If, however, any one should have been forced to commit this horrible offence, and is proved to have done so unwillingly, he shall then not be liable to punishment, if the person who discovered the crime should be present as a witness; but he who engaged in it voluntarily shall undergo the full penalty. The children, or legitimate heirs of married men who have been found guilty of this crime, shall have their property; and it shall be lawful for their wives, having received back their dowries, and retaining all their possessions, to afterwards marry whomsoever they will. =FLAVIUS EGICA, KING.= =VI. Concerning Sodomy, and the Manner in which the Law should be Enforced.= The doctrine of the orthodox faith requires us to place our censure upon vicious practices, and to restrain those who are addicted to carnal offences. For we counsel well for the benefit of our people and our country, when we take measures to utterly extirpate the crimes of wicked men, and put an end to the evil deeds of vice. For this reason we shall attempt to abolish the horrible crime of sodomy, which is as contrary to Divine precept as it is to chastity. And although the authority of the Holy Scriptures, and the censure of earthly laws, alike, prohibit offences of this kind, it is nevertheless necessary to condemn them by a new decree; lest if timely correction be deferred, still greater vices may arise. Therefore, we establish by this law, that if any man whosoever, of any age, or race, whether he belongs to the clergy, or to the laity, should be convicted, by competent evidence, of the commission of the crime of sodomy, he shall, by order of the king, or of any judge, not only suffer emasculation, but also the penalty prescribed by ecclesiastical decree for such offences, and promulgated in the third year of our reign. =FLAVIUS CHINTASVINTUS, KING.= =VII. Concerning Adultery committed with the Concubine of a Father, or a Brother.= It was decreed by a former law, what should be done in cases where incest was committed by persons related by blood. And because it is not of less importance that the bed of the father or brother be not polluted, we command, in addition, that no blood relative of theirs shall ever commit adultery with either the concubine of his father or his brother, nor with any one whom he knew his father or his brother had ever sustained intimate relations with, whether she be a freewoman or a slave; nor shall the father commit such adultery with the concubine of his son. And if any one should knowingly commit such an offence, his heirs, should he have no legitimate children, shall obtain his property; and he himself shall be subjected to penance, and shall undergo the punishment of perpetual exile. TITLE VI.--CONCERNING DIVORCE, AND THE SEPARATION OF PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN BETROTHED. =I.= _Where a Woman, justly or unjustly, is Separated from her Husband._