the commonwealth of oceana-第14章

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by　the　earl　and　the　bishop　of　the　diocese；　after　the　manner　of　the　sheriffs'　turns　to　this　day；　by　which　means　both　the　ecclesiastical　and　temporal　laws　were　given　in　charge　together　to　the　country。　The　causes　of　vavasors　or　vavasories　appertained　to　the　cognizance　of　this　court；　where　wills　were　proved；　judgment　and　execution　given；　cases　criminal　and　civil　determined。　　　　　The　King's　thanes　had　the　like　jurisdiction　in　their　thane　lands　as　lords　in　their　manors；　where　they　also　kept　courts。　　　　　Besides　these　in　particular；　both　the　earls　and　King's　thanes；　together　with　the　bishops；　abbots；　and　vavasors；　or　middle　thanes；　had　in　the　high　court　or　parliament　in　the　kingdom　a　more　public　jurisdiction；　consisting　first　of　deliberative　power　for　advising　upon　and　assenting　to　new　laws；　secondly；　giving　counsel　in　matters　of　state　and　thirdly；　of　judicature　upon　suits　and　complaints。　I　shall　not　omit　to　enlighten　the　obscurity　of　these　times；　in　which　there　is　little　to　be　found　of　a　methodical　constitution　of　this　high　court；　by　the　addition　of　an　argument；　which　I　conceive　to　bear　a　strong　testimony　to　itself；　though　taken　out　of　a　late　writing　that　conceals　the　author。　〃It　is　well　known；〃　says　he；　〃that　in　every　quarter　of　the　realm　a　great　many　boroughs　do　yet　send　burgesses　to　the　parliament　which　nevertheless　be　so　anciently　and　so　long　since　decayed　and　gone　to　naught；　that　they　cannot　be　showed　to　have　been　of　any　reputation　since　the　Conquest；　much　less　to　have　obtained　any　such　privilege　by　the　grant　of　any　succeeding　king：　wherefore　these　must　have　had　this　right　by　more　ancient　usage；　and　before　the　Conquest；　they　being　unable　now　to　show　whence　they　derived　it。〃　　　　　This　argument；　though　there　be　more；　I　shall　pitch　upon　as　sufficient　to　prove：　First；　that　the　lower　sort　of　the　people　had　right　to　session　in　Parliament　during　the　time　of　the　Teutons。　Secondly；　that　they　were　qualified　to　the　same　by　election　in　their　boroughs；　and　if　knights　of　the　shire；　as　no　doubt　they　are；　be　as　ancient　in　the　counties。　Thirdly　if　it　be　a　good　argument　to　say　that　the　commons　during　the　reign　of　the　Teutons　were　elected　into　Parliament　because　they　are　so　now；　and　no　man　can　show　when　this　custom　began；　I　see　not　which　way　it　should　be　an　ill　one　to　say　that　the　commons　during　the　reign　of　the　Teutons　constituted　also　a　distinct　house　because　they　do　so　now；　unless　any　man　can　show　that　they　did　ever　sit　in　the　same　house　with　the　lords。　Wherefore　to　conclude　this　part；　I　conceive　for　these；　and　other　reasons　to　be　mentioned　hereafter；　that　the　Parliament　of　the　Teutons　consisted　of　the　King；　the　lords　spiritual　and　temporal；　and　the　commons　of　the　nation；　notwithstanding　the　style　of　divers　acts　of　Parliament；　which　runs；　as　that　of　Magna　Charta；　in　the　King's　name　only；　seeing　the　same　was　nevertheless　enacted　by　the　King；　peers；　and　commons　of　the　land；　as　is　testified　in　those　words　by　a　subsequent　act。　　　　　The　monarchy　of　the　Teutons　had　stood　in　this　posture　about　220　years；　when　Turbo；　Duke　of　Neustria；　making　his　claim　to　the　crown　of　one　of　their　kings　that　died　childless；　followed　it　with　successful　arms；　and；　being　possessed　of　the　kingdom；　used　it　as　conquered；　distributing　the　earldoms；　thane…lands；　bishoprics；　and　prelacies　of　the　whole　realm　among　his　Neustrians。　From　this　time　the　earl　came　to　be　called　comes；　consul；　and　dux；　though　consul　and　dux　grew　afterward　out　of　use；　the　King's　thanes　came　to　be　called　barons；　and　their　lands　baronies；　the　middle　thane　holding　still　of　a　mesne　lord；　retained　the　name　of　vavasor。　　　　　The　earl　or　comes　continued　to　have　the　third　part　of　the　pleas　of　the　county　paid　to　him　by　the　sheriff　or　vice　　comes；　now　a　distinct　officer　in　every　county　depending　upon　the　King；　saving　that　such　earls　as　had　their　counties　to　their　own　use　were　now　counts…palatine；　and　had　under　the　King　regal　jurisdiction；　insomuch　that　they　constituted　their　own　sheriffs；　granted　pardons；　and　issued　writs　in　their　own　names；　nor　did　the　King's　writ　of　ordinary　justice　run　in　their　dominions　till　a　late　statute；　whereby　much　of　this　privilege　was　taken　away。　　　　　For　barons　they　came　from　henceforth　to　be　in　different　times　of　three　kinds：　barons　by　their　estates　and　tenures；　barons　by　writ；　and　barons　created　by　letters…patent。　From　Turbo　the　first　to　Adoxus　the　seventh　king　from　the　Conquest；　barons　had　their　denomination　from　their　possessions　and　tenures。　And　these　were　either　spiritual　or　temporal；　for　not　only　the　thanelands；　but　the　possessions　of　bishops；　as　also　of　some　twenty　six　abbots；　and　two　priors；　were　now　erected　into　baronies；　whence　the　lords　spiritual　that　had　suffrage　in　the　Teuton　Parliament　as　spiritual　lords　came　to　have　it　in　the　Neustrian　Parliament　as　barons；　and　were　made　subject；　which　they　had　not　formerly　been；　to　knights'　service　in　chief。　Barony　coming　henceforth　to　signify　all　honorary　possessions　as　well　of　earls　as　barons；　and　baronage　to　denote　all　kinds　of　lords　as　well　spiritual　as　temporal　having　right　to　sit　in　Parliament；　the　baronies　in　this　sense　were　sometimes　more；　and　sometimes　fewer；　but　commonly　about　200　or　250；　containing　in　them　a　matter　of　60；000　feuda　militum；　or　knights'　fees；　whereof　some　28；000　were　in　the　clergy。　　　　　It　is　ill…luck　that　no　man　can　tell　what　the　land　of　a　knight's　fee；　reckoned　in　some　writs　at　？0　a　year；　and　in　others　at　？0；　was　certainly　worth；　for　by　such　a　help　we　might　have　exactly　demonstrated　the　balance　of　this　government。　But；　says　Coke；　it　contained　twelve　plough…lands；　and　that　was　thought　to　be　the　most　certain　account。　But　this　again　is　extremely　uncertain；　for　one　plough　out　of　some　land　that　was　fruitful　might　work　more　than　ten　out　of　some　other　that　was　barren。　Nevertheless；　seeing　it　appears　by　Bracton；　that　of　earldoms　and　baronies　it　was　wont　to　be　said　that　the　whole　kingdom　was　composed；　as　also　that　these；　consisting　of　60；000　knights'　fees；　furnished　60；000　men　for　the　King's　service；　being　the　whole　militia　of　this　monarchy；　it　cannot　be　imagined　that　the　vavasories　or　freeholds　in　the　people　amounted　to　any　considerable　proportion。　Wherefore　the　balance　and　foundation　of　this　government　were　in　the　60；000　knights'　fees；　and　these　being　possessed　by　the　250　lords；　it　was　a　government　of　the　few；　or　of　the　nobility；　wherein　the　people　might　also　assemble；　but　could　have　no　more　than　a　mere　name。　And　the　clergy；　holding　a　third　of　the　whole　nation；　as　is　plain　by　the　Parliament…roll；　it　is　an　absurdity　（seeing　the　clergy　of　France　came　first　through　their　riches　to　be　a　state　of　that　kingdom）　to　acknowledge　the　people　to　have　been　a　state　of　this　realm；　and　not　to　allow　it　to　the　clergy；　who　were　so　much　more　weighty　in　the　balance；　which　is　that　of　all　other　whence　a　state　or　order　in　a　government　is　denominated。　Wherefore　this　monarchy　consisted　of　the　King；　and　of　the　three　ordines　regni；　or　estates；　the　lords　spiritual　and　temporal；　and　the　commons；　it　consisted　of　these；　I　say；　as　to　the　balance；　though；　during　the　reign　of　some　of　these　kings；　not　as　to　the　administration。　　　　　For　the　ambition　of　Turbo；　and　some　of　those　that　more　immediately　succeeded　him；　to　be　absolute　princes；　strove　against　the　nature　o