"But," M.Laboulaye rightly says, "it did not change the condition of men in a moment, any more than that of things; between slavery and liberty there was an abyss which could not be filled in a day; the transitional step was servitude." Now, what was servitude?
In what did it differ from Roman slavery, and whence came this difference?
Let the same author answer.
2.

Of servitude.--"I see, in the lord's manor, slaves charged with domestic duties.

Some are employed in the personal service of the master; others are charged with household cares.

The women spin the wool; the men grind the grain, make the bread, or practise, in the interest of the seignior, what little they know of the industrial arts.
The master punishes them when he chooses, kills them with impunity, and sells them and theirs like so many cattle.

The slave has no personality, and consequently no _wehrgeld_ [59] peculiar to himself: he is a thing.
The _wehrgeld_ belongs to the master as a compensation for the loss of his property.