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1649:Moscow [Keywords taxonomized and alphabetized] TABLE OF
CONTENTS At the top of
each chapter, you will find a hypertext link to the original electronic source =
Preamble
Table: Column A (categories) = 1.00 = Mentalities First, by category =
Then, by alphabetical order = [??UNDER CONSTRUCTION??]
Preamble [electronic source] = 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]. He [also] had discussions with his own royal boyars, and okol’nichie, and [other] counselors [about] 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 civilian 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 civilian [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 okol’nichii 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 civilian business 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 okol’nichie, 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 okol’nichie, and counselors, and the chosen dvoriane and deti boiarskie, and the first corporation merchants [gostem], and the trading townsmen [torgovym i posad”tskim 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. 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 okol’nichie, 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 okol’nichie, 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] 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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
okol’nichie, 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. 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. 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. 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 okol’nichie, 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. 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.
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 okol’nichie 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 okol’nichie and counselors. The boyars, and okol’nichie 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 okol’nichii, 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 okol’nichii, 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. 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 okol’nichii, 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. 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. 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. 14. If any petitioner proceeds to petition against anyone without [stating] a case; and the boyars, and okol’nichie, 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 okol’nichii, or state secretary, or scribe, and it is established about that conclusively that he lied: for dishonoring the boyars, and okol’nichie, 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 okol’nichie, 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. 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. 23. If in a chancellery
by the sovereign’s decree there is a boyar, or okol’nichii, 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. 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. 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. 27. If a boyar, or okol’nichii, or counselor verbally dishonors the patriarch: for the patriarch’s dishonor, a boyar, and okol’nichii, and counselor, after investigation, shall be sent as a slave to the patriarch. 28. If a boyar, or okol’nichii, or counselor verbally dishonors a metropolitan, or archbishop, or bishop: for dishonoring a metropolitan, and archbishop, and bishop, a boyar, and okol’nichii, 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 okol’nichii, 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. 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 okol’nichie, 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 soverei |