshchiks and votchinniks of all ranks who proceed to exchange among themselves votchinas for pomest’ia, or pomest’ia for votchinas; and proceed to petition that, in response to their petition, those lands of theirs be registered, pomest’e as a votchina, or votchina as a pomest’e: on the basis of that joint petition of theirs, register such lands for them, as is written above this on that matter.

    6. If someone exchanges a pomest’e with someone; or someone exchanges his votchina for pomest’e, and they proceed to possess those exchanged lands of theirs on the basis of notes [recording the transaction], but without having registered [the transaction] in the Pomest’e Prikaz; and one of them dies, but the other survives and proceeds to petition for registration of those exchanged lands: reject [such claims] for such exchanged lands. Do not register those exchanged lands for them after the death of one of the parties.

    7. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign about the registration of his exchanged pomest’e, or votchina [populated] with peasants; and he exchanges waste pomest’e or waste votchina for that populated pomest’e or votchina of his; and he writes about the peasants of his populated pomest’e or votchina that he is going to move the peasants from his own pomest’e to other pomest’e land of his: register such pomest’ia and votchinas on the basis of the signed petitions.

    8. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign about pomest’ia, which pomest’ia were given out as maintenance allotments to aged dvoriane and deti boiarskie who were discharged from service, and to old widows, and [the petitioners ask] that the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order those middle service class [dvorianskie] and widow maintenance pomest’ia be granted them for support: reject such people who proceed to petition that they be granted a pomest’e for support that is in someone’s possession. Do not grant them the pomest’ia for support.

    9. If anyone surrenders a pomest’e because of superannuation -- an uncle to a nephew, or a brother to a brother; and in the document recording the surrender of the land and in the petition about registration he writes that the nephew is to feed the uncle, or the brother his brother, until his death; and subsequently the uncle proceeds to petition against the nephew, or the brother against the brother, [alleging] that he is not feeding him, is driving him off the pomest’e, and is ordering the peasants not to obey him: take away such surrendered pomest’ia from such nephews and brothers and return them to those to whom they belonged previously. Whatever documents they gave on themselves [surrendering the pomest’ia] are void.

    10. If widows or unmarried young women proceed to surrender their maintenance pomest’ia to anyone so that those people to whom they surrender those pomest’ia of theirs will feed them and find them a husband: they shall get signed registration documents from those people to whom they surrender those pomest’ia of theirs [promising] that such people will feed them and marry them off.

  • If a widow or unmarried young woman, having surrendered her pomest’e, proceed [sic] to petition the sovereign that those people to whom they surrendered those pomest’ia of theirs are not feeding them, and are not marrying them off, and are driving them out from those maintenance pomest’ia of theirs: compile a decree on the matter of that petition of theirs. Having taken [back] their widows’ and unmarried young women’s maintenance pomest’ia, return them to those widows and unmarried young women for [their] maintenance as previously. Whatever documents they gave are void.

    11. Unmarried young women [may] surrender their own maintenance pomest’ia when the unmarried young woman is of age, 15 years old.

  • If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign about an unmarried young woman’s maintenance pomest’e and says that an unmarried young woman surrendered her maintenance pomest’e to him, but if the unmarried young woman at that time is a minor, less than 15 years of age: do not believe such petitioners, and do not register the unmarried young women’s maintenance pomest’ia as theirs.

    12. Concerning people of all ranks who possess pomest’ia on the basis of documents recording the surrender of land, but they have not petitioned the sovereign about those pomest’ia, and those pomest’ia have not been registered for them in the Pomest’e Prikaz: take away those pomest’ia from them and give them away in a distribution to petitioners because they are possessing those pomest’ia on the basis of the documents recording the surrender of land without a decree from the sovereign.

    13. Grant escheated pomest’ia of people of all Moscow ranks, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and foreigners to their wives and children for their maintenance according to statute.

  • Concerning that which is left over after the grants for maintenance to wives and children: grant those pomest’ia to members of the [deceased’s] clan who have no pomest’ia, or small ones.
  • If in the clan there are no members without pomest’ia, or with small ones: grant those pomest’ia [that had been in the possession of people] of Moscow ranks to other clans, to similar Moscow people, and to provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie; and [grant the pomest’ia that had been in the possession of] provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie to similar provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and to Moscow people of any rank whom the sovereign favors.

    14. Grant foreigners’ [pomest’ia] to foreigners with small or no pomest’ia. Do not grant foreigners’ pomest’ia to anyone besides foreigners. Do not grant Russians’ pomest’ia to foreigners.

    15. If someone transgresses, marries a fourth wife, and begets children by her: after his [death] , do not grant his pomest’e and votchinas to that fourth wife of his and to the children whom he begat by that fourth wife.

    16. If women remain childless after [the death] of people of Moscow ranks, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and foreigners; and there are no pomest’ia and purchased votchinas remaining after [the death of] their husbands, and there is nothing from which to give them a maintenance allotment, but their husbands’ estates granted for service [sluzhba] and clan votchinas [rodovye votchiny] do remain: after review, grant the wives of such deceased [servicemen] a maintenance allotment from their husbands’ estates granted for service for the duration of their lives.

  • Those widows shall not sell, and shall not mortgage, and shall not give away [to religious (church) establishments for prayers] for their soul, and shall not register for themselves as a dowry those estates granted for service.
  • If [a widow with a maintenance allotment] marries, or becomes a nun, or dies: grant those estates to the votchinniks in the [husband’s] clan who are most closely related [to him].

    17. If a widow gets betrothed with her own and a daughter’s pomest’ia: give the groom only the widow’s portion, if he takes her; or the unmarried young woman’s [portion shall be given to him] who takes the unmarried young woman.

  • If an unmarried young woman remains [after her widowed mother remarries] : the unmarried young woman shall possess that pomest’e until she succeeds in marrying. Then she also will wed with her own allotment.

    18. If a widow [who is the former] wife ‘of a foreigner is betrothed with her own maintenance pomest’e to a dvorianin or a syn boiarskii, who has no pomest’e, or who has a pomest’e: register those maintenance pomest’ia for those people to whom they are betrothed accordingly.

    19. If a widow of a dvorianin or a [widowed] wife of a syn boiarskii with a maintenance pomest’e makes an agreement to marry a baptized foreigner: that widow is free to marry the baptized foreigner with her own maintenance pomest’e accordingly.

    20. Concerning the person to whom the widow or unmarried young woman with her own maintenance pomest’e is engaged: before his wedding that person shall petition the sovereign for a document registering that maintenance pomest’e. If someone fails to register such a maintenance pomest’e for himself before his wedding, and he proceeds to petition the sovereign about that maintenance pomest’e after his wedding: do not register that maintenance pomest’e for him. Distribute it, after review, to [members of] the clan who have no pomest’ia, or only small ones. If there are no [servicemen] in that clan without pomest’ia, or with only small ones: grant such pomest’ia to petitioners in other clans who proceed to petition the sovereign about that pomest’e.

    21. If widows with their own maintenance pomest’ia marry dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and their husbands, having registered those maintenance pomest’ia of theirs, proceed to conceal their possession of old pomest’ia which belonged to their fathers; and, having taken those maintenance pomest’ia, they die; and those maintenance pomest’ia are granted as previously to those wives of theirs, who married them with those pomest’ia; and there are petitioners against those wives of theirs about those maintenance pomest’ia because of their husbands’ old concealed pomest’ia: reject those petitioners. Do not take away from widows those maintenance pomest’ia because of the concealment of the old pomest’ia of their husbands.

    22. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who died in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] at Smolensk, and were survived by mothers and wives with children, with minor sons; and the pomest’e grants in the possession of those dvoriane and deti boiarskie were small, 52, and 65, and 78, and 81, and 94, and 130 acres apiece; and after their death maintenance allotments from those pomest’ia of theirs were granted to-their wives, but not to their children; and at that time their children were minors, 3 and 4 years old; and those widows with those maintenance pomest’ia of their own married, and their husbands, besides those maintenance pomest’ia of theirs, had other pomest’ia; and their minor children did not petition against them about the fact that their mothers married someone with those pomest’ia because they were small at that time; but if now those children of theirs proceed to petition the sovereign about those pomest’ia, that those pomest’ia of their fathers be granted to them: having taken those pomest’ia of their fathers away from those people whom their mothers married, grant [the pomest’ia] to them, even if those people whom their mothers married have no pomest’ia [of their own].

    23. If after the death of any pomeshchiks their pomest’ia are granted to their wives with children, or with step-children, or with [other] kinsmen; and the children, or step-children, or [other] kinsmen are small at that time; and there is no one to intercede and petition the sovereign on their behalf; and in the division of those pomest’ia they are wronged; and when they come of age, they proceed to petition the sovereign about that wrong: arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of those [petitioners] with those people against whom they proceed to petition. Having conducted an investigation [that may have resorted to torture], grant them a repartition of the pomest’e.

    24. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who are in possession of [their] fathers’ old pomest’ia in districts that have been destroyed; and they proceed to petition the sovereign [for the granting] of a new pomest’e: they shall reveal, and not conceal, those old pomest’ia of [their] fathers which are in the destroyed districts. Concerning him who does not conceal the old pomest’e: having conducted an investigation, grant him a new pomest’e, if his old pomest’e is genuinely depopulated and he has no [means] to support himself in service.

    25. If someone is granted a new pomest’e, and he conceals a prior grant, [his] father’s or his own pomest’e; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively that he concealed [his] father’s pomest’e or his own prior grant: take from him as many acres as there are in that paternal or his own concealed pomest’e, from another pomest’e of his about which the petitioner proceeds to petition the sovereign, and grant it to the petitioner.

    26. If someone falsely proceeds to petition the sovereign against someone about the concealment of a pomest’e, and it is established about that conclusively that that petitioner petitioned the sovereign falsely out of a desire to take a pomest’e away from someone by his deliberately false petition: those people against whom they proceed to petition falsely shall exact from such petitioners for their false petition [their] maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay in the amount of .20 ruble per day from that date when they file that false petition of theirs through that date when the case is resolved, so that everyone will learn not to petition falsely against anyone.

    27. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who themselves proceed to petition for themselves for registration documents on their own unregistered old pomest’ia in order to register those pomest’ia of theirs in their name; and there have been no petitioners against them about those unregistered pomest’ia of theirs before their petition, even by only one day: register those old unregistered and concealed pomest’ia of theirs in the possession of those people as [their] pomest’e, as it was previously, together with their old pomest’ia, and as part of their compensation entitlements. Do not accuse them of concealing land for that.

    28. If petitioners proceed to petition against someone about such unregistered and concealed pomest’ia before the petition [of those currently holding such lands], even by only one day: take such unregistered and concealed pomest’ia from those people and grant them to the petitioners according to the previous statute.

    29. If dvoriane and deti boiarskie were in foreign captivity for ten, and for fifteen, and for twenty, and for twenty-five years and more; and their fathers’ pomest’ia, or their own individual pomest’ia were redistributed [to other servicemen] in their absence, when they were in captivity; and they proceed to petition the sovereign that he return those personal pomest’ia of their own and of their fathers to them: after review, return [their] fathers’ and their own pomest’ia which were redistributed [to others] to those [former] captives.

    30. If enemy troops kill any dvorianin, or syn boiarskii, or foreigner in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] in the regiments: grant their wives a maintenance allotment from their pomest’ia of 26 acres of land per 130 acres of their [land] compensation entitlement. Grant their daughters 13 acres per 130 acres.

    31. If a dvorianin, or a syn boiarskii, or a foreigner dies in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] in the regiments: grant their wives a maintenance allotment from their pomest’ia of 19.5 acres per 130 acres of their [land] compensation entitlement. Grant their daughters 9.75 acres per 130 acres.

    32. If a dvorianin, or a syn boiarskii, or a foreigner dies at home, and not in the sovereign’s service: grant their wives a maintenance allotment from their pomest’ia of 13 acres per 130 acres of their [land] compensation entitlement. Grant their daughters 6.5 acres per 130 acres.

    33. If after the death [of servicemen] their pomest’ia are granted to their children who have not yet been initiated into a service rank [neverstanym]; and those children of theirs die without ever receiving that service rank, and their wives and daughters survive them; and those wives and daughters of theirs proceed to petition the sovereign for a maintenance allotment for themselves from their pomest’ia; and the compensation entitlements of the fathers of those deceased cannot be located, and their fathers were killed or died in the sovereign’s service: grant the wives and daughters of those deceased who had never been initiated into a service rank a maintenance allotment from those pomest’ia of theirs equal to the compensation entitlement of a novitiate of the top and middle grades. Concerning those whose fathers died at home: grant them [maintenance allotments] equal to the compensation entitlement [of a novitiate] of the middle and lower grades.

    34. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who have two or three sons, and those dvoriane and deti boiarskie have registered their own pomest’ia for their younger children, and they have registered their older children for an allotment [of new pomest’e land]; and those of their children whom they registered for allotment [of new pomest’e land] proceed to petition the sovereign against their younger brothers [and request] that the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order that that pomest’e of their father’s be given to all of them, that the inhabited land and the waste land be divided by acres because the pomest’ia in their possession are small new grants: in response to that petition of his [sic] , divide up for such petitioners their father’s pomest’e, plus their new grant, equally among all the brothers [after] having measured out the inhabited and the waste land in portions by acres so that none of them will be wronged by another. If someone has been given a large grant in acres as a pomest’e, do not grant him [his] father’s pomest’e. Grant the father’s pomest’e to the younger brothers.

    35. If prior to the Moscow fire and after the Moscow fire [of 1626] , in the towns in the basin of the Desna and Seim Rivers in the Novgorod Severskii region, in Ryl’sk, in Putivl’, [and] in Belgorod, deti boiarskie of those towns were granted waste, deserted wild beehive tree lands as a pomest’e to satisfy the compensation entitlement for arable acreage; and others were granted rent-yielding lands as a pomest’e and as a source for a cash salary payment; and if in the future the deti boiarskie of those towns proceed to petition the sovereign about [granting] such wild beehive tree lands and rent-yielding lands as pomest’ia: having investigated rigorously by grand methods of inquiry, grant such deserted wild beehive tree lands as pomest’ia, if those wild beehive tree lands are genuinely deserted and there will be no dispute about them with anyone. But do not grant rent-yielding lands and wild beehive tree lands as arable acreage in a pomest’e to anyone.

    36. If a pomeshchik finds unclaimed lakes or unused fish weirs in rivers somewhere, and they are not [currently allotted] as pomest’ia or votchinas, and are not paying taxes directly to the state; and he proceeds to petition the sovereign about those waters [and asks that they be assigned to him] as a pomest’e instead of arable acreage: after review, allot such waters to any pomeshchiks as a pomest’e in lieu of arable acreage.

    37. Concerning dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and pomeshchiks of all ranks who proceed to petition the sovereign about escheated pomest’ia; and they write in their petitions that no wives, and children, and [other members of the] clan have survived the deceased: order those petitioners to affix their signatures to those petitions of theirs. If such escheated pomest’ia are granted to someone; and subsequently the wives, and children, or clan [members] of those deceased proceed to petition the sovereign against those petitioners, [alleging] that those petitioners concealed them in their petition out of a deliberate desire to seize their pomest’ia; and it is established about that conclusively that the first petitioners concealed them: having taken away those escheated pomest’ia from those first petitioners, return [them] to the wives, and children, and relatives of the deceased, to Whom it becomes necessary, by decree. Concerning losses the first petitioners inflicted on their peasants prior to that return [of the land]: collect those losses from those petitioners two-fold and give them to those wives, and children, or relatives of the deceased, to whomever those pomest’ia are given.

    38. If by the sovereign’s decree a pomest’e is taken away from someone and given out in a distribution; and rye is sown on those pomest’ia on the old pomeshchiks’ peasant tillage: grant the new pomeshchik [as much) seed from that rye for the cultivated arable of the peasant tillage as was sown for the old pomeshchik, but return [any] additional harvest [in excess of the seed requirement] to the old pomeshchiks. Those same peasants who sowed that grain shall harvest that grain. Concerning the grain which was sown for the old pomeshchiks by slaves or hirelings: the old pomeshchiks shall harvest that grain themselves. Do not force the peasants to harvest that grain of the slaves’ and hirelings’ tillage.

    39. Concerning the waste lands and deserted lands of Moscow province and in the provincial towns which are rented out by the Great Revenue Prikaz [Bol’shoi Prikhod] and the regional taxation and administration chancelleries: do not sell those rent-yielding lands as votchinas and do not give them out as arable to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and strapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and service [sluzhilye] and chancellery officials of all ranks [chinov sluzhilym i prikaznym liudem]. Distribute those rent-yielding waste lands as pomest’ia to petitioners who have no pomest’ia or small ones [to supplement] their earlier pomest’ia [prescribed in their] compensation entitlements. If any such rent-yielding lands are granted to anyone in a distribution of pomest’e lands, remove such rent-yielding lands from the rent rolls.

    40. Concerning deti boiarskie of the southern frontier towns who petition the sovereign for a pomest’e in the deserted lands, in the wild steppe: grant them [a pomest’e] from the deserted lands of the wild steppe. To those whose compensation entitlements are 520 acres per person, [grant] them 91 acres per person; and to those [whose compensation entitlements] are 390 acres, [grant] them 78 acres; and to those [whose compensation entitlements] are 325 acres, [grant] them 65 acres; and to those [whose compensation entitlements] are 260 or 195 acres, [grant] them 52 acres; and to those [whose compensation entitlements] are 130 acres, [grant] them 39 acres; and to those [whose compensation entitlements] are 91 acres, [grant] them 32.5 acres. Grant such lands to the petitioners within these limits.

    41. Concerning lands which from of old were the pomest’e lands of Russians, and for many years lay waste; and in past years Tatars and Mordovians settled on those deserted lands according to grants in charters issued by the sovereign, and others [possess them] on the basis of charters issued by the boyars, charters which were granted at the time when there was no sovereign, when the boyars were camped near Moscow, and others [possess them] without any [formal] grants at all and they have been living on those lands for many years, and they are rendering the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] from those lands: do not take away those lands from them. But in the future do not grant the pomest’e lands of Russians to Tatars, or Tatar lands to Russians as pomest’e.

    42. If Tatars and Mordovians have possession of Russians’ pomest’e lands, and they are paying rent from them; and in the future there are Russian petitioners about those lands: take those lands from the Tatars and the Mordovians and give them as pomest’e to Russians.

    43. Boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and Russians of all ranks shall not buy or exchange pomest’e lands or any [other] lands, and shall not take [land] on mortgage, and [as] grants, and on hire for many years [in any transactions] in the provincial towns with princes, and with mirzas, and with Tatars, and with Mordovians, and with Chuvashes, and with Cheremises, and with Votiaks, and with Bashkirs. If any Moscow people, and provincial dvoriane or deti boiarskie, and people of any ranks proceed in the provincial towns to take lands as a grant, or to buy [land], or to take land on a mortgage or for hire for many years, or to exchange land [in transactions] with princes, and with mirzas, and with Tatars, and with Mordovians, and with those various people who pay tribute [iasachnye zemli]: confiscate those Tatar pomest’ia and lands from which they pay tribute from those people of all ranks for the sovereign. Moreover, they shall be in disgrace with the sovereign for that.

    44. Concerning princes, and mirzas, and Tatars, and Mordovians, and Chuvashes, and Cheremises, and Votiaks who have converted to the Orthodox Christian faith: do not take such pomest’e lands away from those converts and do not give them to the Tatars.

    45. Mirzas and Tatars shall not lay waste their own pomest’ia. They shall not flee from those pomest’ia of theirs into other towns, nor anywhere into the villages and hamlets. They shall not abandon [military] service [sluzhba]. [They] shall live on their own pomest’ia and votchinas. They, the mirzas and the Tatars, shall possess their own pomest’ia where they were inducted into the pomest’ia by the grants. If any mirzas and Tatars, not desiring to serve the sovereign, and, by their own felonious conduct, not caring about themselves, proceed to give away, or exchange, and sell, and mortgage, and rent their own pomest’ia to Moscow and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and people of all ranks; and to lay waste their pomest’ia, to rob the peasants, and to inflict oppressions and illegal actions on them; and the peasants flee from those pomest’ia of theirs because of their oppression; and, having laid waste or feloniously violated those pomest’ia of theirs, they proceed to flee into other towns [military districts] and into Tatar and Cheremis hamlets and proceed to flee from and abandon service, and subsequently that is established: inflict on those mirzas and Tatars a punishment for that that the sovereign decrees. In the same cases, inflict a severe punishment accordingly on those people with whom the mirzas proceed to live as fugitives. Rigorously order them henceforth not to harbor fugitive mirzas and Tatars on their properties for any reason.

    46. Concerning the sovereign’s court villages and rural taxpaying districts which have been distributed to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and foreigners, and various servicemen as pomest’ia and votchinas; and the land in those grants of theirs is average or poor; and in the future additional land is discovered in those grants of theirs by assessment of the cadastral officials: supplement those grants of theirs out of the additionally discovered] lands. If some people do not have additional land in [their] grants: those lands shall remain in the possession of those people as [recorded in] their grants because there is no land to supplement it with, but do not diminish the land in the grants. The sazhen’ used to measure land, or anything else, shall consist of three arshins. Do not make the sazhen more or less than three arshins.

    47. Concerning people who have been given pomest’ia from the sovereign’s court villages and the rural taxpaying districts and a votchina from a pomest’e for service [sluzhba; IE: a service votchina?] and for sitting out the [1611] siege of Moscow: do not supplement those votchinas of theirs.

    48. Concerning votchinas which have been distributed as pomest’ia, and those votchinas were not supplemented [when] in the possession of the old votchinniks: henceforth those votchina lands which have been granted as pomest’ia from votchina lands shall be supplemented with additional lands because they have become pomest’e lands. If any people henceforth do not have additional land in [their] grants: those people shall possess their pomest’e lands according to their grants, whatever was given to someone, without supplementation, because there is nothing to supplement it with. Do not take away land from the grants. Grant supplements for average land [at the rate of] 32.5 acres per 130 acres of average land. Where the-land is poor: for poor land, supplement it with poor land at the rate of 65 acres per 130 acres. Calculate average and poor land in terms of good land.

    49. In the past years through March 7, 1636, Peremyshi’ pomeshchiks [resettled] in Beloozero exchanged their pomest’ia with boyars, and courtiers, and dvoriane, and deti boiarskie’, and escheated pomest’ia of the same Beloozero deti boiarskie were granted to dvoriane and deti boiarskie: those exchanged and escheated pomest’ia and votchinas shall remain in the possession of those people to whom those pomest’ia and votchinas were granted in the past years through 1636. Henceforth Beloozero [service] men shall not exchange pomest’ia with [non-Beloozero] boyars, and courtiers, and with dvonane, and with deti boiarskie, [with] people of any ranks. Do not grant their escheated pomest’ia and votchinas to anyone who is not from Beloozero because after March 1, 1636, Beloozero [service] men were ordered not to exchange their pomest’ia and votchinas [with anyone not from Beloozero] and it was ordered that their lands should not be granted in a distribution to anyone.

    50. And similarly cossacks shall not sell or give away their own cossack votchina lands to anyone.

    51. If in past years in the presence of the cadastral officials people registered their pomest’e lands as their own votchinas in the cadastral books by their own testimony; but they did not deposit votchina documents on those lands with the cadastral officials, and up to the time of this present Law Code have not registered [any such documents]; and they have not obtained [any such] votchina documents; [and] they are possessing those pomest’ia of theirs as a votchina on their own volition, without the sovereign’s decree; and someone demands such lands in their possession: distribute those lands to the petitioners because [of the rule]: Do not call a pomest’e a votchina. But if it is established about those lands conclusively that those lands in their possession are their genuine votchina lands, and not pomest’e lands: order them to possess those lands as a votchina, even though they have no votchina documents for those lands and the lands are registered in the cadastral books as theirs [only] on the basis of their testimony.

    52. [If] cadastral officials have given extracts from their books to any people, but those extracts do not correspond to the books: do not believe those extracts. Take those extracts from the pomeshchiks and votchinniks to the Pomest’e Prikaz. In place of those extracts, give them other extracts from the cadastral books and order those extracts written [exactly] like the cadastral books in all articles, word for word.

    53. If any people, children after the death of their fathers, or other relatives and [people] of other clans, proceed to petition the sovereign about escheated pomest’ia; and those escheated pomest’ia are registered [for them] as pomest’ia; but those people for a long time do not get the sovereign’s charters in accord with the written registration on those pomest’ia of theirs; and they proceed to possess those pomest’ia without the sovereign’s charters, on the basis of the registrations; and petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign against them about that [and allege] that they are possessing those paternal or clan pomest’ia without the sovereign’s charters, and would [the sovereign] confiscate those pomest’ia from them for that and give them to the petitioners: do not confiscate such pomest’ia from those people against whom such a petition is filed. Order them to obtain the sovereign’s charters on those pomest’ia of theirs. Because they did not obtain charters on those pomest’ia of theirs for a long time, exact from them the seal fees two-fold for those charters.

    54. Concerning petitioners who proceed to petition the sovereign that their relatives or third persons had registered their fathers’ pomest’ia for them, and they at that time were small; and during their childhood they lived with those relatives of theirs who registered those pomest’ia of their fathers for them; and after the registration, those same people who had petitioned for them took those pomest’ia of their fathers for themselves in exchange for their own poor pomest’ia, without their knowledge; and after [their] father’s death] they do not know about the registration for them of their pomest’ia and they have not exchanged those pomest’ia of their fathers with anyone: arrange visual confrontations for those petitioners concerning those exchanged pomest’ia with those people against whom they proceed to petition the sovereign. After the visual confrontation, rigorously conduct an investigation about those pomest’ia using all methods of inquiry. If it is established about that conclusively that those petitioners did not exchange the pomest’ia of their fathers with anyone; and those people against whom they proceed to petition about those pomest’ia of theirs took those pomest’ia of their [the petitioners’] fathers for themselves by exchange at those times when they were children, and not yet of mature years: having taken such pomest’ia from those people who took them by exchange, return them to those petitioners to whom those exchanged pomest’ia had been given. Order them [the defendants] to take possession of their own pomest’ia, which they are registering as their own pomest’ia in exchange with those petitioners. Grant visual confrontations on such exchanged pomest’ia to such petitioners when they are of age, 15 years old. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign about such exchanged pomest’ia prior to age 15: grant them visual confrontations on such pomest’ia prior to the age of 15. If a petitioner is 20 years old, and there has been no petition about such an exchanged pomest’e from him during those years [between 15 and 20]: reject them [sic] after the 20th year [in their claims] for those exchanged pomest’ia, and do not grant visual confrontations. Concerning people who proceed to bring petitions for the registration of their exchanged pomest’ia signed by their spiritual fathers, or signed by their relatives, or signed by anyone else to the Pomest’e Prikaz: do not register pomest’ia in someone’s absence in response to such petitions. Interrogate those people: who is exchanging those pomest’ia, who has signed the exchange documents in their place? Do not register exchanged pomest’ia for anyone in the absence [of any of the parties] and without having interrogated those people who are exchanging their own pomest’ia and those people whose signatures are on the exchange petitions, so that in the future there will be no dispute on anyone’s part about exchanged pomest’ia.

    55. Concerning escheated and clan pomest’ia and [pomest’ia] of other clans [vymorochnye i rodstvennye i chuzhie rodov pomest’ia] which are granted by the sovereign’s decree to petitioners of various ranks [in partition] with the widows and unmarried young women [who have survived the previous possessors of the pomest’ia]; and it is decreed in the partition documents that the widows and unmarried young women be allotted the home estate and the arable adjacent to the home estate, and ordered that the remainder of those pomest’ia be allotted to relatives or to [members of] another clan, the cultivated and the waste land in shares according to acreage; and the widows and the unmarried young women proceed to petition the sovereign that the allotments were made contrary to their petition, in various places, and not in one place where it is convenient for them; and those to whom the [pomest’e] was granted with them proceed to petition the sovereign [in return] against them, the widows and unmarried young women, that the best places were allotted to them, the widows and unmarried young women; or [allege] that they, the petitioners, among themselves have wronged one another in the partition, and proceed to petition the sovereign for a repartition document: give them a repartition document according to the sovereign’s decree, if they proceed to petition for a repartition document within a year after the service land grant. Do not grant such repartition documents beyond a year after the pomest’e land grant. If any petitioners, in response to a repartition document, are not able to arrange a just repartition among themselves, and they proceed to petition the sovereign for a second and third repartition document: grant them a second and a third repartition document. Do not grant anyone more than three repartition documents so that no one will suffer excessive maintenance expenses, and losses stemming from the delay, and financial losses in that matter.

    56. If people marry widows or unmarried young women and annex the widows’ or the young women’s inhabited maintenance pomest’ia, large grants, to their own former small and waste pomest’ia; and subsequently they die; and after their death their wives proceed to petition the sovereign [to ask] that the sovereign bestow favor Upon them, order them given their former maintenance allotments with which they got married for maintenance; but the children of their husbands, the widows’ stepsons, proceed to petition the sovereign [to ask] the sovereign bestow favor upon them, to grant them their old pomest’ia, their fathers’ grants, and to order that their stepmothers’ maintenance allotments be divided among all of them, mixing it all up in accord with the grants. Women, who possess small maintenance pomest’ia and waste grants, and their old pomest’ia are larger than their wives’ maintenance pomest’ia; and those people die, and children of their first wives survive them, and those children proceed to petition the sovereign [to ask] that they be granted their fathers’ former pomest’ia, and that their stepmothers be granted their former pomest’ia with which they married their fathers; but their stepmothers proceed to petition the sovereign [to ask] that they be granted [lands for] maintenance from their husbands’ pomest’ia based on their compensation entitlements, and not [just] their former maintenance pomest’ia: after the death of such [servicemen], grant their wives [land] for maintenance, based on their [husbands’] compensation entitlements, according to the sovereign’s decree, as is written about that above this, from those pomest’ia with which those wives of theirs married them. If those widows’ former maintenance pomest’ia are in excess of the compensation entitlement for maintenance allotments: return that to the children of that deceased [serviceman]. If it becomes necessary to give such widows more for maintenance than that with which they married them because of their husbands’ compensation entitlements: grant them a supplement for maintenance to their former pomest’ia from the pomest’ia of their husbands. Grant the rest to the children of that deceased [serviceman].

    57. If dvoriane and deti boiarskie die, and their wives and the sons of a first wife survive them; and the wives of those deceased proceed to petition the sovereign for a maintenance allotment from their husbands’ pomest’ia based on their husbands’ compensation entitlement; and their husbands’ compensation entitlements were high, but the pomest’e grants in their possession were small, and there were no votchinas; or they had service or clan votchinas [vysluzhennye ili rodovye votchiny] but [these were] also small: grant their wives [land] for maintenance only from their pomest’ia based on their high compensation entitlements. If only a small pomest’e grant remains for their children, and their children have nothing to live on, and to render the sovereign’s service with, from that small grant: after the death of such [servicemen], having mixed their small grants, pomest’ia and votchinas together, allot it in equal portions to their wives and to all the children, as much as is available for each one. Allot the inhabited and waste land in shares, by acreage. Grant such widows [land] for maintenance from their husbands’ pomest’ia, and not from their votchinas. Grant the votchinas after the death of such [servicemen] in portions to their children, and to the stepsons of their wives, so that such votchinas will not go out of the clan.

    58. If after the death [of servicemen] their pomest’ia, full grants, are granted to their widowed wives and children jointly; and those widows proceed to petition the sovereign against their children that their children are not feeding them, and are not paying them any respect, and have expelled them from the’ house; and would the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order them granted the pomest’ia for maintenance apart from their children: in response to that petition of theirs, grant the widows [lands] for maintenance from their husbands’ pomest’ia based on their husbands’ compensation entitlements, according to statute, separately from their children. If such widows after their husbands’ [death] are given pomest’ia with their children jointly, small grants, and if there is nothing from which to give a widow full maintenance allotment based on the husband’s compensation entitlement: allot such small pomest’ia in shares to such widows and their children, as much as is available for each, allotting the inhabited and the waste land in shares by acreage.

    59. If petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign against someone about fraudulently-acquired votchinas or about concealed pomest’ia; and in response to their petition it becomes necessary to arrange visual confrontations for them in such cases; and those people against whom they have petitioned to the sovereign have been sent on the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] or on business in the provincial towns; and others at such times proceed to say that they are ill; and the petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign that he should order their children, and brothers, and kinsmen, and slaves who sue for and defend in other chancelleries those people who are in service and who claim that they are ill to be present for the visual confrontation for them: in such pomest’e and votchina cases grant visual confrontations to those petitioners with those people against whom they proceed to petition at that time when they return to Moscow from the sovereign’s service. Concerning people who proceed to say that they are ill: examine those ill people to determine whether they are truly ill. If upon examination those people are truly ill, and they are in no way able to go to a visual confrontation: grant those sick people a continuance of half a year for the visual confrontation because of their illness. Do not take their children, and brothers, and kinsmen, and slaves to a visual confrontation against their will in such cases. If someone’s illness is prolonged for more than half a year: order those people, after half a year, to send whomever they trust in that matter to the visual confrontation in their place. Do not grant anyone a continuance of more than half a year for illness in such cases.

    60. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie of various towns who proceed to petition the sovereign, and in their petitions write that they have cleared lands and glades for arable and for hay in the income-producing usufruct forests within their own boundaries and within grants [to join them] to their own votchinas and pomest’ia; or those same petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign about [turning] forests in various groves into arable; and .in response to their petition and after an investigation, those newly tilled lands, glades, and forests are granted to them as arable acreage; but after the grants [have been made] to them, petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign, [alleging] that those previous petitioners had petitioned the sovereign falsely [in claiming that] those forests were deserted and that they had plowed up the land in their own groves in the forests; but [in reality] those forests were granted to all of them as usufruct possessions [to supplement] their pomest’ia and votchinas, and they all ride into those forests together, and those common forests are inventoried in the cadastral books; and in response to that petition of the last petitioners it is established conclusively that the former petitioners appropriated the lands in the common forests, in the usufruct possessions, by lying: take those lands from [those] grants back from them. Those lands shall be [used by] all the pomeshchiks and votchinniks jointly.

    61. Concerning provincial dvoriane and deti boiankie who are old and wounded, and discharged from the sovereign’s regimental service, but they are ordered to serve in the fortress siege service; and others because of their wounds are unable to render any service [sluzhba] to the sovereign; but they have been granted large pomest’ia; and they have no children; and petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign against those deti boiarskie, [and they ask] the sovereign to order that those discharged and wounded dvoriane and deti boiarskie be put on a maintenance allotment from their pomest’ia, by the sovereign’s own decree, and that the sovereign favor them, the petitioners, with the remainder of it: reject those petitioners. Old and wounded dvoriane and deti boiarskie shall possess those pomest’ia for as long as they live. Levy recruits from them for the sovereign’s service from those pomest’ia of theirs, or cash for the recruits, as much as the sovereign decrees.

    62. Concerning Moscow-area pomest’ia in the possession of stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and of provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and of chancellery and palace court officials; and when those pomeshchiks die, and wives and minor children survive them; and others of their children are at that time in residence with the sovereign [at his palace where they render service [sluzhba] to him]; and they proceed to petition the sovereign about [making] those Moscow-area pomest’ia of theirs [legally] into their own pomest’ia: register such Moscow-area pomest’ia of those deceased [servicemen] for the children.

    63. Concerning petitioners who proceed to petition the sovereign against someone about deserted peripheral lands [porozzhikh, obvodnykh zemliax (outside the boundaries of votchina and pomest’e lands)]; and in the investigation the people being interrogated testify about those lands that those people against whom such a petition has been filed do possess the deserted peripheral lands [outside the boundaries of votchina and pomest’e lands]; but by the cadastral books it is established that those lands are inside the boundaries and limits of those people against whom there is a petition about those lands: on the basis of the cadastral books, those lands shall remain in the possession of those people for whom the cadastral officials registered, and surveyed, and included those lands within the boundaries of their pomest’ia or votchinas. Do not believe the people interrogated about such lands.

    64. Concerning a petitioner, who, having petitioned the sovereign about a pomest’e [which is concealed] or [cleared] from deserted lands, or for a purchase [of land]; and, having submitted the petition, does not proceed to go after an abstract for three months; and other petitioners proceed to petition the sovereign about that same pomest’e after him; and after [the later petitioners have gotten] their abstract, the prior petitioner again turns his attention to that case: reject those prior petitioners.

    65. If someone submits a petition about such lands, and immediately after that they order him to report for the sovereign’s service: such petitioners shall bring continuance petitions to [supplement] their petitions. If someone does not bring in a continuance petition [to supplement] his petition, and departs for the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] without having submitted a continuance petition, and there are other petitioners about those lands after them [sic]: after the statutory three months, grant those lands to the latter petitioners. If in such a case a continuance for the sovereign’s service is granted to someone and his continuance petition is [included] in the records: do not grant such pomest’ia to other petitioners until that time when they return from the sovereign’s service. Those people, returning from service, shall petition the sovereign promptly about such cases and they shall bring petitions requesting that the litigants appear in the Pomest’e Prikaz. If someone, having returned from the sovereign’s service, does not proceed to petition the sovereign for three months in that case: after the statutory three months, grant such lands to the later petitioners in response to their petition.

    66. Concerning deti boiarskie serving in the palace court of the patriarch: those deti boiarskie in the service [sluzhba] of the patriarch shall not possess the sovereign’s pomest’e lands. The patriarch shall grant them pomest’ia from his own land fund. Concerning deti boiarskie in the service of the patriarch who by any means, or by concealment, take a pomest’e from the sovereign’s lands: take away those pomest’ia from those [people] and give [them] to the petitioners. For the concealment, inflict the punishment that the sovereign decrees.

    67. Concerning people serving as jailors in the Moscow Administrative Prikaz: do not grant pomest’ia to those jailors. If any jailors are in possession of pomest’ia as grants: discharge those people as jailors and order them to render the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] from the provinces on the basis of the pomest’e. If they do not proceed to render the sovereign’s service from the provinces: take those pomest’ia of theirs away from them and grant [them] to petitioners in a general distribution.

    68. Concerning dvoriane who previously served in Novgorod and in Pskov, but now they are inscribed in the Moscow service list [spiska]; and they have been granted pomest’ia in the trans-Moscow towns, but their old Novgorod and Pskov pomest’ia are still in their possession: take away those old Novgorod and Pskov pomest’ia of theirs and grant them in a distribution to Novgorodians and Pskovians, dvoriane and deti boiarskie, because those dvoriane are serving on the Moscow service list, and they have been granted pomest’ia in the trans-Moscow towns, and it has been ordered that those dvoriane shall not possess pomest’ia in Pskov and Great Novgorod.

    69. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who, desiring not to render the sovereign’s service, while in the sovereign’s service, feloniously give away their pomest’ia to someone on mortgage, and sell their votchinas, and flee from the sovereign’s service; and the generals proceed to write about them to the sovereign: having located such fugitives, inflict punishment for their flight: having beaten them with the knout without mercy, send them back to the regiments under guard of bailiffs. Take away those pomest’ia and votchinas of theirs from those people to whom they gave those pomest’ia of theirs on mortgage and sold their votchinas while in the sovereign’s service [sluzhba] in the regiments, and give them back to the sellers for no money.

     

    CHAPTER 17. -- Votchinas. In It Are 55 Articles.

    1. In the past year 1627/28, the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia of blessed memory Mikhail Fedorovich, and his royal father, also of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, promulgated a decree in accord with the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers on clan votchinas [rodovye votchiny] and on service votchinas [vysluzhenye votchiny, hereditary estates awarded for service, a hybrid of pomest’e & votchina)]: if someone dies, and a childless wife survives him, and also natural brothers, and cousins, and [other members of] the clan survive him: give those votchinas to [members of] the clan of that deceased who died, to natural brothers, and to cousins, and to [other members of] the clan, whoever is closer [to the deceased].

  • As for the wives of those deceased who remain childless, grant them a quarter of their movable property, plus the dowry. They have no claim on clan votchinas and on service votchinas. [They do have a claim on] purchased votchinas.
  • Concerning votchinniks who have died, and in their wills and dowries their votchinas have been given after their death to their nieces, and unmarried eligible granddaughters, and great granddaughters: those votchinas shall remain their property on the basis of clan kinship.

    2. Concerning votchinniks who are survived by their married daughters and sisters: and petitioners, the married daughters and sisters of those deceased, proceed to petition for ownership of their votchinas on the basis of kinship: issue a decree for them according to statute -- they shall be the owners of those votchinas.

  • Concerning sons and daughters who proceed to petition about votchinas after their fathers have died: grant those votchinas to the sons, but do not grant the daughters shares of the votchinas with the brothers while their brothers are living. Grant maintenance allotments to daughters from pomest’ia after their fathers’ death according to statute. When their brothers die, the daughters shall become the estate owners of those votchinas.
  • In the past year 1628/29 the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich of blessed memory, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, decreed that clan votchinas and service [votchinas?] should be given [upon the death of their owners] to the male children of the [late] estate owners. If the deceased left no son, then [grant] those votchinas to the daughters. If by God’s judgment the daughters die, grant those votchinas to [surviving members of] the clan [rod], whoever of that clan is closest to the [deceased] estate owners. They [the heirs] shall give money for those votchinas for saying prayers in eternal memory of the deceased, according to statute.
  • A purchased votchina [may pass] to his [a man’s] wife. She is free [to use] that votchina as she wishes. No one is to have any claim on it.
  • That decree of 1628/29 of the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich of blessed memory, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, was written down by his sanctified Sovereign hand.
  • Now the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich has decreed and the boyars have affirmed: when, by God’s judgment, people of the Moscow ranks, boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and foreigners, die, and their mothers survive them, and their childless wives also survive them; and those deceased [servicemen] did not leave any pomest’ia, and there is nothing from which to grant the mothers and wives a maintenance allotment; and they did not leave any purchased votchinas, but they did leave service votchinas and clan votchinas: after review, grant a maintenance allotment from the service votchinas to the mothers and wives of those deceased, for the rest of their lives.
  • Those widows shall not sell those service votchinas. And they shall not mortgage them, and shall not give them away [to pay for the saying of prayers] for the soul, and [they shall not] register them in dowries for themselves. If she marries, or becomes a nun, or dies: grant those votchinas to votchinniks, those who are closest to those [deceased] votchina [owners], according to the prior royal decrees and statutes, as written above this.

    3. Grant maintenance allotments from votchinas granted for service after [their] owners have died to their widowed mothers after a review [to determine] whether those mothers of theirs are living together with them, and [whether] heretofore anything had been given them for maintenance.

  • If those mothers of theirs already possess maintenance pomest’ia from prior grants: do not give those mothers of theirs anything for maintenance from the votchinas awarded for service.

    4. The sovereign has decreed and the boyars have affirmed that clan votchinas and service votchinas shall be [owned] according to the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers and according to the statute of the former sovereigns, both of his royal father of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich and his royal grandfather, also of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, of 1627/28 and 1628/29, as is written above this.

  • When people die without leaving sons: grant clan votchinas and service votchinas to their daughters, according to the prior decrees of the sovereigns. If the daughters have children, those votchinas [shall pass] to their children and grandchildren, after their natural grandfathers and grandmothers [have died]. They, with their own natural uncles and aunts, shall be the owners of the ancient votchinas and service votchinas.
  • If no children survive the daughters: grant those votchinas to [other members of] the clan, whichever votchinniks of that clan are closest [to the deceased], according to prior royal decrees and statutes. [2]

    5. If a deceased leaves a purchased votchina, but does not leave a clan votchina, [or] a service votchina, [or] a pomest’e, and that same deceased leaves a second or a third wife, and the children whom he begat by the first, or by the second, or by the third wife; and there is nothing from which to grant those children of his whom he begat by the first, or by the second, or by the third wife a pomest’e except a purchased votchina: having divided [the votchina] into shares, grant the purchased votchina to his wife and all his children in an amount each share permits.

    6. If, after someone dies, a purchased votchina is granted to his wife, excluding the children: she is free [to do as she pleases] on that votchina. No one has any claim on that votchina.

    7. If any people, departing this world, bequeath their own purchased votchinas in their wills to their childless wives, on the condition that their wives do not remarry after them; but if their wives do remarry: they shall have no claims on those votchinas. Grant those votchinas of theirs to their brothers, or to [other members of] the clan. Or, if it is written in the wills that their wives, when they become widows, shall possess those purchased votchinas of theirs only as long as they live, or until the time when they become nuns, but when those wives of theirs become nuns or die, those purchased votchinas of theirs for that reason should be given to their brothers, or to [other members of] the clan: on the basis of such wills their childless wives shall possess purchased votchinas after the death [of their husbands] until the time when they remarry, or become nuns, or die.

  • If they remarry: they shall have no claims on those votchinas. According to the will of the deceased, grant those votchinas to the clan, to whomever that votchina is deeded in the will.

    8. Concerning people who purchase for themselves their own pomest’ya as a votchina; or they purchase for themselves the clan votchinas and the service votchina from votchinniks of the clan: and subsequently they die, and their surviving wives are childless: grant those childless wives of theirs only those purchased votchinas which they purchased for themselves from their own pomest’ya.

  • They shall possess those votchinas only as long as they live, or until that time when they remarry or become nuns. They shall not sell or mortgage those votchinas.
  • After they remarry, or become nuns, or die: grant those votchinas after them to relatives of their [late] husbands also as votchinas, to whomever the sovereign orders, after review. The relatives shall give [an amount of] money for that votchina equal to [the sum listed in] the purchase document [for prayers] for his soul.
  • If he added heritable fixtures to that purchased votchina after the purchase: for that additional construction the relatives shall also give money accordingly [for the saying of prayers] for his soul equal to [the amount listed in] the sovereign’s statute as written about that below concerning purchased and mortgaged votchinas.
  • Concerning the clan votchinas or service votchinas which their husbands purchase for themselves from the votchinniks of their clan: do not grant them, the widows, those votchinas after their husbands’ [decease]. Grant such votchinas to [members of] the clan of the deceased because those votchinas belong to their clan, and have been awarded for service. The relatives shall give for that votchina [an amount of] money accordingly equal to [the sum listed in] the purchase document [for prayers] for his soul.

    9. Sell pomest’e lands as votchinas in accord with the sovereign’s signed decree, to whomever the sovereign so favors. Pomeshchiks shall not sell their pomest’e lands as a votchina to anyone without the sovereign’s signed decree.

    10. Concerning service votchinas which in the past years through 1627/28 were granted after the [deaths of] husbands to their childless wives, but from 1627/28 through 1631/32 those votchinas were taken away from those widows and granted to [members of] the clan of their husbands, but [in instances where] no one of that clan has survived, those votchinas were granted to petitioners as pomest’e lands; but afterwards, since 1631/32, by the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory and his royal father of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, those votchinas were taken out of distribution [as pomest’ia] and were given back to those same widows from whom those votchinas had been taken away, and they were ordered to possess those votchinas as long as they lived: those votchinas shall remain [in the possession] of those widows while they are living.

  • Those widows shall not sell those votchinas to anyone else, or mortgage [them], or give them to a monastery [for the saying of prayers] for souls, or give them to parish churches.
  • When they die, grant those votchinas to [the members of] their husbands’ clan, whoever is close [in heritable order] to those votchinas.

    11. Concerning votchinniks who died in past years prior to 1627/28; and childless wives survived them and sold their husbands’ votchinas; and subsequently those wives died; and other wives of votchinniks became nuns, and those votchinas of theirs are now in the possession of [other] votchinniks as a result of sale and mortgage; and if [potential] votchinniks of those votchinas turn up on the basis of kinship: they shall redeem [those votchinas] according to statute.

  • If there are no [such related] votchinniks: those votchinas shall remain in the ownership of those people who purchased them or took them on mortgage.

    12. Concerning votchinniks who in years past, up to 1627/28, were survived by widowed mothers and wives; and those widows possess the votchinas of those votchinniks, but those widows do not possess any pomest’e maintenance allotments: do not confiscate those votchinas from those widows while they live. They shall not in any manner sell, mortgage, or give away those votchinas [for prayers] for souls.

    13. If after the death of a votchinnik his votchina is given to his children, two sons, or three people jointly: they all together shall own that votchina. No one of them shall sell or mortgage that votchina without [the participation of every other] one.

  • If many debts remain outstanding after their father’s death, and thy have nothing with which to pay those debts besides that votchina, and they desire to sell or to mortgage that votchina to pay off that debt of the father: all of them jointly shall sell or mortgage that votchina.
  • If the senior brother, desiring to benefit himself, and not for the repayment of the father’s debt, sells or mortgages to someone that votchina without having made an agreement with the junior brothers; and his brothers at that time are small; but when they reach their majority, they proceed to petition the sovereign within the statutory forty years about that paternal votchina against that senior brother of theirs and against the buyer who purchased from him that votchina of their father’s, or took it on mortgage; and it is established about that conclusively at trial that that brother of theirs sold that votchina of theirs, without their knowledge, for his own gain, and not for the repayment of the father’s debts: having taken their shares of that votchina from that person to whom that votchina of theirs was sold or mortgaged, return it to them.
  • Order that person to whom those votchina shares were sold or mortgaged to exact the money for those votchina shares in full from their senior brother on the basis of the purchase document, or the mortgage document. The votchina share of their senior brother shall remain sold as before. If the younger brothers desire it, redeem that share of the votchina: they shall redeem that share of the votchina according to the sovereign’s decree, as is written above about this.

    14. If after someone’s death his votchina is given to his male children, two or three people jointly: and one of them desires to sell or to mortgage his share of that paternal votchina because of his own poverty: he is free to sell or mortgage that share of his votchina.

  • If his brothers do not desire to divide that paternal votchina with him, and they proceed to petition the sovereign [and ask] that the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order their brother to take from them their money for that share of their brother’s votchina: order that their brother take the money from them for that share of the votchina after appraising how much that votchina is worth.

    15. If deaf and dumb children survive a deceased; and their brothers, or sisters, proceed to harm them, and proceed to alienate their paternal or maternal estate: those children of the deceased shall divide the estates of their father or mother into shares, equally for all, so that no one of them will be harmed.

    16. Concerning people who in past years, in the reign of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, were granted votchinas for sitting out the siege of Moscow, when they had sat out the siege in Moscow, during the reign of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Vasilii Ivanovich [Shuiskii] of blessed memory, and the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich also of blessed memory during the campaign of the [Polish] Crown Prince [Wladyslaw], and votchina charters for those votchinas were granted to them: those people shall [continue to] own those votchinas on the basis of the grant charters and the cadastral books.

    17. Concerning people who were granted votchinas after investigation for having sat out the siege of Moscow; and petitioners proceed to petition against those people [and allege] that they were not in the siege, and their names are not written in the siege register: in response to that petition, rigorously investigate those people who own such votchinas. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation with those people who petition against them.

  • If the investigation [reveals] that someone did not sit out the siege, but took the votchina on false pretenses: confiscate those votchinas from those [people] and give out [the land] in a distribution [as pomest’ya]. But do not confiscate those votchinas from them in the absence [of the accused] and without having investigated with certainly.

    18. According to the survey by cadastral officials, certain people in the past years held supplemental lands in [their] ancient and clan votchinas, but not in new grants, and they have tilled those [supplemental] lands: and they raised hamlets and settlements out of their own usufruct possessions, out of [their own] assigned forests, and out of [their own] meadows; and by the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, those supplemental lands were given to those same votchinniks also as a votchina because those lands in their possession [were] their ancient votchinas, and not new grants: those people shall [continue] to own those votchinas of theirs accordingly, on the basis of the grant charters and the cadastral books.

  • If in the future any supplemental lands come to light in their possession on those ancient and clan votchinas of theirs by the cadastre of new cadastral officials, which [supplemental] lands they henceforth till on their own usufruct possessions, out of their own assigned forests and meadows, or [if] they have raised new hamlets and settlements on their own usufruct possessions within their own borders and boundaries: do not confiscate those lands, and hamlets, and settlements from them accordingly. Order them [to continue] to own those lands, and hamlets, and settlements as part of the same votchina.

    19. Concerning stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and people of all ranks who were given votchinas from their pomest’ia for sitting out the siege of Moscow during the campaign of the [Polish] Crown Prince [Wladyslaw]: but their votchina entitlements were not granted in full according to the sovereign’s decree because at that time they had no pomest’ia adequate to fulfill their votchina grants, but later on new pomest’ia were granted to them, and they proceed to petition the sovereign, would the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order them to complement their votchina compensation entitlements from those new pomest’ia of theirs: those petitioners shall complement their votchina compensation entitlements from their new pomest’e grants.

    20. Concerning stol’niki, and striapchie, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie who were granted pomest’ia in Dorogobuzh, in Belaia, in Nevl’, in Serpeisk, in Novgorod-Severskii, in Starodub, [and] in Roslavl’; and out of those pomest’ya they were granted votchinas for sitting out the siege of Moscow, when they sat out the siege in Moscow, during the reign of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Vasilii Ivanovich [Shuiskii] of blessed memory; and they have votchina charters on those votchinas; and those votchinas of theirs passed with the towns into Lithuanian territory; and if those votchinniks in the future proceed to petition the sovereign, would the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order that they be granted votchina land out of their new pomest’ia in the place of those lost estates of theirs, as much as they had in their old votchinas; and they present the votchina charters on those old votchinas of theirs: grant those petitioners a votchina equal to their lost estates out of their new pomest’ia or as many acres as passed from the votchina of each into Lithuanian territory.

    21. Concerning those votchinniks and pomeshchiks who, according to the cadastral books, have their beehive trees on their pomest’e lands or on votchina lands, within their limits and boundaries: those votchinniks and pomeshchiks are therefore free to clear those beehive trees of theirs, inside their own boundaries and limits, which boundaries and limits are registered in the cadastral books, for arable and for hay meadows, and to set up villages and hamlets.

    22. Concerning those pomeshchiks and votchinniks who have their beehive tree usufruct possessions outside [of their own estates], on the lands or other pomeshchiks and votchinniks, and not on their own pomest’e lands and votchina lands: they shall possess those outside usufruct possessions on the same basis as is written about such usufruct possessions above this in chapter [10] on the judicial process.

    23. Concerning beehive trees, or fish weirs, and beaver dams, and fowl and game blinds, and places where one can catch birds with a net, and mills, and fords, and hay meadows and various usufruct possessions on the sovereign’s lands, and not on pomest’e lands and not on votchina lands; and those beehive trees and various usufruct possessions are on lands outside their estates: and peasants of those same pomeshchiks and votchinniks and various other people possess them in exchange for a rent payment: those rent payers shall [continue to] pay rent from those lands and from various usufruct possessions. Do not exclude that rent from the taxes [paid by the peasants].

    24. Concerning court villages, honey-collecting hamlets, and rural taxpaying districts which by the sovereign’s generosity are newly granted as pomest’ia and as votchinas to various pomeshchiks and votchinniks, and those villages and hamlets in various usufruct possessions and in lumber and firewood forests are not measured off in terms of arable land; and in the future cadastral officials proceed to register those court villages, and honey-collecting hamlets, and rural taxpaying districts as belonging to those pomeshchiks and votchinniks: the cadastral officials shall divide up all those usufruct possessions and firewood and lumber forests, having measured them off in terms of arable land, according to their grants, except for old pomest’e and votchina lands.

  • Concerning the lands which pomeshchiks and votchinniks possess according to old cadastral and census review books as a pomest’e or a votchina from long ago, and not as a grant from [the sovereign’s] court villages, and [those] usufruct possessions and forests have not been measured: those people shall [continue to] possess their usufruct possessions on the basis of the old cadastral and census review books. Order anyone to ride into his forest as of old for firewood and lumber.

    25. Concerning the fact that in past years, in the reign of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, there were many petitioners about pomest’ia and votchinas against stol’niki, and against striapchie, and against dvoriane and deti boiarskie, which stol’niki, and striapchie, and dvoriane, and deti boiarskie were in Tushino and in the towns, towns which were allied with the Impostor, during the Time of Troubles; the pomest’ia and votchinas were not confiscated from those stol’niki, and from striapchie, and from dvoriane, and from deti boiarskie and were not distributed to petitioners in a distribution, and those stol’niki, and striapchie, and dvoriane, and deti boiarskie were ordered to possess the votchinas and pomest’ia as previously: and votchina charters were issued for their old clan and purchased votchinas because they, having come to Moscow after the destruction of Moscow, joined with the boyars and the generals, stood against the Lithuanians, and together defended the Muscovite state against the Lithuanians, and by the grace of God, with their own outstanding service they defended and cleansed the Muscovite state of the Lithuanians: for this reason those votchinas and pomest’ia in the possession of such stol’niki, and striapchie, and dvoriane, and deti boiarskie shall be inviolate; they shall [continue to] possess those pomest’ia and votchinas on the basis of prior grants and grant charters, charters which were issued to them after the destruction of Moscow.

  • If someone’s old charters to such votchinas and pomest’ia are lost: those [people] shall petition for new charters. In response to that petition of theirs, investigate those votchinas and pomest’ia for which they proceed to petition the sovereign for new charters, in the Pomest’e Prikaz, in the [records of] grants and cadastral books, [to find out] whether they were given to them, and whether they once had charters on those votchinas and pomest’ia. If the investigation [shows] that those votchinas or pomest’ia were granted to them; and they once had charters on those votchinas and pomest’ia, but lost them: after investigation, grant them new charters on those votchinas and pomest’ia. On the basis [of those new charters] they shall henceforth possess those votchinas and pomest’ia.

    26. Concerning stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie who were in Tushino, and their votchinas were handed out [to others] in a distribution during the reign of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Vasilii Ivanovich [Shuiskii] of blessed memory, and those votchinas of theirs were not given back to them until this time: those votchinas shall remain as they were handed out in the grants of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Vasilii Ivanovich [Shuiskii] of blessed memory in the possession of those people to whom those votchinas were granted irrevocably.

    27. When someone sells or mortgages a clan votchina or a service votchina: henceforth his children and grandchildren shall have no claim to that votchina, and do not give them that votchina for redemption.

  • If the seller has brothers or kinsmen, and those brothers and kinsmen of his affixed their signatures to the purchase or mortgage documents: they, their children, and grandchildren henceforth accordingly shall have no claim on that votchina.
  • But if the signatures of brothers and kinsmen are not on purchase and mortgage documents: those brothers and kinsmen shall redeem those votchinas on the basis of the purchase and mortgage documents in which the votchina was sold or mortgaged, and not on the basis of acreage.
  • Concerning an expansion in [the number of] peasant households, and in [the number of] people in them, and in arable and hay meadows [cleared] from forest overgrowth on someone’s votchina, over [what is listed in] the purchase and mortgage documents: after trial and investigation, those votchinniks who proceed to redeem those votchinas shall pay those people from whom they proceed to redeem those votchinas for that supplemental construction [on the] votchinas: 50 rubles for a peasant household occupied by people; 3 rubles per 2.7 acres for arable land which is newly cleared from forest overgrowth; 2 rubles per 2.7 acres for hay meadows which are also newly cleared from forest overgrowth; and pay cash for church construction, and for masters’ houses and slave quarters, and for mill and for pond construction depending on the construction and on the appraisal of people of the vicinity.

    28. But if it is written in an votchina purchase document or in a mortgage document that for construction on the votchina those people who redeem [it] shall pay cash according to the testimony of those people from whom they redeem those votchinas: according to those purchase documents and mortgage documents, for the additional construction on the votchina those people from whom they proceed to redeem those votchinas shall exact money from those people who proceed to redeem those votchinas from them on the basis of the purchase documents and the mortgage documents.

    29. If someone proceeds to redeem a votchina from a votchinnik; and on that votchina there are extra homesteads above [those listed in] the purchase document, but in those homesteads are settled peasant children, or brothers, or nephews who were listed in the purchase document, and not newcomers from elsewhere: and in the purchase document or in the mortgage document they were registered together with their fathers and with brothers, or with [their] uncles, and not [in] separate [homesteads]: do not consider those peasants a gain. Do not take money for them from those people who proceed to redeem them because they are the old peasants of that votchina, and they did not arrive recently.

    30. Hold trial concerning [the ownership of] a votchina within forty years. But if votchinas have been [recorded] in a purchase document or in a mortgage document for more than forty years, and votchinniks proceed to petition to redeem such votchinas after forty years: do not grant such votchinas to anyone for redemption after the statutory forty years.

    31. If someone sells or mortgages his own purchased votchina: or gives it away to someone for no money, and he gives a document on that votchina; or wills it to someone after his death, and writes it down in the will, and that will is not disputed when it is witnessed: his children, and grandchildren, and others of his clan henceforth shall have no claim on that votchina. Do not give that votchina to them for redemption.

  • If someone at the witnessing of the will disputes it in a petition, investigate that at trial.

    32. If someone mortgages to someone [else] his own clan, or service, or purchased votchina until a certain date; and he gives a mortgage document on himself; and on the basis of that mortgage document proceeds to redeem that votchina of his on the date, or prior to the date, and brings the cash to that person with whom that votchina of his is mortgaged; and that person with whom that votchina of his mortgaged, out of desire to seize that estate of his, does not accept that money prior to the date or on the date from him so that on the basis of the date he can win that votchina from him in litigation: that borrower shall submit a petition to the sovereign against that person who does not accept that money from him, without letting that date lapse; he shall bring the loaned money to the Prikaz [Pomest’e Prikaz] in full, equal to [the sum stated in] the mortgage document.

  • If that borrower proceeds to petition the sovereign about that matter against that person who does not accept the loaned money from him, without letting the date lapse, and he brings the loaned money to the [Pomest’e] Prikaz: on the basis of that borrower’s petition send [a bailiff] out of the chancellery after that person against whom he proceeds to petition and order him to bring the mortgage document along with him.
  • When he brings the mortgage document, examine [that mortgage document, on what date he was supposed to take his loaned money back from the borrower according to that mortgage document; and if according to the mortgage document the date [for the repayment of] that money had not passed prior to the borrower’s petition: having taken that mortgage document from him, give it back to the borrower. Give back to him the borrower’s money in full, equal to [the sum stated in] that mortgage document.

    33. If someone fails to repay someone the money for a mortgaged votchina on time, and he proceeds to petition the sovereign after the date about the redemption of that votchina of his: reject him in that matter. Do not give him his mortgaged votchina for redemption. Order those to whom he was in debt in the mortgage to own such mortgaged votchinas. On the basis of the mortgage documents, order that such mortgaged estates be written down in the books as the property of those people to whom those votchinas were forfeit by default on the mortgage, in the absence of a petition of that person who, having mortgaged that votchina, allowed the date to lapse, after having consulted with the Judicial Prikaz about whether or not his petition about the redemption of that mortgaged votchina was [filed] in the Judicial Prikaz.

    34. If someone sells his own clan, or service, or purchased votchina to someone, and takes the money, and gives a purchase document; but does not register that votchina in the books in the Pomest’e Prikaz as the property of the purchaser; and subsequently he feloniously sells that same votchina of his to someone else, and takes the money, and registers that votchina in the books in the Pomest’e Prikaz as the property of the latter purchaser: that person for whom that votchina is registered in the books in the Pomest’e Prikaz shall own that votchina. Order the first purchaser not to own that votchina because he, having purchased that votchina, did not register it as his own in the books in the Pomest’e Prikaz.

  • Order him to exact his money from that seller on the basis of the purchase document. Inflict a punishment on that seller for that felony of his, that he sold his one votchina to two people, order him beaten mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people at the [Pomest’e] Prikaz so that others, looking on, will learn not to do that.
  • If he, having sold that votchina, does not register [the sale] in the books for either purchaser: on the basis of the purchase document give that votchina to the first purchaser and register [it] in the books in his name. Order the latter purchaser to exact the money from him.

    35. If someone feloniously sells or mortgages someone else’s clan, or service, or purchased votchina; and in the purchase document, or in the mortgage document, records that person to whom that votchina belongs among the sellers; and he forges a signature on the purchase or mortgage document in the absence of that person to whom that votchina belongs and also signs for him; and he registers that purchased or mortgaged votchina in the books in the Pomest’e Prikaz in collusion with that person to whom he sells or mortgages that votchina; and subsequently that person to whom that votchina belongs proceeds to petition the sovereign against him [and alleges] that he himself did not sell or mortgage that votchina of his to anyone, and did not order anyone to sell or to sign a purchase document or a mortgage document in his place: and that is established conclusively: on the basis of the registered documents give back that votchina to that votchinnik to whom that votchina belongs.

  • Having exacted the money from the seller on the basis of the purchase document or the mortgage document, give it back to that person to whom he sold or mortgaged that votchina which belongs to someone else.
  • Order that seller beaten with the knout for the felony, that he sold or mortgaged someone else’s votchina, so that others looking on will learn not to commit such a felony.
  • Concerning the fact that losses were suffered by that person to whom that votchina belongs because of his [the felon’s] sale of that votchina: having exacted those losses from him [the felon], give [the money] to that person to whom that votchina belongs.

    36. If someone sells or mortgages his own votchina to someone; and orders someone else to sign the purchase document or the mortgage document in his place because he himself is illiterate; and afterwards he proceeds to petition the sovereign against that person who signed in his place and says that he signed in his place without his knowledge; and that person who signed in his place proceeds to petition the sovereign and says that he is deliberately slandering him, that he signed the sale document or the mortgage document at his order, and not without his knowledge; and in response to that petition of his it is established about that conclusively that he signed the purchase document or the mortgage document at the order of that person who slandered him: on the basis of that investigation inflict a severe punishment on that person who deliberately slandered him for his slanderous petition, order him beaten mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people so that others looking on will learn not to do that. Order that his votchina not be taken away from that person to whom he sold or mortgaged [it].

  • If someone feloniously signs a votchina sale document or mortgage document in someone’s place in his absence, and that is established conclusively: inflict a severe punishment on that person accordingly, order him beaten mercilessly with the knout. Do not register votchinas in the registration books on the basis of such purchase documents and mortgage documents.

    37. Concerning the deserted pomest’e lands in Moscow province and the votchina lands in the provincial towns purchased as votchinas by deti boiarskie in the service of the patriarch, and the metropolitans, and archbishops; and those deti boiarskie in the employ of the patriarch and other high church officials are deti boiarskie of old ancestry: on the basis of the purchase, those lands in the future shall be owned by them as votchinas.

  • Concerning palace court officials, children of fathers who are not in [the sovereign’s] service, in the employ of the patriarch and the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and are not deti boiarskie of old ancestry, who have purchased votchinas for themselves: on the basis of those votchinas, register such palace court officials of the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops in the sovereign’s service from the provincial towns.
  • If someone of those deti boiarskie in the employ of the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops does not want to render the sovereign’s service: having taken his purchased votchina from him, give it away in a distribution [as pomest’e lands] to whomever the sovereign decrees.

    38. If someone sells or mortgages a votchina to someone and defaults on repayment, and registers the purchase or mortgage document for that votchina in the books: and subsequently he commits treason, leaves the Muscovite state for another land: that person who purchased that votchina from him shall own that votchina without [any possibility of] redemption because he purchased that votchina from that traitor Prior to his treason. Do not return that votchina to the clan of that traitor for redemption.

    39. If someone proceeds to assume ownership of a traitor’s votchina, but does not deposit a purchase document or mortgage document on that votchina, or if he does deposit it, but the date [for registering] that votchina has expired, and the purchase document or mortgage document is not registered in the books: confiscate that traitor’s votchina from him for the sovereign because, having purchased that votchina, or having taken it on mortgage prior to [the expiration] date, he failed to register [the votchina] for himself in the books until after the date, the date which is written in the mortgage.

    40. If such a traitor, having mortgaged his votchina, departs prior to the due date: confiscate that votchina from that person to whom it was mortgaged for the sovereign, and give him back his money according to the mortgage document from the property of that traitor.

    41. Slaves and monastery servitors shall not buy votchinas and shall not hold them in their possession on mortgage. Concerning the slave or the monastery servitor who buys a votchina, of proceeds to hold [one] under a mortgage; and someone, having learned about such an votchina, proceeds to petition the sovereign about it; and that is established conclusively: confiscate that votchina from the slave or the monastery servitor for the sovereign and grant it as a pomest’e to the petitioners who discovered that votchina in their possession.

    42. In the past years, since 1627/28, by a decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, [the following] has been written in his royal charters granting votchinas: votchinniks who, by his royal decree, are granted service votchinas, those estate owners, and their children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchild are free to sell, and mortgage, and give away in a dowry, and give away votchinas to a monastery [to pay] for [the saying of prayers for] the soul service.

  • If someone from his clan desires to redeem that votchina from a monastery: he shall redeem that votchina according to the previous statute [on votchinas], as clan and purchased votchinas were redeemed during the reigns of previous sovereigns.
  • If no clan [members] survive him, or some survive, but they do not desire to redeem [it]: confiscate that votchina from the monastery for the sovereign. Give the monastery money for it from the sovereign’s treasury, according to the statute [on votchinas], .50 ruble per 1.3 acres of land. That votchina shall not be registered as the property of that monastery.
  • Now, the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, having consulted with his father and spiritual intercessor, the most holy Iosif, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and with metropolitans, and with archbishops, and with bishops, and with archimandrites, and hegumens, and with the entire Holy Assembly: and having spoken with his royal boyars, and with courtiers, and with counselors, and with stol’niki, and with striapchie, and with Moscow dvoriane, and with provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, has decreed, and they established as law in assembly: henceforth, from the time of this present Law Code, the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries shall not buy clan, and service, and purchased votchinas from anyone; nor shall they take them on mortgage, keep them in their possession, or take them by any means [in exchange for saying prayers] for the eternal memory of souls.
  • Do not register such votchinas in the Pomes’te Prikaz as the property of the patriarch, and of metropolitans, and of archbishops, and bishops, and of monasteries.
  • No votchinniks shall give votchinas to monasteries.
  • If someone assigns an votchina to a monastery in a will, do not grant those votchinas to monasteries on the basis of wills. Their clan relatives instead shall give money to the monastery, whatever that votchina is worth, or whatever the deceased wrote as the value of the votchina in [his] will.
  • If the clan relatives do not want to take that votchina for themselves, and do not pay money to the monastery, the bailiffs shall sell that votchina to third persons, and give the money to the monastery for the soul of the deceased, according to the will.
  • If after [the promulgation of] this Law Code someone sells, or mortgages, or gives up [in exchange for prayers] for his soul his clan, or service, or purchased votchina to the patriarch, or a metropolitan, or an archbishop, or a bishop, or to any monastery: confiscate that votchina for the sovereign without compensation and give it out in a distribution to petitioners, whoever proceeds to petition the sovereign about that votchina.

    43. If an votchinnik of whatever rank becomes a monk, or a widow becomes a nun, and they own clan, or service, or purchased votchinas: they shall not give those votchinas to monasteries, and they shall not themselves [continue to] own those votchinas after they have been tonsured. They shall give away those clan and service votchinas to votchinniks according to the statute [on votchinas]. In exchange for those votchinas, the votchinniks shall feed and clothe them and provide them with comfort until their death.

  • If they proceed to petition the sovereign that their clan relatives, having taken their clan, or service, or purchased votchinas from them, are not feeding them, and that they have no peace from their clan relatives: they shall sell those votchinas either to those same relatives of theirs, or to third persons.
  • If they have purchased votchinas: they are free to sell those votchinas of theirs, or to give them away without compensation, to whomever they desire. But having been tonsured and residing in a monastery, henceforth they shall not keep votchinas for themselves.

    44. If votchinniks or widows were tonsured prior to this decree of the sovereign, and they [continue to] own votchinas: henceforth after this decree of the sovereign they shall not own those votchinas of theirs accordingly. Residing in the monastery, they shall not retain votchinas for themselves. Issue that same decree about those votchinas of theirs as is written above this.

    45. Decree on sold lands, which are sold in the Pomest’e Prikaz and in the palace court from deserted lands as votchinas.

  • In the past year 1627/28 the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory and his royal father also of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, decreed: sell deserted lands in the Moscow province in accord with the terms of the prior decree of 1572/73 of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Ivan Vasil’evich of blessed memory. Sell lands for a ruble for each 8.1 acres in one field in a three-field system. Sell court lands at the rate of a ruble for each 5.4 acres, without making a distinction among good, and average, and poor land.
  • The sovereign decreed that those sold lands should be registered in purchase documents as the votchinas of those people who purchase them, and their wives and children, and they are free to give away those lands in dowries.
  • If someone is not survived by a wife and children, those votchinas [shall pass] to [other members of] their clan. If no [other members of their] clan survive them, convert those votchinas into pomest’e lands. Give money for them from the sovereign’s own treasury to monasteries [for the saying of prayers] for their souls, [in an amount] corresponding to [the value of] fixtures [built on the estate].
  • The sovereign ordered that deserted lands in Dmitrov, and in Ruza, and in Zvenigorod [districts] be sold at the same [price] as in Moscow province, one ruble for each 8.1 acres in one field in a three-field system.
  • Concerning deserted pomest’e lands in Moscow province, and in Dmitrov, and in Ruza, and in Zvenigorod, which in past years, by the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory and of his royal father, also of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and [of] the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, were sold to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and merchants of the first corporation, and various servicemen and non-servicemen as votchinas: those people, to whom those deserted lands were sold as votchinas, and their wives and children shall own those purchased votchinas on the basis of the purchase documents. They are free to sell, mortgage, and give away in dowries those purchased votchinas of theirs.
  • If supplemental lands appear henceforth in those purchased votchinas of theirs, according to the cadastre compiled by the new cadastral officials, lands which they are clearing for arable out of their own usufruct possessions, out of forests, and out of meadows within their own boundaries and limits: do not take those lands away from them. Order them also to own those supplemental lands in the very same votchina.
  • If someone of those votchinniks dies, and he is not survived by a wife and children: give those votchinas to [other members of] their clan. If there are no [surviving members of] their clan: confiscate those votchinas for the sovereign as pomest’e lands. Give money for them to monasteries [for the saying of prayers] for their souls from the sovereign’s treasury, in an amount corresponding to the [value of the] fixtures [built on the estate].

    46. Concerning pomest’e lands which have been lying waste in Novgorod province since years long ago: sell those waste service lands to Novgorodian dvoriane and deti boiarskie according to the sovereign’s decree accordingly, as waste service lands are sold in Moscow province, and in Dmitrov, and in Zvenigorod, and in Ruza, at a ruble for each 8.1 acres.

    47. If in [districts adjacent to] other towns someone finds waste pomest’e lands which have been lying deserted since years long ago and [which] no one has been taking as pomest’ia: sell those lands as votchina[s] to dvoriane and deti boiarskie who have been initiated into service, [and] who are rendering the sovereign’s service, in those [districts adjacent to those] towns to which those deserted pomest’e lands [belong].

  • Sell them those deserted pomest’e lands as votchina[s] in [the quantity of] 270 acres per person at a price of one ruble per 8.1 acres. Do not sell such lands to those who have not been initiated and who are not rendering the sovereign’s service.
  • If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign about the sale of such lands, and another at the same time proceeds to petition the sovereign about those lands as a pomest’e: grant such lands as a pomest’e, do not sell them as a purchase.
  • Concerning pomest’e lands and deserted lands in other towns, besides those towns which are listed above, which have been sold as votchina[s] to various people and in response to signed petitions in past years according to the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory: those people shall own those purchased votchinas on the basis of the purchase documents accordingly.

    48. If a Moscow-region pomest’e is sold to someone as an votchina: henceforth do not grant those people a Moscow-region pomest’e in place [of the old one].

    49. Concerning Moscow-region pomest’ia which in past years were granted to people as a votchina for sitting out the siege of Moscow, when they sat out the siege of Moscow, during the reign of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Vasilii Ivanovich [Shuiskii] of blessed memory, and during the reign of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, during the campaign of the [Polish] Crown Prince [Wladyslaw], because they had no pomest’ia in the provincial towns at that time, and there was nothing to give them as an votchina besides the Moscow-region pomest’ia: those people shall own those Moscow-region service votchinas on the basis of the sovereign’s grant charters.

  • If those people proceed to petition the sovereign about [granting them] Moscow-region pomest’ia in place of those Moscow-region pomest’ia which were granted to them as an votchina: grant them Moscow-region pomest’ia according to their land compensation entitlement as is written about that above this.

    50. Concerning people who proceed to petition the sovereign for a survey of their own Moscow-region and provincial pomest’e lands and votchina lands, pomest’e and votchina lands of theirs which the cadastral officials did not survey: grant those petitioners the sovereign’s surveying documents and extracts from the cadastral books. Order the survey of those service and votchina lands of theirs with neighbors and long-term residents according to those extracts. Order pits dug, and posts set up, and markers hewn, and various signs made on the boundaries so that henceforth no one will have any dispute with anyone else over service and votchina lands.

    51. If a dispute arises on the boundary between two parties in the presence of the surveyor: the surveyors shall interrogate rigorously all neighbors and long-term residents using all methods of inquiry about those disputed lands, and after investigation, divide those disputed lands accordingly, and set up boundaries and limits on those disputed lands [in cooperation] with the long-term residents and the neighbors.

    52. If the surveyors are unable to issue a decree on the disputed lands for some reason: those people involved in the dispute over those lands shall walk around with an icon on those disputed lands. Order them to walk around with an icon after a casting of lots, as is written about that above this in chapter [10] on the judicial process.

  • Concerning the lands which have been divided by walking around with the icon: set up markers and various signs on the boundaries between such lands accordingly, in the presence of the neighbors and those pomeshchiks and votchinniks in possession of those lands in dispute, so that henceforth there will be no dispute about those lands between adjacent pomeshchiks and votchinniks.
  • Dispatch worthy dvoriane as surveyors to divide disputed lands, or [else] send the sovereign’s documents to the governors and to the senior officials of the felony control administration.

    53. If someone is dispatched to survey disputed land, and divides it unjustly, for his own gain; and there are petitioners against him for that; and it is established about that conclusively that he committed an injustice in that case: inflict a severe punishment on him for that felony, order him beaten with the knout around the market places.

  • Order someone else to divide that disputed land so that in the future there will be no dispute between adjoining pomeshchiks and votchinniks over that land.

    54. Concerning people who proceed to petition the sovereign about the registration of an votchina on the basis of gift charters and wills, and in those gift charters or wills it is not written down who gave, or turned over, an votchina to whom for how much money: collect the fees for the registration of those votchinas on the basis of the cadastral books and the grant records at the rate of .015 ruble per 1.3 acres.

    55. Concerning pomest’e cases which were resolved prior to the great Moscow fire, when in the past year 1626 on May 3 the Kremlin and Kitaigorod burned down, and cases which were resolved after the fire through January 28 of the present year 1649: such pomest’e cases shall remain as they were resolved. Henceforth do not reopen them and do not make extracts of them.

     

     

    CHAPTER 18.-- Seal Fees. In It Are 71 Articles.

    1. If someone is given the sovereign’s compensation, a pomest’e, for the first time: collect for the grant from those people seal fees of .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres of arable land.

    2. If someone is given the sovereign’s compensation of a pomest’e of 2.6, 3.9, 13 acres, and more than 13 acres, but less than 26 acres; or if two, three, or four men are granted a pomest’e of 6.5, 7.8, 13, or more acres: collect the fees on the petition [asking for the land] from all of them at the rate of .25 ruble per person, and not on the basis of the acreage.

    3. If dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and various people are issued the sovereign’s charters granting the right of possession for their old pomest’ia, and in the charters it is written that the old charters in their possession and the grants in the Pomest’e Prikaz have been lost; and there are no old record books in the Seal Prikaz because they were lost in the destruction [of Moscow in 1611]; and there is no document to corroborate those grants; and they are issued the documents granting the right of possession on the basis of the cadastral review books, some after investigation and [others] without investigation: collect the seal fees for such documents from the petition [requesting them] at the rate of .25 ruble per person. Do not collect the arable land fees.

    4. If a dvorianin or a syn boiarskii is killed in the sovereign’s service, and his pomest’ia are granted to his wife and children: collect from those [people] the fees for the petition, but not from the [quantity of] arable land.

    5. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who petition the sovereign about pomest’ia and about pomest’e wastes, about fallow lands, and about the wild steppe of the frontier towns, [that those lands be granted to them] as pomest’ia; and if they are granted the sovereign’s investigation charters about those lands: having conducted an investigation about those lands, order the investigation records sent to Moscow. Order those lands registered for the sovereign. Order those lands not be granted to them prior [to the issuance of an official] decree. Collect the fees from those people at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

    6. If dvoriane and deti boiarskie are given the sovereign’s grant of an votchina out of their pomest’ia: seal the grant charters for them with red wax. Collect the seal fees for those charters from the petition [registering them] at the rate of .25 ruble per person, and not from the quantity of arable land.

    7. If someone is given grant charters for votchinas on their old clan votchinas and purchased votchinas, and their former charters in their possession were lost during the destruction [of Moscow in 1611]: do not collect fees from those charters.

    8. If the sovereign’s grant charters with red seals are given to merchants of the first corporation or [ordinary] merchants [guaranteeing] that they do not have to billet troops, and they do not have to be on the tax rolls, allowing them to keep alcoholic beverages at their houses; or [if such charters are grants] in the name of a first merchant corporation [merchant] to ordinary merchants for service and for the customs house and tavern levies[3][1]: from such charters collect the seal fees at the rate of 2.50 rubles per charter.

    9. If stone shops are granted to merchants of the first corporation or [ordinary] merchants, and for those shops money is collected from them for the sovereign’s treasury in the Prikaz of the Great Revenue; and they are given grant charters and deeds on those shops on the basis of which they possess such shops: seal those shop grant charters with the sovereign’s seal and collect the seal fees: to whomever is sold a whole shop, 1.25 rubles, and to whomever is sold a half, a third, or a fourth of a shop, collect from those [people] the seal fees in the same ratio.

    10-11. Concerning the pomest’ia of dvoriane and deti boiarskie which have passed to the Rzeczpospolita, [those] which were taken from others and distributed to cossacks, and [those] which were taken from others after an investigation and granted to old votchinniks and pomeshchiks; and instead they were granted pomest’ia in other places; and the sovereign’s charters on those pomest’ia were issued to them; and those pomeshchiks proceed to petition the sovereign that the fees be collected for the petition, and not for the quantity of arable land, because they [already] paid the fees from their former pomest’ia: seal such charters without fee.

    12. If the sovereign’s charters are sent to Great Novgorod in response to the petition of Novgorodian pomeshchiks, and it is decreed that they should be allotted a pomest’e according to the Novgorod service list, and the seal fees from them are taken to Moscow: do not collect in Great Novgorod the seal fees from those pomest’e grants on the quantity of arable land and from the petition, but collect in Novgorod the seal fees from the petition at the rate of .25 ruble per person at that time when they issue charters granting the right of possession for those grants as they are collected in Moscow, so that there will not be double [collection of fees].

    13. If documents are written to Novgorod ordering that an investigation be conducted without a pomest’e, and after investigation it becomes necessary to grant it [the pomest’e], and the pomest’e grant is [awarded] them in Novgorod, and seal fees are not collected from them in Moscow: collect the seal fees from those grants in Great Novgorod according to the sovereign’s decree at the rate of .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres of arable land, but do not collect the .25 ruble for the petition. Collect the seal fees on those hereditary landholdings for the petition at the rate of .25 ruble at that time when someone is issued the documents granting the right of possession to those pomest’ia.

  • If such fees are collected for such documents from someone in Moscow: make a note of that fact on the documents next to the seal so that it will be known in Great Novgorod.

    14. If a father’s pomest’e is [requested by and] registered for someone and he is given a document granting him the right of possession, but he fails to obtain an allocation document on that pomest’e that belonged to his father: collect from those people for the document granting the right of possession .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres [of arable land] because he did not obtain an allocation document on that pomest’e of his father’s.

    15. Concerning people who bring to the Seal Prikaz from the Pomest’e Prikaz purchase documents for votchinas which they are purchasing from fallow lands, and in the Pomest’e Prikaz they were charged fees of .03 ruble per ruble [of the price paid for the land] for those purchase documents: in the Seal Prikaz charge the purchaser a fee of 2.5 ruble, plus .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres of measured arable.

    16. If the sovereign’s grant charters for votchinas and pomest’ia are given to boyars, and courtiers, and counselor dvoriane, and counselor state secretaries: do not collect the seal fees from those charters.

    17. If votchinas were registered in the Pomest’e Prikaz according to the sovereign’s decree by dvoriane and deti boiarskie on the basis of mortgage documents, or of wills, and of conveyances, and of any other documents, and the fees for those votchinas were collected from them in the Pomest’e Prikaz, and recorded in the books; and the sovereign’s allocation charters were issued to them in the provincial towns on those votchinas [declaring] that they should own those votchinas on the basis of the sovereign’s decree and the charters: collect the seal fees from those charters also, as from pomest’e grants, at the rate of .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres, plus .25 ruble for the document which is revealed in the charter.

    18. If dvoriane and deti boiarskie proceed to bring into the Seal Prikaz the sovereign’s charters on pomest’ia and votchinas which have been exchanged, and in the charters it is written that the exchange was acre for acre: collect the seal fees from those [people] for the petition at the rate of .25 ruble per person. Concerning acreage in excess of an even exchange revealed in my charters: from those [people] collect .25 ruble per person for the petition and .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres for the excess acreage.

    19. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie father[s] who proceed to register [the transfer of] their own pomest’ia and votchinas to [their] son[s], or a mother to [her] children, or a brother to [his] brother, or an uncle to [his] nephews, and other agnate relatives; and their petition is written down in the sovereign’s charters: collect the seal fees from those charters of theirs from the petitioners, [he] who is giving away the pomest’e, or the votchinas, at the rate of .25 ruble per person. Collect .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres from the person for whom the pomest’ia and votchinas are registered.

    20. If pomest’ia and votchinas of dvoriane and deti boiarskie by the sovereign’s decree are confiscated and handed out in a distribution [to others]; and subsequently in response to the petition of the former pomeshchiks and votchinniks those of their former pomest’ia and votchinas are registered in their possession as previously; and the sovereign’s charters are given to them on those pomest’ia and votchinas: if large grants are given to someone, collect the seal fees from those charters from those [people] at the rate of .0125 ruble per 1.3 acres; but if the pomest’ia are 26 acres or less, collect from those [people] .25 ruble because those pomest’ia again have come into their possession on the basis of the registration.

    21. Collect the sovereign’s fees from charters given to tax farmers in instances when the tax farmers buy up provincial town taverns, and fees for branding horses collected when they are sold, and toll and ferry fees, and various revenues from their additional income. Collect them from .0375 ruble per ruble [of revenue] for the tax farms. From small rates, where the tax farm is only a ruble, or 2, 3, 5, or 6 rubles: collect from such tax farmers .25 ruble per person for the petition and not the ruble fees [based on revenues].

    22. Concerning tax farmers for whom it is written in the sovereign’s charters that no trial shall be granted against them and their associates in the provincial towns while they have tax farms in their possession: collect for those charters .25 ruble per person for the petition, as many of them as there are in the petition.

    23. If a tavern or a customs house is given to a tax farmer as a tax farm for a specified number of years, two or three, and in the first year there are petitioners against him [asking] for a trial in any matter: do not grant those petitioners a trial against him in the first year. Grant them a trial against him when the first year expires.

  • If there are petitioners for a trial against that tax farmer in the second year: do not grant those petitioners a trial against him in the second year, but grant them a trial against him in the third year.
  • If there are other petitioners against that tax farmer in the third year: grant those last petitioners a trial against him in the fourth year, when the period of the tax farm expires.
  • Do not grant anyone a trial against tax farmers until a year has passed so that tax farmers will not suffer deliberate losses at the hands of anyone.
  • Grant customs houses, and taverns, and any other tax farms as a tax farm to the sovereign’s townsmen and to provincial peasants living in court villages. Do not give any tax farms as a tax farm to any other peasants or anyone’s slaves.
  • If customs houses and taverns are to be farmed out for more than three years in the possession of any tax farmers: for those tax farmers issue a decree about the trial like the one written in this article.

    24. If tax farms are given to tax farmers in the provincial towns: collect the seal fees from those tax farms in the provincial towns just as they are collected in Moscow. Send those seal monies from the provincial towns to the Seal Prikaz.

    25. Concerning tax farmers in the provincial towns who proceed to buy up various revenues for two, three, four, and five years at once; or tax farmers who proceed to buy up their own old tax farms anew for more money; or, concerning the tax farmer who buys [a farm] for one year, and then proceeds to keep that tax farm for himself for two or three, and another person four years: collect the seal fees from such tax farms from the old tax farms and from the new supplementary incomes for all the years, making the appropriate calculations, and not just for one year.

    26. Concerning tax farmers of tax farms who do not vacate tax farms on the stipulated dates; and no one else takes [them]; and those incomes are assigned to those same tax farmers with an increase noted: collect the seal fees from those [people] from the entire tax farm, from the old [one] and from the noted increase at the rate of .0375 ruble per ruble.

    27. Concerning [tax farmers] who vacate [their tax farms] prior to the [expiration] dates and do not desire to keep them in their possession as tax farms; and they are not relieved of those tax farms; and no one is appointed under oath to collect [the revenues of the tax farm]; and the [incomes of the tax farm] are assigned to them without supplementary income against their will: do not collect any seal fees from those people.

    28. If tax farming charters and various [other] documents of the sovereign on tax farming incomes are sent to the towns from the Prikaz of the Great Court, tax farms which are given out as tax farms in the Great Court, and the charters and orders are also sent out from the Great Court, in response to the petition[s] of people of various ranks: affix the seal to those charters and orders, and collect the signature and seal fees from them in the Prikaz of the Great Court.

    29. Concerning town baths or mills, businesses which are newly given to tax farmers as a tax farm for two, three, or more years; and those tax farmers proceed to petition the sovereign that they took those tax farms for a certain number of years [to engage in] the bath and mill business, and would [the sovereign] collect from them the seal fees from those tax farms, for the new businesses, for only one year: collect the seal fees from such tax farms for only one year.

    30. Concerning ferries, or fish weirs, and other small income-producing properties whose scheduled incomes are 5, or 6, or 10 and more rubles, and less from others, which are given out as tax farms to tax farmers: if in the documents it is written that they shall pay that money annually in the towns, until that time when someone else takes those tax farms as a tax farm for more money; but it is not written explicitly in the documents for how many years they are to keep them in their possession as tax farms: collect the fees for such documents in Moscow for [only] the first year, and for the remaining years the governors and chancellery officials shall collect the seal fees from those tax farms annually together with the tax farm monies in the towns. [They] shall send those money fees to the Seal Prikaz in Moscow.

    31. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who proceed to sue for their own claims in the Judicial and any [other] chancelleries, and at the trial they proceed to name a mutual witness in the provincial towns, and the sovereign’s charters on that matter are sent to the provincial towns: collect fees for those charters from the plaintiff and from the defendant at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

  • If [only] one [litigant], the plaintiff or the defendant, names [a witness in the provincial towns], and the other does not so name: collect the fees for such charters from the one who names, at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

    32. If someone proceeds to bring a case in any matter whatsoever against someone and at the trial they name a mutual witness; and the defendant proceeds to make a counterclaim against him; or he simultaneously has three or four trials on various matters, and they call a witness, or cite books, and the sovereign’s charters on the matter are sent to the towns: collect the fees for those charters. If there are different cases, collect from them as many different fees as there are cases.

    33. Concerning plaintiffs and defendants who do not name witnesses at [their] trials, but the judges order an investigation conducted about those suits of theirs without their citing witnesses: do not collect fees for those documents because [the judges] are proceeding to investigate without their petition. But when a decree is [issued] in response to the investigations: collect the fees for the petition from the loser.

    34. Concerning petitioners who proceed to petition the sovereign for justice on the basis of loan documents, and documents on that case are issued to them, but they do not write down in their petition how many loan documents there are: collect the fees from those [people] at the rate of .75 ruble per person. But if he writes down that [he is suing] on the basis of one loan document to collect loaned money: collect from those [people] fees of .25 ruble for the petition and .25 ruble for the loan document.

    35. If it is written in a document that a debt should be collected on the basis of a note, a will, or a purchase document: collect fees for those documents of .25 ruble for the petition, and also .25 ruble for the document, just as for a loan document.

    36. Concerning people who proceed to petition the sovereign about legal matters in suits for undocumented loans: collect from those petitioners the seal fees of .25 ruble per person.

    37. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign also about undocumented loans and other legal matters, and one petitioner is listed in the petition in the place of his associates, townsmen or rural peasants: collect fees of .75 ruble from each of those [associates].

    38. If someone proceeds to petition the sovereign for himself, in the place of townsmen and rural peasants: collect for those documents fees of 1.25 ruble each.

    39. If one petitioner is listed in a charter of the sovereign’s or in a directive, and he petitions for justice against two or three people, and someone else [petitions] against five or six people, or more; and he has different cases against them, not the one case against all [of them]; and if he has a trial with each of them individually, but he writes down those various cases of his into a single document, or into [a single] directive, so that he will only have to pay a single batch of fees: collect the fees for those documents depending on the case. Only if the different cases [involve] assaults, robberies, disputes over storage with written documents, and subsidy loans: collect from them as many fees as there are cases.

    40. Concerning dvoriane and deti boiarskie who petition the sovereign about fugitive peasants, and subsidy loan notes and surety bonds are listed in the documents [showing] that those peasants of theirs should be living under them as peasants; and those peasants, having gotten subsidy loan notes and surety bonds on themselves, are not living under them; and on the basis of those notes they are petitioning against their [the peasants’] guarantors: collect the seal fees from those documents only for the one petition, but do not collect for the notes and bonds [listed in the petition].

    41. If archimandrites and hegumens and the monks proceed to petition the sovereign about any matters whatsoever, and they are issued the sovereign’s charters: collect the seal fees from such charters at the rate of .75 ruble per charter.

    42. If an archimandrite, or hegumen, or steward alone, or a [monastery] servitor, signs a petition, and if they are petitioning about monastery business, and not about their own private matters: collect from them the seal fees at the same rate, .75 ruble apiece.

    43. Concerning the sovereign’s charters granted in the provincial towns to dvoriane and deti boiarskie in legal matters, and in response to those royal charters their defendants proceed to act contumaciously in the provincial towns, do not give surety bonds on themselves, and do not proceed to appear for trial on the appointed dates in Moscow; and the governors and chancellery officials proceed to write about that disobedience of theirs to the sovereign; and in response to those reports the sovereign’s charters are sent to the provincial towns; and they order the plaintiffs to exact from the defendants for the disobedience their maintenance expenses and compensation for the delay for the first and the second charters: collect the fees for those charters from the petitioners at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

    44. If the sovereign’s summonses for someone are given to plaintiffs; and in response to those documents the governors and chancellery officials in the provincial towns, favoring the defendants, do not get bail documents on those defendants and do not proceed to write to the sovereign in Moscow concerning those documents; and the plaintiffs, living in Moscow before the court date and after the court dates, proceed to petition the sovereign for other documents in those same suits, and those other documents are given them: collect the seal fees from those documents from the plaintiffs at the rate of .25 ruble per documents, and they shall collect their expenditures from those against whom they proceed to petition.

    45. If taxpaying Tatars and Cheremis of the Kazan’ State and of all the Lower Volga towns petition the sovereign, and the princes and mirzas, and service Tatars who pay taxes, and those freed from paying taxes, and centurions, and elders, and ordinary Chuvash, and Cheremis, and Votiaks sign the petition about the same case; and the same people [sign] with different names; and documents are issued to them: collect the fees for those documents by ranks, .75 ruble from each rank.

    46. If it becomes necessary in response to someone’s petition to send a bailiff from any chancellery whatsoever after someone in a plaintiff’s suit with a memorandum containing a directive: seal those directive-memoranda with the sovereign’s seal. Collect the seal fees from those directive-memoranda according to the sovereign’s decree. Do not dispatch directives in any cases of petitioners without the sovereign’s seal.

    47. When servicemen, and townsmen, and agriculturists of Siberian towns bring to the Seal Prikaz the sovereign’s documents against various people of the same Siberian towns requesting justice and on various other cases; or against townsmen and rural residents not of the Siberian towns, against various people of Perm’, Viatka, Ustiug, and other towns for stored goods and subsidy loans, on the basis of loan documents, for assault and robbery and in any other such cases: do not collect fees for those documents because the locale is distant and Siberian servicemen come to Moscow only occasionally.

    48. If travel documents are given to any dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and Tatar chiefs, and musketeer commanders, and various people who are in the sovereign’s service in Siberia and in the Lower Volga towns; and they order them, in response to their petitions, to carry food supplies, spirits, honey, and hops for service in those distant parts; and others are ordered to transport to Astrakhan’ and other towns lumber for building construction for residents of those places, do not collect seal fees from those travel documents for service.

    49. Concerning the sovereign’s documents issued to commanders and centurions of the Moscow musketeers, and to Moscow musketeers of all regiments in response to their petitions about various legal matters and about loans registered in documents; and documents granting the right of possession, allotment and grant documents which are granted to the same commanders and centurions for votchinas and pomest’ia: do not collect fees from them for such documents.

    50. Concerning the sovereign’s documents granted for legal cases to [cossack] atamans, captains, and [rank and file] cossacks who are in Moscow and in the provincial towns, and are being compensated by cash and by newly granted, tax-exempt pomest’ia: collect the seal fees from such documents for legal cases, according to statute. But concerning documents granted them for their lands: do not collect fees for those documents.

    51. If musketeer and cossack commanders and centurions and [rank and file] musketeers and cossacks of the provincial towns proceed to petition the sovereign about various legal cases against people outside their ranks, or for an investigation of musketeer and cossack lands; and the sovereign’s documents are issued to them in response to their petition: collect the seal fees from the legal proceedings according to statute when someone is petitioning against people outside their ranks.

  • But if they proceed to petition the sovereign against each other, and not against outsiders, or about lands: do not collect fees from those [people] because they are servicemen and the lands in their possession belong to the sovereign.

    52. If the sovereign’s charters about cash and grain subsidies are given to archimandrites, and hegumens, and archpriests together with rank and file clergymen of town monasteries and churches supported by the treasury, and also [documents] concerning annual salaries [are given] to provincial musketeers, and cossacks, and gunners, and artillerymen, and various servicemen who get treasury salaries [in response to their requests that] they be given the sovereign’s salary according to the law: do not collect seal fees from those documents.

    53. If the sovereign’s decree charters are issued to musketeers, and cossacks, and gunners, and artillerymen, and gatekeepers, and stone masons, and bricklayers in the provincial towns, in response to their petition on the matter of how many rubles worth of trade they may engage in duty-free and how much alcohol they may distill for themselves: do not collect the seal fees from such charters because of their service and poverty.

    54. If extracts showing ownership of land and other property from the cadastral books and cadastral review books are issued to peasants of the sovereign’s court villages, in the countryside, in districts where the sovereign’s taxes are paid, by the Prikaz of the Great Court and any other chancelleries: collect the seal fees from those charters from the elder, instead of all the peasants, at the rate of 75 ruble per charter, depending on the extracts. Seal those extracts which are issued by the Court with the Court’s seal, and collect the fees from those extracts in the Court also. Seal extracts from the cadastral books from other chancelleries in the Seal Prikaz and collect the fees [there as well].

    55. If the sovereign’s travel documents are issued by the Foreign Affairs Prikaz to foreigners, the English, the Dutch, and those of the [North German] free towns, and to elite merchants and ordinary traders of various other states; and if the foreigners proceed to petition the sovereign against Russians for justice in commercial transactions and in the matter of loans on the basis of loan documents and notes: do not collect seal fees [from the English and Dutch elite merchants] who have been issued the sovereign’s grant charter; but collect the seal fees from all other foreigners in the same way as they are collected from Russians.

    56. If the sovereign’s documents are sent to the provincial towns in response to the petition of boyars, and courtiers, and dvoriane, and counselor state secretaries about various cases of theirs; or if bailiffs are sent to the provincial towns in response to their petitions with memoranda containing directives: do not collect fees from those documents and from the directives.

    57. If documents and directives are sent to the provincial towns in response to a petition of a kraichii, and a chamberlain, and a striapchii with the key: collect the seal fees from those documents according to statute.

    58. If judgment documents are issued to various people about votchinas, and about various [other] cases, and from the Slavery Prikaz in slavery cases; and if the entire judicial case is written down authentically in the document: seal those documents with the sovereign’s seal, and collect the seal fees according to statute.

    59. If the sovereign’s charters are issued to the archimandrite, and the cellarer and the treasurer together with the monks of the life-giving Trinity Sergei Monastery in their monastery affairs: do not collect the signature and the seal fees from those charters.

    60. If the sovereign’s charters are issued to the archimandrite, and cellarer together with the monks of the New Savior Monastery about their monastery affairs: do not collect the seal fees from those charters for [the memory of] the sovereign’s parents.

    61. Concerning the monastery servitors and peasants of the Trinity Sergei Monastery and the New Savior Monastery who obtain the sovereign’s documents in their own suits: collect the fees from them according to statute.

    62. Also collect the fees according to statute for documents for various cases from all monasteries, except the Trinity Sergei and the New Savior Monastery, from [their] archimandrites, and hegumens, and elders, and servitors, and peasants.

    63. If the sovereign’s documents, or directives issued through a bailiff, are issued in response to a petition for an old and new service assignment by mercenary foreigners who are salaried in cash or in kind but do not have pomest’ia: do not collect the seal fees from those royal documents and directives for their cases because of their poverty and the fact that they are foreigners.

  • Collect seal fees from foreigners with pomest’ia in the same way they are collected from Russians according to statute.

    64. If the sovereign’s documents are sent to the Seal Prikaz from various chancelleries, and if those royal documents are written about petitioners’ cases, in response to reports from governors and chancellery officials of the provincial towns, or in response to petitions, petitions which are sent from the provincial towns attached to reports of governors and chancellery officials: after review, collect the seal fees from such documents.

  • If a petitioner comes to the Seal Prikaz [to get] any document: collect the seal fees from him according to statute. But if there are no petitioners: seal those documents without payment of fee.

    65. If the sovereign’s documents are issued by the Military Prikaz to dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and it is ordered that they be [promoted] from the provincial town service lists [and] registered on the court service list, or [promoted from] the court service list [and] registered on the roster chosen to serve in Moscow: collect the seal fees from those documents at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

    66. If the sovereign’s documents are issued to senior officials of the felony control administration and the fortifications officials by which they are to serve in the provincial towns as senior officials of the felony control administration, or anyone who is ordered to work in the chancelleries: collect the seal fees from those documents at the rate of a ruble per person.

    67. If the sovereign’s documents are issued to contractors for the sovereign’s grain business, contractors who are retained in Moscow and in the provincial towns to transport the sovereign’s grain to Arkhangel’sk, the Lower Volga towns, and to Siberia, in their own boats and with their own employees: collect the seal fees from those contractors.

    68. If servicemen who are ordered to serve in the Siberian towns as commanders, or centurions, or atamans of the cossacks bring the sovereign’s documents to the Seal Prikaz from the Siberian Prikaz: collect the sovereign’s fees from those people for those documents as legislated for senior officials of the felony control administration and fortifications officials because they are sending them [to Siberia] in response to their petitions, and not by compulsion.

    69. If the sovereign’s documents are carried from the Military Prikaz to the Seal Prikaz, and those royal documents are written in response to a petition of deti boiarskie for initiation into service, about compensation, or [concerning] the town in which one is supposed to serve: collect the seal fees for those royal sealed documents at the rate of .25 ruble per person.

    70. If the sovereign’s grant charters are issued to stewards [4][2] and striapchie of the tsar’s domains [in which] they are ordered to administer court rural districts and settlements with villages, and small villages, and hamlets in Moscow province and in the provincial towns for an annual cash salary: collect the seal fees of 2.50 rubles each in the Seal Prikaz from those charters. Seal those charters with the sovereign’s great seal in red wax.

    71. If the sovereign’s grant charters for the protection of lands and people are issued in the provincial towns to townsmen, and rural district peasants, and postal drivers: seal those charters in the Seal Prikaz with the sovereign’s great seal in red wax. Collect the seal fees from those charters at the rate of 2.50 rubles each per charter.


     

    CHAPTER 19. - Townsmen. In It Are 40 Articles.

    1. Concerning the [tax-exempt] settlements in Moscow belonging to the patriarch, and metropolitans, and other high church officials, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and [tsar’s] intimates, and people of all ranks; and in those settlements are living merchants and artisans who pursue various trading enterprises and own shops, but are not paying the sovereign’s taxes and are not rendering service: confiscate all of those settlements, with all the people who are living in those settlements, for the sovereign [and place them] all on the tax rolls [and force them to render] service without any statute of limitations and irrevocably, except for limited service contract slaves.

  • If it is said in an inquiry that the limited service contract slaves are their perpetual slaves, return them to those people to whom they belong. Order them moved back to their houses. Concerning those limited service contract slaves whose fathers and whose clan ancestors were townsmen, or from the sovereign’s rural districts: take those [people] to live in the urban taxpaying districts.
  • Henceforth, except for the sovereign’s settlements, no one shall have [tax-exempt] settlements in Moscow or in the provincial towns.
  • Confiscate the patriarch’s settlements completely, excepting those palace court officials who for a long time lived under former patriarchs in their patriarchal ranks as deti boiarskie, singers, secretaries, scribes, furnace tenders, guards, cooks and bakers, grooms, and as his palace court officials of other ranks who are given an annual salary and grain.

    2. Concerning people of all ranks, merchants and artisans, who, after inquiries, are removed from those lands which were built up near the Moscow urban taxpaying districts, and distributed among the taxpaying hundreds: those people henceforth shall be subject irrevocably to the sovereign, wherever they are put on the tax rolls.

    3. Concerning people in Moscow and in the provincial towns who are living on church lands, the children of priests, or church cantors, or sextons, or any other free people, or someone’s slaves; and they are engaging in various kinds of commercial enterprises, but they are not registered on the tax rolls, are not paying the sovereign’s taxes, are not rendering services, and are not performing corvée: add all of those people, on the basis of their commercial enterprises, to the tax rolls so that such people will not escape paying taxes anywhere.

    4. Concerning people of all ranks in Moscow who collect the sovereign’s cash and grain compensation and keep shops for themselves, and rent them, and engage in various commercial enterprises, with the exception of musketeers: those people shall remain in their ranks as previously, and shall render the sovereign’s service for the sovereign’s compensation.

  • They shall be on the tax rolls because of their various commercial enterprises and shall pay taxes in the hundreds, settlements, and rows of stalls along with the taxpayers, but they shall not render any form of compulsory service.
  • If someone does not want to be on the tax rolls: those people shall sell their shops to the sovereign’s taxpayers.

    5. Concerning the settlements around Moscow belonging to the patriarch, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries, and boyars, and counselors, and people of all ranks: those settlements with all their tradesmen, excepting limited service contract slaves, shall be confiscated accordingly, after investigation, for the sovereign.

  • If any plow peasants turn out under interrogation to be hereditary peasants from pomest’ia and votchinas, and they were brought to those lands: order those people from whom those settlements were confiscated to remove them from those settlements to their own votchinas and pomest’ia.
  • If those plow peasants have shops, and warehouses, and salt boilers in Moscow and in the provincial towns: they shall sell those shops, and warehouses, and salt boilers to the sovereign’s taxpayers. Henceforth no one other than the sovereign’s taxpayers shall keep shops, and warehouses, and salt boilers.

    6. There shall be pasture land around Moscow on all sides, two verstas out from the earthen wall and the moat. Measure off those pasture lands using the new sazhen’, the sazhen’ which, by the sovereign’s decree, is 3 arshins. A versta shall have 1,000 sazhens.

    7. Concerning the settlements belonging to the patriarch, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and people of all ranks that were built in the provincial towns on the sovereign’s urban taxpaying lands, or on tax-exempt lots, whether they were purchased or unpurchased, or on cattle pastures without the sovereign’s decree: confiscate those settlements with all the people and the lands, after inquiry, [and add them to] the urban taxpaying district without any statute of limitations and irrevocably because [of the rule:] Do not build settlements on the sovereign’s land, and do not buy urban taxpaying land.

    8. Concerning the estates belonging to the patriarch, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries, and the votchinas and pomest’ia belonging to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and people of all ranks in urban taxpaying districts of the towns and around the urban taxpaying districts; and they own those votchinas and pomest’ia on the basis of grants and documents; and those votchinas and pomest’ia are adjacent to the urban taxpaying districts, houses are side by side, or close to the urban an taxpaying districts: confiscate those votchinas and pomest’ia for the sovereign and arrange for them to pay taxes and render services as the urban taxpaying districts.

  • In exchange for those confiscated votchinas and pomest’ia the sovereign has decreed that they shall be granted equal [properties] in another place from his own royal villages.

    9. Concerning the estates, villages, and hamlets belonging to the patriarch, and metropolitans, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries; the votchina and pomest’e villages and hamlets belonging to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and the [tsar’s] intimates, and people of all ranks that are adjacent to or around the urban taxpaying districts in the provincial towns: the sovereign has decreed that those hamlets and villages shall be confiscated for himself, the sovereign, and it shall be arranged for them to pay the various taxes and render services as the sovereign’s taxpayers in the adjacent urban taxpaying districts.

  • Concerning plow peasants who are found [living] in those villages and hamlets of theirs: the sovereign has decreed that those peasants shall register themselves according to the law.
  • Concerning the votchina settlements, and villages, and hamlets belonging to the patriarchs, and metropolitans, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries, and the votchina and pomest’e settlements, villages, and hamlets belonging to boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and the [tsar’s] intimates, and people of various ranks that are distant from urban taxpaying districts; and merchants are living in them; and for a long time [the merchants] have been residents of urban taxpaying districts, and they have shops and various commercial enterprises in towns: the sovereign has ordered such merchants and tradesmen removed after an investigation to those same towns, to an urban taxpaying district, to their old tax-paying lots, and [he also has ordered] that at they be settled with the taxpaying townsmen.
  • If peasants declare that they are engaged in trade in those villages and hamlets, and they have shops and various commercial enterprises in those towns, but heretofore they were not townsmen and did not pay taxes [as townsmen]: the sovereign has decreed that those peasants shall be put on solid bonds [guaranteeing] that henceforth they will not tend shops and [conduct business] in cellars, will not engage in trade, will not buy up [as tax farms] salt boilers and taverns, and they shall sell those shops, cellars, and boilers to [urban] taxpayers.

    10. The pasture lands in the provincial towns shall be as they were previously, as the pasture lands were adjacent to any provincial town during the reigns of previous sovereigns.

  • If someone has taken possession of pasture land: after investigation, confiscate those pasture lands from those people and mark them off for the provincial towns as they were before.

    11. Concerning musketeers, cossacks, and dragoons in the provincial towns who are engaging in various commercial enterprises and are tending shops: those musketeers, cossacks, and dragoons shall pay customs duties on their commercial enterprises and the yearly shop tax for their shops, but they shall not pay [other] taxes with the townsmen and they shall not render compulsory services.

    12. Concerning servicemen of other ranks in the same provincial towns, gunners, and artillerymen, and gatekeepers, and treasury-employed carpenters and smiths, who are tending shops and engaging in various commercial enterprises: they shall pay the sovereign’s customs duties on their commercial enterprises accordingly. Moreover, they shall be on the tax rolls and shall pay the sovereign’s various taxes and render services equally with the townsmen.

  • Those people who do not want to be on the tax rolls: those people shall sell their shops to the sovereign’s [urban] taxpayers.

    13. Concerning Moscow and provincial urban taxpayers who themselves, or their fathers, in years past lived in Moscow and in the provincial towns, in the urban taxpaying districts and in the settlements on the tax rolls, and paid taxes; and others lived in the same urban taxpaying districts and in settlements at the residences of taxpayers as shopkeepers and as hired laborers, but now they are living as pawn-slaves under the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and the [tsar’s] intimates, and people of all ranks in Moscow and in the provincial towns, at their houses, and on [their] votchinas, and on [their] pomest’ia, and on church lands: investigate all those [people] and transport [them] to their old urban taxpaying district lots where they lived heretofore, without any statute of limitations and irrevocably.

  • Henceforth all those people who are confiscated for the sovereign shall not register themselves with anyone as pawn-slaves nor shall they call themselves anyone’s peasants or slaves.
  • It in the future they proceed to sell themselves as pawn-slaves to anyone or to call themselves anyone’s peasants or slaves: inflict a severe punishment on them for that, beat them with the knout around the market places and exile them to Siberia to live on the Lena [River].
  • Those people who in the future proceed to accept them as their dependents as pawn-slaves shall be in great disgrace with the sovereign for that. Confiscate for the sovereign the lands where those pawn-slaves hereafter proceed to live under them.

    14. Concerning people who by the sovereign’s decree were granted out-of-town houses and gardens in Moscow and in the provincial towns: those people shall keep their own slaves as custodians in those houses and gardens of theirs.

  • If someone has no slaves: they shall keep in those houses and gardens of theirs their own peasants, or landless peasants, as custodians, one man per house, or per garden.
  • If someone after the sovereign’s present decree proceeds to keep many of his own peasants and landless peasants at those houses and gardens of his: confiscate all of those peasants and landless peasants of theirs for the sovereign [and add them] to the tax rolls accordingly, even though those people are registered under them in the cadastral books.
  • Henceforth, if some people’s peasants come from their votchinas and pomest’ia to someone’s out-of-town houses for temporary artisanal work for votchinniks and pomeshchiks: after investigation, do not add those people to the tax rolls. Do not forbid them to come to Moscow.

    15. Concerning slaves and peasants belonging to boyars and [people] of other ranks who have purchased for themselves and taken on mortgage taxable houses, and shops, and warehouses, and stone cellars, and salt boilers, and are trading in various wares in Moscow and in the provincial towns: those slaves and peasants belonging to boyars and [people] of other ranks shall sell those taxable houses, and shops, and cellars, and warehouses, and boilers to taxpaying merchants and townsmen. Henceforth they shall not possess such houses, and shops, and cellars, and warehouses, and boilers.

  • Henceforth no one’s slaves or peasants, [no one other than] the sovereign’s merchant townsmen, shall buy taxable houses, and shops, and cellars, and warehouses, and boilers from anyone.
  • If in the future anyone’s slaves and peasants buy taxable houses, or shops, and cellars, and warehouses, and boilers from anyone: confiscate those houses, shops, cellars, warehouses, and boilers from them for the sovereign without compensation. Moreover, they shall be in great disgrace with the sovereign for that and shall be beaten in the market place.

    16. If any merchants and townsmen write down their own taxable houses, or shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and boilers for anyone’s slaves or peasants in a mortgage for a debt for a term; and the term lapses for those taxable houses, or shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and boilers of theirs: those people, to whom the taxable houses, or shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and salt boilers pass by default after the term shall sell [them] to the sovereign’s taxpayers. They themselves shall not live in those taxable houses, and shall not trade in the shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and shall not boil salt in the boilers under any circumstances.

  • If after the expiration of the term they themselves proceed to live in those taxable houses, or to trade in the shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and to boil salt in the salt boilers: confiscate those houses, and shops, and warehouses, and cellars, and salt boilers from them for the sovereign without compensation accordingly.

    17. If someone’s peasants proceed to come to Moscow and the provincial towns from the provinces with various wares: they shall sell those wares in the free markets without penalty, at the city market, from their carts and boats. But they shall not buy and shall not rent shops in the rows.

    18. If taxpaying townsmen of various hundreds and settlements are removed from [the ranks of] the pawn-slaves [and added] to the tax rolls; and those people from whom they are expropriated proceed to petition the sovereign against them on the basis of loan documents or notes about loan debts or subsidy loans: do not grant a trial on the basis of such documents and notes against those pawn-slaves to those people under whom they lived as pawn-slaves. Take away those documents from them to the [Investigations] Prikaz and do not give [them] back to them.

    19. Concerning the townsmen of the Moscow settlements who are now living in the provincial towns; and provincial townsmen who are living in Moscow and in various towns: those taxpaying townsmen henceforth shall live in those places where they have been residing. Do not transport taxpaying townsmen from Moscow to the provincial towns, or from the provincial towns to Moscow, or from one provincial town to another provincial town, just because they lived there long ago.

    20. Concerning all those townsmen who are now living in provincial towns in settlements under the patriarch, and other high ecclesiastical officials, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and the [tsar’s] intimates, and people of all ranks: all those people shall continue to live in the urban taxpaying district of those towns where they are now living. Concerning those who have been transported from urban taxpaying districts to the provinces, to villages and hamlets: having investigated all those people, transport them [back] to the taxpaying districts of those towns where they were investigated.

    21. Concerning townsmen who have given their young daughters in marriage to various free people: do not take those free people into the taxpaying settlements because of their wives.

    22. Concerning free people who have married taxpaying town widows; and, having gotten married, they left the tax rolls; but the former husbands of those wives of theirs were registered in the cadastral books on the tax rolls in the urban taxpaying districts: take those people who have married taxpaying wives into the urban taxpaying district because they married taxpaying women and moved into their houses.

    23. Concerning townsmen who have taken their own sons-in-law into their houses; and they have given their own daughters to them in marriage so that those sons-in-law of theirs would live in their houses while they live and feed them: all those [people] shall live in the hundreds and in the settlements on the tax rolls. If they [the daughters] marry someone, take them [the resulting couples] into the urban taxpaying district.

    24. Concerning taxpaying town artisans who have left their taxable allotments [of property] and are living in Moscow at the palace court, in the Armory, and in various other chancelleries; and they themselves were on the tax tolls and are the children of taxpaying fathers; and if the taxpayers living in the hundreds proceed to petition the sovereign about those taxpaying artisans, that they be put back on the tax rolls as before: write a report about those artisans of the sovereign’s specifically by name, as the sovereign decrees about those artisans. Do not return them to the hundreds without [such] a report.

    25. Put those taxpayers themselves who are kennel keepers and their children on the tax rolls.

    26. Concerning Moscow and provincial town taxpayers who themselves were on the tax rolls, and are the children of taxpaying fathers; and they joined the musketeers voluntarily, and not against their will: remove those people who were on the tax rolls and two of their sons from the musketeers [and add them] to the tax rolls where they are living. Leave the third son, if there is one, in. the musketeers.

    27. Concerning the children of Moscow and provincial townsmen who have left the ranks of the taxpayers and have registered in the musketeer service, and the father has only one son, or two: add those [sons] to the tax rolls. If the father has three sons, and the third is registered as a musketeer: do not take the third son; he shall continue to serve in the musketeers.

    28. Concerning Moscow and provincial townsmen who were on the town tax rolls, but joined the gunners, and artillerymen, and gatekeepers, and [treasury-employed] smiths, and all other ranks: after investigation, add all those people to the tax rolls.

    29. Concerning Moscow and provincial town taxpayers who in years past have joined the cossacks, and serve with the cossacks who have old pomest’ia; and they have been officially initiated into service and assigned cash compensation entitlements and assigned monthly rations: do not remove those taxpayers from the cossacks. They shall continue in service as before.

    30. Concerning Moscow and provincial town urban taxpayers who registered in the cossacks for the first time after the Smolensk War, but were not at Smolensk: after an investigation, add those urban taxpaying people to the tax rolls as before.

    31. Concerning Moscow and provincial town taxpayers who have joined the new formation infantry, but themselves were on the tax rolls, and are children of taxpaying fathers: after investigation, add those people to the tax rolls as before.

    32. Concerning Moscow and provincial townsmen who became postal drivers, but they themselves had been on the tax rolls, and are the children of taxpaying fathers: after an investigation, add those [people] to the tax rolls as before.

    33. Concerning Moscow and provincial taxpayers who themselves were on the tax rolls, or are the children of taxpaying fathers, and they were in captivity in various places: those people shall live wherever they wish because they have been freed from the tax rolls as a consequence of their captivity.

    34. Concerning provincial town merchants who have been registered in the second and third merchant corporations; and they were ordered to live in Moscow, but those provincial town merchants are living in the provincial towns in their own old houses, and are trading in various commercial enterprises in those provincial towns; and they are not paying taxes on those houses of theirs and on their enterprises in the provincial towns with the townsmen; and they keep their taxable houses and enterprises as before: those provincial town merchants, who were ordered to serve in the second and third merchant corporations, shall sell their taxable houses and enterprises to taxpaying townsmen of those same provincial towns. They themselves shall live in Moscow as members of the second and third merchant corporations.

  • If they do not want to sell those provincial town taxable houses and enterprises of theirs, they shall pay taxes on both those provincial town taxable houses and the enterprises of theirs in the provincial towns with the provincial townsmen, as [they did] previously.

    35. Concerning the houses and shops built in Moscow that belong to taxpayers who have come from the provincial towns: those people shall remain in Moscow in the hundreds on the tax rolls. In the provincial towns they shall pay taxes on and render all compulsory services for their commerce and industry in those provincial towns.

    36. Concerning all provincial town merchants and taxpayers who come to Moscow but do not have their own houses [in the capital], but they bring their own wares and trade both in rented and in their own shops: henceforth those people shall come with their own goods to the city market and shall trade in the city market. They shall not rent shops in the rows. Those people who have their own shops which they purchased from someone in the rows shall sell them to the sovereign’s taxpaying Muscovites.

    37. If anyone’s hereditary slaves, or limited service contract slaves, or peasants and landless peasants, who are registered under someone in the cadastral books, [and who,] having fled [from their masters], marry townsmen’s daughters, unmarried women, or widows in Moscow and in the provincial towns: return such fugitive slaves on the basis of the documents and peasants on the basis of the cadastral books from the urban taxpaying districts with their wives and with [their] children to those people from whom they fled. Do not add them to the tax rolls in the urban taxpaying district on the basis of their wives.

    38. If the unmarried daughter of a townsman flees; and while a fugitive marries someone’s limited service contract slave, or hereditary slave, or peasant, or landless peasant; or if someone entices the unmarried daughter of a townsman or a widow, and having enticed her, marries her to his own limited service contract slave, or hereditary slave, or peasant, or landless peasant; and the father of that fugitive or enticed young woman or widow proceeds to petition the sovereign about her; and it is established conclusively about that at trial and investigation that that daughter of his, a young woman or a widow, fled, or was enticed: bring that townswoman, young woman or widow, with her husband and the children whom she bore by that husband of hers [back] to the urban taxpaying district and order her husband to live in the urban taxpaying district on the tax rolls.

    39. Concerning taxpayers who sell their own taxable houses to tax-exempt [persons]; and they draw up mortgage documents instead of purchase documents; and they let the date for redemption of those houses of theirs lapse; and those people to whom they mortgaged those houses of theirs exercise their default option and remove the property from the tax rolls: taxpayers in the taxpaying hundreds and settlements shall not mortgage and shall not sell taxable houses and taxable lots to non-taxpaying people.

  • If someone sells or mortgages a taxable house to tax-exempt people: confiscate those houses without compensation and give them to the hundreds. On the basis of the mortgage documents, deny those houses to those to whom they were mortgaged for money.
  • Concerning the taxpayers who sell or mortgage those houses of theirs: beat those taxpayers for the felony with the knout.

    40. Concerning the houses in Moscow in Kitaigorod, Belyi gorod, and in Zemlianoi gorod, [and] in the out-of-town settlements in the possession of Russians of all ranks: Northern Europeans and North European widows shall not buy and shall not take on mortgage those houses and house lots from Russians. If Northern Europeans and their wives and children proceed to buy houses or house lots from Russians; or on the basis of mortgage documents proceed to petition against Russians, and proceed to bring purchase and mortgage documents for registration in the Moscow Administrative Prikaz: do not register those purchase and mortgage documents.

  • If Russians proceed to sell houses and house lots to North European men or North European women: they shall be in disgrace with the sovereign for that.
  • Concerning the North European churches which were set up in the yards of Northern Europeans: demolish those churches. In the future there shall be no churches in Northern Europeans’ yards in Kitaigorod, Belyi gorod, and Zemlianoi gorod. They shall be out of town, beyond Zemlianoi gorod, in places distant from God’s [Orthodox] churches.

     

     

    CHAPTER 20. - The Judicial Process for Slaves. In It Are 119 Articles.

    1. Concerning deti boiarskie who were never initiated into service, never appeared at a review, are not on any service lists, nowhere were in the sovereign’s service, and have no grants of pomest’ia or votchinas; and now they are [slaves] in masters’ houses on the basis of limited service slavery contracts, and they petitioned [to be slaves] in masters’ houses in years past, prior to this present decree of the sovereign: those uninitiated deti boiarskie henceforth shall remain in masters’ houses as previously.

    2. Henceforth no one shall receive initiated or uninitiated deti boiarskie as slaves. Do not issue limited service slavery contracts on them in the Slavery Prikaz without a special decree in the sovereign’s name.

    3. If any deti boiarskie after this decree of the sovereign petition to become someone’s slaves; and by the sovereign’s decree and the boyars’ decision they have been freed from slavery, and they have been ordered to render the sovereign’s service in the provincial towns; and they, desiring not to render service to the sovereign, feloniously proceed to petition to be [slaves] in other masters’ houses and [to be the slaves] of people of various ranks: return those deti boiarskie as slaves to those people with whom they were enslaved previously.

    4. Concerning slaves who, having fled from people of various ranks, are living under boyars, and courtiers, and counselors, and stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and zhil’tsy, and provincial dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and palace officials, and foreigners, and scribes, and servicemen of various ranks; and, coming to [the houses of] those people from whom they fled, are inciting their other slaves and peasants, and wrecking, and plundering, and setting fire to their houses: those people whom they are ruining shall sue those people with whom they [their former slaves] are living as fugitives in the [Moscow and Vladimir] Judicial Chancelleries for the destruction.

  • Concerning fugitive slaves who, after trial and investigation, have to be returned as slaves to someone: return those fugitive slaves on the basis of full slavery documents and other documents as slaves [together] with [their] wives and with [their] children, those children who are inscribed in the same document with their fathers and [those] who were born into slavery in someone’s possession.

    5. Concerning children who were born prior to [their parents’] enslavement and who proceed to live [as slaves] with someone else, or proceed to live by themselves: those children of slaves do not belong to those people whom their fathers and mothers are serving.

    6. If peasants, or landless peasants, and the children of peasants and landless peasants flee from someone; and, having fled, petition [to be slaves] in [other] masters’ houses; and they give limited service slavery contracts on themselves; but prior to the flight they were registered as peasants or landless peasants under those from whom they are fleeing in the cadastral or census books and in extracts from such books: after trial and investigation and on the basis of the books and the extracts, return such fugitive peasants, and landless peasants, and children of peasants and landless peasants to those pomeshchiks and votchinniks from whom they are fleeing.

  • Annually send the sovereign’s communiqués about such fugitive peasants and landless peasants from the Slavery Prikaz to the governors and chancellery officials in the provincial towns so that in the provincial towns the governors and chancellery officials will not approve limited service slavery contracts on peasants and peasants’ children for anyone.

    7. If any people approach someone and proceed to petition to be [his] slaves, and they say about themselves that they are free people: those people, whom they approach, shall interrogate them, what kind of free people they are, and where they were born, and with whom they lived heretofore, and whether they are not the children of fathers in government service, and whether they have been in the sovereign’s service and on the tax rolls, and whether they are not someone’s fugitive slaves, or whether they are peasants and landless peasants.

  • If those people who have approached them say under interrogation that they are not the children of fathers in government service, and were nowhere in the sovereign’s service and never were on the tax rolls, and were never anyone’s slave, and peasant, and landless peasant: those people, to whom such people petitioned to be their slaves, shall bring them to the Slavery Prikaz accordingly. Interrogate those people in the Slavery Prikaz.
  • If those people in the Slavery Prikaz repeat under interrogation those same testimonies that they told those people who bring them to the Slavery Prikaz: having written down those testimonies of theirs, order limited service slavery contracts issued on them.
  • Concerning those who are literate: order those [people] to sign those limited service slavery contracts and the [record] books. [5]

    8. Concerning slaves who proceed to approach someone and petition to be [his] slaves after the death [of their previous owners], and they bring with them manumission documents issued by the deceased or their bailiffs: bring such slaves with those manumission documents to the Slavery Prikaz. In the Slavery Prikaz, having interrogated those slaves and having obtained copies of the manumission documents, order that those people to whom they proceed to petition to be their slaves be granted limited service slavery contracts on them. Order the manumission documents glued to the limited service slavery contracts and [the entire transaction] certified by a state secretary’s signature. Leave copies of those manumission documents, initialed by a state secretary, in the Slavery Prikaz; register those limited service slavery contracts, the manumission documents, and the slaves’ features and identifying marks in the books. [6]

    9. Concerning people who have limited service slavery contracts on slaves; and those people, desiring to register those slaves of theirs as slaves for their children, send [someone] to the Slavery Prikaz to obtain new limited service slavery contracts on those slaves of theirs in the name of their children; but they do not give those slaves of theirs manumission documents: do not give their children limited service slavery contracts on those slaves without manumission documents.

    10. Concerning slaves who are set free on the death of their former lords; and they are granted manumission documents; and they, having come with those manumission documents to someone, petition to be slaves; and they give their manumission documents to him; and later on, abandoning those manumission documents of theirs to that person to whom they gave them, they, having left them, petition to be the slaves of someone else; and they proceed to give limited service slavery contracts on themselves: do not give limited service slavery contracts on them to those people to whom they came without manumission documents. Give limited service slavery contracts on them to those people to whom they earlier had come with the manumission documents.

    11. [If] someone says that he heretofore had been someone’s slave, and was manumitted, but does not present a manumission document: interrogate him on that subject accordingly, why he has no manumission document; and with whom he served previously, and whether that [person] is still living; and if [he is still] living, why he freed him but did not give him a manumission document, or, if that [person] whom he served previously died, and if he died, whether a wife and children survived him; and on what basis he served him, whether he was an hereditary slave, or a limited service contract slave; and if it was as a limited service contract slave, where the limited service slavery contract was taken on him, and why he was not given a manumission document upon the death of that former lord of his.

  • If the slave who has no manumission document says under interrogation that his former master who manumitted him is still living, but that master of his did not give him a manumission document: no one shall issue a limited service slavery contract on him without a manumission document.

    12. If such a slave under interrogation says that his former master died; and that he served him on the basis of a limited service slavery contract, and where and in what year the limited service slavery contract was taken on him, and he testifies about that explicitly: on the basis of those testimonies of his examine the limited service slavery contract record books, whether there is a record of the limited service slavery contract on him.

  • If a limited service slavery contract is registered on him in the slavery registration books; and it is established conclusively about his former master that he died; and no one has a dispute with anyone about that slave: issue a limited service slavery contract on him without a manumission document to that [person] whom he petitioned to be [his] slave after [the death] of his first master on the basis of the limited service slavery contract record books.

    13. If the first master of that slave died, and children survived him; and no limited service slavery contract for that slave is evident in registration form in the limited service slavery contract registration books; and the children of his first master petition the sovereign about him on the basis of hereditary slavery, not on the basis of limited service contract slavery, and they present hereditary slavery documents on him: return that slave into slavery to those children of his former master on terms of hereditary slavery and on the basis of the hereditary slavery documents.

  • Reject that [person] to whom he petitioned anew to be a slave and do not issue a limited service slavery contract on him.

    14. If someone commands his own children, or brothers, or stewards to set free his own limited service contract slaves on his death; and those children of his, or brothers, or stewards do not set free those slaves of his, and they desire to keep them for themselves: those slaves whom the children, or brothers, or stewards did not set free after [the passing of] the deceased shall petition against them to the sovereign and submit petitions on that matter to the Slavery Prikaz. The directors shall send out bailiffs from the Slavery Prikaz after those people against whom those slaves are petitioning and order them, while conducting the investigation, to arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation with the petitioners. Having conducted the investigation, order [the heirs] to give those slaves manumission documents without any delay.

    15. If someone by God’s judgment dies a sudden death; and limited service contract slaves survive him; and the wife and children, or brothers, of that deceased do not wish to set free those limited service contract slaves from themselves and will not give them manumission documents, and those slaves proceed to petition the sovereign against them about this matter: in response to their petition, having investigated about that rigorously, [and ascertained] that they served their master under terms of limited service contract slavery, and not hereditary slavery: liberate them from the wife and children and from the brothers of that deceased master, and grant them freedom. [7]

  • Concerning the people to whom they, as free men, petition to be their slaves: issue those people limited service slavery contracts on them, after investigation, without manumission documents.

    16. If any free people in Moscow and in the provincial towns voluntarily petition to be someone’s slaves, and having petitioned, proceed to live with those people to whom they are petitioning to be their slaves without entering slavery contracts for a month, or two, or three months; and those people to whom they petition to be their slaves bring them to the Slavery Prikaz and proceed to petition the sovereign against them, [stating] that they have been serving them for a long time, but have not given limited service slavery contracts on themselves, and [requesting] the sovereign to order limited service slavery contracts issued them on those people; and if the people who have been brought in do not wish to give limited service slavery contracts on themselves, and they have lived with those people for less than three months: set those people free. Do not issue limited service slavery contracts on them because they lived with them without entering slavery contracts for [only] a short time.

  • But if it is established that they lived [with them] for more than three months: issue limited service slavery contracts on those people against their will, even though they do not desire to be the slaves of those [people].

    17. If such people, having lived voluntarily as slaves with someone, without documentation, leave them with a discharge, or without a discharge; and those people from whom they leave proceed to sue them for stolen property, desiring thereby to retain them in their possession: do not grant them a trial for stolen property against those people who left them because he trusted the slave and kept him at his house without documentation.

    18. If someone lives at someone’s house without a limited service slavery contract; and he is literate, and that person in various letters proceeds to describe himself as the slave of that person at whose house he is living without a limited service slavery contract; and subsequently he desires not to live with that person, and having left him, gives someone else a limited service slavery contract: that person is enslaved to that one to whom he gives the limited service slavery contract on himself.

  • If that person with whom he lived without a limited service slavery contract prior to that limited service slavery contract proceeds to petition against him and proceeds to expose him on the basis of the letters in his handwriting: reject him on the grounds that it has been ordered that no one should keep [someone] without a limited service slavery contract. Concerning the fact that he described himself in letters as the slave of that person at whose house he lived without a limited service slavery service contract: such people shall not present those letters as a basis for slavery contracts.

    19. Public square scribes shall write limited service slavery contracts in the amount of 3 rubles for one person, not more or less. Collect the fees for the sovereign’s treasury at the rate of .03 ruble per ruble.

    20. Issue limited service slavery contracts on slaves who are 15 years of age. But if they are less than 15 years of age: do not issue limited service slavery contracts on those [people].

  • If someone contests a limited service slavery contract: resolve [the legitimacy of] that limited service slavery contract at trial.

    21. If someone, without checking, takes a limited service slavery contract on a full slave, or a reported slave, or an hereditary slave, without a manumission document, return that slave after investigation to that person whose document is older.

    22. Concerning that slave who, fleeing from his old master, petitioned [to be a slave] in the house of another, and thereby caused a dispute: beat him mercilessly for that with the knout on the rack in front of the Slavery Prikaz so that others looking on will learn not to commit such a felony.

    23. If people begin to get limited service slavery contracts on someone feloniously in his absence with a substitute, investigate such [matters] in the Slavery Prikaz in the limited service slavery contract registration books: examine the features and identifying marks of the disputed slaves in the Prikaz.

  • If people do not coincide in features and identifying marks with the limited service slavery contract registration books: do not turn over those people as slaves to anyone. Reject the plaintiffs on the basis of those limited service slavery contracts.
  • If someone obtains a limited service slavery contract by substitution, and that is established conclusively: inflict a punishment on those people for that, beat them with the knout.
  • If someone changes a given name: do not believe that [person].

    24. If a slave, or a peasant, flees from someone, abandoning his father or mother, and gives a limited service slavery contract on himself to someone else anew: conduct an investigation with the help of their fathers and mothers of such fugitive hereditary slaves and limited service contract slaves and peasant children in response to the petition of those people from whom they are fleeing, and arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of them with their fathers and mothers.

  • If it is established accurately that those disputed slaves and peasants were born in someone’s house as hereditary slaves, or as peasants: return those slaves on the basis of the hereditary slavery and the documentation, and after the visual confrontation, to those people who own their fathers and mothers. Reject [any claims based on] new limited service slavery contracts.
  • Return the peasants and the peasant children to their fathers and mothers according to that same sovereign decree.

    25. If any slaves during inquiry at trial and at the visual confrontation proceed to deny their fathers and mothers, or brothers, or sisters, or uncles, or aunts; and their fathers and mothers, or brothers, or sisters, or uncles, or aunts proceed to say against them that they are perjurously denying them, not desiring to be with them in slavery: torture those slaves who proceed to deny their fathers and mothers, and brothers, and sisters, and uncles, and aunts.

  • If they do not confess after the first torture: torture them in a second [torture]. If they do not confess during a second torture: return them to those people who have limited service slavery contracts on them.

    26. If slave[s], or peasant[s], abandoning [their] wives, flee from someone, and in flight they marry other women; and they proceed to deny their first wives; or if any slave woman, or peasant woman, abandoning their husband[s], marry other men, and criminally proceed to deny their first husbands: compile for them a decree like the one written above this in the slavery article.

    27. If young limited service contract slave women and widows, and other slave young women and widows, and peasant daughters flee from someone and marry servicemen of the southern frontier towns: collect a severance fee for those fugitive household widows and young women from those people whom they marry of 50 rubles per person for a slave widow or a young woman, but 10 rubles per person for a young woman or a widow who is a peasant’s daughter.

    28. If someone apprehends a slave in another’s house, and he presents a limited service slavery contract written in a provincial town on the slave; and he says that that limited service slavery contract is registered in the books in a provincial town; and on the limited service slavery contract it is noted that the limited service slavery contract was registered in the books; but in the books that limited service slavery contract is not evident in a registration in the particular book he cites; but the signature of a governor, chancellery official, or senior official of the felony control administration is on that limited service slavery contract: do not direct the verdict on the basis of that limited service slavery contract against that person who presents such a limited service slavery contract at the trial. Order him granted a new limited service slavery contract on that male or female slave in the stead of that limited service slavery contract.

  • As for that person who noted on that limited service slavery contract that the limited service slavery contract is registered in a book, but did not register it in a book: inflict for that a punishment that the sovereign decrees.

    29. Concerning people who lost their hereditary slavery documents on hereditary slaves in the destruction of Moscow, in years past, prior to 1613; and by the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory those people were ordered given declarations on those hereditary slavery documents in the past years 1613 and 1614; and if any people proceed to sue someone as hereditary slaves, but at trial do not present hereditary slavery documents on those people, but testify that the hereditary slavery documents on those slaves were lost in the destruction of Moscow, and in that matter they proceed to cite the declarations which were issued in the statutory years 1613 and 1614; and if those declarations are established to exist: on the basis of those declarations return those hereditary slaves to those people who have submitted those declarations on them.

  • If someone proceeds to sue [to enforce his claims that some people are his] hereditary slaves, but at trial presents no documents on the disputed slaves; and testifies that the documents in his possession on those hereditary slaves were lost during the destruction [of Moscow in 1611]; but he did not submit declarations for [copies of] those documents in the statutory years; and he proceeds to claim that an investigation [would prove that] those slaves are hereditary slaves: in response to that citation conduct a rigorous investigation about the hereditary slavery of those people using all methods of inquiry. After the investigation, return those hereditary slaves to those people with whom the people questioned in the investigation knew them to have lived as hereditary slaves. [8]

    30. Concerning slaves who were born in certain peoples’ houses to limited service contract slaves of’ theirs, and they have been living in their houses for many years without being registered as limited service contract slaves: those people with whom they are living without documentation shall acquire limited service contracts on such slaves.

  • If those slaves do not want to give limited service slavery contracts [on themselves] of [their own] free will: issue limited service contracts on them against [their] free will because they have lived in their houses for many years without having gotten limited service slavery contracts.

    31. If someone is registered in any document as a slave: if those people [marry, a free man becomes] a slave by [marrying] a slave woman, and a [free woman becomes] a slave by [marrying] a slave man.

  • Concerning hereditary slaves designated for someone in a will and in a marriage contract as a dowry: [the same rule applies] to those slaves listed in a will and in a marriage contract: a [free man becomes] a slave by [marrying] a slave woman, and a [free woman becomes] a slave by [marrying] a slave man.

    32. If [litigating slaveowners] present two full slavery documents or two reported slavery documents on one slave, and if one document is older: after investigation turn that slave over to that [person who owns that older document].

    33. If someone commits treason, departs from the Muscovite state into another state; and after his [departure] his slaves are granted freedom by a decree of the sovereign and a decision of the boyars; and as free men those slaves of his petition to be someone’s slaves; and subsequently that traitor returns [from the state to which he defected], and the sovereign favors him, bestows a kindness on him, and orders him not to be put to death for that treason of his: he may again acquire slaves for himself, whoever desires to be enslaved at his house. He has, however, no claim to those slaves of his who were granted freedom during his absence.

    34. If someone’s slave is taken into captivity into another land, and subsequently that slave returns from captivity: he is not the slave of his old master. Return his wife and children to him for his suffering in captivity.

  • If that slave wishes [to return] to his old master: the old master shall bring the slave for registration in the Slavery Prikaz. Having interrogated him, enter a notation on the old document that he is going to him of his own free will. Collect a fee of .03 ruble per head.

    35. If a slave commits treason, flees to another state, and subsequently returns from that state to the Muscovite state by himself: he is [still] the slave of his old master on the basis of his prior slavery status because he was in another land as a fugitive, and was not taken a captive.

    36. If a male slave, or a female slave flees from someone; and petitions to be the slave of someone else; and while in the possession of that person to whom he or she petitions to be a slave when a fugitive is taken into captivity; and subsequently he or she returns from captivity; return them to their former masters on the basis of the first documents. Do not return them as slaves to those people who owned them when they were taken into captivity.

    37. Concerning military captives of any lands, children of foreign servicemen, who convert to the Orthodox Christian faith, but prove unsuitable for service to the sovereign; and who have rendered the sovereign’s service, and have been discharged from service; and they desire to petition to serve someone and want to enter into a limited service slavery contract on themselves: that person [who was petitioned] shall get a [slavery] document on that newly baptized person and register it in the books.

    38. If someone receives a newly baptized person in his personal service and gets a [slavery] document on him, but fails to register that document in the [Slavery] Prikaz; and subsequently that newly baptized person flees from him, and he proceeds to sue him for stolen property on the basis of that unregistered slavery document: do not believe such documents. Do not grant anyone a trial for stolen property against those newly baptized persons because that document was obtained not in accord with the sovereign’s decree.

    39. If someone sues someone for loaned money on the basis of limited service slavery contracts or on the basis of notes [promising] to serve for interest, and also for stolen property; and the borrowers against whom the plaintiffs are suing concede liability under the limited service slavery contracts and the promissory notes and plead guilty in the matter of the stolen property; or [if] in plaintiffs’ suits someone is found guilty at trial; and if it is impossible to exact the plaintiffs’ awards from those slaves, and no one will post bond or agree to pay the plaintiffs’ awards in their stead: turn over those defendants in the suits as slaves to the plaintiffs until they are redeemed.

    40. Calculate the value of the slave labor of those slaves in redeeming a plaintiff’s suit at the rate of 5.00 rubles per year for males, and one-half that for wives and mature women; 2.00 rubles per year for their children who are with them and over ten years of age. If they have any minors under ten years of age, do not calculate any value for those minors in the redemption of the plaintiff’s suit because such minors at those ages do not perform slave labor.

  • When such people have worked off the suits of their plaintiffs in full: set them free from those plaintiffs.
  • If their plaintiffs die, and children survive them, and they [the debtors] have not fully worked off the [plaintiffs’] claims at that point: they shall live out that term which they have not worked off at the homes of the children of those deceased plaintiffs. When they have worked off [what they owe] those children of the plaintiffs: set them free accordingly.

    41. Concerning people of all ranks who at times of famine, or any other time, not desiring to feed their slaves, evict them from their houses, but do not grant them manumission documents and will not give them back [their original enslavement] documents; and, with the intention of keeping them in the future, they order them to feed themselves; and for that reason no other people will receive those slaves of theirs in [their] house[s], because they have no manumission documents; and if there is a petition in that matter against them from those slaves of theirs: in response to that slave petition the directors of the Slavery Prikaz shall send for their masters who are evicting them from their houses. Interrogate those masters of theirs, whether they really have evicted them from their houses.

  • If those masters of theirs testify in the interrogation that they have released those slaves of theirs from their houses: henceforth they shall have no claim to those slaves. Order them to affix their signatures to that testimony of theirs. Concerning those who are illiterate: they shall order someone whom they trust to sign that testimony of theirs in their stead.
  • Concerning those who will not proceed to sign that testimony because of their obstinacy: order them to sign that testimony against their free will.
  • When they have signed the testimony: having registered those slaves of theirs in the Slavery Prikaz in the books, grant them freedom. Issue them manumission documents from the Slavery Prikaz.
  • If as free men they petition to be someone’s slaves, they are the slaves of that [person].
  • Without interrogating those people against whom those slaves proceed to petition about those slaves, do not grant them freedom.

    42. If their masters, against whom they petition, testify about those slaves, that those slaves of theirs are petitioning against them falsely, that they did not evict them from their houses: give back those slaves to those masters of theirs. Order those masters of theirs to feed them in times of famine, not to starve them with hunger. Moreover, they shall not commit any bad deed against them because they petitioned against them.

    43. If someone in a time of famine gives himself and his wife, or his son or a daughter, to someone as a slave in exchange for food; and he gives a note on himself to that effect; or he writes down borrowed money in the note on himself and on his children: on the basis of that note they shall live with that person to whom they gave themselves as slaves until that time when they have redeemed themselves or worked off [the debt].

  • They shall calculate the working off of that debt according to the decree, as is written about that above this.

    44. Concerning slaves who proceed to live in the houses of people on the basis of notes, and in the note is written the given name of that one person to whom the note was given; and they are to live with them until their death or for a specified number of years, but they do not live out the specified number of years: take a forfeit note from them on the basis of the note.

  • But if the wives and children of those to whom they gave such notes on themselves are not written down in such notes, and they are not bound on the basis of such notes to the wives and children of those to whom they give such notes on themselves: they shall live on the basis of such notes with those people to whom they give such notes on themselves, for the duration of their lives. On their death, their wives and children shall have no claim on them.

    45. If a father or mother gives to someone a son or daughter as a slave for a specified term; and they sign guarantee notes on those children of theirs, and they give on themselves notes over [their] signatures in which they guarantee that their children will not flee from those people to whom they are turning them over, and will commit no offense; and if those notes are registered in the books in the Slavery Prikaz; or if someone, a third person, guarantees someone for that period of residence in a household; and those people, whom they guarantee, not living out the specified years, flee from those people to whom they were given [to live] in the household; and subsequently those people from whom they are fleeing find them and bring them back to their houses; and, on the basis of the notes, they proceed to sue their guarantors for the forfeit or stolen property; and the guarantors testify that those fugitive slaves stole nothing from them, and there is no evidence on which to base an investigation: arrange a taking of an oath, a kissing of the cross, between them and the guarantors over the issue of the stolen property.

  • Order that the forfeit not be exacted on the basis of the note from those guarantors. Confirm the slave status of those slaves whom they guaranteed to live out the specified years with those people to whom they were given as slaves according to the notes.
  • Concerning indentures which are not registered in the books in the Slavery Prikaz: reject [any claims] by plaintiffs [made] on the basis of those notes.

    46. Concerning people who proceed to sue someone on the basis of notes, and in those notes it is written that they bought up those slaves [whom they sued] for debts from the righter, and [that] those slaves are to live with them, and they are to serve their children in the household and are to marry; and having married, they are to serve on the same terms in the household; but it is not written in the note how many years they are to serve: on the basis of such notes return those slaves to the household of those people to whom they gave such indentures on themselves because they gave that note on themselves of [their own] free will.

    47. If someone, a father with [his] son, or a brother with [his] brother, or an uncle with [his] nephew together take a limited service slavery contract on a slave, and they proceed to sue those slaves on the basis of those limited service slavery contracts [to enforce their] slavery status: reject those plaintiffs on the basis of such limited service slavery contracts. Set free such slaves on whom they present such limited service slavery contracts at trial because, by the sovereign’s decree, it was ordered that all people must take limited service slavery contracts individually. It was ordered that two people together, a father with a son, a brother with a brother, and an uncle with a nephew, could not take limited service slavery contracts on one slave.

    48. If someone has such limited service slavery contracts which were taken on slaves prior to this royal decree: they shall bring those limited service slavery contracts and the slaves in Moscow to the Slavery Prikaz, and in the provincial towns to the governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration in the town halls. They shall get new limited service slavery contracts on those slaves according to this decree of the sovereign. Take the old limited service-slavery contracts from them to the [Slavery Prikaz]. But do not grant freedom on the basis of those old limited service slavery contracts to those slaves of theirs.

    49. If someone proceeds to sue someone for fugitive slaves, but the defendant denies having those slaves, and testifies that those slaves are not in his possession; and that defendant denied under oath that he had those slaves, but subsequently those slaves appear in his possession; and the plaintiff takes those slaves of his from him: because the defendant falsely took an oath, compile for such a person a decree like the one written above this in [chapter 11] on the judicial process for peasants.

    50. If in his defense a defendant testifies about another’s slave that he had that slave who belongs to someone else, but that [the slave] fled prior to the plaintiff’s petition, and he is living in another town: order that defendant to find that fugitive slave who belongs to someone else, and give him a date to find him based on the distance, according to statute.

  • When he finds that other person’s slave, he shall present him in the Slavery Prikaz. From the Slavery Prikaz return him to that [person] who has the older document on him.

    51. Concerning defendants who do not deny [having had] others’ fugitive slaves, but testify that those slaves also fled from them, and that they do not know where they are living: such people shall find those fugitive slaves. Give them at first a time limit of two months, then a second after two months of four months If in half a year they do not find them, give them a third time limit of another half year.

  • Give such long time limits to those defendants who testify [that] the fugitive slaves are in distant towns.
  • If someone fails to present the fugitive slaves in all three deadlines: in accord with the sovereign’s decree, exact from them 50 rubles in cash for each slave and give [the money] to the plaintiff.
  • If the defendant finds that slave: return that slave to the plaintiff, and having taken the 50 rubles in cash from the plaintiff, return it to the defendant.

    52. Concerning people who proceed to keep slaves for themselves on the basis of their fathers’ limited service slavery contracts, and their fathers have died: set free from them those slaves of their fathers. If as free men those [manumitted] slaves give limited service slavery contracts on themselves to someone, they shall be the slaves of that [person].

    53. If someone manumits his own hereditary male slave or female slave during his lifetime, or on his death his stewards manumit such hereditary slaves at his command: henceforth his children, and brothers, and kinsmen shall have no claim to those slaves. [9]

    54. If someone apprehends a slave from someone and brings that slave for interrogation to the Slavery Prikaz; and after the interrogation submits a petition for a trial against that slave; and that person from whom he apprehended that slave proceeds to testify that he does not trust that slave to defend himself, and proceeds himself to respond for the slave: let it be his choice in that matter, but the slave also shall be present at trial.

  • But if that defendant testifies that the slave shall answer for himself: order the slave to respond to the plaintiff’s plea. At trial hold the slave to be innocent or guilty on the basis of whatever the slave testifies at trial.

    55. Concerning people who have sent out a bailiff to someone in pursuit of fugitive slaves and have signed a petition [to sue for the recovery of] stolen property, or have signed a bailiff’s memorandum, but do not the suit for a week; or defendants who, having posted bond on themselves for a trial, do not proceed to enter a defense for a week: compile a decree for those plaintiffs or defendants accordingly, as is written about that above this in chapter [10] on the judicial process.

    56. Concerning people of all ranks who proceed to sue slaves to enforce their enslavement; and they present a limited service slavery contract on that slave dated 1611/12 signed by a state secretary and a registration certificate written by the scribes, even though those limited service slavery contracts and books no longer exist; or if someone has certain limited service slavery contracts taken on slaves older than that, and those limited service slavery contracts are also signed by state secretaries and the registration certificates written by scribes, but the books for those limited service slavery contracts no longer exist: believe those limited service slavery contracts. Return slaves on the basis of those limited service slavery contracts to those people in whose name those limited service slavery contracts are written because those limited service slavery contracts were written prior to the time when the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory began to rule the Muscovite state.

    57. Concerning people who proceed to sue someone for fugitive slaves, but at that time they do not proceed to sue for stolen property; and in the plea they write that they will sue for stolen property in the future, after the suit for slavery is resolved: afterward do not grant such plaintiffs a trial for stolen property.

    58. Concerning people who, on assignment in the provincial towns as governors and chancellery officials, take limited service slavery contracts on someone in those same towns: those limited service slavery contracts are null and void because governors and chancellery officials, on assignment in the provincial towns, have been ordered not to get limited service slavery contracts or any other documents on anyone.

    59. If someone sues someone to enforce slavery status: after trial release those disputed slaves on bond with written notes [provided by people] other than the plaintiff and the defendant.

  • If no one [will post] bail for someone: a bailiff shall detain those slaves until the verdict is handed down in the judicial case.

    60. When a master’s male slave or female slave is bound to a plaintiff or a defendant, and [that is] established by trial, return the husband, and if that slave is married: return the wife with him.

  • And if it becomes necessary to return a woman to someone on the basis of slavery documentation, and if she has a husband: return the husband along with the wife. Collect the capitation fees from them.

    61. Give full slaves, and reported slaves, and purchased slaves, and war captives of other lands in dowries and write them down in shares in wills, and gift documents, and marriage contracts for wives, and children, and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

  • Do not give away limited service contract slaves in dowries and do not write them down in wills, and marriage contracts, and gift documents.
  • If someone gives a limited service contract male or female slave to someone in a dowry, or writes them in a will, or in a marriage contract, or in a gift document: grant freedom to such limited service contract male slaves and female slaves.

    62. If someone gives his own hereditary or purchased slaves in a dowry to his sister or daughter; and by God’s judgment that sister or daughter of his dies; and no children survive them: the husbands of the deceased shall return such dowry slaves on the basis of the marriage contracts to those people who gave them in the dowry, even if the dowered slave women or mature girls got married, and the slave men got married. Return them completely according to that canon of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers in which it has been ordered that wives shall not be divorced from husbands: where the husband is, there the wife shall be; to whom the wife [belongs], to that same person the husband also [shall belong].

    63. Concerning people who, while departing from this world, write in a will that their limited service contract slaves on their death will belong to their wives and children; but those limited service contract slaves of his do not want to live at his wife’s and children’s house; and on [his] death they proceed to petition someone else to be [his] slaves; and they give [new] limited service slavery contracts on themselves: those slaves are bound to that person to whom they give limited service slavery contracts on themselves after the death of their first master.

  • Do not believe the wills of their former masters because slaves are bound to people of various ranks on the basis of limited service slavery contracts only until the death of their masters. Those slaves are not bound to their wives and children on the basis of the previous limited service slavery contracts. Manumit such slaves on the passing of the deceased.

    64. If people, while departing from this world, in a will write down their slaves as hereditary slaves, or any other type of slaves except limited service contract slaves, and pass on their slaves to a wife or their children in an allotment; and that will is witnessed; and at the witnessing that will is not contested; and subsequently a dispute arises with someone about those slaves, or between those slaves of the deceased and the wife and children, but no one presents documents besides the will demonstrating that those slaves are hereditary slaves; and the slaves proceed to show that they served as limited service contract slaves with that person who wrote them as an allotment in his will to his wife or children: interrogate those slaves [to discover] whether they had served as limited service contract slaves, where and in what year the limited service slavery contracts were taken on them.

  • If those contested slaves testify about where and in what year the limited service slavery contracts were taken on them, conduct an investigation about them to check that testimony of theirs, in the limited service slavery contract registration books.
  • If the limited service slavery contracts in summary registration form appear on those contested slaves in the limited service slavery contract registration books; and those limited service slavery contracts were taken on them in the name of that person who wrote them in the will for his wife and children: liberate those slaves of that deceased from the wife and from the children and grant them freedom. But if limited service slavery contracts on those slaves in registration form are not discovered in the limited service slavery contract registration books: return those slaves on the basis of the will to that person to whom they were transmitted in the will of the deceased after his passing.

    65. If slaves after the passing of their masters are manumitted, and as free men they proceed to initiate a suit against the wives and children of their deceased masters [to recover] property and plunder because they were manumitted without property: do not grant those slaves a trial in that matter.

    66. Concerning slaves who in the past years 1632/33 and 1633/34 were with their masters in the sovereign’s service at Smolensk; and in battles and on raids they were taken into captivity into the Rzeczpospolita, and they have left captivity: such slaves have been granted freedom for their suffering in captivity, and their wives have been returned to them; but their children who were born at someone’s house in slavery, and on whom there are limited service slavery contracts and other documents, were ordered to remain as slaves in that household as they were earlier.

  • Concerning slaves who fled from their masters at Smolensk and from other of the sovereign’s services to the cossacks, or to any other felonious status, and while in that felonious status they were taken into captivity, and [subsequently] they left captivity: those slaves have been ordered to be in the households of their former masters.
  • Concerning slaves who fled from service; and they served with other dvoriane and deti boiarskie and various people, and they also were in captivity: it has been ordered that those slaves are to be returned to their former masters on the basis of the old documents.
  • Now and in the future compile a decree about such slaves on the same basis as it was decreed before this time.

    67. When male or female slaves, having fled from someone, take monastic vows; or when slaves become priests or deacons while they are fugitives; and those people from whom they are fleeing proceed to initiate claims to them and desire to sue them for stolen property and to enforce their slavery status: grant a trial in the Slavery Prikaz to their masters against such fugitive slaves for stolen property and to enforce their slavery status.

  • If at trial and investigation [the plaintiffs] win their suit against such fugitive slaves for the stolen property and in the matter of their enslaved status: having exacted the stolen property from them, return it to the plaintiffs, but send them to the patriarch, or if in any provincial town, to the higher ecclesiastical authorities. The patriarch and the other higher ecclesiastical authorities will compile a decree about them according to the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers.

    68. If such fugitive slaves have put monkly vestments or skull caps on themselves, and that is established accurately: after an investigation, having removed the monkly vestments and the skull caps from them, return them as slaves to those people from whom they fled.

    69. Concerning [Polish-] Lithuanian war captives who have been married in masters’ houses to documented and hereditary Russian slave women; or women or mature girls, [Polish-] Lithuanian war captives, who have been married in masters’ houses to documented or limited service contract male slaves; and in a show-up before the boyars those [Polish-] Lithuanian male and female war captives testified under interrogation that they [wished] to go [back] to the Rzeczpospolita, and they did not wish to live in the houses of those masters of theirs, where the [male captives] married Russians and the female captives were married to Russians: those [Polish-] Lithuanian male war captives with their wives, Russian women, and the female war captives with their husbands, Russian men, were freed from their masters’ houses and from people of various ranks and they were ordered to live in freedom, wherever each wanted.

  • Concerning the [Polish-] Lithuanian war captives who at the registration before the boyars [testified] that they desired to live in the houses of those with whom they were living previously: those were returned to those same people with whom they were living.
  • If in the future, however, those male and female war captives proceed to petition that they be granted freedom: those [Polish-] Lithuanian war captives have been ordered returned on the basis of those registrations to those people with whom they lived.
  • Now issue a decree about such [Polish-] Lithuanian male and female war captives like the one decreed about them before this.

    70. Unbaptized foreigners in Moscow and in the provincial towns shall keep in their houses [only] foreigners of various different creeds as slaves.

  • Russians shall not be enslaved, either on the basis of documents or voluntarily to unbaptized foreigners because in the past, in the year 1627/28, it became known to the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, and his royal father of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, that in Moscow and in the provincial towns Orthodox Christians were serving under unbaptized foreigners of other faiths, and those Orthodox Christians were suffering oppression and profanation at the hands of the foreigners, and many were dying without confession and without spiritual fathers, and during the great fast [Lent; February 2/March 8 to March 21/April 24] and other fasts they were involuntarily eating meat and various forbidden foods.
  • The great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory and his royal father of blessed memory, the great Sovereign, most holy Filaret Nikitich, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia ordered Orthodox Christians taken out of the houses of unbaptized foreigners. They ordered such Orthodox Christians henceforth not to be in the houses of unbaptized foreigners of other faiths so that there would be thereby no profanation of Christian souls in that and that they would not die without confession
  • And accordingly now Russians shall not be in the houses of unbaptized foreigners for any reason whatsoever.
  • If any Russians proceed to serve in the houses of unbaptized foreigners on the basis of documents, or voluntarily: having conducted an investigation of those [people], inflict a severe punishment on them so that they and others like them will learn not to do that.

    71. Concerning unbaptized foreigners of various faiths who are living in Moscow and in the provincial towns under similarly unbaptized foreigners of similarly various faiths on the basis of purchase documents, or because they are war captives; and those foreigners desire to be baptized in the Orthodox Christian faith; and they proceed to petition about that to the sovereign, would the sovereign bestow favor upon them, order them, after being taken away from those foreigners in whose houses they are living, baptized into the Orthodox Christian faith: in response to that petition, baptize those foreigners in the Orthodox Christian faith.

  • Give the foreigners a redemption payment of 15 rubles per slave for them, and they [the slaves] shall pay that money themselves.
  • If the foreigners have in their possession purchase documents in which it was written when they purchased them for sums greater than 15 rubles: do not believe those purchase documents because the sums written in purchase documents are exaggerated.

    72. In the provincial towns the governors, all chancellery officials, and the senior officials of the felony control administration shall issue limited service slavery contracts on slaves signed by their own hands, and not over seals.

  • Select as senior officials of the felony control administration those who are literate. Do not elect as senior officials of the felony control administration those who are illiterate.
  • If a governor or a chancellery official in a provincial town is illiterate, and there is no senior official of the felony control administration in that town: those governors and chancellery officials shall not issue anyone limited service slavery contracts on slaves. People of all ranks of those provincial towns shall get limited service slavery contracts on slaves in other provincial towns, in which provincial towns there are governors and chancellery officials who are literate and where there are senior officials of the felony control administration.

    73. The governors, chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration shall send the limited service slavery contract registration books from the provincial towns to Moscow annually signed by their own hands, and not over a seal.

  • Concerning the limited service slavery contract registration books which governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration proceed to send to Moscow from the provincial towns over their own seals, and their signatures are not on those books: do not believe those books and limited service slavery contracts which are over seals, and not signed. Believe those books and limited service slavery contracts which have the signatures of governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration.

    74. Concerning people who in the Slavery Chancellery present purchase documents on Tatars, and petition that those purchase documents be registered in the books in the Slavery Prikaz; and the Tatars about whom those purchase documents are written by name do not deny those purchase documents: register those purchase documents in the books.

  • If any dispute arises over those purchase documents: after investigation, register those purchase documents, if it is necessary; but if in the investigation it is discovered that those documents are counterfeit, or written in absentia: do not register those purchase documents in the books in the Slavery Prikaz. Compile the decree about them that is necessary.

    75. Concerning people who present at a trial two limited service slavery contracts [issued in] Moscow on one slave; and both of those limited service slavery contracts are written in the books; and that slave corresponds in features and identifying marks with the books according to one limited service slavery contract, but does not correspond with the other: return that contested slave as a slave on the basis of that limited service slavery contract in which he corresponds with the books in features and marks, even if that limited service slavery contract was gotten after that limited service slavery contract on whose basis that slave does not correspond with the books in identification marks.

    76. Henceforth from the time of this Law Code describe slaves’ identifying marks in the limited service slavery contracts precisely [to prepare] for such disputes so that any person will know the identifying marks of his own slave; when slaves’ identifying marks are described precisely in the limited service slavery contracts, henceforth there will be no such disputes about slaves with anyone.

    77. If someone bequeaths his hereditary slaves or purchased slaves to someone as an allotment in his will; and the will is witnessed and sealed; and those slaves, desiring not to live with those people to whom they were bequeathed in the will, after fleeing from them, give limited service slavery contracts on themselves to someone else: return those hereditary and purchased slaves to those people to whom they are bequeathed in the will.

  • Concerning [those people] to whom they give the new limited service slavery contracts on themselves after the wills: those limited service slavery contracts are null and void.

    78. If a slave petitions to be someone’s slave; and he writes a limited service slavery contract on himself; and that person to whom he petitions to be a slave brings him with that limited service slavery contract for registration into the Slavery Prikaz; and another person at that same time proceeds to petition against that slave [alleging] that that slave previously had petitioned to be his slave and had desired to give him a limited service slavery contract on himself, and he had given him a payment: reject such petitioners. Give limited service slavery contracts on such slaves to those people who bring them to the Slavery Prikaz with a limited service slavery contract.

  • Concerning the person who gave a payment to a slave without taking a limited service slavery contract: he himself lost [the money] because of his own doing. [Remember the rule:] without getting a limited service slavery contract, do not give a payment.

    79. If a plaintiff, or a defendant, at a trial for a slave fails to present any document, and testifies nothing about a document; but after trial declares a document on that contested slave: do not receive documents from such people after trial [to add] to the court records. Resolve those judicial cases on the basis of what was presented at trial.

    80. If someone proceeds to commit an illicit act at his house with a slave woman or a mature slave girl; and begets children with her; and that slave woman proceeds to petition the sovereign against him in that [matter]: send such women and mature girls and that person against they petition the sovereign in Moscow to the patriarch’s chancellery officials in the Patriarch’s Court, and in the provincial towns to the chancellery officials of the metropolitans and archbishops. Order a trial concerning them to be held by an ecclesiastical court. Order a decree compiled for them according to the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers and after interrogation of both of their spiritual fathers.

    81. If someone is issued a judgment document on a limited service contract slave after trial; and that person to whom that judgment document is issued dies: after he is dead, liberate that limited service contract slave from slavery under his wife and children.

    If the wife and children of that deceased desire to retain that limited service contract slave of his in their house as a slave on the basis of that judgment document, the document which was issued to that deceased while he was living: that judgment document on that slave is null and void for them because he was bound on the basis of a limited service slavery contract and judgment document. His wife and children have no claim to that slave on the basis of that limited service slavery contract and that judgment document.

    82. If a judgment document is issued to someone on an hereditary or on a purchased slave: on the basis of that judgment document that hereditary or purchased slave is bound to his wife and children.

    83. Concerning slaves who are born at someone’s house in limited service contract slavery; and when they are of age, abandoning their fathers and mothers, they flee from those people in whose houses they were born in limited service contract slavery and give limited service slavery contracts to someone else: return those people who are born in someone’s house in limited service contract slavery and flee to those people in whose house they were born and in whose houses their father, or mother, are serving. Reject those people to whom they give new limited service slaver contracts.

    84. Concerning the hereditary slave, or documented slave, who, having married in someone’s house, flees, abandoning the wife; and while a fugitive he marries another wife, and conceals the first wife; and subsequently he returns to his former master, and to his first wife, or his former master apprehends him as a fugitive: on the basis of the hereditary slavery and on the basis of the document he shall live at the house of that former master of his with his first wife. His second wife shall be a slave in the house of that person in whose house he married her.

  • If during the time when he was a fugitive his first wife died: return him to his first master with his second wife whom he married while he was a fugitive.
  • Similarly if a female slave, abandoning the husband, flees from someone, and while a fugitive marries a second husband; and subsequently she returns from flight to her first master, or she is apprehended: that same decree [applies] to her as [applies] to a husband.

    85. If someone marries his own limited service contract slave in his house to a free woman; and subsequently that limited service contract slave dies at his house; and that woman who was married to that slave of his flees from him; and she petitions someone else and gives a limited service slavery contract on herself, and her former master, in whose house she was married to the limited service contract slave, claims her: return that woman to that former master of hers on the basis of her first husband.

  • If while a fugitive from that master of hers she gave a limited service slavery contract on herself, that limited service slavery contract is null and void.
  • If while a fugitive that woman gets married in someone’s house: return her to the old master with the husband.

    86. If someone has a limited service contract slave, and his wife or son has a limited service contract slave woman who is unmarried, or a widow; and the husband of that wife, or the father of those children, marries that limited service contract slave of his to the unmarried or older limited service contract slave woman of his wife or his children: when the husband of the wife or the father of the children dies, that male slave is bound in slavery to his wife and children because of the limited service contract slave woman. If the wife or son dies, that limited service contract male slave is bound to the husband after [the death] or the wife and is bound to the father after [the death] of the son.

    87. Concerning an hereditary slave, or a limited service contract slave who, having fled from someone, marries a free young woman or an older woman while a fugitive; and he begets children with that wife of his; and subsequently while [still] a fugitive he petitions to be the slave of someone else; and he names those children of his whom he begat while a fugitive in the limited service slavery contract along with himself; and subsequently his former master claims that fugitive slave on the grounds that he is an hereditary slave, or on the basis of the limited service slavery contract ; and after trial it becomes necessary to return him to that former master of his: return that slave as a slave to his former master with the wife and with the children.

    88. Concerning the person who apprehends his own fugitive slave without a bailiff: he shall bring that fugitive slave of his for arraignment to the [Slavery] Prikaz with everything that was in his possession when he apprehended him. He shall sue at trial that person in whose house that fugitive slave or his has been living.

  • If after trial and investigation it is necessary to return that slave who was brought in for arraignment to that person who brought him into the [Slavery] Prikaz for arraignment, but the property with the slave who was brought in for arraignment belongs to that person with whom he lived as a fugitive: return that fugitive slave to his former master without the property, and return the property to that person to whom that property belongs
  • If the wife and children of that fugitive slave are in the house of that person with whom he lived as a fugitive: order that person in whose house they lived as fugitives to return that wife and children of his to the former master with all the property with which they came to him.
  • If a dispute arises among them about something: grant them a trial in that matter, and, after trial, compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    89. If hereditary slaves, or limited service contract slaves, or purchased slaves, or war captives of other lands flee from someone; and that person from whom those slaves are fleeing proceeds to prepare a declaration and to promise a reward: and if in response to that declaration of his someone apprehends those slaves of his: he shall pay the reward for those fugitive slaves of his in full to that person who apprehended them according to the agreement, without the slightest change.

  • He shall also pay him for feeding those slaves of his at the rate of .01 ruble per day per slave.

    90. If someone, having apprehended such fugitive slaves, does not return them to that person from whom they are fleeing, and proceeds to keep them at his house for [their] labor; and that person, to whom those slaves belong, proceeds to petition the sovereign against him about that; and it is established about that conclusively at trial that he is keeping another’s slaves at his house for their labor: after taking such slaves from him, return them to that person whose slaves they are. Moreover, order him [the plaintiff] to exact from him for the labor of such slaves .07 ruble per week for each week that those slaves were living in his house, and give that money to the plaintiff as well.

    91. If someone commits [his] slave [to work] in someone’s house, and he signs a guarantee on that slave that that slave is honest and will not commit any crimes, and he gives a note on himself to that effect; but that slave whom he is guaranteeing, after committing some crime, flees; and, on the basis of that note, that person from whom that slave flees proceeds to sue at trial that guarantor of that slave of his, both for stolen property and for his losses; and that guarantor does not deny the note: order him to find that slave whom he guaranteed.

  • Prepare for him a deadline when he, after finding that slave, must present [him] in the chancellery. If he fails to present that fugitive slave by the first deadline: grant him a second and a third deadline [to find] that slave, according to statute.
  • If he fails to present that slave by the third deadline: he shall pay the plaintiff 50 rubles for that slave, and [compensation] for the stolen property and losses after trial and investigation.

    92. If a fugitive slave is returned to someone from the [Slavery] Prikaz as a slave as previously: sternly order that person to whom that fugitive slave is returned that he is not to beat that fugitive slave of his to death, nor is he to maim him or to starve him.

    93. If someone claims a slave at someone’s house and the clothing on that slave, and he brings him to the Slavery Prikaz, and testifies that that slave, along with that stolen clothing, also stole from him much of his property; and the slave who is arraigned admits under interrogation at the arraignment that the clothing on him belongs to that person who claimed him, but that he stole no other property from him; and that person at whose house the slave was seized testifies that that slave petitioned to be a slave in his house for the first time and said that he was a free man; and that he brought the contested clothing to him on his person, and that he is not claiming that clothing; but that slave brought nothing else besides that clothing to him: on the basis of the defendant’s and the slave’s testimony, return to the plaintiff that clothing which was seized red-handed. Grant them a trial for the remainder of the suit, for that [portion of the suit for which] no evidence is present. After trial and investigation compile the decree for them that is necessary.

    94. When people proceed to litigate about a slave; and the contested slave is placed in custody of a bailiff until the conclusion of the judicial case; and when the judicial case on that contested slave is resolved, and the contested slave is returned to the rightful owner: order the bailiff to exact the chaining fee and the cost of feeding that slave from the wrongful holder.

  • Order the chaining fee collected at the rate of .015 ruble per day, and the cost of feeding at the rate of .02 ruble per day, or .035 ruble pet day for both the chaining fee and the cost of feeding.

    95. If people proceed to invoke a general investigation [to prove the ownership] of a contested slave in an area 1.3, 2, 3.3, 4, and 6.6 miles around a pomest’e; and if it is necessary to send out an investigation team; and in the investigations few people testify, 20 or 30 people; and the investigators, the plaintiff, and the defendant [all] testify that there are no people to interrogate besides those within the given radius: that investigation shall be considered a general investigation. Believe the investigation testimony of those few people.

    96. Concerning people who proceed to litigate among themselves about slaves and stolen property, and the trial in that case requires an oath; and at trial the plaintiff or the defendant takes the cross for his slave to kiss; and he mentions the name of that slave at trial, but subsequently proceeds to petition that that slave of his who was to kiss the cross has fled, or died: he shall present another slave of his to kiss the cross in the stead of that fugitive or deceased slave.

  • But if that person [the opposing litigant] against whom [the other litigant has brought the slave for] cross kissing proceeds to say that he does not believe that slave; but he believes another of his [the other litigant’s] slaves, and he mentions the name of that other slave: reject him in that. Order that slave to kiss the cross who is presented for the cross kissing.

    97. Concerning people who baptize purchased Tatars, and proceed to sell those newly baptized slaves and to bring them in for registration: do not issue anyone limited service slavery contracts on such newly baptized slaves in the Slavery Prikaz.

  • Manumit [them] from those people who bring them for registration because it has been ordered by the sovereign’s decree that no one shall sell baptized people.

    98. If any people proceed to cede their purchased slaves of Tatar captivity to anyone as a good deed without payment, and they proceed to give gift documents on them; and those people to whom those purchased slaves are given bring them with those gift documents for registration in the Slavery Prikaz: register those gift slaves and the gift documents on them in the books in the Slavery Prikaz.

    99. If someone brings Tatars for registration on the basis of purchase documents or gift documents, and testifies that those Tatars were purchased in the Don [River region], or in the provincial towns, or that someone himself took them captive: register those Tatar war captives in the books accordingly on the basis of the purchase documents and the gift documents.

    100. Concerning purchased newly baptized Tatar slaves who survive after [their owners’] death; and the deceased have left no wills, or they have left wills, but if those newly baptized [slaves] have not been written down in anyone’s portion in those wills; and when they were purchased, if it was not written about them in the purchase documents that the person whom they survived purchased them for himself, his wife, and his children; and the wives or children of those deceased do not set them free because they are purchased slaves; and those purchased slaves proceed to petition the sovereign about their freedom, because they are not written down for them in the wills and in the purchase documents: those purchased slaves on the death of those people who purchased them shall remain with their wives and children because many people buy such slaves prior to their marriage. Some people buy such slaves and, having gotten married, they list those purchased slaves of theirs for themselves in purchase documents. Moreover, it is not customary to write down in purchase documents that such purchased slaves are for oneself, one’s wife, and the children.

    101. If someone proceeds to sue someone [to enforce] slavery status on the basis of his grandfather’s full slavery document, but in his grandfather’s full slavery document it is written that his grandfather purchased that slave for himself and his children, but if nothing is written in that full slavery document about grandchildren and great grandchildren, and at trial a defendant presents a new limited service slavery contract on that same slave: on the basis of that limited service slavery contract order that slave henceforth to be the slave of the defendant. Reject the plaintiff in [his claims for] that slave because he is petitioning about that slave on the basis of his grandfather’s full slavery document, and that slave is not listed for him in his grandfather’s full slavery document.

    102. Concerning the person who, having claimed a slave [to enforce] slavery status, and having lodged him with a bailiff, does not proceed to sue [to enforce] slavery status, and who drops his claim to him: order the bailiff to exact the chaining fee and the feeding fee for that slave from that person who, having lodged him in his house, dropped his claim.

    103. If at trial a plaintiff presents an old limited service slavery contract on a slave signed by a state secretary, or by senior officials of the felony control administration, or by fortifications officials; and that limited service slavery contract was written prior to the destruction of Moscow [in 1611], and there are no limited service slavery contract books of those years, and the scribe and the witnesses have died; and the defendant proceeds to deny that limited service slavery contract: conduct an investigation of that limited service slavery contract [by comparing it] with other such limited service slavery contracts.

  • If similar limited service slavery contracts are discovered in someone’s possession, and the chancellery official listed in those limited service slavery contracts is the same one who is listed in that contested limited service slavery contract, and the handwriting [of the one] corresponds to the handwriting [of the other]: believe that limited service slavery contract.

    104. Concerning free people who wish to live at the houses of archpriests, and archdeacons, and priests, and deacons, and other church officials, or monastery servitors: issue limited service slavery contracts on those slaves to archpriests and archdeacons. Those free people shall live voluntarily at the houses of priests, and deacons, and other church officials, and monastery servitors under indentures for specified terms. Do not issue limited service slavery contracts on such free people to priests, and deacons, and other church officials, and monastery servitors.

    105. Also on the matter of free people who desire to live at the houses of slaves: those people shall live voluntarily at the houses of slaves under similar indentures for specified terms. Do not issue limited service slavery contracts on such free people to slaves.

  • If limited service slavery contracts were issued on such people to slaves in years past: those limited service slavery contracts are null and void because in the past year 1634/35 such limited service slavery contracts were ordered cancelled.

    106. If someone, departing this world, writes in his will that the limited service contract slaves of his son[s] shall be set free: manumit those limited service contract slaves of his sons in accord with the father’s will. Issue them manumission documents. Order them not to serve his sons on the basis of the limited service slavery contracts.

    107. Concerning limited service slavery contracts and limited service slavery contract record books written in the provincial towns, and sent from the provincial towns to Moscow in years past, through August 26, 1640; and there are no signatures of chancellery officials on those limited service slavery contracts and on the limited service slavery contract books; and there has been no petition against those books prior to this royal decree, and in no manner have those books and limited service slavery contracts been contested: believe those limited service slavery contracts and limited service slavery contract books. Confirm those books with the signature of a state secretary.

    108. Concerning people who proceed to litigate about a slave; one of them proceeds to call that slave an hereditary slave, and the other a limited service contract slave, and they proceed to call him by different given names and nick-names; and the plaintiff or the defendant proceeds to invoke a general investigation [to prove] that that slave was known as an hereditary slave at his house, and [one litigant requests] that the contested slave be placed [for inspection] in front of the people testifying in the general investigation: place that contested slave in front of those being interrogated in the general investigation.

  • If those testifying in the general investigation testify that they knew him as an hereditary slave in the house [of one of the litigants] for many years: return that contested slave after that investigation to that person in whose house the people testifying in the general investigation knew him as an hereditary slave.
  • If in the general investigation about such a contested slave those people summoned for the general investigation testify that they know that slave [to have lived] in someone’s house as a slave for ten or twenty years, but they do not know whether he is an hereditary slave of that person in whose house they know him [to have lived]; and of those people who are litigating about that slave, one calls him his own hereditary slave, and the other presents a limited service slavery contract on him; and the people testifying in the general investigation knew that slave before [the date of] that limited service slavery contract at the house of that person who is contesting that limited service slavery contract: after that investigation return that contested slave to that person in whose house the people testifying in the general investigation knew him [to have lived] as a slave prior to that limited service slavery contract.
  • If the general investigation shows that that limited service slavery contract is older: return that slave on the basis of that limited service slavery contract to that person who has presented that limited service slavery contract on him.

    109. If a plaintiff or a defendant in litigation over slaves proceeds to name a mutual witness, but the mutual witness is in distant towns in Siberia or in Astrakhan’; or [a litigant proceeds to claim that] a general investigation in those same distant towns [would prove his case]; and one of them proceeds to petition against such motions [and alleges] that [his opponent’s aim in] extending [the proceedings] to such distant towns is to delay the case: do not send the sovereign’s documents to those distant towns for an interrogation of the mutual witness and for a general investigation. Resolve the case on the basis of the trial, however it turns out, so that no one will suffer excessive delay in that [matter].

    110. If slaves proceed to enter into limited service slavery contracts on themselves and on their children [with someone]; and the children in their household at that time are 15 or 20 and more years of age: and those slaves proceed to write down those children of theirs in the limited service slavery contracts with themselves, [although the children] are not present: do not register those slave children in limited service slavery contracts and in the limited service slavery contract books in absentia. Order them to be present for the limited service contract slavery registration in person. Register all of their features and identifying marks in the limited service slavery contract books. Do not issue limited service slavery contracts in absentia on such grown-up slave children.

  • But if slaves have children who are minors, less than 15 years of age, at that time when they proceed to give limited service slavery contracts on themselves: register those children of theirs with them in absentia, on the basis of their testimony, in the limited service slavery contracts and in the limited service slavery contract books.

    111. If prior to this royal decree someone seized a slave at someone’s house, and having brought that slave to the [Slavery] Prikaz, did not sue him [to prove] slavery status for a long time; and thereby he lost his claim to that slave; and that slave of his was returned to that person in whose house he was seized: that slave henceforth shall be the slave of that person to whom he was returned from the [Slavery] Prikaz by the previous royal decree because he himself lost that slave through his own action because he did not sue him [to prove] slavery status for a long time.

  • But henceforth, from the time of this royal decree, do not give a verdict against anyone in slavery cases without trial.

    112. If slaves seize others’ slaves in someone’s house, and bring those slaves to the [Slavery] Prikaz: and those people to whom the slaves belong are in the sovereign’s service in distant towns in Siberia, or in Astrakhan’, or in other towns at that time, and those slaves who have brought those arraigned slaves to the [Slavery] Prikaz testify that the documents on them are with their masters in those distant towns, and those slaves who have seized those slaves do not proceed to bring suit against those arraigned slaves to prove their slavery status without their master: return such arraigned slaves to those people in whose houses they were seized until that time when their plaintiffs have returned from the distant towns. Order such people to whom they are given to sign the arraignment document.

  • When they demand that those slaves in their possession [be presented] in the [Slavery] Prikaz: order them to present those slaves.
  • If they do not want to keep those slaves in their houses: put those arraigned slaves on bond until their plaintiffs [return].
  • If no one will post bond for them: place them in the custody of the bailiffs. Order those slaves who claimed them and those in whose house they were seized to feed them at the bailiffs’ houses.
  • If that [person] who claimed them and that [person] in whose house they were seized do not proceed to feed them: order the bailiffs to feed them. Order the bailiff in the future to extract the feeding costs and chaining fee for those slaves from the loser [of the case].

    113. If a pomeshchik or an votchinnik takes a limited service slavery contract on his peasant, or on a peasant’s son, or on his own peasant woman, or on a peasant’s unmarried daughter; and that peasant, or peasant’s son, or peasant woman, or peasant’s daughter, having lived with him as a slave, flees from him; and as a fugitive gives a second limited service slavery contract to someone else on himself or herself; and his former master claims him; and the defendant proceeds to petition against him and points out that he took a limited service slavery contract on his own peasant, or peasant’s son, or peasant woman, or peasant’s daughter; and on that basis that defendant proceeds to litigate with him over that slave, and desires to have the verdict given to him because of his limited service slavery contract: return such fugitive slaves from slavery to their former masters as peasants.

  • Concerning the fact that their former master took limited service slavery contracts on them: [inflict] on him [the punishment] the sovereign decrees because by the sovereign’s decree it has been ordered that no one shall take limited service slavery contracts on his peasants and peasants’ children.

    114. Concerning the documented slave who flees from someone; and while a fugitive gives someone a limited service slavery contract on himself; and having given that limited service slavery contract, returns from flight to his former master: and he proceeds to serve his former master until his death; and on the death of his former master he petitions [a third person] to be his slave, and gives a limited service slavery contract to someone other than that person to whom he gave that limited service slavery contract on himself before while he was fleeing from his former master: that slave is bound to that person to whom he gives a limited service slavery contract on himself on the death of his first master.

  • Concerning the fact that before that he had given a limited service slavery contract on himself while a fugitive during the life of his first master: that limited service slavery contract is null and void because he feloniously gave that limited service slavery contract on himself while fleeing from his first master.

    115. Concerning the male slave who flees from [his] master, and a slave widow or unmarried young woman flees from another master; and both, the male slave and the female slave, are limited service contract slaves, or hereditary slaves; or one is a limited service contract slave, and the other is an hereditary slave; and the fugitive male slave marries that fugitive widow or unmarried young woman slave; and later on those people from whom they are fleeing claim them; and they proceed to petition, one about the male slave, and the other about the older woman or the young unmarried woman slave: they shall cast lots.

  • Whoever’s lot comes up, he shall give that person whose lot did not cone up 10 rubles for the male or the female slave. He shall take the male and the female slave for himself. Those slaves shall serve him on the basis of [the previous] documents. He shall not call those slaves [his] purchased slaves.

    116. Concerning taxpayers who proceed to bring to the Slavery Prikaz indentures on their children, or on brothers and kinsmen, to tax-exempt people of various ranks, for a specified term of many years: do not register indentures for many years on such taxpayers for tax-exempt people. Register such indentures for only five years, and do not register them for more than five years.

    117. In the past year 1623/24 a decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, was sent to Siberia and Astrakhan’ ordering all people not to buy adult and child Tatars of the male and female gender, not to take them as presents from anyone and baptize them, and not to send them with anyone to Rus’.

  • Now the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich has decreed that all people -- except for governors and all chancellery officials, those governors and all chancellery officials who are tending the sovereign’s affairs in Siberia and Astrakhan’ -- may buy such adult and child Tatars in Astrakhan’ and in Siberia as previously.
  • If someone brings in such purchased Tatars for registration as limited service contract slaves, or on the basis of a purchase document or a gift document: register those purchased Tatars [and their] features and identifying marks in the books. Give those people who bring them for registration extracts from the books signed by a state secretary.

    118. If someone in Astrakhan’ and in Siberia proceeds to steal or carry off by force adult and child Tatars from someone: after an investigation, inflict a severe punishment on those people for that. Having taken away from them those adult and child Tatars whom they have stolen or taken away by force, if they are not baptized, return them to those people from whom they have been stolen or taken away by force.

  • If they baptized those adult and child Tatars: extract from them a large sum for those adult and child Tatars corresponding to the local sale price, and give [the money] to those people from whom they have stolen or taken away those adult and child Tatars. Those newly baptized Tatars shall remain their property.

    119. Concerning those judicial cases on slaves which were resolved by a decree of the sovereign and a decision of the boyars prior to this Law Code in all the chancelleries: those cases shall remain as those cases were already resolved. Henceforth do not revive or reconsider those cases.


     

     

    CHAPTER 21. -- Robbery and Theft Cases. In It Are 104 Articles.

    1. Concerning robbers who rob and kill people and thieves who steal in Moscow province, in the provincial towns, in the urban taxpaying districts, and in the provinces: such robbery, and homicide, and theft cases shall be resolved in the Felony Prikaz.

    2. Concerning felons who steal and commit various homicide offenses in Moscow: those cases shall be resolved in the Moscow Administrative Prikaz, and in no event in the Felony Prikaz.

    3. Senior officials and sworn men of the felony control administration shall resolve robbery, and homicide, and theft cases in the provincial towns according to directives from the Felony Prikaz. Governors in no event shall resolve such cases in the provincial towns. But where there are no senior officials of the felony control administration, in those towns governors and chancellery officials shall resolve cases [in the jurisdiction] of the felony control administration.

    4. Worthy and prosperous dvoriane, who have been discharged from service because of superannuation or because of wounds, or whose children and kinsmen are serving for them, and who are literate, shall serve as senior officials of the felony control administration [with jurisdiction] over such cases in the provincial towns. Those who are illiterate shall not be elected as senior officials of the felony control administration.

  • In the towns where there are no dvoriane, elect in those towns similarly worthy and prosperous people from the deti boiarskie as senior officials of the felony control administration as written above in this article.
  • Senior officials of the felony control administration shall serve in the provincial towns upon election by dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and townsmen, and residents of all ranks, and provincial taxpayers.
  • Conduct the elections for those senior officials of the felony control administration among the dvoriane, and among deti boiarskie, and among townsmen and residents of all ranks, and provincial taxpayers over their signatures.
  • Those election documents, and the dvoriane and deti boiarskie who have been elected senior officials of the felony control administration, shall be sent from the provincial towns to the Felony Prikaz in Moscow. In the Felony Prikaz bring the senior officials to the cross [to take the oath of service] according to a text, a text on that matter which is in the Felony Prikaz.
  • Once they have been brought to the cross, dismiss them to the provincial towns with directive memoranda. Issue the directive memoranda over the state secretary’s signature: how they are to conduct robbery, and homicide, and theft cases.
  • [Serving] under oath with the senior officials of the felony control administration in the provincial towns in robbery and theft cases shall be sworn assistants and scribes of the felony control administration, and prison guards at the prisons, after election by the taxpayers. They shall be brought to the cross [to swear the oath] by the governors in the presence of the senior officials of the felony control administration in the provincial towns.
  • Send the texts according to which those sworn assistants of the felony control administration, and the scribes, and the guards shall take the oath in the provincial towns from the Felony Prikaz to the provincial towns over the signature of a state secretary.
  • Do not send the sworn assistants, and scribes, and guards of the felony control administration from the provincial towns to Moscow to take the oath.

    5. Issue orders to the senior officials of the felony control administration sternly, and write to them in the directives with great emphasis that they are to investigate thieves and robbers, to review the situation, and to be on constant guard so that there will be no robbers’ camps and refuges for thieves and robbers anywhere.

    6. Try plaintiffs’ suits against senior officials, and sworn assistants of the felony control administration, and scribes of felony control administration affairs, in the Felony Prikaz.

    7. If plaintiffs proceed to petition against a senior official of the felony control administration [accusing him of] enmity, or favoritism: order a senior official of the felony control administration of another town to resolve that case with that senior official of the felony control administration against whom the petition is filed.

    8. Concerning people who bring a thief or robber into the felony control administration office; and those robbers or thieves proceed to accuse those people, and their slaves and peasants who have brought them into the felony control administration office, of robbery, or theft, or any other felony: do not believe that so that all people, apprehending felons, fearlessly will bring them for arraignment to the felony control administration office.

    9. If a thief is brought in, and one theft is attributed to him: torture that thief about other thefts and homicide. If he does not confess under torture to other thefts and homicide, but testifies that he stole for the first time, and did not commit a homicide: beat that thief with the knout for the first theft, cut off his left ear, and imprison him for two years, and give out his properly in shares to the plaintiffs. Having taken him out of prison, send him in chains to work as a slave of various forced labor projects wherever the sovereign decrees.

  • When he has sat out the two years in prison, send him to the southern frontier towns, wherever the sovereign decrees. Order him to remain in the southern frontier towns, in the rank befitting him.
  • Issue him a letter over the signature of a state secretary [stating] that he sat out the sentence in prison for his felony and has been released from prison.

    10. If that same thief is apprehended in a second theft: torture him about other thefts accordingly. If he confesses only to two thefts, and [says] that he did not commit a homicide: after the torturing, beat him with the knout and, having cut off his right ear, imprison him for four years. Having taken him out of prison, send him to [work] on the sovereign’s various forced labor projects, accordingly in chains.

  • When he has sat out the sentence in prison: exile him to the frontier towns, wherever the sovereign decrees.
  • Issue him a letter [stating] that he sat out the sentence in prison for the second theft and has been released from prison.

    11. For swindlers compile that same decree which has been decreed shall be compiled for thieves for a first theft.

    12. If a thief is brought in, and three, or four, or more thefts are attributed to him: having tortured that thief, punish him with death, even though he did not commit a homicide. Distribute his movable property to the plaintiffs in shares.

    13. If a thief commits a homicide at the first theft, punish him with death.

    14. Punish church thieves also with death without the slightest mercy. Give back their movable property [to compensate for] the church thefts.

    15. Concerning felons who commit felonies in Moscow and in the provincial towns; they play cards and dice, and having lost, they commit felonies: walking along the streets, they slash and rob people, and tear off caps: compile a solemn decree about such felons in Moscow, in the provincial towns, and in the provinces, and the criers shall cry it out for many days.

  • If such felons appear somewhere: people of various ranks, having apprehended them, shall bring them to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz.
  • And when someone, having apprehended such felons, brings them to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz: after interrogating such felons in the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz, conduct a rigorous investigation about them employing all methods of inquiry.
  • If it is established conclusively about their felony that they are playing dice and cards; and walking about the streets, they are committing felonies, they slash and rob people, and they tear off caps: compile for those felons that same decree as is written above this for thieves.
  • If someone, seeing such felons somewhere, does not apprehend [them], and does not bring them to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz; and it would have been possible to apprehend them; and that is also established conclusively: collect a fine from those people of .50 ruble per person.

    16. If a robber is brought in, torture him. If he confesses under torture that he robbed for the first time, but did not commit a homicide: after the torturing, cut off the right ear of that robber for his first robbery, imprison him for three years, and hand out his movable property in shares to the plaintiffs.

  • Having taken him out of prison, send him in chains to perform slave labor wherever the sovereign decrees.
  • When he has sat out three years in prison, send him to the southern frontier towns, wherever the sovereign decrees. Order him to remain in the southern frontier towns, in whatever rank befits [him]. Issue him a letter over the state secretary’s signature [stating] that he has sat out the sentence in prison for his felony, and has been released from prison accordingly.

    17. If a robber is apprehended in a robbery a second time: torture him accordingly, and [also] about other robberies. If he confesses only to two robberies, and even though he did not commit a homicide: punish him with death for the second robbery. Hand out his movable property in shares to the plaintiffs.

    18. Concerning robbers who testify against themselves in an interrogation and under torture that they were at one robbery, and at that same robbery committed a homicide, or set fire to houses or grain: punish those robbers with death for a first robbery.

    19. Send the sovereign’s charters about thieves and robbers to the provincial towns. Order the criers to cry it out in the urban taxpaying districts, and settlements, and in the provinces, in the villages and in hamlets, and around the market places, and compile a stern decree that if such people who have their ears cut off turn up somewhere, and they do not have in their possession letters stating that they were released from prison: having arrested such people, bring them to the governors, and to chancellery officials and senior officials of the felony control administration in the provincial towns. The governors and chancellery officials shall interrogate those people. Write to the sovereign in Moscow for a decree after the interrogation, and hold those people in prison until the sovereign’s decree [arrives].

    20. If someone proceeds to conceal and harbor such people at his house, and does not bring them to the governors, and to chancellery officials, and to senior officials of the felony control administration, and someone else denounces him: collect a fine of 10 rubles from him for that so that others looking on will learn not to do that, and so that there will be no refuge for thieves and robbers anywhere.

    21. If robbers are arrested during robberies, or at their camps, and under interrogation and under torture they proceed to testify against themselves and their accomplices about many robberies, and murder, and arson of houses, and for that felonious behavior of theirs it becomes necessary to punish them with death; and their accomplices, against whom they proceed to testify, are not present at the investigation at the time: detain such felons for the investigation of their accomplices in prison for half a year.

  • If their accomplices are not found in half a year: punish those felons with death after half a year.
  • Do not detain such felons for more than half a year in prison so that such felons, sitting in prison for a long while, will not be freed from the death penalty, and so that innocent people will not be slandered.

    22. Having appraised the movable property of robbers and thieves, give it as payment to the plaintiffs. If the robbers’ and thieves’ movable property is insufficient to pay the claims: exact those claims in shares from those shown during investigation [to have been accomplices].

    23. Concerning robbers who testify in plaintiffs’ suits against themselves and against their accomplices under torturings that they committed robberies, and what they took in the robberies, and they testify about that explicitly, and they testify that they took no more than that: the plaintiffs shall exact in their suits [the amount] which the robber testified [that he took in the robbery].

    24. Concerning the robber who testifies under torture that he robbed someone, and that he took his movable property; but he testifies that he does not remember what movable property he and his accomplices took: award those plaintiffs one-quarter of their claims in response to their petition.

    25. Concerning robbers who testify under torturings that they robbed someone, and they took his movable property, and they testify explicitly about what movable properly they and their accomplices took; but concerning the rest of the plaintiffs’ movable property they testify that they do not remember who took what: in accord with that testimony of the robbers, order the plaintiffs to exact in their suits [the amount] which the robbers explicitly testified [they took in the robbery]. Collect one-quarter of the remainder of their claims which the robbers say that they do not remember.

    26. Concerning the movable property of robbers which remains after the plaintiff’s share [has been satisfied]: having appraised that remaining property, sell it for the sovereign.

    27. If the robbers’ movable property is insufficient to satisfy the share due the plaintiff: do not give that to the plaintiff from the property of other robbers. Do not make good that shortfall at the expense of the shares [collected from] other robberies.

    28. If some people are apprehended in a robbery, and those robbers do not proceed to testify against themselves about the robbery under torturings: conduct an investigation about those people around their place of habitation.

  • If many of the people being interrogated testify in the investigation that they know those robbers, and those people being interrogated in the investigation accuse them of robberies and other wicked deeds: after the investigation, torture those people a second time.
  • If they do not proceed to testify against themselves under a second torturing: cast them in prison on the basis of the evidence gathered in the investigation.

    29. But if they testify about them in the investigation that they are worthy people, and do not know of any evidence against them: on the basis of the testimonies obtained under torture and of the investigations, release those [people] on cash bonds to those same people who commended their character [and guaranteed] that they would not commit any felony.

    30. Concerning people who bring in for arraignment someone caught red-handed with stolen property; and they allege that the stolen property is theirs; and, having brought him in for arraignment, they do not proceed to petition for a decree for two weeks: on the basis of the sovereign’s decree, reject those people for that.

  • If someone, having brought in for arraignment someone caught red-handed with stolen property, alleges that that stolen property [in the possession of the accused] belongs to their relatives or friends; and their relatives and friends are not in Moscow or in the provincial town where the stolen property was seized; and that they cannot the a suit promptly without contacting those people to whom the stolen property belongs; and they proceed to petition for a continuance: grant such people, whoever seizes stolen property belonging to someone else, a continuance based on the distance to the primary plaintiffs, according to the sovereign’s decree. Order them to present the plaintiffs [to sue] for that stolen property apprehended with the accused on specified dates, calculated on the basis of the distance. If someone who has been granted a continuance based on the distance fails to present the plaintiff [to sue] for the property apprehended with the accused on the specified date: reject them in that matter after the specified date based on the distance, and set free those people brought in for arraignment [who were apprehended] red-handed with stolen property.

    31. Concerning plaintiffs who, not awaiting a decree, proceed to settle [out of court] with robbers or with people brought in for arraignment [who were apprehended] red-handed with stolen property, and proceed to bring reconciliation petitions to the [Felony] Prikaz: that settlement of theirs is null and void. Compile for the robbers the decree that is necessary for each person, according to the sovereign’s decree.

  • Levy a fine, depending on the case, on the plaintiffs for that [because of the rule]: do not settle with robbers [out of court].

    32. Concerning robbers and thieves who are brought to torture: torture those robbers and thieves even on those days when it is a holiday of the sovereign or any other holiday because robbers and thieves assault, torture, burn with fire, and kill Orthodox Christians on holidays too.

    33. Concerning felons, thieves and robbers, who proceed to sit in prison for up to half a year, and, conniving feloniously, proceed to bring an oral accusation of theft and robbery against other people for their own gain, although at first in the interrogation and under torturings they did not speak against them about this: do not believe those oral accusations of theirs so that harassment and financial losses will not be inflicted on innocent people this way.

    34. Concerning thieves and robbers whom it becomes necessary to punish with death: imprison them in a special hut for six weeks of penance, and when the specified days have expired for them: execute such thieves and robbers.

    35. Concerning people about whom it is testified in an investigation that they are felons, thieves or robbers: arrest those people on the basis of the investigation, and seal their houses and their movable properly and threshed grain in the houses. Also inventory their standing grain and sown grain. Order the local and neighboring people there to guard it under bonds until the case is resolved.

  • Torture those felons on the basis of the investigations for robberies and thefts. If they proceed to testify against themselves and their accomplices, arrest the accused people on the basis of their oral accusations. Having accordingly made an inventory, seal their houses, and the movable property and grain in the houses. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of those accused people with the informers and interrogate them.
  • If the informer recognizes any person at the visual confrontation, and proceeds to say those same things against him that he testified against him in his absence in the interrogation and under torture, and that accused man proceeds to petition for an investigation: place that person in custody of a bailiff. Inquire about him by a grand general investigation.
  • If in the general investigation they call him a felon: torture him on the basis of the oral accusation and the general investigation which indicates that he is a felon. Only if he proceeds to testify against himself and his accomplices about a robbery: compile for him a decree according to the [present] Law Code. [Apply] that same statute as is written about that above this to that person who spoke against him.
  • Sell their property in shares [to satisfy] the plaintiffs’ suits.

    36. If they find someone blameless in investigations: after the investigations give him on a registered cash bond to those people who testified and found him blameless in the investigation, so that in the future he will not steal, and will not rob, and will not offer refuge at his house to felons, thieves and robbers, and will not trade in movables acquired by thieves and robbers, and will not commit any other felony.

  • If and when a [new] case is brought against him: the guarantors shall present him. On the basis of an informer’s oral accusation collect the shares for the plaintiffs’ claims from him, and, having unsealed his property, give it back to him.
  • If there is any accusation of robbery against him, but the people being interrogated conceal [information about] him in that investigation: torture him, and compile for him the decree that is necessary.
  • Compile a decree for the people who were interrogated for their false testimony like that written about that above this in the chapter [10] on the judicial process.

    37. Concerning an accused person who is put on a cash bond: and while on bail proceeds to commit any felony: arrest such a person, and compile for him the necessary decree accordingly. Exact from his guarantors the shares [to pay off the plaintiffs] because he committed a felony under their bond.

    38. If an informer accuses someone of robbery or theft in an interrogation and under torture, and recognizes him in a visual confrontation; and he proceeds to testify the same thing against him during the eye-to-eye [confrontation]; and if that man is a vagrant and does not proceed to petition for an investigation, but testifies that they know him nowhere: torture that person on the basis of the informer’s denunciation.

  • If under torture for robbery and theft he proceeds to testify against himself about a homicide during that robbery, or that home arson was [committed]: punish him with death.
  • If he does not proceed to testify against himself, release him on a written cash bond. If there is no bond, imprison him until there is bond for him.

    39. If felon-robbers, three or four men, or more, are arrested in a single robbery; and under torturings they proceed to accuse distinguished people, dvoriane, of deti boiarskie, or merchants who prior to this were never in an arraignment, were not implicated in any felony, and were never under any suspicion, and those accused people proceed to petition for an investigation, that an investigation be conducted about them [to prove] that they have not committed any felony, and were never implicated in any felony: in response to their petition, conduct an investigation about such people.

  • If they are found blameless in the investigation: release them on a written cash bond, return [their] movable property to them, and do not collect shares from them.
  • If they say about them in the investigation that they are felons: torture them on the basis of those investigations.
  • If under torture they confess to robbery and homicide: punish them with death, and sell their property in shares [to satisfy plaintiffs’ claims]. Rigorously torture people accused of robbery the first time, and a second time, and a third time.

    40. If two or three robbers under torturings proceed to accuse people of being accessories in a robbery: torture those accessories on the basis of the informers’ accusations without an investigation. Compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    41. Concerning people accused of robbery by informers under torture, but who do not testify under tortures against themselves, but in investigations many people call them felons: on the basis of the informers’ accusations and the bad character references given in the investigations, punish those people with death. Sell their movable property in shares [to satisfy plaintiffs’ claims].

    42. Concerning someone accused of a robbery by an informer, and in the investigation half of the people call him a law-abiding person, and the other half call him a felon: torture that man. If under torture he does not proceed to testify against himself about the robbery: release that person on a cash bond to the people who were interrogated who commended his character in the investigation. Because of the informer’s denunciation, collect from him [the accused] a share [of the compensation due the plaintiff].

  • If there are more people being interrogated in that half who call him a felon, fifteen of twenty people: believe that half [i.e., the majority]. Torture that person rigorously. If the person being tortured does not proceed to testify against himself: on the basis of the informer’s denunciation and the investigations imprison that person until the sovereign [issues] a decree. Distribute his movable property in shares [to the plaintiffs].
  • If subsequently he is accused of another felony in a robbery case: punish that person with death.
  • Compile a decree for the people who were interrogated who falsely commended his character like that written about that above this in the chapter [10] on the judicial process.

    43. Concerning the person who is accused of a robbery by two of three informers, and while being tortured he does not testify against himself, but proceeds to petition for an investigation, and in the investigation [the people being interrogated] testify about him that they do not know him: imprison him until the sovereign [issues a] decree.

  • If in the investigation they testify about him that they know him, but they do not know whether he is a worthy man or a felon: similarly imprison that person until the sovereign [issues a] decree. Sell his movable property in shares [to satisfy plaintiffs’ claims].

    44. Concerning people whom informers accuse of robbery in absentia, but proceed not to testify against them [when they are in an] eye-to-eye [confrontation], and cannot recognize them among many people; or, recognizing them, they proceed to retract the accusation against them: torture those informers rigorously, [to learn] whether it was by secret agreement that they did not recognize them or, having recognized them, are [now] retracting the accusation.

  • If they testify under torture that they slandered them: place those people in custody of the bailiffs, and conduct an investigation about them. If they say about them in the investigation that they are felons: torture those people.
  • If they proceed to testify against themselves about a robbery, punish them with death. If they do not proceed to testify against themselves under torturings, imprison them after the investigations until the sovereign [issues a] decree.
  • If the informers testify that they retracted the accusation against them by secret agreement: arrest those people who have approached [the informers to obtain that agreement], arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation with them and interrogate them, and conduct an investigation by all methods of inquiry. If they did approach the informers so that they would retract the accusation against the accused people: beat them with the knout and collect [the plaintiffs’] shares from them.
  • If they are found blameless in investigation: set them free without [forcing them to pay] the shares [to satisfy plaintiffs’ claims]

    45. If an informer denounces someone’s slaves or custodians for a robbery or a theft: and those people whose slaves and custodians the informer denounced testify that they have such slaves and custodians in their houses, but do not present them: collect the shares [to satisfy plaintiffs’ claims] from them for those slaves and custodians. Put them on solid written bonds with a deadline when they will present those slaves and custodians of theirs for a visual confrontation with the informers. When they present them, arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of those slaves with the informers. Interrogate them and compile the decree that is necessary for each person accordingly.

    46. If those people whose slaves or custodians have been denounced by an informer testify that they never had such slaves or custodians in their house; and they proceed to petition for an investigation: investigate this matter [by asking] many people [living] around their domicile whether or not they had such slaves or custodians in their houses.

  • If they testify in the investigation that such slaves or custodians were in their houses: collect the shares in the plaintiffs’ suits from them for those slaves and custodians. Release them on written bond with a deadline when they will present such slaves for a visual confrontation with the informers accordingly. When they present them, arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of them and the informers in the presence of many people, interrogate them, and compile for them the decree that is necessary for each person.
  • If they testify in the investigations that they never had such slaves and custodians in their houses: do not take shares from them for those slaves and custodians.

    47. Concerning dvoriane, and chancellery officials, and deti boiarskie, and their slaves, or custodians, or peasants who are accused of robbery by informers: on the basis of the informers’ accusations, arrest those dvoriane, and chancellery officials, and deti boiarskie, and their slaves, and custodians, and peasants. Having accordingly made an inventory of their houses and movable property and grain in response to the informers’ accusations: seal them. Also arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of them with the informers accordingly. Interrogate them and conduct a rigorous investigation using all methods of inquiry.

  • If it becomes necessary to use torture, first torture their slaves, or custodians, or peasants. If their slaves, or custodians, or peasants proceed to testify against [their masters] themselves in the robbery: torture those dvoriane, or chancellery officials, and deti boiarskie themselves, and compile for them, as for other felons, the decree that is necessary for each person accordingly.

    48. Concerning dvoriane, and chancellery officials, and deti boiarskie who arraign their own slaves, or peasants, or custodians, and accuse them explicitly of robbery, or theft, or conspiracy, but informers have not testified against them: interrogate those slaves after arraignment. Torture them without conducting an investigation, and compile the decree that is necessary for each person.

    49. Concerning plaintiffs who [accuse] people by name in petitions of thefts and robberies in which no one was apprehended red-handed with the goods, and there have been no denunciations by informers and no claims of felonious character in an investigation: send those petitioners to the Judicial Prikaz to which they are subordinate.

  • If it is determined in the Judicial Prikaz that those robbery cases should go to torture: send those plaintiffs and defendants from the Judicial Prikaz to the Felony Prikaz.

    50. If they arraign a person [caught] red-handed with stolen property; and they take the stolen property away from him with the cooperation of the bailiffs and witnesses, and that person fails to exonerate himself for having possession of that stolen property and he does not show that he obtained [it] legally: on the basis of the stolen property in his possession, torture that arraigned person and compile the decree that is necessary.

    51. If felons steal movable property from someone, or take [it] in a robbery: those people [the victims] shall submit written declarations about that [stolen] movable property of theirs in the chancelleries and to the governors and senior officials of the felony control administration in the provincial towns. They shall describe explicitly that movable property of theirs in the declarations.

  • If subsequently they claim that movable property of theirs in someone’s possession; and those people from whom they claim the stolen properly cannot show that they obtained it legally: on the basis of that stolen property, torture those people from whom they claimed any of the other movable property they have, movable property of theirs which is written down in their declarations. Conduct an investigation by all methods of inquiry, as becomes necessary.
  • If someone claims something in someone’s possession and testifies that felons stole that stolen property from his house, or took it in a robbery with other movable property of his: but he does not produce declarations on that stolen property and on the other movable property of his which was taken from him with that stolen property: on the basis of that stolen property do not torture those people from whom it was claimed because there are no declarations on that stolen property.
  • Grant a trial to the plaintiffs in that case against those people [from whom] something in their possession has been claimed. At trial administer an oath, a kissing of the cross, so that deliberate losses will not be inflicted on anyone in such cases.

    52. If someone buys a horse in Moscow, in the provincial towns, or in the provinces: the buyers shall register those horses in the customs books by their color, and age, and markings. If someone buying a horse does not register it in the books, and that is established conclusively: collect from him a fine for evading customs for that, according to the sovereign’s decree.

  • If someone claims such an unregistered horse and sues for something else along with the horse: having taken that horse from him, return it to the plaintiff. Grant a trial for the rest of the suit against him. After trial, compile the decree that is necessary.

    53. If someone [who is] in the sovereign’s service in the regiments buys a horse, a serviceman from another serviceman; and someone else claims that horse from him, and that person, from whom he purchased the horse, denies ever having the horse and testifies that he did not sell that horse to him: grant him [the buyer] a trial in that case against that seller. After trial and investigation compile for them the decree that is necessary. Do not give a verdict without trial against anyone in the matter of such horses which are purchased in the regiments because in the service servicemen [regularly] buy such horses without registering them.

    54. Concerning a person caught red-handed with stolen property whom plaintiffs arraign without a bailiff; and that arraigned person, who was arraigned with that stolen property, proceeds to petition that the plaintiffs illegally planted that stolen property on him: investigate that matter rigorously by all methods of inquiry [at the place] where they caught him red-handed with the stolen property: compile the decree that is necessary for each person on the basis of what they say in the investigation.

  • If there is no one to interrogate in an investigation: grant them a trial in that [matter]. After trial compile the decree that is necessary accordingly.

    55. If they testify in the investigation that the plaintiffs illegally incriminated that arraigned man: inflict a severe punishment for that on those people who illegally incriminated him, beat them mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people. Those people whom they illegally incriminated shall exact their dishonor compensation two-fold from them so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    56. If someone in a similar felonious plot deliberately plants something by stealth on someone; and it is accordingly established conclusively about that plant of his that he falsely planted [something] on someone out of a deliberate desire to ruin him: after investigation, inflict a severe punishment for such a felonious plant on those people who deliberately planted [something] on someone accordingly, beat them mercilessly with the knout in the presence of many people. Those people on whom they plant something shall exact their dishonor compensation two-fold from them so that others looking on will learn not to do that and so that no one will suffer deliberate expenses and losses at anyone’s hands in such cases.

    57. Concerning the person who refuses to surrender stolen property in his possession to bailiffs and witnesses: or they take the stolen property from him, but he takes that stolen property back from them: conduct an investigation about that among the witnesses and people of the vicinity. If they also testify against him that he did not allow that stolen property to be removed from his house, or if he took back the stolen property: torture that person and compile the decree that is necessary.

    58. Concerning the person who is arraigned for a robbery or a theft with stolen property, or after an informer’s denunciation, or after an investigation in which his good character was questioned; and he testifies against himself in the inquiry without being tortured: torture that person about other robberies and thefts and compile for him the decree that is necessary.

    59. If a robbery is committed somewhere, and people of the vicinity hear the cry and the yell of the people being assaulted when the robbers are robbing them, and those people do not come running at the cry and the yell and do not rescue them, or after a robbery the people who have been robbed proceed to summon people to chase and track the robbers; and those people do not chase the robbers or track them; and plaintiffs proceed to sue them: conduct an investigation about that among the neighbors who did chase and track them at that time.

  • If in the investigation they testify against them that, hearing the cry of the assaulted people, they did not come to their aid, and did not chase the robbers or follow their track: collect the shares [due plaintiffs for their losses] from those people for not offering them protection and for disobedience, and inflict a severe punishment, beat [them] mercilessly with the knout.

    60. Concerning people whom robbers rob, or thieves steal from, and the plaintiffs, having assembled, follow the track of those robbers and thieves to a village, or to a hamlet; and those people to whom they are led by the track do not lead the track away from themselves: hold an investigation of that, and interrogate the people engaged in the chase. If in the investigations the people engaged in the chase testify against them that they did not lead the track away: on the basis of the investigation and the testimony of the people engaged in the chase, torture those people and compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    61. Concerning people investigated in urban taxpaying districts in the provincial towns and in villages and hamlets in the provinces who testify in an investigation that there are no robbers and thieves among them: but subsequently thieves and robbers are discovered among them, and it is discovered that they concealed them in the investigations: compile a decree for those people who were interrogated for their he like that written about investigated people for perjured investigations in chapter [10] of the judicial process above.

    62. If a felon, a thief, or a robber is apprehended in Moscow in any hundred, or on any street: or in the urban taxpaying districts in the provincial towns or in the villages and hamlets in the provinces by people in the vicinity without [the assistance of] those people among whom he lived: torture that felon [to find out] who knew him in that place where he is apprehended.

  • If that felon testifies under torture that the local people, where he was arrested, all knew him, and concealed him: exact from all those people who concealed that felon a fine for the sovereign according to statute and shares for the plaintiffs, so that all people will learn not to keep felons and thieves and robbers among themselves, and so that there will be no refuge anywhere for felons, thieves, and robbers.
  • If that felon testifies under torture that [only] a few people knew him in that place where he was arrested: on the basis of that felon’s testimony under torture exact a fine for the sovereign, and shares for the plaintiffs, only from those people who knew and concealed that felon, and not from all of the local people.

    63. Concerning people [who provide] permanent havens and temporary shelters [to felons] whom informers denounce under torturings: on the basis of the informers’ denunciations, arrest those people. After making an inventory of their movable property, seal it. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of those people with the informers and interrogate them. Compile the same decree for them as for robbers.

  • Concerning people involved in conspiracies and those who aid and abet [criminals] whom informers denounce under torturings: on the basis of the informers’ denunciations, arrest those people and seal their movable property. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of those people with the informers and interrogate them. Compile the same decree for them as for robbers and ringleaders.

    64. Concerning people whom informers under torturings proceed to denounce for storing movables gained in robbery and theft; and they testify that they stored [movables] with them which were gained in a robbery or theft or for cash; or the informers proceed to denounce someone for selling movables obtained in robberies on the basis of the informers’ denunciation, investigate those accused people. Having investigated, arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation [of the accused] with the informers and interrogate them. If they do not deny storing or selling the movables acquired in robberies: torture them about storing and selling other goods acquired in robberies.

  • If they confess to something under torture: having exacted from them everything that they did not deny prior to the torture, and all that they confessed to under torture, distribute it in shares to satisfy the plaintiffs’ claims, and release them on a written cash bond. If there is no bond, imprison them until bonds are posted for them.
  • If they deny storing or selling goods gained in a robbery: torture them in the matter accordingly, and after the torture compile the decree that is necessary.

    65. If an informer denounces some people under torturings and testifies that he sold him movables acquired in a robbery for cash without a surety bond: collect the share [due the plaintiff] from that person [according to the rule]: do not buy [anything] without a surety bond.

  • Concerning those to whom [movables] were sold for cash with a surety bond: do not collect the share [due the plaintiff] from those people.

    66. Concerning informers who denounce someone’s slaves, and it becomes necessary to collect shares [due plaintiffs] from them: collect the shares for those slaves from those people whom they serve.

    67. If such accused slaves die prior to the resolution of the case, and the case is resolved after their death, and it has become necessary to collect shares [due plaintiffs] from them: collect shares for those slaves who died prior to the resolution of a case from those people whom they served accordingly.

    68. Concerning slaves who have lived outside someone’s household, and while living there have committed felonies: collect the shares [due plaintiffs] from those slaves living outside the household themselves.

  • Concerning slaves living outside the household who die: sell the movable property of such slaves [to satisfy] the shares [of litigants] .

    69. Concerning a homicide [in which] one master’s slave kills [another] master’s slave somewhere in the provincial towns, and in the urban taxpaying districts and in the settlements, and in the provinces ‑‑ in rural districts, in villages and in hamlets: torture that killer [to learn] in what manner the homicide happened, whether it was intentional, or an act of drunkenness, and unintentional.

  • If the killer proceeds to testify under torture that he killed unintentionally, in a fight, while drunk: after beating that killer with the knout, release him on a written cash bond [guaranteeing] that in the future he will not commit any felony. Having taken a bond on him, hand him over as a slave with his wife and children to that person whose slave he killed. Do not take away the wife and children of the killed slave from that master whose slave was killed.
  • If a plaintiff proceeds to petition about a debt of the killed slave, which he [the deceased] owed: reject [the petition] for the debt.

    70. If that person to whom they proceed to hand over the killer, in the stead of his killed slave, proceeds to testify that that killer is a felon, and that he is unable to take him into his household: he shall exact 50 rubles for his killed slave from that person whom the killer is serving.

    71. If a syn boiarskii, or his son, or kinsman, or steward kills someone’s peasant; and that killer proceeds to testify about that homicide under torture that he killed in a fight, unintentionally, or while drunk: take a wealthy peasant with his wife and children (those children who are living together with him, and not separately) with all his movable property from that syn boiarskii, from his pomest’e, and give them as peasants to that pomeshchik whose peasant was killed.

  • Do not take away the wife of the killed peasant, the children and movable property, from that pomeshchik whose peasant was killed.
  • Exact the registered debts of such killed peasants from such killers and imprison them until the sovereign [issues] a decree. Do not punish them with death. Reject [all claims] for unregistered debts.

    72. If someone kills someone with intent, and it is established about that conclusively that he killed with intent: punish such a killer with death.

    73. If someone’s peasant kills someone else’s peasant; and that killer testifies against himself under torture that he killed him while drunk, and not with intent: beat that killer with the knout and, putting him on a cash bond, give him to that pomeshchik whose peasant was killed with [his] wife, and with [his] children, and with [his] movable property, in the stead of that peasant who was killed.

  • Do not take away the wife, children, and property of the killed peasant front the previous pomeshchik accordingly.
  • If the plaintiff proceeds to petition that the killer is a known felon and does not want to accept him as one of his peasants; and he proceeds to petition that pomeshchik or votchinnik for another peasant by name: give him that [peasant] of his choice, and in the place of that killer grant the plaintiff that peasant about whom he petitions, with the wife, and with the children, and with all the movable property, standing grain, and grain sown in the ground.
  • Having beaten the killer with the knout, return [him] to that [person] whose peasant he is.

    74. Concerning the case in which robbers rob people, and the robbers are not found; but the plaintiffs claim stolen property ‑‑ any kind of thing ‑‑ from those robberies, and they write down large claims in petitions; and that person in whose possession [the allegedly stolen property] is claimed proceeds under torture to speak against someone that he purchased that stolen property from or traded [it] with someone; and someone posts a surety bond on himself or on a slave for that accused person [promising] that he will present that accused person on a specified date for a visual confrontation with the informer, but fails to present that person: exact all of the plaintiff’s claim from that [person] in full, and put him on a written bond so that he will find that accused person and present him for a visual confrontation with the informer.

  • If he does not post such a bond on himself: if the accused is a house slave, a wealthy slave in the place of that accused slave; and if he is a peasant, seize a wealthy peasant for a visual confrontation with the informer, and torture [him] on the basis of the informer’s denunciation [to learn] where that accused person is, whether he is being concealed, or whether he fled without [anyone’s] foreknowledge.

    75. If a plaintiff claims as his own property stolen in a robbery [which is] in someone’s possession, a horse, or anything else; and the robbers are not personally present; and that person from whom [the property] is claimed proceeds to testify under interrogation against someone that he purchased that stolen property from him, or exchanged it with him; and at the visual confrontation that accused person denies it, [and] testifies that he did not sell that stolen property to him, but the stolen property was purchased, but it has not been registered in the books, and there is no purchase document or surety bond: torture that person in whose possession that stolen property was claimed.

  • If under torture he does not retract his accusation against that person from whom he says he purchased that stolen property: on the basis of the informer’s denunciation, torture the seller as well.
  • If the seller confesses under torture that he sold him that stolen property: torture him [the seller] [to find out] from whom he got that stolen property, and after investigation compile a decree in that case.
  • If he does not confess: collect the share [claimed by the plaintiffs] from him and release him on a cash bond.
  • In response to the petition, exact the claim from that person at whose house the stolen property was claimed.

    76. Concerning people who in an investigation are said by nearby neighbors to be felons, [are accused of] theft, or of robbery, or of homicide, or of receiving and harboring robbers, or of storing [stolen property], and of conspiracy; and those people whom the nearby neighbors call felons in investigations petition the sovereign for a second general investigation, and say about the first investigation that the nearby neighbors called them felons out of enmity: do not torture such accused people on the basis of the first investigation that indicated that they are felons, but send out [officials] to conduct a second investigation about them.

  • If in the second investigation many people call them law‑abiding people and do not accuse them of any felony, and in those second investigations in which they were called law‑abiding there are fifteen or twenty more people than in the investigations which called them felons: resolve that case on the basis of the [second] investigation.
  • Collect from the people who were interrogated in the first investigation and who unjustly called them felons a fine for the sovereign. Moreover, inflict a punishment on them for that according to the sovereign’s decree, as is written about that above this in the chapter [10] on the judicial process.

    77. Concerning people accused by informers of robbery, and of thefts, and of harboring [felons], and of participating with them in conspiracies, and of selling and storing goods acquired in thefts and robberies, and of various robbery and theft felonies; and those accused people are living on pomest’ia and on votchinas belonging to the patriarch, and to metropolitans, and to archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and courtiers, and stol’niki, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and servicemen of all ranks; and, hav­ing learned of the accusation, they flee because of that; and other people con­ceal the accused people in their houses, and [later] send them away from their houses, and they rescue others from the bailiffs: rigorously investigate that by [interrogating] many neighbors and [obtaining] many declarations.

  • If the investigation and declarations [establish] conclusively that the accused people fled prior to the informer’s denunciation: do not collect the shares [due plaintiffs] from those people.
  • Concerning the case when the accused people flee [after learning of] the informer’s denunciation: collect the shares [due plaintiffs] from those people under whom the accused people were living, and put them on surety bonds so that they will hunt down those accused people.

    78. Concerning people who shelter accused people from an informer’s denunciation, or send them away from their houses: collect from those people the shares [due plaintiffs] and a fine of 50 rubles for the sovereign.

  • Put them on surety bonds so that they, having hunted down the accused people, will present [them for trial].

    79. If a pomeshchik, having discovered robbers on his holding, beats his own slaves or peasants; and not wishing to deliver them to the felony control administration for an investigation, he conceals the felons on his property; and that is established conclusively: confiscate the pomest’e from such a pomeshchik for such a felony and hand it out in a distribution. Order the plaintiffs’ claims exacted from them.

  • If a person who does not have a pomest’e commits such a deed: inflict a severe punishment on him for such a felony, order him beaten with the knout around the market places. Exact the plaintiffs’ claims from them accordingly.

    80. If someone’s slaves, or peasants, commit such a murderous deed without the knowledge of their masters: punish them themselves with death for such a deed, without any mercy.

    81. Concerning people who rescue accused people from emissaries [of the court]: beat those people with the knout. Exact from them a fine of 50 rubles for the sovereign and the shares [due] plaintiffs. Put them on surety bonds [to] hunt down the accused people.

    82. Concerning felons who steal or rob, and having committed the felonies, flee from that felony control administrative district to another felony control administrative district: the senior officials of that felony control administrative district to which they come to live shall interrogate them [about] where they formerly lived, and why they departed to live in another felony control administrative district.

  • If according to the testimony at the interrogation no case concerns them, and there are no plaintiffs against them: order those accused new comers to live with whomever they settled. Without interrogating those people about where they lived [previously], do not keep them in felony control administrative districts.
  • If they arrest criminals at someone’s house in an urban taxpaying district in a town, or in a rural taxpaying district, and there are plaintiffs against them, and they accuse them of theft, or they arrested them for robbery at their houses: collect half the shares of plaintiffs’ claims from those people with whom those criminals lived because they allowed those people to live with them and did not declare them to the senior officials of the felony control administration.

    83. When they send out a bailiff to arrest thieves and robbers: he shall arrest thieves and robbers without any deception, and shall not favor anyone. Having arrested thieves and robbers, he shall not release them and shall not take bribes from them.

  • Concerning the bailiff who favors a thief or robber because of a bribe and releases him, and that is established conclusively: exact the plaintiff’s claim from that bailiff, and beat him with the knout, and cast him in prison.

    84. Concerning the sworn assistant of the felony control administration who releases a robber or thief, or, having stolen the movable property [in the possession] of a robber or a thief, flees: distribute the movable property of that sworn assistant in shares [to satisfy] a plaintiff’s claim, half of what was sought in the suit. [If] his property is insufficient [to satisfy] half the plaintiff’s claim, collect that remaining part of the claim from those people who elected that sworn assistant as one of the sworn assistants of the felony control administration.

  • Place those people who elected that sworn assistant on bond so that they, having hunted down that sworn assistant of the felony control administration who fled after stealing, will present [him for trial].
  • When those people who elected that sworn assistant of the felony control administration have found him: beat that sworn assistant of the felony control administration with the knout. Having beaten [him] with the knout, expel [him] from the ranks of the sworn assistants.

    85. If in response to a petition of a plaintiff or a defendant it becomes necessary to conduct a general investigation about a robbery or theft case: how to investigate that by means of a general Investigation is written in the statute above this in the chapter [10] about the judicial process.

    86. If thieves are in the custody of bailiffs at a bailiff’s house: that bailiff shall not put thieves on bond without an order.

  • Concerning the bailiff who, without reporting to a boyar and without the knowledge of a state secretary, puts thieves on bond, and that is established conclusively: exact the plaintiff’s claim two‑fold from that bailiff. Moreover, beat him with the knout for that and cast him in prison until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    87. If someone learns that someone has stolen property at home, and wishes to remove that stolen property: he shall get a bailiff from the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz [to go after] that stolen property. The bailiff shall take with him witnesses, worthy people of the vicinity, who can be trusted and with those people he shall remove the stolen property from the place where he is sent to find it. After removing that stolen property he shall take it away to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz with those same people in whose presence he removed that stolen property.

  • If no one is found in that house where the stolen property [is found]: take that stolen property to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz with the witnesses accordingly. Investigate that stolen property in the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz and give the just verdict that is necessary according to statute. Without witnesses, the bailiff shall not remove the stolen property.
  • If someone does not allow a search for stolen property in his house and will not unlock his barn and other outbuildings; or takes away the stolen property and the thief from a bailiff and the witnesses, and that is established conclusively: after investigation, the plaintiff shall exact all of his losses in full from that person who did so.

    88. If someone kills a thief caught red‑handed in his house: that very hour he shall exhibit that corpse to the neighbors. Having exhibited it, he shall bring it for registration in the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz.

  • If someone with people in the vicinity is chasing a thief; and that thief refuses to surrender on the road, or in a field, or in a forest, and proceeds to fight; and someone in the chase kills that thief, or wounds him: bring that dead or wounded thief with the stolen property which he stole to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz together with the pursuers accordingly.
  • If someone, after apprehending a thief, and without bringing him to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz, proceeds to torture him in his own home: the thief shall exact from him his dishonor compensation and maiming fee.
  • Concerning that for which he tortured him: he shall sue that thief for the theft at a trial. Order that that thief shall not be tortured outside of the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz.
  • If they removed stolen property in someone’s house, and the wife and children knew about that stolen movable property: collect from them the share [due the plaintiff] according to statute.
  • If they are impoverished and have no means to pay anything: give them to the plaintiff as slaves until they work off the debt. Calculate for them the value of slave labor at the rate of 2.50 rubles per year for the female gender.

    89. If someone steals harvested grain in the field, or hay, from someone, or proceeds by stealth to harvest the grain, and cart that grain from the field to his house; and after arresting him on the road with that stolen grain or hay, they bring him to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz; and it is established about that conclusively that he stole the grain or hay: beat that thief with the knout for that theft, and order that which was stolen, having been exacted from him, returned to the plaintiff.

  • If those thieves do not allow themselves to be arrested, and they [other people] kill or wound one of those thieves: exhibit that killed or wounded [thief] to the neighbors promptly, bring [him] to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz, and register [the event]. This will free [all concerned] from [any accusation concerning] that homicide.
  • If the thieves kill or wound that person whose grain it is, or his slave or peasant, when they are apprehending them in the grain or hay, and that is established conclusively: punish those thieves with death for that. Take that which they stole from their movable properly [to compensate the plaintiff].

    90. If someone in a thievish manner catches fish from someone’s pond or nurse pond, and they arrest that thief red‑handed; and about that it is justly established that he stole for the first time: beat such [a person] with bastinadoes.

  • If that same [person] is arrested red‑handed [with stolen fish] a second time, beat such [a person] with the knout for such an offense.
  • If that same [person] is arrested red‑handed [with stolen fish] a third time, and albeit the value of the stolen property is less than .10 ruble: punish such [a person] by cutting off his ear.

    91. If anything belonging to someone disappears at the time of a fire or any other time; and subsequently he recognizes those lost items of his at someone’s house, and he claims them: he shall sue that person from whom he is claiming [the property] at trial, as for theft.

  • If that [person] from whose possession that stolen property was removed testifies that he took that stolen property at a fire, or fished it out of water, but he did not loot it; and he declared and registered [it] in the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz; and it is established about that conclusively that the stolen property was not taken by looting: order that person who is claiming that stolen property to redeem that stolen property from him. He shall pay a redemption equal to one‑half the market price.

    92. Concerning people who are sitting in prison because of plaintiffs’ suits; and the plaintiffs’ claims are being exacted from them [in the righter] while in prison; and the plaintiffs are not at the righter; and they have been sitting in prison for five years and more: place those people on written appearance bonds, so that when they are requested, the guarantors will present them. Do not exact [in the righter] the plaintiffs’ claims from them without [the presence of the] petitioners [who request that it be done].

    93. Concerning people against whom informers proceed to testify under a first and second torturing; and after the third torturing it becomes necessary to execute those informers; and those informers, going to the execution, proceed to retract their denunciations against those people against whom they testified [earlier]: do not believe that retraction of theirs.

    94. Prisons in Moscow shall be built by the Felony Prikaz at the expense of the sovereign’s treasury.

    95. Taxpayers of the Moscow taxpaying hundreds and settlements shall serve as sworn assistants and guards at Moscow prisons on a salary. Annually collect the money for the salary for those sworn assistants and guards from those same hundreds and settlements. Hold elections for those posts among the taxpayers living in the hundreds, over their signatures.

    96. Fill the ranks of the executioners in Moscow from the free people, and they shall serve as executioners under bond. Grant them the sovereign’s salary out of the sovereign’s treasury, from the Felony Prikaz.

    97. Build prisons in the provincial towns and elect sworn assistants, and scribes, and prison guards, and executioners from the urban taxpaying districts and from the taxpaying provinces, from the court villages, from the rural taxpaying districts, and fro, the various rural taxpayers, and from the lands belonging to the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and from all pomest’e lands and votchina lands.

  • Those sworn assistants and the guards shall also be paid a salary. Collect money for the salary of those sworn assistants and guards, and for the various expenses in the offices of the felony control administration from those same townsmen and rural taxpayers, according to their agreement. Do not collect excess monies and do not cause those taxpayers any losses.
  • Conduct the elections for the sworn assistants and the prison guards among the electors and over the signatures of the electors.

    98. If an votchinnik or a pomeshchik has fewer than twenty peasants on the pomest’e or on the votchina: do not elect sworn assistants, and guards, and scribes for the felony control administration business from those pomest’ia and votchinas. Take the sworn assistants for felony control administration business from the large pomest’ia and votchinas.

    99. Concerning plaintiffs who bring petitions to the Felony Prikaz against robbers; and in their petitions they write that robbers are confessing under torture to [having committed] homicide during a robbery at their houses; and subsequently, after a long time has passed, the plaintiffs bring loan notes on those people who were killed by the robbers to add to the case; and those people of theirs who were killed are written down in those notes as borrowers without guarantors, and there are no signatures of their borrowers on those loan notes; and others [other notes] have signatures of other people in their stead; and the year and date in those loan notes were written two, and three, and more years prior to the killing of such people: on the basis of those loan notes do not exact the debts from the accused people for the killed debtors because they are bringing those loan notes to the case after a very long time, and there is no reason to believe those loan notes.

    100. If informers proceed to testify against people under interrogation prior to torture: but under the first, and second, and third tortures they retract [their denunciations] against them: believe that retraction.

    101. Concerning robbers who, having dug their way out of the prisons in the provincial towns, escape; and the prison sworn assistants and guards proceed to testify under torturings about those escapees that they fled from prison without their evil intents; and plaintiffs proceed to petition against them for shares [to satisfy their claims], and that an order be issued for them to exact [the sums due them] from those people who elected those sworn assistants of the felony control administration and the guards: in response to that petition exact the shares from the prison sworn assistants and the guards themselves.

  • If some amount cannot be exacted from them for some reason: exact that from the senior officials of the felony control administration and from the provincial residents who elected those sworn assistants and guards.
  • For such offenses the plaintiffs shall exact as their shares from the senior officials of the felony control administration twice what [they exact from] the sworn assistants of the felony control administration because the senior officials of the felony control administration run the prisons in the provincial towns. It is the responsibility of the senior officials of the felony control administration to examine the prisons and prison inmates frequently to ensure that the prisons are secure and that the prison inmates have in prisons nothing with which they can dig their way out of prison.
  • [If] in the provincial towns felons are escaping from prison because of the negligence and inattentiveness of the senior officials of the felony control administration: for that [reason] plaintiffs shall exact [their] shares from the senior officials of the felony control administration in an amount double that [which they exact] from the sworn assistants of the felony control administration.

    102. Concerning robbers who participated in robberies, and half of them are discovered; and the plaintiffs’ claims are exacted from them in full; and subsequently their accomplices are discovered; and they proceed to testify against someone [who participated] in those robberies and in the selling of items acquired in robberies, and there are no plaintiffs against them: on the basis of that informer’s denunciation exact for the sovereign’s treasury from the accused people money shares equal to the first shares taken from the accused people because there are no petitioners for those money shares.

    103. Concerning the felon, thief, or robber whom they arrest and bring for arraignment to the Felony Prikaz in Moscow, or to the felony control administration headquarters in a provincial town: and it becomes necessary to torture that felon; and that felon, trying to avoid torture, announces that he knows of some serious matter concerning the sovereign: do not believe him, and torture him for the robbery or the theft promptly.

  • Concerning the fact that he announced that he knew of some matter concerning the sovereign: interrogate him about that after he has been tortured for the theft or robbery.

     

    104. Concerning felons, thieves, or robbers, or killers, who proceed to sit in prisons in the provincial towns for up to half a year: the governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration shall not discharge those felons from prison in the provincial towns without the sovereign’s decree. They shall not take them for themselves as slaves and peasants, and shall not give away such felons to anyone else as slaves and peasants.

  • If in the provincial towns any governors, and chancellery officials, or senior officials of the felony control administration discharge such felons from prisons without the sovereign’s decree, and enslave them to themselves or to anyone else as slaves, or as peasants, and that is established conclusively: inflict a severe punishment for that on those governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration, beat them mercilessly with the knout, and order plaintiffs to exact shares from them for those felons.
  • If it turns out that any prisoners have not been involved in a robbery, and theft, and murder case, and it becomes necessary to release them from prison: release such [people] from prison without writing to the sovereign in Moscow for a decree.
  • The governors, and chancellery officials, and senior officials of the felony control administration shall not take them for themselves as slaves and peasants, and shall not turn them over as slaves or as peasants to anyone else, because of kinship or friendship.
  • If a governor and a chancellery official, or a senior official of the felony control administration enslaves for himself such people whom it becomes necessary to discharge from prison, or turns them over to someone else as slaves or as peasants: inflict a severe punishment on them for that accordingly, as is written in this article about this.

     

     

     

    CHAPTER 22. -- Decree. For Which Offenses the Death Penalty Should Be Inflicted on Someone, and
    for Which Offenses the Penalty Should Not Be Death, But [Another] Punishment Should Be Imposed.
    In It Are 26 Articles.

    1. If any son or daughter kills his father or mother: for patricide or matricide, punish them also with death, without the slightest mercy.

    2. If any son or daughter kills his or her father or mother with some other people, and that is established conclusively: after investigation, also punish with death, without the slightest mercy, those who committed such a deed with them.

    3.If a father or mother kills a son or daughter: imprison them for a year that. After having sat in prison for a year, they shall go to God’s church, and in God’s church they shall declare aloud that sin of theirs to all the people. Do not punish a father or mother with death for [killing] a son or daughter.

    4. If someone, a son or a daughter, forgetting Christian law, proceeds to utter coarse speeches to a father or mother, or out of impudence strikes a father or mother, and the father or mother proceeds to petition against them for that: beat such forgetters of Christian law with the knout for the father and mother.

    5. If any son or daughter plunder[s] a father’s or mother’s movable property by force; or not honoring the father and mother and [attempting] to drive them out, proceed[s] to denounce them for some evil deeds; or a son or daughter does not proceed to respect and feed a father and mother in their old age, does not proceed to support them materially in any way, and the father or mother proceed[s] to petition the sovereign against him or her about that: inflict a severe punishment on such children for such deeds of theirs, beat them mercilessly with the knout, and command them to attend to their father and mother in all obedience without any back-talk. Do not believe their denunciation.

    6. If any son or daughter proceed[s] to petition for a trial against a father or mother: do not grant them a trial in any matter against a father or mother. Beat them with the knout for such a petition and return them to the father and mother.

    7. If someone himself kills a brother or a sister, or someone else kills them at his command, and that is established conclusively: punish them all themselves with death as well for that.

    8. If someone’s slave contemplates killing that person whom he serves; or, desiring to kill him, draws a weapon against him: cut off his hand for such an action.

    9. If someone’s slave kills that person whom he serves: punish him himself with death as well, without the slightest mercy.

    10. If someone, not fearing God and not fearing the sovereign’s disgrace and punishment, inflicts an atrocious torment on someone, cuts off a hand, or a foot, or a nose, or an ear, or cuts off [his] lips, or pokes out an eye, and that is established conclusively: inflict the same on him for such an atrocity. Moreover, that person on whom he committed such an atrocity shall collect [compensation] from his votchinas and his movable property: if he cut off a hand, 50 rubles for the hand; if he cut off a foot, also 50 rubles for the foot; and for a nose, and for an ear, and for lips, and for an eye, and accordingly for any injury, 50 rubles.

    11. If such a perpetrator of atrocities, having invited, or having dragged by force, someone to his house, proceeds to beat him with a club, the knout, or a bastinado, and that is established conclusively at trial: inflict a severe punishment on such a perpetrator of atrocities for such a deed of his, order him beaten with the knout around the market places. Cast him in prison for a month. That [person] on whom he inflicted such [a torment] shall exact from him his dishonor compensation and maiming two-fold.

    12. If someone’s slave inflicts such an atrocity on someone: torture that slave [to learn] at whose instruction he committed such an atrocity.

  • If that slave testifies under torture that he committed such an atrocity at the instruction of that person whom he serves, or at someone else’s instruction: inflict a severe punishment for that on those people who instruct someone in such a deed, and that person who committed such a deed accordingly, beat them with a knout around the market places and cast them all in prison for a month.
  • Those people against whom the slaves commit such an atrocity shall exact their dishonor compensation two-fold from those people who instruct their slaves [to commit] such a deed.
  • If someone’s slave commits such an atrocity against someone on his own volition and not at anyone’s instruction: having tortured such slaves, punish them with death.

    13. Concerning insurgents who instigate civil disorder among the people, and plot evil-doings against many people by their own felonious design: punish such insurgents with death for that felony of theirs.

    14. If a wife kills her husband, or feeds him poison, and that is established conclusively: punish her for that, bury her alive in the ground and punish her with that punishment without any mercy, even if the children of the killed [husband], or any other close relatives of his, do not desire that she be executed. Do not show her the slightest mercy, and keep her in the ground until that time when she dies.

    15.If a woman is sentenced to the death penalty and she is pregnant at that time: do not punish that woman with death until she gives birth, and execute her at the time when she has given birth. Until that time, keep her in prison, or in the custody of reliable bailiffs, so that she will not depart.

    16. If someone with felonious intent comes into someone’s house, and desires to do something shameful to the mistress of that house, or desires to carry her away somewhere out of that house; and her slaves do not defend her against that felon, and proceed to assist those people who have come for her in the commission [of the crime]: and subsequently such a deed of theirs is discovered: punish with death all those felons who with such intent come into another’s house and those slaves who assist them in the commission of such a felony.

    17. If someone out of bravado, or drunkenness, or deliberate intent gallops on a horse over someone’s wife, and knocks her down and tramples her with the horse, and thereby dishonors her, or injures her with such a blow; and if a pregnant wife delivers a still-born child because of that blow of his, but she herself lives, and that is established conclusively at trial: inflict a severe punishment on that person who commits such a deed, order him beaten with the knout mercilessly. That wife shall exact from him the dishonor compensation and the maiming fee two-fold. Cast him in prison for three months.

  • If that wife herself dies from that blow of his: punish him with death for such an act of his.

    18. If such a homicide occurs without deliberate intent on someone’s part because the horse, frightened by something and having broken the bridle, bolted and he was unable to restrain it [the horse]: do not accuse that person of homicide and do not inflict a punishment on anyone for such a deed because such a case occurred without evil intent.

    19. If someone kills someone else at someone’s instruction, and that is established conclusively: punish both, the person who instructed the homicide and [the person] who did the killing, with death.

    20. If someone shoot[s] from a handgun or from a bow at a wild animal, or at a bird, or at a target; and the arrow or bullet goes astray and kills someone over a hill or beyond a fence; or if someone by any chance kills someone with a piece of wood, or a rock, or anything else in a non-deliberate act; and previously there was no enmity or other animosity between that person who killed and that [person] he killed; and it is established about that conclusively that such a homicide occurred without deliberation and without intent: do not punish anyone with death for such a homicide and do not incarcerate anyone in prison because that event occurred accidentally, without intent.

    21. If someone’s slave kills someone or wounds someone while defending that person whom he serves: do not accuse that person’s slave of a crime, but interrogate that person whom he serves about that homicide.

    22. If he [a slave] kills someone by his own intent, without the knowledge of that person whom he serves; and that person whom he serves, clearing himself and having apprehended the slave, brings him for arraignment to the [Felony or the Moscow Administrative] Prikaz, and himself informs [the officials] about that homicide: do not accuse that person to whom that slave belongs in that homicide case. Punish his slave who committed such a homicide with death.

    23. If someone poisons someone with poison, and that person who was poisoned dies from that poison: torture rigorously that person who commits such an evil deed [to learn] whether he previously had committed such a deed against anyone else. Having tortured him, punish him with death.

    24. If a Muslim by any means whatsoever, by force or by deceit, compels a Russian [to convert] to his Islamic faith; and he circumcises that Russian according to his Islamic faith; and that is established conclusively: punish that Muslim after investigation, burn him with fire without any mercy.

  • Concerning the Russian whom he converted to Islam: send that Russian to the patriarch, or to another high ecclesiastical figure, and order him to compile a decree according to the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers.
  • If someone of the male gender, or the female gender, having forgotten the wrath of God and Christian law, proceeds to procure adult women and mature girls for fornication, and that is established conclusively: inflict a severe punishment on them for such a lawless and vile business, beat them with the knout.

    26. If a woman proceeds to live in fornication and vileness, and in fornication begets children with someone; and she herself, or someone else at her command, destroys those children; and that is established conclusively: punish with death without any mercy such lawless women and that person who destroyed her children at her order so that others looking on will not commit such a lawless and vile deed and will refrain from fornication.

     

     

     

    CHAPTER 23. -- The Musketeers. In It Are 3 Articles.

    1. Try musketeers and render justice among them in all cases except robbery and red-handed theft in the Musketeers Prikaz. The grounds for collecting fees from musketeers for their suits in judicial cases are written above this.

    2. If a musketeer sues a non-musketeer for something in another chancellery: he shall initiate that suit of his against the non-musketeer in the other chancellery on the basis of a signed petition from the Musketeers Prikaz. Do not grant musketeers a trial in any chancellery against anyone for any reason without signed petitions.

  • If someone proceeds to make a counter claim against a musketeer: grant a trial against him in that same chancellery.

    3. If a musketeer proceeds to sue another musketeer for dishonor [to] him and his wife, and he wins the case: on the basis of the judicial case, exact the money for the dishonors to the musketeer and his wife from the losing litigant.

  • If a musketeer proceeds to petition the sovereign that he has nothing from which to pay that dishonor compensation and would he inflict a punishment on him for that dishonor: in response to that petition of his, order a punishment inflicted on him for that dishonor, beat him with the knout so that he and others like him will learn not to dishonor their brother musketeers and their wives.

     

     

    CHAPTER 24.-- Decree on Atamans and Cossacks. In It Are 3 Articles.

    1. Concerning atamans and cossacks who proceed to sue someone, or enter a defense against someone: compile the decree for them in judicial and in all legal cases after trial, and according to the documents, and after investigation, that is necessary.

  • Do not collect the sovereign’s fees from the losing litigant [in suits] for 12 rubles and less. But if a suit exceeds 12 rubles: collect the sovereign’s fees from that suit from atamans and cossacks according to statute.
  • And for dishonors to atamans and cossacks, [when] someone injures their honor in some way: exact [the dishonor compensation] equal to their cash compensation entitlements. Concerning those paid in kind: those shall exact 5 rubles for the dishonors.

    2. The elders of the gunsmiths shall exact 5 rubles each for dishonors. Rank and file gunsmiths shall exact 4 rubles each for dishonors.

    [Decree on Statutory Prices]

    3. If the price of something is not written down in the pleas, insert the price for that according to this decree:

  • Horse, 8 rubles
  • Nogai mare, 6 rubles
  • Nogai foal, 3 rubles
  • Gelding, 4 rubles
  • Russian mare, 3 rubles
  • Russian three-year-old foal, 1.50 rubles
  • Similarly, Russian three-year-old mare, 1.50 rubles
  • Cow, 2 rubles
  • Bull, 2 rubles
  • Yearling calf, .60 ruble
  • Pig, or fattened hog, .60 ruble
  • Yearling suckling-pig, .15 ruble
  • Sheep, .20 ruble
  • Ram, .15 ruble
  • Young ram, .09 ruble
  • Four- or five-year-old billy goat, .50 ruble
  • Three-year-old billy goat, .40 ruble
  • Yearling billy goat,.25 ruble
  • Nanny goat, .25 ruble
  • Young goat, .09 ruble
  • Establish the price for any grain as they proceed to purchase grain in the market in that year.
  • Live goose, .10 ruble
  • Slaughtered goose, .06 ruble
  • Live duck, .06 ruble
  • Slaughtered duck, .04 ruble
  • Indian hen, .20 ruble
  • Russian chicken, .04 ruble

     

     

     

    CHAPTER 25. - Statute on Illicit Taverns. In It Are 21 Articles.

    1. If illicit spirits are removed from someone’s possession for the first time, or if someone distills spirits for sale: for the first time, exact fines of 5 rubles each from those [people], and from the imbibers .25 ruble per person.

  • If illicit spirits are removed from someone’s possession a second time: exact from those people the fines two-fold, 10 rubles each, and from the imbibers .50 ruble each. Moreover, beat with the knout around the market places those people in whose possession the illicit spirits are discovered a second time, and beat the imbibers with bastinadoes.

    2. If illicit retail spirits are found in someone’s possession along with imbibers a third time: collect fines of 20 rubles per person from those [people] and from the imbibers a ruble per person, and beat them with the knout. Moreover, imprison the sellers until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    3. Concerning people who are arraigned [for having been] in illicit taverns, and testify under interrogation that they purchased spirits from illicit tavern keepers; or having purchased from them, they drank them in [their] homes, but the illicit tavern keepers deny selling spirits: torture those buyers. If under torturings the buyers do not retract their accusations, torture the illicit tavern keepers to verify their accusations.

  • If the illicit tavern keepers proceed to testify under torturings that they purchased spirits outside the legal taverns: having conducted an investigation, interrogate those people whom they have testified against under tortures on the basis of those testimonies of theirs given under torturings accordingly. Arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation with the buyers, and torture them [some more] after the visual confrontations.
  • If under torture the sellers confess to selling spirits: after the torture, beat those keepers of illicit taverns with the knout around the market places, and also collect from them fines of 5 rubles per person for the first [offense].
  • If they are implicated in such sale of illicit spirits a second time, beat them with the knout for that around the market places and collect fines from them of 10 rubles in cash per person accordingly. Release them on solid written bonds so that henceforth they will not engage in such a felony.
  • If some [people] are implicated in such a felony a third time, beat them with the knout around the market places for that third offense and imprison them for half a year.
  • Collect fines of 2 rubles per person for the first offense from those people who proceed to buy illicit spirits from them, and beat them mercilessly with bastinadoes.
  • If some [people] are implicated in such a case a second time: collect fines of 4 rubles per person from them, beat them with a knout on the rack, and imprison them for two weeks.
  • And for a third such offense, collect fines of 6 rubles per person, and also beat them with the knout around the market places, imprison them for a month, and release them on written bonds so that henceforth they will not buy illicit spirits from anyone and will not drink them.
  • Concerning people who do not refrain from such a felony, and who are implicated in such a felony a fourth time: inflict a severe punishment on them for such a felony of theirs, having beaten them with a knout around the market places, exile them to distant towns, where the sovereign decrees, and confiscate all of their movable property, and houses, and pomest’ia, and votchinas for the sovereign.
  • Concerning those people who buy illicit spirits from them a fourth time: inflict a severe punishment on them, beat them with a knout around the market places and imprison them for a year accordingly.

    4. Concerning people who proceed to testify against someone for selling spirits, but subsequently retract their accusations against those people; and it is established about that conclusively that they accused such people of selling spirits as an act of deliberate slander: inflict punishment for the slander on those people who deliberately slander someone in such a case, beat them with the knout around the market places. Those people whom they slander deliberately shall exact their dishonor compensation from them two-fold.

    5. If people proceed to accuse someone of selling spirits; and the seller denies [the accusation]; and they both proceed to resort to torture in the case: in that [case] torture the buyer first. If under torture the buyer does not retract the accusation: torture the seller to verify [the buyer’s testimony]. After the torture, compile the decree that is necessary.

    6. If someone’s slaves, or peasants, or custodians are brought in for arraignment with illicit spirits, and under interrogation those people who have been arraigned testify that they, having stolen from their masters, sold the spirits to someone: torture those arraigned slaves about the sale of spirits [to learn] whether their masters knew about it.

  • If they proceed to repeat their former testimony that they, having stolen from their masters, sold the spirits, and their masters did not know about that, and it is established about that conclusively that their masters did not know about that sale of spirits: inflict punishment on such sellers of spirits, beat them with the knout around the market places and return them to those people whose slaves and peasants they are. Those people to whom they are returned shall keep watch over them and make very sure that those slaves and peasants of theirs henceforth do not sell spirits to anyone.
  • If someone’s slaves and peasants, or custodians, are implicated in such a case a second time through the negligence of those people with whom they live: collect a fine of 10 rubles per person for such sellers of spirits from those people with whom they are living. Beat those sellers of spirits with the knout around the market places and imprison them until the sovereign [issues] a decree.

    7. If people of various ranks are arraigned with spirits; and those people who have been arraigned testify under interrogation that boyars, or courtiers, or stol’niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and state secretaries, and chancellery officials, and deti boiarskie gave them such spirits gratis, as an act of friendship, or [as compensation] for some work; and those people about whom they testify that they had given [them] those spirits also proceed to say that they gave them the spirits to honor them, because they were acquaintances, or to artisans and forced laborers, in addition to the gift usually given in a transaction, to honor them a little more: free those people.

    8. Concerning people who are ordered not to keep undeclared spirits in their houses, but who proceed to keep spirits at their houses without declaring them, and they [the authorities] remove those undeclared spirits from their houses: collect a fine from those people of 5 rubles per person, and confiscate the spirits for the sovereign.

    9. Concerning people who have been arraigned and under interrogation proceed to accuse someone of selling spirits; but under torture they retract [their accusations] against them and testify that they testified against them at the instruction of the confiscators [of illicit spirits and tobacco]: torture those people.

  • If under torture they also proceed to say the same thing, that they are deliberately slandering those people at the instruction of the confiscators: on the basis of that testimony under torture of theirs, torture the confiscators.
  • If the confiscators confess to that under torture: in addition to the torture, inflict punishment on those confiscators, beat them with the knout on the rack so that they will learn henceforth not to do that.
  • If the confiscators do not confess to that under torture: after [torturing] the confiscators, torture those people who testified against them a second time. If those people do not confess to that under torture: compile for them the decree that is necessary.

    10. Concerning people who have been arraigned in Moscow whom they proceed to send from the Musketeers Prikaz to the Spirits Prikaz, and musketeers have brought those people in for arraignment to the Musketeers Prikaz; and concerning those people whom deti boiarskie bring in for arraignment without spirits and tobacco to the Spirits Prikaz; and at the arraignment the deti boiarskie and musketeers testify that they arrested those people drunk; but those people drank in respectable houses; and others were drunk arrested near respectable houses; and the deti boiarskie testify about other arraigned people that various merchants and shopkeepers forcibly seized those drunks from them; and the people who were arraigned, in opposition to their testimony, proceed to deny everything, [and allege] that the deti boiarskie and musketeers are slandering them deliberately; and others testify that they drank while visiting their relatives or as guests of a friend, and not in places where illicit spirits are dispensed; and those people at whose houses they testify that they drank as guests, upon coming to the Spirits Prikaz, proceed to clear those people who have been arraigned; and they testify that they drank at their houses as guests, and not in places where illicit spirits are dispensed: conduct an investigation about all of those people who have been arraigned. After investigation, compile the decree, depending on the case, that is necessary.

    11. In the past year 1633/34 by the decree of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Mikhail Fedorovich of blessed memory, a strict prohibition on tobacco was enacted in Moscow and in the provincial towns on pain of the death penalty, that Russians and various foreigners were not to keep tobacco in their possession anywhere, to sniff it, or to trade in tobacco.

  • [If] Russians or foreigners proceed to keep tobacco, or proceed to trade in tobacco: it has been ordered that those people, sellers and buyers, are to be arrested and sent to the Spirits Prikaz. Inflict the supreme penalty, the death penalty, without any mercy, on those people for that. Having seized their houses and movable property, sell [them], and take the money to the sovereign’s treasury.
  • Now the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich has decreed and the boyars have affirmed: compile a decree for those people in whose possession tobacco is discovered like the one decreed about that in the past year 1633/34.

    12. If people are arraigned with tobacco, and testify that they purchased that tobacco from travelling Lithuanians for resale: torture those people [to discover] whether they really purchased that tobacco from Lithuanians.

  • If under torture those people also proceed to testify that they purchased that tobacco from Lithuanians, and they are arraigned with a large quantity of tobacco: torture them a second time. If under second torturings they proceed to repeat that same testimony: compile a decree for them for the tobacco, as is written about that above this.

    13. Concerning people who are arraigned with tobacco and testify under interrogation that they purchased that tobacco from someone among the Russians, or from foreigners, foreigners who are serving the sovereign: having found those people whom they proceed to accuse of selling that tobacco, interrogate [them] , and arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation. If it becomes necessary to use torture: torture them accordingly and compile the decree that is necessary.

    14. If discharged musketeers, or foreigners, or slaves, and peasants, and custodians, and various wanderers are brought in for arraignment with tobacco; and under interrogation those people who have been arraigned testify that they found that tobacco; of if they [the authorities] remove tobacco from the houses of any people; and if someone proceeds to inform [the authorities] that other [people] have tobacco; and those people who have been denounced testify that they are not trading in tobacco; and those people from whose houses tobacco is removed testify that that tobacco is not theirs, but they do not know whose it is, [and allege] that perhaps someone planted it on them out of enmity, or the confiscators planted it on them: torture those people about the finding of tobacco accordingly.

  • If they proceed to give that same testimony under torture as in the interrogation: release them without sanction.
  • Beat [someone] with the knout on the rack for tobacco found [at his house].
  • Inquire about the tobacco of unknown origin at torture. Only if they proceed to give that same testimony under torture as in the interrogation: release those people accordingly.

    15. Concerning any merchants, and musketeers, and foreigners, and slaves, and people of various ranks who are arraigned with tobacco; and they proceed to testify under interrogation that the tobacco was planted on them by those people who brought them in for arraignment with that tobacco: arrange an eye-to-eye confrontation of them with those people who brought them in for arraignment and interrogate-them.

  • If it is necessary to use torture, torture them. If under torture they do not proceed to say anything against themselves: torture those people who brought them in for arraignment to verify their accusations.
  • If those people who brought them in for arraignment confess under torture that they planted the tobacco on those people who were brought in for arraignment: in addition to the torture, inflict on them punishment for such a felony, beat them with the knout on the rack so that they and others like them will learn henceforth not to do that.

    16. If musketeers, and wanderers, and various people are brought in for arraignment with tobacco twice, or thrice: torture those people many times, beat them with the knout on the rack, or around the market places.

  • For many arraignments slit the nostrils and cut off the noses of such people. After the torturings and punishment, exile them to distant towns, where the sovereign decrees, so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    17. If police officials and deti boiarskie arrest illicit tavern keepers and tobacco dealers; or they remove spirits or tobacco from people’s houses; and those people, where [the contraband] is seized, give the police officials and deti boiarskie a bribe of 5, or 10, or 20, or 30, or more rubles so that they will not bring them with the illicit and undeclared spirits and the tobacco into the Spirits Prikaz; and those police officials and deti boiarskie, having taken the bribes from them, bring them to the Spirits Prikaz and declare the bribes: do not take that bribe away from them.

    18. Concerning police officials and deti boiarskie, who, having taken the bribe, release the illicit tavern keeper or the tobacco dealer, and do not bring them for arraignment to the Spirits Prikaz; and that becomes known in the Spirits Prikaz, and that is established conclusively: torture those [police] officials and deti boiarskie and inflict a punishment on them, beat them with the knout. Henceforth they shall not serve in the [Spirits] Prikaz.

    19. Concerning various people who proceed forcibly to seize illicit tavern keepers, and tobacco dealers, and imbibers, from [police] officials and deti boiarskie: inflict a punishment on those who forcibly seize them, after interrogation and an investigation, beat them with the knout on the rack and around the market places. Beat the others with bastinadoes so that others looking on will learn not to do that.

    20. The taxpayers of the taxpaying hundreds and settlements annually shall elect among themselves decurions who shall be responsible for the confiscation of illicit spirits. Bring the signed election documents for those decurions to the Spirits Prikaz so that those elected decurions of theirs will look out in their units of ten and guard vigilantly that there be no illicit sale of any kind of drink, spirits, and beer, and mead, and tobacco, and that there be no undeclared spirits and no felonious conduct at anyone’s house.

  • If people are given declarations for spirits, and for beer, and for mead: those people shall buy no additional spirits above [what is allowed in] the declarations, and shall not brew beer, and shall not make mead.
  • If any kind of drink for sale, and tobacco, and any other felony comes to light in anyone’s house in the unit often, or if anyone proceeds to keep additional drink, above [what is allowed in] the declarations: the decurions shall inform the Spirits Prikaz about those people.
  • If they do not proceed to inform on those people: collect a fine for the sovereign of 10 rubles per person from those people at whose house the felony comes to light and from the decurions. [Collect] 5 rubles per person from the remaining eight men of that unit often.
  • Decurions in their own units of ten shall be on the lockout and on guard vigilantly if dvoriane and deti boiarskie are billeted at people’s houses. If they have spirits on the basis of declarations, those dvoriane and deti boiarskie shall have no additional spirits above [what is listed in] the declarations, and they shall not allow people at their houses without declarations.
  • If spirits for sale come to light at anyone’s house: inform the Spirits Prikaz about those people accordingly, and, after examination, compile the sovereign’s decree for those people in the Spirits Prikaz.

    21. In the provincial towns compile that same decree for illicit tavern keepers and tobacco dealers as is written above this.

    Conclusion

    This book [scroll] was written down at the order of the great Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince. Autocrat of all Russia, Aleksei Mikhailovich, in the third year of his reign protected by God, and during the life of his royal, blessed son, Tsarevich and Grand Prince Dmitrii Alekseevich, in the first year of his life, January 29, 1649.

     

    <<

    ftn [FOOTNOTES]


     

    [1] Takes a false oath (Matthew 5:114) [There is no "Matthew 5:114"; moreover, this phrase comes from the Stoglav (One Hundred Chapters), not the Bible – Translator].

    [2] The following decrees explain inheritance in collateral lines:

    January 15, 1562. Tsar and Grand Prince of All Rus' Ivan Vasil'evich [IV] and the boyars decreed . . . . . . . . . . . If a prince assigns his hereditary estate to his own natural brother, or to his cousin or to his nephew, the son of his own natural brother, or to any close relative of his besides those who may marry among themselves: the sovereign shall order a decree compiled for that person to whom any hereditary estate is assigned, depending on the hereditary estate and depending on the will and depending upon the service [of the parties];

    October 9, 1572. According to the command of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince, the Most Holy Antonii, Metropolitan of All Rus’, the archbishops, the bishops, and the entire Holy Assembly, and the boyars, Prince Ivan Fedorovich Mstislavskoi, and all the boyars have affirmed: . . . . . . . . . . . If any natural brother dies childless, and his natural brothers survive him: that hereditary estate [shall pass] to the natural brothers and children and grandchildren. If a son, or a grandson dies childless, give those portions to their natural brothers who survive, and to [their] uncles, nephews, and grandsons. Do not give hereditary estates to [members of] the clan further [removed] than grandchildren. If a grandson dies childless, and his brothers survive him as [other] grandsons: confiscate that allotment, that hereditary estate, for the sovereign, and do not pass a grandson's hereditary estate to [another] grandson.

    [3] See such a charter granted on December 4, 1679, to Mikhail Gur'ev, member of the first merchant corporation, [Polnoe sobranie zakonov rossiiskoi imperii (Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire), II, No. 782, pp. 221-24 [Translator.]

    [4] See such a charter granted on May 8, 1654, to Boyarin Buturlin for the honorary position of court major domo on the road. [Polnoe sobranie zakonov rossiiskoi imperii (Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire), I, No. 125, pp. 338-40. Translator.]

    [5] An example of, the limited service slavery contract to explain limited service contract slavery is:

    January 10, 1600. The public square scribes Semeika, son of Iakov Naumov, and Mikhalko, son of Afonasii Lyskov, brought to State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev for registration a limited service slavery contract, and in the contract is written:

    Be it known that I, Leontei, son of Aleksei, by birth a Latvian, have borrowed 4 Moscow rubles in cash from Tret'iak, son of Mikhail Nazimov, from January 10 until that same day a year hence.

    I, Leva, shall serve my lord, Tret'iak, every day in the household for the interest.

    When the money comes due on the date, I, Leva, shall serve my lord, Tret'iak, on the same basis every day in the household for the interest.

    Mikhulka, son of Afonasii Lyskov, served as witness to that.

    Semeika, son of Iakov Naumov, wrote the contract on January 10, 1600.

    Levka is about 15 years old, has light brown hair, a swarthy face, and gray eyes.

    In the interrogation he testified: heretofore he served no one, but lived in Vyborskii district. He does not remember his father and mother, was orphaned when he was small, and was born a Latvian. He came from Vyborskii district to Korela to beg for bread. In Korela he petitioned Tret'iak Nazimov to be [in his] service of his own free will.

    The fees of 0.12 ruble for the contract have been collected from Tret'iak Nazimov.

    The contract was given to Tret'iak, son of Mikhail Nazimov.

    The contract scribe Semeiko Naumov affixed his signature to this contract note. The contract witness Mikhalko Lyskov affixed his signature.

    [6] An example of a limited service slavery contract to explain the fact that slaves, after manumission from their former lords, could remain free, not entering private service again on the basis of contracts.

    October 17, 1599. The public square scribes Zhdan, son of Ivan Pupynin, and Tret'iak Zakhar'ev brought a service contract for registration to State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev, and in the contract is written:

    Be it known that I, Kornil, son of Vasilii, called Sukhoi ["Dessicated"], a tailor, have borrowed 5 Moscow rubles in cash from Mikifor, son of Fedor Obukhov, from the day of the Holy Prophet Hosea [October 17] until that same day a year hence.

    I, Kornil, shall serve my lord, Mikifor Obukhov, every day in the household for the interest.

    When the money comes due on the date, I shall serve my lord, Mikifor, on the same basis every day in the household for the interest.

    Tret'iak Zakhar'ev served as a witness to that.

    Zhdanko, son of Ivan Pupynin, wrote the contract on October 17, 1599.

    In stature Kornilko is not small, his hair is light brown, going gray, his eyes are gray, his face is wrinkled, he is about 70 years old.

    Heretofore he served voluntarily with syn boiarskii Mikifor Rumiantsov of Shelonskaia district for about 5 years. After that [he served] in Votskaia district with Kuz'ma Vorkasov for about 10 years on the basis of a contract. When he [Vorkasov] died, they returned that contract to him. After Kuz'ma['s death] , he lived in Soltsy, in a wheelwrights' settlement, [where] he plied the trade of tailor. Now he has petitioned [to serve] Mikifor son of Fedor Obukhov.

    The fees of 0.15 ruble for that limited service slavery contract have been collected from Mikifor son of Fedor Obhkhov for that limited service slavery contract.

    The contract was given to Mikifor son of Fedor Obukhov,

    The contract scribe Zhdanko affixed his signature to this note. The witness Tret'iachko affixed his signature.

    [7] An example of a manumission document granted after a trial to show that limited service contract slaves on the death of the lords had to be freed by their heirs is:

    On January 26, the slave of Petr Ansin, Nechaiko Trufanov, submitted a petition to Boyarin Prince VasiIii Ivanovich Shuiskii and the State Secretaries Dmitrii Aliab'ev and Vtoroi Pozdeev, and testified: he, Nechaiko, with [his] wife and with [his] children had served the scribe Petr Ansin during his lifetime on the basis of a limited service slavery contract with a report. Petr died prior to the year 1600, but Petr's wife Anna, after Petr's [death] would not give him, Nechaiko, anything to drink, she would not feed him, she would not clothe him, and would not give him any footwear. She starved them with hunger and would not manumit them.

    Boyarin Prince Vasilii Ivanovich Shuiskii, and the State Secretaries Dmitrii Aliab'ev and Vtoroi Pozdeev ordered the bailiff Lev Tret'iakov to present that wife of Petr Ansin, the widow Anna, in front of them with Nechaiko for an eye-to-eye confrontation.

    That very same day the bailiff Lev Tret'iakov told Boyarin Prince Vasilii Ivanovich Shuiskii, and the State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev, and Vtoroi Pozdeev, that that wife of Petr Ansin, the widow Anna, was lying ill, and there is no one to write a manumission document in her place. She, Anna, had given Nechaiko and his wife a limited service slavery contract, over the signature of State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev, instead of a manumission document.

    In the contract is written: Be it known that I, Naum, called Nechai Trufanov, with my wife Anna, daughter of Tit, and with my young daughter, a widow, have borrowed 3 Moscow rubles in cash from the scribe of the Service Land Chancellery District Office, Petr, son of Ivan Ansin, from the day of our saintly father Xenofont [January 26] until that same day a year hence.

    We shall serve our lord, Petr, every day in the household for the interest.

    When the money comes due on the date, we shall serve our lord, Petr Ansin, on the same basis every day for the interest.

    Gavrilo Artem'ev served as witness to that.

    Kirilko, son of Ivan Trizlov, wrote the contract. January 26, 1598.

    On the contract is the signature and the sealing signature of State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev, and the signature of the witness Gavrilko.

    Boyarin Prince Vasilii Ivanovich Shuiskii, and the State Secretaries Dmitrii Aliab'ev and Vtoroi Pozdeev, having heard the contract, ordered that limited service slavery contract, instead of a manumission document, registered in the books. Having registered [it], they ordered the contract returned to Nechaiko Trufanov. [Signed by] State Secretary Vtoroi Pozdeev.

    At the command of Boyarin Prince Vasilii Ivanov[ich] Shuiskii and the State Secretaries Dmitrii Aliab'ev and Vtoroi Pozdeev, instead of a manumission document, the limited service slavery contract, having been registered in the books, was returned to Petr Ansin's slave Nechaiko Trufanov.

    According to the sovereign's decree, fees of 0.09 ruble per head, or a total of 0.27 ruble, have been collected from Nechaiko, his wife, and his daughter.

    [8]

    Two examples of a limited service slavery contract to explain hereditary slavery are:

    November 23, 1599. The public square scribes Tret'iachko Zakhar'ev and Grisha, son of Vasilii Ushakov, brought to State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev a limited service slavery contract for registration, and in the contract is written:

    Be it known that I, Omel'ian, son of Timofei, called Kubyshka, have borrowed 2 Moscow rubles in cash from Voin, son of Ivan Zavalishin, and from his son Gorchako, from the day of St. Amfilokhii, Bishop of Ikoniisk [November 23] until that same day a year hence.

    I, Kubyshka, shall serve my lords, Voin and his son Gorchko, every day in the household for the interest.

    When the money comes due on the date, I, Kubyshka, shall serve my lords, Voin and his son Gorchak, on the same basis every day in the household for the interest.

    Grigorii son of Vasilii Ushakov, served as witness to that.

    Tret'iachko Zakhar'ev wrote the contract on November 23, 1599.

    Omel'ianko is about 15 years old, [his] hair is dark brown, [his] eyes are black, there is a scar on [his] forehead.

    In the interrogation Omel'ianko testified: heretofore he had served with that Voin in hereditary slavery.

    The fees of 0.06 ruble for the contract have been collected from Voin, son of Ivan Zavalishin, and his son Gorchak.

    The contract was given to Voin, son of Ivan Zavalishin, and his son Gorchak.

    The contract scribe Tret'iachko affixed his signature to this registration. The witness Grisha affixed his signature to this registration.

    December 18, 1599. The public square scribes Mikhalko Vasil'ev and Grisha, son of Vasilii Ushakov, brought to State Secretary Dmitrii Aliab'ev a limited service slavery contract for registration. In the contract is written:

    Be it known that I, Mikhalko, son of Gavril, have borrowed 2.00 Moscow rubles in cash from Ivan, son of Grigor'ii Erokhov, from the day of the Holy Martyr Sabastian [December 18] until that same day a year hence.

    I, Mikhail, shall serve my lord, Ivan, every day in the household for the interest.

    When the money comes due on the date, I, Mikhail, shall serve my lord, Ivan, on the same basis every day in the household for the interest.

    Grisha, son of Vasilii Ushakov, served as witness to that.

    Mikhalko Vasil'ev wrote the contract on December 18, 1599.

    Mikhalko is of average stature, [has] a swarthy face, black hair, red [sic]-gray eyes, [is] about 25 years of age.

    In the interrogation he testified that heretofore he had served no one [sic!]; his father, and mother, and he were the hereditary slaves of Ivan Erokhov. Having fled from Ivan, his father is living in Toropets district, and his mother died three years ago.

    The fees of 0.06 ruble for the contract have been collected from Ivan, son of Grigorii Erokhov.

    The contract was given to Ivan, son of Grigorii Erokhov.

    The contract scribe Mikhalko Vasil'ev affixed his signature to this contract registration. The contract witness Grisha affixed his signature.

     

    [9] An example of an emancipation by executors of a will:

    March 27, 1600. The servitor Moseiko Dmitriev of the Savior Futyn' Monastery placed before State Secretary Dmitrii Aliabev a manumission document for registration.

    A memorandum of the Father Superior Trifon of the Savior Futyn' Monastery is written in the manumission document: he has freed and blessed, by the command and by the oral and written memoranda of his spiritual son Semen Goriainov, known as a monk by the name of Sergei, his slave Mikhail, and his wife Natal'ia, and his daughter lrin'ia, [who are free to go] wherever they want to go in the realm of the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince, Autocrat of All Rus' Boris Fedorovich, [they are free to live] wherever he wants to live. Semen Goriainov, known as the monk Sergei, his clan, and tribe shall have no claim to that Mikhail, and his wife Natal'ia, and his daughter Irin'ia, and whatever children he may have in the future.

    The servitor Moseets Dmitriev wrote the manumission memorandum at the command of our father, the Sovereign Father Superior Trifon of the Savior Futyn' Monastery.

    On this manumission memorandum is the signature of our father, the Father Superior Trifon. March 26, 1600.

    In the interrogation the servitor Moseiko Dmitriev, having been presented, testified: he, Father Superior Trifon, manumitted those documented slaves Mikhalka, [his] wife and daughter, who had belonged to Semen Goriainov, to go wherever they wanted, according to the oral and written memoranda of his spiritual son. He gave him [Mikhalka] the manumission document. Henceforth his, Semen's clan and tribe shall have no claim to those slaves, His, the Father Superior Trifon's, signature is on the manumission document.

    According to the sovereign's decree, the fees for three people, 0.27 ruble, for that manumission document for the documented slave Mikhalko, for his wife Natal'itsa, and for his daughter Irin'itsa, have been collected.

    The manumission document was given to Mikhalka Kuzmin.


     

    [i] An amicable settlement note on fugitive peasants.

    Be it known that I, Andrei, son of Vasilii Kabanov, a zhilets, was sued by Aleksei, son of Avram Meshcherinov, in the present year 1635 in the Moscow Judicial Chancellery before Boyarin Prince Dmitrii Mikhailovich Pozharskii and his colleagues for his fugitive hereditary peasants Yakunka Potapov and Aleshka Leont'ev and their wives and children and all their movable peasant property.

    I, Andrei, having amicably negotiated [the case] with Aleksei Meshcherinov prior to the handing down of the decision in the court case and the sovereign's decree and the boyars' decision, agreed amicably in that case that I, Andrei, shall return to him, Aleksei Meshcherinov, his, Aleksei's, hereditary peasant lakupka Potapov and his son Sofronkc with their wives and with their children and their peasant movable property [including �their] horses, and with all [other] property, and with all [their] peasant tools, with [their] grain, both threshed and in the ground, rye and spring grain, which has been sowed up to the present year 1635. I, Andrei, shall return that peasant lakupka Potapov and his son, with [their] wives, and with [their] children, and with all their peasant movable property to him, Aleksei Meshcherinov, on the date July 14 of the present year 1635, to the pomest’e of Vasilii Tiapkin, the small village Ilkino, in Rostov province. I, Andrei, shall give to him, Aleksei, the rye and spring grain that is in the ground when it ripens. I. Andrei, shall harvest that grain with my own peasants, and he, lakupka, shall be here also.

    When I, Andrei, give back that peasant and his son with their wives and with [their] children and with their peasant movable property to him, Aleksei, on that date, he, Aleksei, shall order a receipt given for that peasant and the movable property.

    If I, Andrei, do not give back that peasant lakupka Potapov, with his son, and with [their] wives, and with [their] children, and with all their movable peasant property to him, Aleksei, on that date which is written in this note, he, Aleksei, shall collect from me, Andrei, on the basis of this note, for each person [a sum prescribed] according to the sovereign's decree; or if I, Andrei, do not give back on that date the peasant movable property, horses and various livestock, and the various peasant household tools, or the threshed grain on that date which is written in this note, or if I do not harvest the grain in the ground, rye and spring grain, or if, having harvested it, I do not give it back to him, Aleksei: he, Aleksei, according to this note shall collect from me, Andrei, 100 rubles cash on the basis of this note.

    I, Andrei, shall pay all the sovereign's judicial fees for both trials in full. This was witnessed by lurii's locksmiths, Boris Fedotov and Mina Panfil'ev. Agofonka Patrekeev wrote this note in the year 1635.

    On the back of the original note is written: Andrei Kabanov affixed his signature to this note; the witness Yakushka affixed his signature, and the witness Borisko affixed his signature, and the witness Minka affixed his signature.

    Table: [Work in Progress]
    Ulozhenie =
    Key historical terms,
    organized by taxonomic category [ID]

    Column A (taxonomic categories) =
    1.00 = Mentalities
    2.00 = Institutions
    2.10 = Church
    2.20 = The state
    2.30 = Business organizations
    3.00 = Social structure
    4.00 = Economy
    5.00 = Places, geography

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    A

    English Entry

    Russian Entry

    Etc

    1.00 Will, free will
    2.10 Cathedral sobor (CF: Assembly….)
    2.10 Hegumen Monastic Superior, father-superior, prior, archpriest
    2.10 Metropolitan
    2.10 Monastery
    2.10 Patriarch [85x]
    2.20 Assembly of the Land >osviashchennyi Sobor (3x in preamble, 1x in 17.42) IE=Zemskii Sobor
    2.20 Assembly of the Land >sobornyi  (adj) (CF: cathedral)
    2.20 State >gosudarstvo
    2.20 royal (adjective) >gosudarev (CF: sovereign)
    2.20 sovereign (adjective) >gosudarev (CF: royal)
    2.20 sovereign (noun) >gosudar’
    2.20 Tsar ...
    2.20 Civil >Zemskii Everything beyond direct purview of tsarist "state"
    2.21 Judge
    2.22 Service in general >sluzhba
    2.22 Servicemen >sluzhilye liudi [F/sluzh]
    2.22 military personnel >ratnye liudi
    2.23 Prikaz, prikaz Prikaz, >prikaz Chancellery, chancellery
    2.23 Prikaz, Foreign Affairs Prikaz, >Foreign Affairs
    2.23 Prikaz, Monastery Prikaz, >Monastery
    2.23 Prikaz, Pomest’e Prikaz, >Pomest’e Chancellery, Land Chancellery
    2.23 Governor [70x] >voevoda [96x mentioned in RUS] ??edit= governor bcm voevoda
    2.23 Official
    2.23 Courtier [60x] >okol’nichi [60x] Closest advisers to tsar, around throne, at the court
    2.23 Stol'nik >stol’nik State servitor, especially near throne
    2.23 Striapchii >striapchii State servitor [F/striap]
    2.24 Musketeer >strelets, plural streltsy
    2.24 Secretary
    2.25 Petition ...
    2.25 Cadastres (census) >pistsy, pistsovye knigi
    2.25 Spirits
    2.30 Corporation
    2.30 Tavern
    2.30 Tax ...
    2.30 Torture
    2.30 Treason
    2.30 tribute iasak, iasach…. >yasak ?? edit = tribute bcm yasak)
    3.00 Free ...
    3.00 Rank >chin [>qin here for easy search]
    3.30 Child
    3.30 Elders
    3.30 Wife Many more family terms
    3.31 Priest
    3.32 Boyar >boyar Old Aristocratic warrior (increasingly courtier) elite
    3.32 Deti boiarskie [137x] >deti boiarskie [137x] Boyar infantry| NB! sp. [low ranking aristocratic elite] ??edit
    3.32 Dvorianin [147x] >dvorianin [147x] Aristocrat [listed 83x w/deti boiarskie]
    3.32 Dvoriane >dvoriane
    3.32 Votchinnik >votchinnik Hereditary estate holder [F/votchinn]
    3.32 Pomeshchik >pomeshchik estate holder, as result & for duration of crown service
    3.32 Syn boiarskii [13x] >syn boiarskii [13x] Boyar sons| NB! sp. [middle ranking aristocratic elite]
    3.33 Merchant  >gost' CF= sotnya sotnia | gostinnaia sotnia | chernaia sotnia
    3.33 Townspeople  >posadskie liudi
    3.33 Tradesman CF= gost' abv
    3.35 Peasant Serfdom
    3.35 Slave Serfdom
    3.35 Zhilets,zhiltsy,zhil’tsy >zhilets,zhiltsy,zhil’tsy Resident, renter| CF= starozhil
    3.35 Starozhil’tsy >starozhil’tsy longtime, long-time & long-term resident
    3.40 Cossack
    3.50 House
    3.60 Flight Serfdom
    3.60 Fugitive Serfdom
    3.60 Surety
    4.00 Business
    4.00 Buying
    4.00 Confiscate
    4.00 Pomest’e or pomest’ia >pomest’e or pomest’ia [ID#1 (Ulj) | ID#2 (SAC)]
    4.00 Pomest’e (noun or adj) >pomest’e (noun or adj) estate granted as result & for duration of state service
    4.00 Pomest’ia (noun) >pomest’ia (noun) estates granted as result & for duration of state service
    4.00 Votchina (noun or adj) >votchina (noun or adj) [ID#1 (Ulj) | ID#2 (SAC)]
    4.00 Votchina, clan >rodovaia votchina Hereditary landed estate (no service requirement) CF=blw
    4.00 Votchina, purchased >kuplenaia votchina
    4.00 Votchina, service >vysluzhenaia votchina estate gained by service but now heriditary
    4.00 Grain
    4.00 Labor
    4.00 Land ...
    4.00 Market
    4.00 Owner
    4.00 Possession
    4.00 Property
    4.00 rent-yielding >obrok obroch… quit-rent ??edt= obrok
    4.00 Sell ...
    5.00 Novgorod
    5.00 Town ...
    5.00 Village