The commandments were found during the arrest of Mr Lo Piccolo

Prohibitions include frequenting bars and looking at friends' wives, while members are urged to treat their own wives with respect.

The list was found during the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, the reputed new boss of the Sicilian Mafia.

It is thought to have been drawn up as a "guide to being a good mobster".

Other activites apparently beyond the pale for Mafiosi are being friends with the police, being late for appointments and "appropriating money if it belongs to other Mafia members or to other families".

Childbirth

The document makes clear that people with police or informers in their family cannot become members of the Mob.

And although mobsters' wives must be respected, they should not expect much support during childbirth: the rules state that "always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife's about to give birth".

The decalogue was discovered along with a large number of other coded documents in a house near Palermo where Mr Lo Piccolo was apprehended after spending more than two decades on the run from police.

Investigators say that the documents - including the Ten Commandments - will give them an insight into how the Mafia operates.

The papers also reveal details of companies with Mafia connections and information about the hierarchy within the organisation.