Salem

. See Hawthorne; Witchcraft

Salic (sal'ik) Law, a code of laws originating with the Salian Franks, a tribe of Teutons. They lived along the lower Rhine. The code was compiled, it is thought, prior to the conversion of this people to Christianity. The oldest manuscripts, however, are in Latin, and date from the time of Clovis. The code is subdivided into sixty-five chapters. It throws no little light on the customs of the people among whom it originated. The provisions relate to lawsuits, fines, theft, kidnaping, injury to persons and animals, and the inheritance of property. The people lived evidently in villages. They cultivated fields and raised cattle, hunted, and fished. They had vineyards and gardens. They had workers in gold and iron. Serfs and slaves are mentioned, but nothing is said of an aristocracy. A noted clause, frequently referred to as the Salic Law, provides that women shall inherit personal property only, real estate going to male heirs. At some time, just when is not clear, the law was applied to the inheritance of the crown. In France, where the Salic Law prevails, no female has ever occupied the throne. If the Salic Law had prevailed in Great Britain, Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, and Victoria would have been excluded from the throne.