If, during the life of their father, any brothers should consent to, or connive at, the carrying off of their sister, they shall receive the penalty to which ravishers are liable, excepting that of death. But it, after the death of their father, they should give up their sister to a ravisher, or permit her to be carried off by him; for the reason that they have disposed of her in marriage to a person of vile character, or against her own will, when they should have protected her honor, they shall lose the half of their property, which shall be given to their sister, and, in addition, they shall each receive fifty lashes in public: so that others, admonished by this, may take warning. All accessories, who were present, shall receive the punishment prescribed by another law. And the ravisher, inexcusable by a former law, shall lose both his property and his rank. =ANCIENT LAW.= =V. Where any one Carries away by Violence a Woman who was Betrothed to Another.= If any one should carry off a woman betrothed to another, we hereby decree that half of the property of the ravisher shall be given to the girl, and the other half to her betrothed. But if he should have little or no property, he shall be given up, with all his possessions, to those above mentioned; so that the ravisher having been sold as a slave, they may have an equal share in the price paid for him. The ravisher himself, if the crime shall have been consummated, shall be punished. =ANCIENT LAW.= =VI. Where a Ravisher is Killed.= If any ravisher should be killed, it shall not be considered criminal homicide, because the act was committed in the defence of chastity. =FLAVIUS CHINTASVINTUS, KING.= =VII. Within what Time it is Lawful to Prosecute a Ravisher; and Whether any Marriage Contract can be entered into with Him by the Girl or her Parents.= The ravisher of a virgin or a widow can only be prosecuted within thirty years after the commission of the crime. If a marriage contract should be entered into by him with the parents of the girl, or with the girl herself, or with the widow, said contract shall not be illegal. After thirty years have elapsed, as aforesaid, all prosecutions shall be barred.[17] =FLAVIUS RECESVINTUS, KING.= =VIII. Where a Slave carries off a Freewoman by Force.= It is the province of equity to make laws concerning the future, where doubt exists in the present. Where slaves, with the knowledge, or under the order of their master, carry off any woman by force, the master shall be required by the judge to give the satisfaction required by law. And if slaves should perpetrate such crimes against the will of their master, they shall be arrested by the judge, and, after having been scalped, shall receive three hundred lashes with the scourge. Any slave who has violated a freeborn woman shall undergo the extreme penalty of the law.