the commonwealth of oceana-第12章

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at　of　ealdorman；　that　of　king's　thane；　and　that　of　middle　thane。　　　　　When　the　kingdom　was　first　divided　into　precincts　will　be　as　hard　to　show　as　when　it　began　first　to　be　governed。　It　being　impossible　that　there　should　be　any　government　without　some　division。　The　division　that　was　in　use　with　the　Teutons　was　by　counties；　and　every　county　had　either　its　ealdorman　or　high　reeve。　The　title　of　ealdorman　came　in　time　to　eorl；　or　erl；　and　that　of　high　reeve　to　high　sheriff。　　　　　Earl　of　the　shire　or　county　denoted　the　king's　thane；　or　tenant　by　grand　sergeantry　or　knight's　service；　in　chief　or　in　capite；　his　possessions　were　sometimes　the　whole　territory　from　whence　he　had　his　denomination；　that　is；　the　whole　county；　sometimes　more　than　one　county；　and　sometimes　less；　the　remaining　part　being　in　the　crown。　He　had　also　sometimes　a　third；　or　some　other　customary　part　of　the　profits　of　certain　cities；　boroughs；　or　other　places　within　his　earldom。　For　an　example　of　the　possessions　of　earls　in　ancient　times；　Ethelred　had　to　him　and　his　heirs　the　whole　Kingdom　of　Mercia；　containing　three　or　four　counties；　and　there　were　others　that　had　little　less。　　　　　King's　thane　was　also　an　honorary　title；　to　which　he　was　qualified　that　had　five　hides　of　land　held　immediately　of　the　King　by　service　of　personal　attendance；　insomuch　that　if　a　churl　or　countryman　had　thriven　to　this　proportion；　having　a　church；　a　kitchen；　a　bell…house　（that　is；　a　hall　with　a　bell　in　it　to　call　his　family　to　dinner）；　a　borough…gate　with　a　seat　（that　is；　a　porch）　of　his　own；　and　any　distinct　office　in　the　King's　court；　then　was　he　the　King's　thane。　But　the　proportion　of　a　hide…land；　otherwise　called　caruca；　or　a　plough…land；　is　difficult　to　be　understood；　because　it　was　not　certain；　nevertheless　it　is　generally　conceived　to　be　so　much　as　may　be　managed　with　one　plough；　and　would　yield　the　maintenance　of　the　same；　with　the　appurtenances　in　all　kinds。　　　　　The　middle　thane　was　feudal；　but　not　honorary；　he　was　also　called　a　vavasor；　and　his　lands　a　vavasory；　which　held　of　some　mesne　lord；　and　not　immediately　of　the　King。　　　　　Possessions　and　their　tenures；　being　of　this　nature；　show　the　balance　of　the　Teuton　monarchy；　wherein　the　riches　of　earls　were　so　vast　that　to　arise　from　the　balance　of　their　dominion　to　their　power；　they　were　not　only　called　reguli；　or　little　kings；　but　were　such　indeed；　their　jurisdiction　being　of　two　sorts；　either　that　which　was　exercised　by　them　in　the　court　of　their　countries；　or　in　the　high　court　of　the　kingdom。　　　　　In　the　territory　denominating　an　earl；　if　it　were　all　his　own；　the　courts　held；　and　the　profits　of　that　jurisdiction　were　to　his　own　use　and　benefit。　But　if　he　had　but　some　part　of　his　county；　then　his　jurisdiction　and　courts；　saving　perhaps　in　those　possessions　that　were　his　own；　were　held　by　him　to　the　King's　use　and　benefit；　that　is；　he　commonly　supplied　the　office　which　the　sheriffs　regularly　executed　in　counties　that　had　no　earls；　and　whence　they　came　to　be　called　viscounts。　The　court　of　the　county　that　had　an　earl　was　held　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　fe