At the Parker Library of the University of Cambridge, there was a manuscript. Although it had been produced after the Norman Conquest, its contents were legal provisions from the Anglo-Saxon era. Broadly speaking, it was a documentary compilation of Anglo-Saxon laws, but it also included excerpts from the codes of several kings, treaties, oaths, marriages, wills, and so on.
Most crucially, however, were the treaties. Even during Norman rule, they had recognized and maintained the validity of some old treaties.
Secondly, it helped the Norman ruling class understand Anglo-Saxon social customs. Malfoy, who looked very much like an Anglo-Saxon noble, was actually a Norman who had followed William I to England. His family had collected quite a few Muggle treasures and artworks, including manuscripts by Queen Elizabeth I concerning her translations of Cicero's essays.
The Queen's manuscripts were naturally not limited to one piece. She had also translated works by other Ancient Greek scholars. Works of the same caliber were kept in the Royal Library and were not shown to others lightly.
Among his collection was a thirteenth-century copy, transcribed by monks, of The Laws and Customs of England. It recounted a British judge trying a theft case. The judge believed that "if an act of theft lacks will and intent, it does not constitute stealing; therefore, children and lunatics should not be punished."
At the time, children usually stole for one of two reasons: imitation, or being instructed by others. Street urchins, for instance, might be controlled by adults and made to pick pockets. They only knew that if they did not steal enough wallets, the adult criminals would deny them food. They never thought about spending the money inside those stolen wallets.
"Wrongful conduct is defined by the two conditions of will and intent. Therefore, without the thought