such a penalty that the person in contempt may not thereby undergo either great weakness or exhaustion, or death. Any one who refuses to obey the mandate of the judge, and conceals himself, so that the judge cannot easily find him, and does not present himself in court within four days after the appointed time, but presents himself upon the fifth day, shall not be subject to the sentence of this law. In like manner, if any one who, at the time, is distant more than a hundred miles, should appear upon the eleventh day after the appointed time, he shall not undergo the penalty of this law. And also, if he who is distant two hundred miles, should present himself in court on the twenty-first day after he has been summoned; he shall be free from punishment under this law. And a similar regulation shall prevail where the length of the journey is still longer. And, finally, if he to whom reasonable time has been given, should purposely delay, and does not appear, upon the last day prescribed by law, the judge shall at once grant the prayer of the plaintiff; and if, subsequently, the other party should appear in court, and the twenty-first day shall have passed, he shall be fined twenty _solidi_ of gold. And if he that is distant more than a hundred miles, should exceed the term of eleven days, he shall be liable to a fine of ten _solidi_: of which the judge shall reserve for himself half, and the other half shall be given to the plaintiff. But if sickness should prevent one who is summoned from appearing; or if he should be hindered by an inundation; or his paths across the mountains should be obstructed by snows; this must plainly appear; and the truth must be established either by credible witnesses, or by the oath of the party himself. =FLAVIUS CHINTASVINTUS, KING.= =XVIII. Where a Judge Refuses to Hear a Litigant, or Decides Fraudulently, or Ignorantly.= If any one should file a complaint against another before a judge, and the latter should refuse to hear him, or deny him the use of his seal, or, under different pretexts, should delay the trial of his cause, not permitting it to be heard, through favor to a client or a friend, and the plaintiff can prove this by witnesses, the judge shall give to him to whom he has refused a hearing, as compensation for his trouble, a sum equal to that which the plaintiff would have received from his adversary by due course of law; and he who brought the suit may have it continued until the time appointed by law; and, when it comes before the court for trial, he shall receive the judgment to which he is entitled. But if the plaintiff should be unable to prove either the fraud or undue procrastination of the judge, the latter shall make oath that he, through no malice, nor through favor or friendship, has delayed the hearing, and, by reason of this oath, the judge shall in no manner be deemed guilty.