Note 295 — Chapter III · THE KING’S COURT AND HOUSEHOLD.

Except in his own case, where they were incurred, but not enforced. The story (found in great detail in Saxo-Grammaticus, book x.) seems exaggerated; but nevertheless it is easy to see that the strict application of the law to the king would have caused the destruction of the whole system. As they could not do without Cnut, and had no law whereby to judge him, save the one whose application in his case was impossible, they suffered him to assess his own penalty. He paid nine times the wergyld of the brother he had slain.