vill2-第46章

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ns　of　the　time　had　altered　a　great　deal。　Prices　fluctuate　and　rise　gradually；　the　buying　strength　of　money　gets　lowered　little　by　little；　but　customary　rents　remain　much　the　same　as　they　were　before。　Thus　in　process　of　time　the　balance　gets　altered　for　the　benefit　of　the　rent　payer。　I　do　not　mean　to　say　that　such　views　and　such　facts　were　in　full　operation　from　the　very　beginning：　one　of　the　chief　reasons　for　holding　the　Glastonbury　inquest　of　1189　was　the　wish　to　ascertain　whether　the　rents　actually　corresponded　to　the　value　of　the　plots；　and　to　make　the　necessary　modifications。　But　such　fresh　assessments　were　very　rare；　it　was　difficult　to　carry　them　into　practice；　and　the　general　tendency　was　distinctly　towards　a　stability　of　customary　rents。　　　　　The　whole　process　has　a　social　and　not　merely　an　economical　meaning。　Commutation；　even　when　it　was　restricted　to　agricultural　services；　certainly　tended　to　weaken　the　hold　of　the　lord　on　his　men。　Personal　interference　was　excluded　by　it；　the　manorial　relation　resolved　itself　into　a　practice　of　paying　certain　dues　once　or　several　times　a　year；　the　peasant　ceased　to　be　a　tool　in　the　husbandry　arrangements　of　his　master。　The　change　made　itself　especially　felt　when　the　commutation　took　place　in　regard　to　entire　villages：（3*）　the　new　arrangement　developed　into　the　custom　of　a　locality；　and　gathered　strength　by　the　number　of　individuals　concerned　in　it；　and　the　cohesion　of　the　group。　In　order　not　to　lose　all　power　in　such　a　township；　the　lords　usually　reserved　some　cases　for　special　interference　and　stipulated　that　some　services　should　still　be　rendered　in　kind。（4*）　　　　　Again；　the　conversion　of　services　into　rents　did　not　always　present　itself　merely　in　the　form　just　described：　it　was　not　always　effected　by　the　mere　will　of　the　lord；　without　any　legally　binding　acts。　Commutation　gave　rise　to　actual　agreements　which　came　more　or　less　under　the　notice　of　the　law。　We　constantly　find　in　the　Hundred　Rolls　and　in　the　Cartularies　that　villains　are　holding　land　by　written　covenant。　In　this　case　they　always　pay　rent。　Sometimes　a　villain；　or　a　whole　township；　gets　emancipated　from　certain　duties　by　charter；（5*）　and　the　infringement　of　such　an　instrument　would　have　given　the　villains　a　standing　ground　for　pleading　against　the　lord。　it　happened　from　time　to　time　that　bondmen　took　advantage　of　such　deeds　to　claim　their　liberty；　and　to　prove　that　the　lord　had　entered　into　agreement　with　them　as　with　free　people。（6*）　To　prevent　such　misconstruction　the　lord　very　often　guards　expressly　against　it；　and　inserts　a　provision　to　say　that　the　agreement　is　not　to　be　construed　against　his　rights　and　in　favour　of　personal　freedom。（7*）　　　　　The　influence　of　commutation　makes　itself　felt　in　the　growth　of　a　number　of　social　groups　which　arrange　themselves　between　the　free　and　the　servile　tenantry　without　fitting　exactly　into　either　class。　Our　manorial　authorities　often　mention　mol…land　and　mol…men。（8*）　The　description　of　their　obligations　always　points　one　way：　they　are　rent…paying　tenants　who　may　be　bound　to　some　extra　work；　but　who　are　very　definitely　distinguished　from　the　'custumarii；'　the　great　mass　of　peasants　who　render　labour　services。（9*）　Kentish　documents　use　'mala'　or　'mal'　for　a　particular　species　of　rent；　and　explain　the　term　as　a　payment　in　commutation　of　servile　customs。（10*）　In　this　sense　it　is　sometimes　opposed　to　gafol　or　gable　　the　old　Saxon　rent　in　money　or　in　kind；　this　last　being　considered　as　having　been　laid　on　the　holding　from　all　time；　and　not　as　the　result　of　a　commutation。（11*）　Etymologically　there　is　reason　to　believe　that　the　term　mal　is　of　Danish　origin；（12*）　and　the　meaning　has　been　kept　in　practice　by　the　Scotch　dialect。（13*）　What　immediately　concerns　our　present　purpose　is；　that　the　word　mal…men　or　mol…men　is　commonly　used　in　the　feudal　period　for　villains　who　have　been　released　from　most　of　their　services　by　the　lord　on　condition　of　paying　certain　rents。　Legally　they　ought　to　remain　in　their　former　condition；　because　no　formal　emancipation　has　taken　place；　but　the　economical　change　reacts　on　their　status；　and　the　manorial　documents　show　clearly　how　the　whole　class　gradually　gathers　importance　and　obtains　a　firmer　footing　than　was　strictly　consistent　with　its　servile　origin。（14*）　　　　　In　the　Bury　St。　Edmund's　case　just　quoted　in　a　footnote　the　fundamental　principle　of　servility　is　stated　emphatically；　but　the　statement　was　occasioned　by　gradual　encroachments　on　the　part　of　the　molmen；　who　were　evidently　becoming　hardly　distinguishable　from　freeholders。（15*）　And　in　many　Cartularies　we　find　these　molmen　actually　enumerated　with　the　freeholders；　a　very　striking　fact；　because　the　clear　interest　of　the　lord　was　to　keep　the　two　classes　asunder；　and　the　process　of　making　a　manorial　'extent'　and　classifying　the　tenants　must　have　been　under　his　control。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　the　village　juries　were　independent　enough　to　make　their　presentments　more　in　accordance　with　custom　than　in　accordance　with　the　lord's　interests。　In　a　transcript　of　a　register　of　the　priory　of　Eye　in　Suffolk；　which　seems　to　have　been　compiled　at　the　time　of　Edward　I；　the　molmen　are　distinguished　from　villains　in　a　very　remarkable　manner　as　regards　the　rule　of　inheritance；　Borough　English　being　considered　as　the　servile　mode；　while　primogeniture　is　restricted　to　those　holding　mol…land。（16*）　Borough　English　was　very　widely　held　in　medieval　England　to　imply　servile　occupation　of　land；（17*）　and　the　privilege　enjoyed　by　molmen　in　this　case　shows　that　they　were　actually　rising　above　the　general　condition　of　villainage；　the　economical　peculiarities　of　their　position　affording　a　stepping…stone；　as　it　were；　towards　the　improvement　of　their　legal　status。　It　is　especially　to　be　noticed；　that　in　this　instance　we　have　to　reckon　with　a　material　difference　of　custom；　and　not　merely　with　a　vacillating　terminology　or　a　general　and　indefinite　improvement　in　position。　An　interesting　attempt　at　an　accurate　classification　of　this　and　other　kinds　of　tenantry　is　displayed　by　an　inquisition　of　19　Edward　I　preserved　at　the　Record　Office。　The　following　subdivisions　are　enumerated　therein：　　　　Liberi　tenentes　per　cartam。　　　Liberi　tenentes　qui　vocantur　fresokemen。　　　Sokemanni　qui　vocantur　molmen。　　　Custumarii　qui　vocantur　werkmen。　　　Consuetudinarii　tenentes　4　acras　terre。　　　Consuetudinarii　tenentes　2　acras　terre。（18*）　　　　　The　difference　between　molmen　and　workmen　lies；　of　course；　in　the　fact　that　the　first　pay　rent　and　the　second　perform　week…work。　But　what　is　more；　the　molmen　are　ranged　among　the　sokemen；　and　this　supposes　a　certainty　of　tenure　and　service　not　enjoyed　by　the　villains。　In　this　way　the　intermediate　class；　though　of　servile　origin；　connects　itself　with　the　free　tenantry。　　　　　The　same　group　appears　in　manorial　documents　under　the　name　of　censuarii。（19*）　Both　terms　interchange；　and　we　find　the　same　fluctuation　between　free　and　servile　condition　in　regard　to　the　censuarii　as　in　regard　to　molmen。　The　thirteenth…century　extent　of　the　manor　of　Broughton；　belonging　to　the　Abbey　of　Ramsey　in　Huntingdonshire；　when　compared　with　Domesday；　shows　clearly　the　origin　of　the　group　and　the　progress　which　the　peasantry　had　made　in　two　hundred　years。　The　Do