Thus it appears, that by the rigour of the Law, stealing the least trifle above 12_d._ subjects the offender to the loss of life; a punishment apparently repugnant to reason, policy, or justice: more especially when it is considered, that at the time this _Anglo Saxon Law_ was made, in the reign of _Athelstan_, 860 years ago, _one shilling_ was of more value, according to the price of labour, than _seventy-five shillings_ are at the present period: the life of man therefore may be justly said to be seventy-five times cheaper than it was when this mode of punishment was first established. By the Athenian Laws, the crime of Theft was punished, by paying double the value of what was stolen, to the party robbed; and as much more to the public.--Solon introduced a law, enjoining every person to state in writing, by what means he gained his livelihood; and if false information was given, or he gained his living in an unlawful way, he was punished with death.--A similar law prevailed among the Egyptians. The _Lex Julia_ of the Romans made Theft punishable at discretion; and it was forbidden, that any person should suffer death, or even the loss of a member, for this crime.--The greatest punishment which appears to have been inflicted for this offence, in its most aggravated circumstances, was four-fold restitution. By the Jewish Law, Theft was punished in the same manner: with the addition of a fine according to the nature of the offence; excepting in cases where _men_ were stolen, which was punished with death. In China, Theft is punished by the bastinadoe, excepting in cases of a very atrocious nature, and then the culprit is condemned to the knoutage--a contrivance not unlike the pillory in this country. The ancient Laws of this kingdom punished the crime of Theft differently.--Our Saxon ancestors did not at first punish it capitally.--The Laws of King Ina[12] inflicted the punishment of death, but allowed the thief to redeem his life, _Capitis estimatione_, which was sixty shillings; but in case of an old offender, who had been often accused, the hand or foot was to be cut off. [Footnote 12: King of the West Saxons, anno 688.] After various changes which took place under different Princes, in the rude and early periods of our history, it was at length settled in the 9th of Henry the First, (A.D. 1108,) _that for theft and robbery, offenders should be hanged_; this has continued to be the law of the land ever since, excepting in the county palatine of Chester; where the ancient custom of beheading felons was practised some time after the Law of Henry the First; and the Justices of the Peace of that county, received one shilling from the King, for every head that was cut off.