about him. Once he has established the witness’s uprightness, he relies on it. Should the defendant impeach the witnesses, he is required to supply proof; the judge allows him three1 days if he so requests, and the claimant may keep him under close watch. If he produces no evidence, judgment is entered against him. When the witnesses’ standing is unknown, the judge instructs the claimant to have them endorsed, and two upright men who testify to their integrity are sufficient.

No statement in translation, endorsement, impeachment, identification, or the conveying of a letter is accepted unless it comes from two upright men.

A judgment may be passed against an absentee once the claim has been proven against him. However, if a person sues someone who is in the same town2 but absent from the courtroom and produces evidence, neither the claim nor the evidence is admitted.