** The punishment was by retaliation.  ’Et come ascun appele serra de tele felonie atteint et attende jugement, si soit le jugement tiel que il perde autriel membre come il avera toilet al pleintyre.  El sy la pleynte soit faite de femme que avera toilet a home ses membres, en tiei cas perdra la femmela une meyn par jugement, come le membre dount ele avera trespasse.’  Britton, c 25.  Flela, B 1. c. 40; LI.  AElfr. 19. 40.

Whosoever shall counterfeit* any coin, current by law within this Commonwealth, or any paper bills issued in the nature of money, or of certificates of loan on the credit of this Commonwealth, or of all or any of the United States of America, or any Inspectors’ notes for tobacco, or shall pass any such counterfeited coin, paper, bills, or notes, knowing them to be counterfeit; or, for the sake of lucre shall diminish,** case, or wash any such coin, shall be condemned to hard labor six years in the public works, and shall forfeit all his lands and goods to the Commonwealth.

* 25E.3. st 5. c. 2; 5 El c. 11; 18 El. c. 1; 8 and 9 W. 3. c. 26; 15. and 16 G 2. c. 28; 7 Ann. q. 25.  By the laws of AEthelstan and Canute, this was punished by cutting off the hand.  ’Gifse mynetereful wurthe sleaman tha hand of, the he that fil mid worthe and sette iippon tha rnynet smithlhan.’  In English characters and words ’if the minler foul [Criminal] wert, slay the hand off, that he the foul [crime] with wrought, and set upon the mint-smithery.’  LI,iEthelst. 14.  ’And selhe ofer this false wyrce, tholige thaera handa the he thaet false mid worhte.’  ’Et si quis prater hanc, falsam fecerit, perdat manum quacum falsam confecit.’  LI.  Cnuti, 8.  It had been death by the LI.  AEihelredi, sub fine.  By those of H. 1.  ’Si quis cum falso deuario inventus fueril—­fiat justitia mea, saltern de dextro pugno et de testiculis.’  Anno 1108.  ’Opera prelium vero est audire quam severus rex fuerit in pravos.  Monetarios enim fere omnes totius Angliee fecit ementulari, et manus dextras abscindi, quia monetam furtive corruperant.’  Wilkins ib. et anno 1125.  When the Common law became settled, it appears to have been punishable by death.  ’Est aliud genus crirninis quod sub nomine falsi continetur, et tangit coronam domini regis, et nlfimum indncit supplicium, sicut de illis qui falsam fabricant monetasn, et qui de re non reproba, faciunt reprobam; sicut sunt retonsores deriarinruno’ Bract.  L. 3. c 3.  Sec. 2.  Fleta, L. 1. c. 22 Sec. 4 Lord Hale thinks it was deemed petty treason at common law. 1 H. P. C. 220, 224.  The bringing in false money with intent to merchandise, and make payment of it is treason, by 25 E. 3.  But the best proof of the intention, is the act of passing it, and why not leave room for repentance here, as in other cases of felonies intended?  I H P. C. 229.

** Clipping, filing, rounding, impairing, scaling, lightening, (the words in the statutes) are included in ‘diminishing;’ gilding, in the word ‘casing;’ coloring in the word ‘washing;’ and falsifying or marking, is counterfeiting.’

Whosoever committeth Arson,* shall be condemned to hard labor five years in the public works, and shall make good the loss of the sufferers threefold.**