the husbande and the wyfe as one persone in the lawe shall take onlye the one halfe the thyrde person the other half / but these cases be alway to be vnderstande where the sayde estates be made without ani recompence And for as moche as in this principall case / the intent of the feoffour is groundid agaynst the lawe that there is no recompence appoynted for the feffement me thynketh that the feffour hath neyther right to the lande by lawe nor conscience / for if he shulde haue it by conscience / that coÌ„science shulde be grounded vpon the lawe of reason that it can nat / for condicions be nat grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ the lawe of reason / but vpoÌ„ the maxymes custome of the realme And therfore it might be ordeyned by statute / that al condicioÌ„s made vpoÌ„ lande shuld be voyd And whaÌ„ a condicioÌ„ is voyde by the maximes of the lawe / it is as fully voyde to euery intent as if it were made voyde by statute / so me thynketh that in this case the feffour hath no righte to the lande in law nor in conscience ¶ Doctoure I am content thy opinion stande tyll we shall haue hereafter a better leasure to speke ferther in this matter ☞ The .v. question of the Student The .xxv. Chapitre STudent If a fine with proclamacioÌ„ be leuyed accordynge to the statute no clayme made within .v. yeres cÌ„ whether is the righte of a straunger extincted thereby in conscience / as it is in the lawe ¶ Doctoure Vpon what consideracion was that statute made ¶ StudeÌ„t that the righte of landes and tenementes myghte be the more certaynly knowen and nat to be so vncertayne as they were byfore that statute ¶ Doctoure And whan any lawe of man is made for a coÌ„mon welthe / or for a good peace and quietnes of the people / or for any inconuenience or hurte to be saued from them / that lawe is good thoughe percase it extincte the right of a straunger and must be kept in the courte of conscience for as it is said before in the .iiii. chapitre By lawes rightewysely made by man it appereth who hath righte to the landes and goodes for what so euer a man hathe by suche a lawe he hath it rightewisely And what so euer he holdeth agaynste suche a lawe he holdeth vnrightwisely And ferthermore as it is sayde there all lawes made by man / whiche be nat contrarye to the lawe of god muste be obserued and kepte / and that in conscience And he that dispiseth them dispiseth god and that resisteth them resisteth god / also it is to be vnderstande that possessions / and the righte thereof be subiecte to the lawes / so that they therefore with a cause reasonable maye be translated and altered from one man to another by the acte of the lawe And of this consideracion that lawe is grounded that by a contracte made in feyres and markettes the propretye is altered excepte the propretye be to the kynge / so that the byer paye tolle / or do suche other thynges as is a customed there to be done vpon suche contractes / and that the byer knoweth nat the former propretye And in the lawe Ciuile there is a lyke lawe that if a man haue another mannes good with a title .iii. yere thynkynge that he hath righte to it he hath the very righte vnto the thynge and that was made for a lawe to the intente that the propretye and ryghte of thynges shulde nat be vncertayne / that variaunce stryfe shulde nat be amonge the people And for as moche as the sayd statute was ordayned to gyue a certeiÌ„te of title in the landes tenemeÌ„tes comprised in the fyne / It semeth that that fyne extiÌ„cted the title of all other / as well in conscieÌ„ce as it dothe in the lawe And sythe I haue answered to thy question I praye the let me knowe thy mynde in one question concernynge tayled landes than I will trouble the no ferther at this tyme. ☞ A questioÌ„ made by the Doctour / how certayne recoueries that be vsed iÌ„ the kynges courtes to defete tayled lande may stande with conscience The .xxvi. Chapitre DOctour I haue herde say that whaÌ„ a man that is seased of laÌ„des in the tayle selleth the lande That it is coÌ„monly vsed that he that byeth the lande shal for his suertye / for the auoydyng of the tayle in that behalfe / cause some of his frendes to recouer the sayde landes agaiÌ„st the sayd tenaunt in tayle whiche recouerye as I haue ben credably enformed shal be had in this maner / the demaundauÌ„tes shall suppose in theyr writte declaracion that the tenaÌ„t hath no entre / but by suche a straunger as the byer shall liste to name appoynte / where in dede the demaundauntes neuer had possession therof / nor yet the sayde straunger And thereupoÌ„ the sayde tenaunte in tayle shall appere in the court by coueÌ„ by alient of the parties / shall vouche to warrante one that he knoweth well hath nothynge to yelde in value And that vouche shall appere the demaundauntes shall declare agaynst hym / therupon he shall take a day to enperle iÌ„ the same terme at that day by assent couen of the partyes / he shall make defaulte vpoÌ„ whiche default bycause it is a default in despite of the court / the demaundauntê shall haue iugemeÌ„t to recouer agaynst the tenaunt in tayle / he ouer in value agaiÌ„st the vouche this iugement recouery in value / is taken for a barre of the tayle for euer / howe may it therfore be taken that that lawe standeth with conscieÌ„ce that as it semeth aloweth fauoureth suche fayned recoueries ¶ StudeÌ„t If the tenaÌ„t in tayle sel the laÌ„de for a certayn suÌ„me of money as is agreed betwixte them at suche a pryce as is coÌ„monly vsed of other landes / for the suertye of the sale suffereth suche a recouerye as is aforesayd / what is the cause that moueth the to doubte whether the sayd contracte or the recouery made thereupon for the suertye of the byer that hath truely payd his money for the same shuld stande with conscience ¶ Doctour Two thynges cause me to doute therein / one is for that that aft our lorde had gyuen the lande of byheste to Abrahan to his sede / that is to saye to his chyldren in possession alwaye to continue / he sayde to Moyses as it appereth LeuiticeÌ„ xxv the lande shall nat be solde for euer / for it is myne And than our lorde assigned a certayne maner howe the lande might be redemed in the yere of Iubilie if it were sold byfore for as moche as our lorde wolde that the lande so gyuen to Abraham his chyldren shuld nat be solde for euer / it semeth that he dothe agaynst the ensample of god that alieneth or selleth the laÌ„de that is gyueÌ„ to him to
the sayd sergeaunte in this case to haue execucion as appereth in the .xxiii. yere of kyng Henry the .vi. the fyrste Chapitre ⧠Also if a man be sent to pryson vpon a statute marchaunt by the Mayre / before whome the recognisaunce was taken / and the Gayler wyll nat receyue hym he shall answere for the det if he haue where with / if nat than he shall answere that committed the Gayler to hym / as appereth in the statute called the statute marchaunte ⧠Also if outrageous tolle be taken in a towne marchāt / if it be the kynges towne let to seeme the kynge shall take the fraunchese of the market into his handes And if it be done by the lorde of the towne the kynge shall do ī like wyse And if it be done by the baylyfe vnknowynge the lorde he shall yelde agayne as moche as he hath taken / shall haue enprysonmēt of .xl. days And so it appereth that the lord in this case shall nat answere for his bayly Westm̄ the fyrst the .xxx. chapitre And in all the cases before reherced where the superiour is charged by the defaut of hym that is vnder hī he in whose defaut his superiour is so charged is bounde in conscience to restore him that is so charged through his defaut Excepte the case before reherced of the hospitelers / for all that the obediencer hathe is the superiours if he wyll take it And therfore what recompence shal be made by the obeciencer in that case is all at the wyll of the superiour And nowe I entende to shewe the some perticuler cases where the mayster after the lawes of the realme shal be charged by the acte of his seruaūt / baylyfe / or deputie / where nat / so for to make an ende of this chapitre ⧠Fyrst for trespas of batery or of wrōg full entre into lādes or tenementes ne yet for felony or murdre the mayster shall nat be charged for his seruaūte / oneles he dyd it by his commaundement ⧠Also if a seruaunt borowe money ī his maysters name the mayster shall nat be charged with it oneles it come to his vse that by his assente / and the same lawe is if the seruaunte make a contracie in hys maysters name / the contracie shall nat binde his mayster oneles it were by his maysters commaundement or that it came to the maisters vse by his assent But if a mā sende his seruaunt to a fayre or market to bye for hym certayne thynges / though he cōmaunde hym nat to bye them of no mā in certayne the seruaūt do he according the mayster shal be charged / but if the seruaunt in that case bye thē in his owne name nat spekynge of his mayster the maester shall nat be charged onelee 〈…〉 bought come to his vse ⧠Also if a man sende his seruant to the market with a thynge which he knoweth to be defectiue to be solde to a certayne mā he selleth it to hym there an accion lieth agaynst the mayster / but if the mayster biddeth hym nat selle it to any persone in certayne but generally to whome he cā And he selleth it accordyng there lieth no acciō of disceyt agaynste the mayster ⧠Also if the seruant kepe the maysters fyre necligētly / wherby his maysters house is brent his neyghbours also / there an accion lieth agaynst the mayster But if the seruaunte bere fyre necligently in the strete therby the house of a nother is brēned / there lyeth no accion agaynste the mayster ⧠Also if a man desyre to logge with one that is no comon hostiler one that is seruāte to hym that he lodgeth with robbeth his chamber / his mayster shal nat be charged for that robbynge / but if he had ben a comon hostyler he shulde haue ben charged ⧠Also if a man be gardeyn of a pryson wherin is a man that is condempned in a certayne somme of money / another that is in pryson for felonye a seruaunt of the gardeyn that hathe the rule of the pryson vnder hym wylfully letteth them bothe escape in this case the gardeyn shal answere for the det shall pay a fyne for the escape of the other as for a neclygent escape and the seruaunt onely shal be put to answere to the felonye for the wylful escape ¶ Also if a mā make a nother his generall receyueure / that receyuoure receyuith money of a credytoure of his mayster makyth hym an acquytaunce and after payeth nat his maister yet that payment dyschargeth the credytoure but yf the credytoure had takē an acquytaunce of hym without payeng hym any money that acquytaunce onely were no barre to the mayster / onles he made hym recyueour by wrytynge and gaue hym aucthoritie to make acquytaunces / and than that aucthorytye must be shewed And yf the creby four ī suche case by agrement bytwene the receyuoure hym deliuer to the receyuour a horse or an other thynge ī recompence of the dete that delyuery dyschargeth nat the credytour onles yt be delyuered ouer vnto the mayster and he agre to it For the receyuoure hath no suche power to make no suche cōmutacion but his mayster gyue hym speciall cōmaūdement therto ⧠Also if a seruaunte shewe a creditoure of his mayster that his mayster sence hym for his money / he payeth it vnto hym / that payment dischargeth hym nat if the mayster dyd nat sende hym for it in dede / except that it come after vnto the vse of the mayster by his assent ⧠Also if a man make a baylyfe of a maner after the lorde of whome the maner is holden graunted the seygnoury to another the baylyfe after payeth the rente vnto the graunt that payment of the rent countreuayleth no attournant thoughe it were by fyne / ne shall nat bynde his mayster tyll he atturne him selfe / but if the lord of whome the lande is holden dye seased of the seynoury the baylyfe payeth the rent to the heyre of the lorde that is a good season to the heyre though the baylyfe had no commaundement of his mayster to pay it For it belongeth to his office to paye rentes seruice but nat rentte charge as some men saye ⧠Also an encrochemente by the baylyfe shall bynde the mayster in auowry if he had no commaundementte of the mayster to paye it ⧠Also if there be lorde Mesne tenaunt the renaunte holdeth of the Mesne as of his maner of D the Mesne maketh a baylyfe And after the tenaunt maketh a feoffement the feoffe rendeth notice to the baylyfe he accepteth his rente with the arrerages / this notice shall nat bynde the lorde ne compell hym to alter his auowry / for the office of a baylyfe stretcheth nat therto but he muste haue there in a speciall commaundement of his mayster Also if a seruaunt ryde on his maysters horse to do an erraunt for his mayster
the inheritaunce of many in this realme as well of spirituall as temporall / they be withoute payne in the lawe of the realme excepte suche recoueries as by the commoÌ„ course of the law be voydable in the lawe by reason of some vse / or of some other speciall matter / but what payne that is I wyll nat temerously iuge / but committe it to the goodnes of our lorde whose iugementes be very depe and profounde / nor I wyll nat fully afferme that they that haue landes by suche recoueries oughte to be compelled to restitucion / but this semeth to me to be good councell that euery maÌ„ hereafter holde that is certayne leue that is vncertaiÌ„ that is that he kepe hym self from suche recoueries and than he shal be fre from all sertrulousnes of conscience / in that behalf ¶ Student It semeth that in this question thou ponderest greatly the sayde statute of WestmÌ„ the .ii. that thoughe it be but onely a lawe made by maÌ„ / that yet for as moche as it is nat agaynst the lawe of reason / nor the lawe of god / thou thynkest that it muste be holden in conscience / and ouer that as it semeth thou arte somwhat in double whether those recoueries be any barre to the heyre in the tayle by the lawe of the realme onles that he haue in value in dede vpon the voucher / that thou wilt thereupoÌ„ take a respite or thou shewe thy full mynde therein / in lykewyse thou thiÌ„kest as I take it that those recoueries can nat be brought in to a custome but that the longer that they be suffred to continue if they be nat good by the lawe the greater is the offence agaynst god And therfore thou ponderest litle that custome / but yet thou agreest that it is good to spare the multitude of them that be paste leste a subuercion of the inheritaunce of many of thê realme might folowe great stryfe variaunce also if they shulde be adnulled for the tyme past except there be any other especiall cause to auoyde them by the lawe as thou haste touched in thy laste reason / but thou thynkest that it were good that from hensforth suche recoueryes shuld be clerely prohibit nat be suffred to be had in vse as they haue ben byfore thou couÌ„ceyllest all men therfore to refrayne them selfe from suche recoueries hereafter ¶ Doctour Thou takest well that I haue sayde accordynge as I haue mente it ¶ StudeÌ„t Now I pray the syth I haue harde thy question of these recoueries accordynge to thy desyre that thou woldest answere me to some perticuler questioÌ„s coÌ„cernynge tayled landes wherof thou hast at this tyme gyuen vs occasion to speke ¶ Doctoure shewe me those questions I wyll shewe the my mynde therein with good wyll ∴ ☞ The fyrste question of the Student concernynge tayled landes The .xxvii. Chapitre Student If a dissesour make a gyfte in the tayle to Iohan at style IohaÌ„ at style for the redemyng of the title of the dissesye agreeth with hym that he shall haue a certayne rent out of the same lande to him to his heyres / for the suertye of that rent it is diuised that the dissesye shall release his right in the lande cÌ„ that suche a recouery as we haue spokeÌ„ of byfore shal be had agaynste the sayd Iohan at style to the vse of the payment of the sayde rente and of the former tayle whether standeth that recouery well with coÌ„science or nat as thou thynkest ¶ Docto r I suppose it dothe for it is made for the strength and suertye of the tayle whiche the dissesye might haue clerely defeated auoyded if he wolde / therefore as I thinke if the sayde Iohan at style had graunted to the dissesye onely by his dede a certayne rente for the releasinge of his title that graunte shulde haue bounde the heyres in the tayle for euer And than if the dissesye for his more suertye wyll haue suche a recouerie a byfore appereth it semeth that that recouerye standeth with good conscience ¶ Student It semeth that thy oppynion is righte good in this matter And so it appereth that with a reasonable cause some particuler recoueries maye stande bothe with lawe and coÌ„science to barre a tayle ☞ The seconde question of the Student concernynge tayled landes ⸫ The .xxviii. Chapitre STudent I a tenaunt in tayle suffre a recouery agaynste hym of the landes entayled to the entent that the recouerers shall stande seased therof to the vse of a certayne woman whome he enteÌ„deth to take to his wyfe / for terme of her lyfe / and after to the vse of the fyrste tayle and after he maryeth the same woman / whether standeth that recouery with conscience though other recoueries vpon bargaynes and sales dyd nat ¶ Doctoure It semeth yes / for though the statute be / that they to whome the tenementes be so gyueÌ„ shulde nat haue power to aliene / but that the landes after theyr deth shulde remayne to theyr issues or reuert to the donours if the issues fayled yet if he to whome the landes were so gyuen take a wyfe dyeth seased without heyre of his body / and the donour entre the woman shall recouer agaynste hym the thyrde parte to holde in the name of her dowre for terme of her lyfe though the tayle be determined / the same law is of tenaÌ„t by the curtesy that is to say of hiÌ„ that happeneth to marye one that is an eÌ„heritrix of the laÌ„de entayled they haue issue the wyfe dyeth the issue dyeth / he shal holde the laÌ„des for terme of his lyfe as tenaÌ„t by the curtesye / natwithstanding the wordes of the statute whiche say that after the deth of the tenaunt in tayle without issue the landes shall reuert to the donour / I thynke the cause is bycause the intente of that statute shall nat be taken that it inteÌ„ded to put awaye suche titles as the lawe shulde gyue by reason of the tayle / so it semeth that a lyke enteÌ„t of the statute shal be taken for ioyntours / for els the statute might be somtyme a lettynge of matrymony / it is nat lyke that the statute intended so / therfore it semeth that by the onely deed of the tenaunt in tayle a ioyntour may be made by the intent of the statute / thoughe the wordes of the statute serue nat expressely for it / for many tymes the intent of the letter shal be taken nat the bare letter / as it appereth in the same statute where it is sayd that he to whome the landes be gyuen shall haue no power to alien / yet the same statute is construed that neyther he nor his heyres of his body shal haue no power to alyen / so me thynketh that suche an intent shal be taken here for sauyng of ioyntours ¶ Student trouth it is that somtyme the intent
husbande and they haue issue the father deyeth seased / the husbande as sone as he hereth of his deth goeth towarde the lande to take possession / and byfore he can come there his wyfe dieth / whether ought he to haue the lande in cōscience for terme of his lyfe as tenaunt by the courtesie bycause he hath done that in hym was to haue had possession in his wyues lyfe so that he myght haue ben tenaunt by the courtesie accordynge to the lawe / or that he shall neyther haue it by lawe nor conscience ¶ Doctour Is it clerely holdē in the law that he shall nat be tenaunt by the curtesy in this case bycause he had nat possession in dede ¶ Student ye verely / and yet vpō a possessiciō in lawe a womā shal haue her dower / but no man shal be tenaunte by the curtesie of lāde without his wyfe haue possession in dede ¶ Doctoure A man shal be tenaunt by the curtesie of a rent thoughe his wyfe dye byfore the day of payment / in lyke wyse of an aduowson thoughe she dye byfore the auoydaunce ¶ Studente That is trouthe / for the olde custome and maxime of the lawe is that he shall be so / but of lande there is no maxime that serueth hym but his wyfe haue possession in dede ¶ Doctour And what is the reason that there is suche a maxime in the lawe of the rent and of the aduowson rather thā of lande / whan the husbāde doth as moche as in hym is to haue possessiō and can nat ¶ Studēt Some assigne the reason to be bycause it is impossible to haue possession in dede of the rent or of aduouson byfore the daye of payment of the rent / or byfore the auoydaunce of the aduouson ¶ Doct. And so is impossible that he shal haue possession in dede of lande if his wyfe dye so sone that he maye nat by possibilitie come to the lande after her fathers dethe / and in her lyfe as this case is ¶ Student The lawe is suche as I haue shewed the byfore and I take the verey cause to be for that there is a maxime serueth for the rent and the aduouson / and nat for the landes as I haue sayd byfore / and as it is sayd in the viii chapitre of our fyrst dialogue / it is nat alwaye necessarie to assigne a reason or cōsideraciō why the maximes of the lawe of Englande were fyrst ordeyned and admitted for maximes / but it suffisethe that they haue ben alwaye taken for lawe and that they be neyther cōtrarie to the lawe of reason nor to the lawe of god as this maxime is nat / and therfore if the husbande in this case be nat holpen by cōscience he can nat be holpen by the lawe ¶ Doctour And if the lawe helpe hym nat cōscience can nat helpe hym in this case / for conscience must alwaye be grounded vpon some lawe / and it can nat in this case be groūded vpon the lawe of reason nor vpon the lawe of god / for it is nat dyrectely by those lawes that a man shal be tenaūt by the curtesy / but by the custome of the realme And therfore if that custome helpe hī nat he can nothyng haue in this case by conscience / for conscience neuer resysteth the lawe of mā nor addeth nothynge to it / but where the lawe of man is in it selfe dyrectly against the lawe of reason or els the lawe of god / and than properly it can nat be called a lawe but a corrupcion / or where the generall groundes of the lawe of man worketh in any particuler case agaynste the sayd lawes as it may do / and yet the lawe good as it appereth in diuerse places in our fyrst dialogue in latyne / or els where there is no lawe of man prouided for hym that hathe ryghte to a thynge by the lawe of reason or by the lawe of god And than somtyme there is remedy gyuen to execute that in cōscience / as by a Sub pena but nat in all cases / for somtyme it shal be referred to the consciēce of the partie / and vpon this grounde that is to saye that whan there is no tytle gyuen by the comon lawe that there is no tytle by conscience There be diuerse other cases wherof I shall put some for an example As if a reuercion be graunted vnto one / but there is none attournement / or if a newe rente be graunted by worde with out dede there is no remedy by conscience oneles the sayd grauntes were made vpon consideracions of money or suche other And in lyke wyse where he that is seased of landes in fee simple maketh a wyll therof / the wyll is voyde in conscience bycause the grounde seruethe nat for hym wherby the conscience shulde take effecte / that is to saye / the lawe / and if the tenaunte make a feoffement of the lande that he holdeth by priorite and taketh estate agayne and dyeth his heyre within age the lorde of whome the lande was fyrst holden by prioritie shall haue no remedy for the body by conscience / for the lawe that fyrste was with hym / is nowe agaynste hym / and therfore cōsciēce is altered in lyke wyse as the lawe altereth / and diuerse and many cases lyke be in the lawe that were to long to reherce nowe And thus me thynketh that if the lawe be as thou sayest the husbande ī this case hathe neyther ryght by the lawe nor conscience ⧠The .xiiii. question of the student The .xvi. Chapitre STudent A rent is graunted to a man ī fee to perceyue of two acres of land / and after the graūtour enfeoffeth the grauntee of one of the sayd acres / whether is the hole rente extyncte therby in conscience as it is in the lawe ¶ Doctour Thy case is somwhat vncertayne / for it appereth nat whether the grauntour enfeoffed hym on truste or that he gaue the acre to hym of his mere mocion to the vse of the sayd feoffe / or els that the feoffement was made vpon a bargayne / and if it were but onely a feoffement of truste / than I thinke the hole rent abydeth in conscience though it be extyncted in the lawe / and fyrste that it continueth in that case in conscience / for that parte that the grauntee hathe to the vse of the grauntour / it is euidente / for he may nat take the profytes of the lande / and it is agaynste conscience that he shulde lese bothe / and in lyke wyse it abydeth ī cōscience for the acre that remayneth in the handes of the grauntour thoughe it be extyncte in the lawe / for there was a defaute in the grauntoure that he wolde make the feoffement to the grauntee as well as ther was in the grauntee to take it And it is no conscience that of his owne defaute he shulde take so great auayle to be discharged of the hole rent seynge that
haue the rent in coÌ„science shal be dryuen to sue for his remedy by Sub pena ¶ Doctour I am coÌ„tent with thy conceyte in this matter for this tyme. ⧠The .xvi. question of the student The .xviii. Chapitre STudent A vylleyne is graunted to a maÌ„ for terme of lyfe / the vylleyne purchaseth landes to hym and to his heyres / the tenaunt for terme of lyfe entre the / in this case by the lawe he shall enioye the landes to hym and to his heyres / whether shall he do so in lyke wyse in conscienec ¶ Doctour Me thynketh it fyrst good to se whether it maye stande with conscience that one man may clayme an other to be his vylleyne / and that he maye take fro hiÌ„ his landes and goodes and put his body in prysoÌ„ if he wyll / it semeth he loueth nat his neyghbour as hym selfe that dothe so to hym ¶ Sudent That lawe hathe bene so longe vsed in this realme and in other also / and hath ben admitted so long in the lawes of this realme and of diuerse other lawes also and hath bene affermed by bisshoppes / abbotes / priors / and many other men bothe spirituall and temporall which haue take aduauntage by the sayd lawe haue seased the landes and goodê of theyr vylleyns therby and cal it theyr ryght enheritaunce so to do that I thynke it nat good / nowe to make a doute ne to put it in argument whether it stand with conscieÌ„ce or nat / and therfore I pray the admittyng the lawe in that behalfe to stande in conscience shewe me thyne opinion in the question that I haue made ¶ Doctour Is the lawe clere that he that hath the vylleyne but only for the terme of lyfe shal haue the landes that the vylleyne purchaseth in fee to hym and to his heyres ¶ Student I verely I take it so ¶ Doctour I wolde haue take the lawe otherwise / for if a seygnoury be graunted to a man for terme of lyfe and the tenaunt attourne / and after the lande eschete and the tenauÌ„t for terme of lyfe entreth he shal haue there none other estate iÌ„ the lande than he had in the seygnourye / and me thynketh that it shuld be lyke law in this case / and that the lorde ought to haue in the lande but suche estate as he hathe in the vyllayne ¶ Stud. The cases be nat lyke / for in that case of the eschete the tenaunt for terme of lyfe of the seygnourye hathe the landes in the lieu of the seignourie / that is to saye / in the place of the seignourie / the seignourie is clerely extincte / but in this case he hathe nat the lande iÌ„ the lieu of the vylleyne / for he shal haue the villeyne styl as he had byfore / but he hath the landes as a ê“fyte come by meanes of the vylleyne whiche he shall haue in lyke case as the vylleyne had them / that is to saye / of all goodes and catalles he shal haue the hole propertie and of a lease for terme of yeres he shall haue the hole terme / and for terme of lyfe he shall haue the same estate / the lorde shall haue the lande durynge the lyfe of the vyleyne of lande in fee simple of an estate tayle that the vylleyne hath / the lorde shall haue the hole fee simple / all thoughe he had the vylleyne but onely for terme of yeres so that he entre or sease accordyng to the lawe byfore the vylleyne alien or elles he shall haue nothynge ¶ Doctoure Verely and if the lawe be so / I thynke conscience folowethe the lawe therin / for admyttynge that a man maye with conscience haue an other man to be his hylleyne / the iugement of the lawe in this case as to termine what estat the lord hath in the lande by his entre is neyther agaynst the lawe of reason nor agaynst the lawe of god / and therfore conscience muste folowe the lawe of the realme / but I pray the let me make a lytell dygression to here thyne opinion in a nother case somewhat perteynynge to the question / and it is this if an executour haue a vylleyne that is his testatoure had for terme of yeres he purchaseth landes in fee and the executour entreth in to the lande / what estate hathe he by his entre ¶ Student A fee simple / but that shal be to the behoue of the testatoure and shal be an assesse in his handes ¶ Doctoure Well than I am contented with thyne conceyte at this tyme in this case and I praye the procede to a nother question ¶ Ttudente For as moche as it appereth in this case and in some other byfore that the knowlege of the law of EnglaÌ„de is ryght necessarie for the good orderynge of conscience I wolde here thyne opinion if a man mistake the lawe what dauÌ„ger it is in conscience for the mistakynge of it ¶ Doctour I praye the put some case in certayn therof that thou doutest in / and I wyll with good wyll shewe the my mynde therin for elles it wyll be somwhat longe or it can be playnly declared / and I wolde nat be tedious in this wrytynge ⧠The .xvii. question of the student The .xix. Chapitre STudent A man hath a vylleyne for terme of lyfe the vylleyne purchaseth landes in fee as in the case in the laste Chapitre and the tenauÌ„t for terme of lyfe entreth and after the vylleyne dyeth / he in the reuercion pretendynge that the tenauÌ„t for terme of lyfe hath nothyng in the land but for terme of lyfe of the vylleine / asketh counsayle of one that sheweth him that he hath good ryght to the lande and that he may lawfully entre / and through that couÌ„sayle he in the reuercion entreth / by reason of the whiche entre great sutes and expences folowe in the lawe to the great hurte of bothe parties / what daunger is this to hym that gaue the counsayle ¶ Doctour Whether meanest thou that he that gaue the counsayle gaue it wyttyngly agaynste the lawe / or that he was ignoraunt of the lawe ¶ Student That he was ignorauÌ„t of the lawe for if he knewe the lawe gaue counsayle to the contrarie I thynke hym bounde to restitucion both to hym against whome he gaue the counsayle / and also to his client if he wolde nat haue sued but for his counsayle of all that they be dampnified by it ¶ Doctour Than wyl I yet ferther aske the this question / whether he of whome he asked counsayle gaue hym selfe to lernynge to haue knowlege of the law after his capacite or that he toke vpon hiÌ„ to gyue counsayle and toke no study competent to haue lernynge / for if he dyd so I thynke he be bounden in conscience to restitucion of all the costes and damages that he susteyned to whome he gaue counsayle if he wolde nat haue sued but throughe his counsaile And also
a man at the comon lawe knowyng that he hath sufficient matter to be discharged in the chauncery that he may nat pleade at the comon lawe The .vi. chapitre Fo. 17. ¶ The .vi. questioÌ„ of the StudeÌ„t / whether a maÌ„ may with conscience be of counsayl agaynst the feoffour of truste in an accion of trespas that he bryngeth agaynste his feoffe of trust for takyng the profites The .vii. chapitre Fo. 19. ¶ The .vii. question of the StudeÌ„t if a maÌ„ that by way of distres cometh to his det / but he ought nat to haue distreyned for it what restitucion he is bounde to make The .viii. chapitre Fo. 21. ¶ For what thynge a man may lawfully distrayne The .ix. chapi Fo. 23. ¶ The .viii. question of the Student whether executours be bounde in conscience to make restitucion for a trespas done by the testatoure / and whether they be bouÌ„de to paye dettes vpon a contracte fyrste / or make the sayde restitucion The .x. chapitre Fo. 25. ¶ The .ix. question of the Student / whether he that hath goodes deliuered hym by force of a legaci be bounde in conscieÌ„ce to pay a dette vpon a contracte that the testatoure ought / if the executours haue none other goodes in theyr handes The .xi. chapitre Fo. 28. ¶ The .x. question of the Student if a maÌ„ haue issue two sones dyed seased of certayne landes in fee the eldest dyeth without issue the tongest recouereth by assise of mortdauncestre the lande with damages fro the dethe of the father / whether he be bounde in conscience to pay the damages to the executours of the eldest brother for the tyme he leued The .xii. cha Fo. 31. ¶ The .xi. question of the Student what damages the tenant in dower shall recouer in conscience where hyr husbaÌ„de dyed nat seased / but she demaunded hyr dower and was denyed The .xiii. chapitre Folio 33. ¶ The .xii. question of the Student if a man knowynge a nother to haue right to his lande causeth a fyne with proclamacion to be leuyed accordynge to the statute / and he that hath right maketh no clayme within .v. yeres whether he be barred in conscience as he is in the lawe The .xiiii. chapitre Fo. 36. ¶ The .xiii. question of the Student / if a man that hath had a chylde by his wyfe do that in hym is to haue possession of his wyfes landes and she dyeth or he caÌ„ haue it / whether in conscience he shal be tenauÌ„t by the courtesy The .xv. chapitre Folio 37. ¶ The .xiiii. question of the Student / if the grauntour of a reÌ„te enfeffe the grauÌ„te of the rente of parte of the lande cÌ„ whether the hole rente be extincte in conscieÌ„ce as it is in the lawe The .xvi. chapitre Folio 41. ¶ The xv question of the Student / if he that hath a rent out of .ii. acres be named in a recouerye of the one acre he nat knowynge thereof cÌ„ whether his hole rente be extincte in conscience cÌ„ The .xvii. chapitre Fo. 43. ¶ The .xvi. question of the Student / if a man haue a villayne for terme of lyfe the villayn purchaseth laÌ„des iÌ„ fee he that hath the villayn entreth / whether he may with coÌ„cieÌ„ce kepe the laÌ„des to hiÌ„ to his heyres as he may by the law the .xviii. cha fo 45. ¶ The .xvii. questioÌ„ of the StudeÌ„t if a maÌ„ in the case next before enforme hym that is in the reuercioÌ„ of the villayn that after the dethe of the villayn he hath right to the laÌ„de couÌ„sayleth hiÌ„ to entre / wherupoÌ„ great sute charges folowe / what dauÌ„ger that is to hym that gaue the counsayle The .xix. chapitre Fo. 47. ¶ The .xviii. question of the Student is vpoÌ„ a feffemeÌ„t made vpoÌ„ coÌ„dicioÌ„ that the feffe shall pay a rent to a strauÌ„ger / how that feffement shall wey in lawe conscience The .xx. chapitre Fo. 49. ¶ The .xix. question of the StudeÌ„t is vpoÌ„ a feofement in fee / it is agreed that the feffe shall pay a rente to a straunger / howe that feffement shall way in law conscience The .xxi. chapitre Fo. 51. ¶ Howe vses in lande began by what law the cause why so moche laÌ„de is put in vse The .xxii. chapitre Fo. 54. ¶ The diuersite bytwene two cases wherof one is put in the .xx. chapitre and the other in the .xxi. chapitre of this present boke The .xxiii. chapitre Fo. 57. ¶ What is a nude coÌ„tracte or a naked promyse after the lawes of Englande / whether any accion may lye thereupoÌ„ The .xxiiii. chapitre Fo. 61. ¶ The .xx. question of the StudeÌ„t if a maÌ„ that hath two sones one borne before espousels the other after espousels by his wyll byqueteth to his sone heyre all his goodes / whiche of the sones shall haue the goodes in conscieÌ„ce The .xxv. cha Fo. 67 ¶ Whether an Abbot may with conscieÌ„ce present to an aduouson of a churche that belongeth to the howse without assent of the coueÌ„t The .xxvi. chapitre Fo. 72. ¶ If a maÌ„ fynde beestes in his corne doiÌ„g hurt / whether he may by his owne authorite take them and kepe them tyll he be satisfied for the hurt The .xxvii. cha Fo. 75 ¶ Whether a gyfte made by one vnder the age of .xxv. yere be good The .xxviii. chapitre Fo. 76. ¶ If a man be conuicte of heresye before the ordinarie / whether his goodes be forfet The .xxix. chapitre Fo. 78. ¶ Where diuers patrons be of an aduouson the churche voydeth / the patrons varye in theyr presentementes / whether the Bisshop shall haue libertie to present whiche of the incumbentes that he wyll The .xxx. chapitre Fo. eodem ¶ Howe long tyme the patron shall haue to present to a benefice The .xxxi. chapitre Fo. 80. ¶ If a man be excoÌ„menged / whether he may in any case be assoyled withoute makynge satisfaccion The .xxxii. cha Fo. 83. ¶ Whether a prelate may refuse a legaci The .xxxiii. chapitre Fo. 84. ¶ Whether a gyfte made vnder a condicioÌ„ be voyde if the souerayne onely breke the condicion The .xxxiiii. cha Fo. 87. ¶ Whether a couenaunt made vpon a gift to the churche that it shall nat be aliened be good The .xxxv. chapi Fo. 89. ¶ If the patroÌ„ present nat within .vi. monethes who shall present The .xxxvi. chapitre Fo. 91. ¶ Whether the presentemente collacion of all benefices and dignities voydyng at Rome belonge onely to the Pope The .xxxvii. chapitre Fo. 95. ¶ If a howse by chaunce fall vpoÌ„ a horse that is borowed who shall bere the losse The .xxxviii. chapitre Fo. 97. ¶ If a preeste haue wonne moche money by saynge masse / whether he maye gyue those goodes or make a wyll of them The .xxxix. chapitre Fo. 99. ¶ Who shall succede to a clerke that dyeth intestate The .xl. chapitre Fo. 101. ☞ Addicion ¶ If a man be outlawed of felonye / or be attaynted for murdre or felony / or that is an Ascismus may be slayne by euery strauÌ„ger The .xli. chapitre Fo. 102. ☞ Addicion ¶ Whether a man shal be bouÌ„de by the act or offeÌ„ce of his seruaunt or officer The .xlii. chapitre Fo. 104. ♣ Addicion ¶ Whether a villayn or a bondeman may gyue a waye his goodes The .xliii. chapitre Fo. 106. ¶ If a clerke be promoted to the title of his patrimony after selleth his patrimony falleth to pouerty / whether he shall haue his title therin The .xliiii. chapitre Folio 108. ¶ Diuers questions takeÌ„ out by the Student of the summes called Summa rosella Summa angelica whiche me thiÌ„keth are necessary to be sene how they stande agree with the lawe of the realme The .xlv. chapitre Fo. 111. ¶ Where ignoraunce of the lawe excuseth in the lawes of Englande where nat The .xlvi. chapitre Fo. 115. ¶ Certayne cases groundes where ignorauÌ„ce of the dede excuseth in the lawes of Englande where nat The .xlvii. chapitre Fo. 119. ☞ Addicion ¶ The fyrst question of the Doctour how the law of Englande may be sayde reasonable that prohibiteth cÌ„ The .xlviii. chapitre Fo. 120. ¶ The seconde question of the Doctoure whether the warranty of the longer brother that is takeÌ„ as heyre bycause it is nat knowen but that the eldest brother is ded be in conscience a barre to the eldest brother as it is in the lawe The .xlix. chapitre Fo. 124. ¶ The thyrde question of the Doctoure / whether if a maÌ„ procure a collaterall warranty to extincte a right that knoweth another man hath to lande be a barre in coÌ„science as it is in the lawe The .l. chapitre Fo. 127. ¶ The fourth question of the Doctoure / is of wreke of the see The .li. chapitre Folio 129. ¶ The fyft question of the Doctour / whether it stande with conscience to prohibite a Iurye of meate drynke tyll they be agreed of theyr verdite The .lii. chapitre Folio 131. ¶ The .vi. question of the Doctoure is / whether the colours that be gyuen at the comon lawe in assises / accions of trespas and diuers other accions stande with coÌ„science bycause they be moste comonly feyned and nat trewe The .liii. chapitre Folio 132. ☞ Addicion ¶ The .vii. questioÌ„ of the Doctour / coÌ„cerneth the pleadynge in assise whereby the tenementes vse somtyme to pleade iÌ„ suche maner that they shall confesse no ouster The .liiii. chapitre Fo. 137. ¶ The .viii. questioÌ„ of the Doctour / how the statute that was made in the .xlv. yere of kynge Edwarde the thyrde concernynge the tythe of woode maye stande with conscience The .lv. chapitree Folio 140. ¶ Finis Tabule ¶ Thus endeth the seconde Dialogue in Englisshe / with the Addicions bytwene a Doctoure of of diuinitie and a Student in the lawes of EnglaÌ„de which treateth of diuers thynges that be shortly touched in the fyrst lesse of thê present boke before the introduccion ¶ Imprynted at LoddoÌ„ in the Fletestrete / by me Robert Redman dwellynge in saint Dunstones parysshe / nexte the churche In the yere of our lorde god M. CCCCC.XXXii The fyrst day of the moneth of Iuly ⸫
is called a courte Baron And to euery fayre market is incident a court that is called a court of Pypowdres And though in some statutes is made meÌ„cion somtyme of the sayd courtes / yet neuertheles of the fyrste Institucion of the sayd courtes and that suche courtes shulde be / there is no statute nor law writteÌ„ in the lawes of Englande And so all the grouÌ„de begynniÌ„g of the sayde courtes depeÌ„de vpoÌ„ the custome of the realme the whiche custome is of so hygh auctoritie that the sayde courtes ne theyr auctorities maye nat be altered / ne theyr names chaunged without Parlyament ⧠Also by the olde custome of the realme no maÌ„ shal be takeÌ„ iÌ„prysoned disseased nor otherwyse destroyed / but he be put to answere by the lawe of the lande this custome is coÌ„fermed by the statute of Magnacarta the .xxvi. chapitre ⧠Also by the olde custome of the realme all men great small shal do receyue Iustice in the kinges courtes / this custome is coÌ„fermed by the statute of Marl the .i. Chapitre ⧠Also by the olde custome of the realme the eldest sone is onely heyre to his auncestour / if there be no sones but doughters then all the doughters shal be heyre so it is of susters other kynneswomen And if there be nother sone / doughter / brother / nor suster / then shall the enheritaunce discende to the nexte kynnesman or kynneswoman of the hole blode to hym that had the enhitauÌ„ce of howe many degrees so euer they be from hym And if there be no heyre generall nor speciall / then the lande shall Eschete to the lorde of whome the lande is holden ⧠Also by the olde custome of the realme landes shall neuer ascende / nor disceÌ„de froÌ„ the sone to the father or mother / nor to any other auncestre in the right lyne / but it shall rather Eschete to the lorde of the fee. ⧠Also if any alyeÌ„ haue a sone that is an alyen after is made Denizyn / hath another sone / after purchaseth laÌ„des and dyed / the yoÌ„ger sone shall enherite as heyr nat the eldest ⧠Also if there be thre bretherne the mydlest brother purchase landes dyed without heyre of his body / the eldest brother shall inheryt as heyre to hym nat the yonger brother ⧠Also if lande in fee symple disceÌ„de to a man by the ê‘re of his father he dyed without heyre of his body / then that inheritaunce shall discende to the next heyre of the parte of his father And if there be no suche heyre of the parte of his father / then if the father purchased the laÌ„des it shal go to the next heyre of the fathers mother / nat to the next heyres of the sonesmother but it shall rather Eschete to the lorde of the fee but if a man purchase laÌ„des to him to his heyres dye without heyre of his body as is sayd before / theÌ„ that laÌ„de shall disceÌ„de to the next heyre of the parte of his father if there be any / if nat then to the next heyre of the parte of his mother ⧠Also if the sone purchaseth laÌ„des iÌ„ fee dye without heyre of his body / the lande shall discende to his vncle shall nat asceÌ„de to his father / but if the father haue a sone thoughe it be many yeres after the deth of the elder brother / yet that sone shal put out his vncle shall enioye the lande as heyre to his elder brother for euer ⧠Also by the custome of the realme the chylde that is borne before spouselles is bastarde shall nat inheryte ⧠Also the custome of the realme is that no maner of goodes nor catalles reall nor parsonell shall neuer go the the heyre / but to the executours / or to the ordinary or administratours ⧠Also the husbande shall haue all the Chatelles parsonelles that his wyfe had at the tyme of the spouselles or after and also Chatelles real if he ouer lyue hê wyfe but if he sell or gyue away the Chatelles realles dye by that sale or gyfte the enterest of the wyfe is determined / els they shall remayne to the wyfe if she ouer lyue her husbande ⧠Also the husbaÌ„de shall haue all the inheritauÌ„ce of his wyfe wherof he was seased in dede in the right of his wyfe during the spouselles in fee or in fee tayle general for terme of lyfe / if he haue any chylde by her to holde as tenaunt by the curtesye of EnglaÌ„de / the wyfe shall haue the thyrde parte of the inheritaunce of her husbande wherof he was seased in dede or in lawe after the spouselles c. but in that case the wyfe at the deth of her husbande muste be of the age of .ix. yere or aboute / or els she shall haue no dowrye ¶ Doctoure what if the husbande at his deth be within the age of .ix. yere ¶ Student I suppose she shall yet haue her dower ⧠Also the olde lawe custome of the realme is that after the deth of euery tenaÌ„te that holdeth his landes by knyghtes seruice the lord shall haue the warde mariage of the heyre tyll the heyre come to the age of .xxi. yere And if the heyre in that case be of full age at the deth of his auncestre / then he shall paye to his lorde his relyefe / whiche at the coÌ„mon lawe was nat certayne / but by the statute of Magna carta / it is put in certayne that is to saye for euery hole knyghtes fee to pay C. sÌ„ And for a hole baronye to pay a. C. marke for relyef And for a hole erledom to pay a. C. li. after the rate And if the heyre of such a tenauÌ„t be a womaÌ„ / she at the dethe of her auncestre be within the age of .xiiii. yeres / then by the coÌ„mon law she shuld haue ben inwarde onely tyll .xiiii. yere / but by the statute of WestmÌ„ the fyrste in suche case she shal be inwarde tyll .xvi. yere And if at the deth of the auncestre she be of the age of .xiiii. yere or aboue / she shal be out of warde / though the laÌ„des be holden of the kynge And theÌ„ she shall pay relyef as an heyre male shall ⧠Also of landes holden in socage if the auncestre dye / his heyre beynge withiÌ„ the age of .xiiii. yeres / the next freÌ„d of the heyt to whome the inheritauÌ„ce may nat discende shall haue the warde of his body landes tyll he shall come to the age of .xiiii. yere / theÌ„ he may entre And wheÌ„ the heyre coÌ„meth to the age of .xxi. yere / theÌ„ the gardeyn shall yelde hym accoÌ„pte for the ê“fettes therof by hym receyued ⧠Also suche an heyre in socage for his relyefe shall double his rent to the lorde the yere folowyng the deth of his auncestre / as if his auÌ„cestre
helde by .xii. d. rente the heyre in the yere folowynge shall paye that .xii. d. for his reÌ„t / other .xii. d for his relyef And that relyefe he muste paye though he be within age at the deth of his auncestre ⧠Also there is an olde law custome in this realme that a freholde by way of feffement gyfte or lease passeth nat without lyuery of season be made vpoÌ„ the laÌ„de according though a dede of feffemeÌ„t be therof made deliuered but by way of surrendre particion eschauÌ„ge a freholde maye passe without liuery ⧠Also if a maÌ„ make a wyll of laÌ„de wherof his is seased iÌ„ his demesne as of fee / that wyll is voyde / but if it had stande in feffes handes it had ben good And also in London suche a wyll is good by the custome of the cytie if it be inrowled ⧠Also a lease for terme of yeres is but a chatel in the lawe / therfore it may passe without any liuery of season / but otherwise it is of a state for terme of lyfe for that is a freholde in the law / therfore lyuerey muste be made therof or els the freholde passeth nat ⧠Also by the olde custome of the realme a man may distreyne for a rent seruice of coÌ„mon right And also for a rent reserued vpoÌ„ a gifte in tayle / a lease terme of lyfe / of yeres at wyll / in suche case the lorde may distreyne the tenauntes of beestes as soon as they come vpoÌ„ the grouÌ„de / but the beastê of strauÌ„gers that come iÌ„ but by maner of an escape / he may nat distreyne tyll they haue beÌ„ leuaÌ„t couchaÌ„t vpoÌ„ the grouÌ„de but for dette vpoÌ„ an obligacioÌ„ nor vpoÌ„ a contracte / nor for accompte ne yet for arerages of accoÌ„pte / nor for no maner of trespasse / reparacions / nor suche other no man may distreyne ⧠Also by the olde law custome of the realme all yssues that shal be ioyned betwixte partie partie in any court of recorde within the realme except a fewe wherof it nedeth nat to treate at thê tyme / must be tryed by .xii. fre lawfull meÌ„ of the visne that be nat of affinitie to none of the parties And in other courtes that be nat of recorde / as in the countye / court baron / hundred suche other lyke / they shal be tryed by the other of the ê“tyes nat other wyse oneles the partyes assente that it shal be tryed by the homage And it is to be noted that lordes / Barons / all pyers of the realme be excepted out of suche trialles if they wyll / but if they wyll wylfully be sworne therin / some say it is no erroure And they may if they wyll haue a writte out of the Chauncerie directed to the Shyryfe coÌ„maundynge hym that he shal nat impanell them vpon no enqueste And of this that is saydbefore it appereth that the customes aforesayd nor other lyke vnto theÌ„ / wherof be very many in the lawes of Englande can nat be proued to haue the strenght of a law onely by reasoÌ„ for how may it be proued by reason that the eldest sone shall onely enherite his father the yoÌ„ger to haue no parte / or that the husbaÌ„de shall haue the hole laÌ„de for terme of his lyfe as tenaunt by the courtesye in suche maner as before appereth And that the wyfe shall haue onely the thyrde parte in the name of her dower / that the husbande shall haue all the goodes of his wyfe as his owne And that if he dye lyuynge the wyfe / that his executours shall haue the goodes / nat the wyfe All these suche other can nat be proued onely by reason that it shulde be so no otherwyse all though they be reasonable / that with the custome theriÌ„ vsed suffiseth in the law And a statute made agaynst suche generall customê ought to be obserued because they be nat merely the law of reason ⧠Also the law of ê“pretie is nat the law of reason / but a law of custome how be it that it is kept / is also right necessarie to be kept in all realmes amoÌ„ge all people And so it may be noÌ„bred amoÌ„ge the generall customes of the realme And it is to vnderstande that there is no statute that treateth of the begynnyng of the sayd customes ne why they shulde beholden for law And therfore after theÌ„ that be lerned in the lawes of the realme the olde custome of the realme is the onely sufficiente auctoritie to them in that behalfe And I pray the shewe me what doctours holde therin / that is to say whether a custome onely be sufficient auctoritie of any lawe ¶ Doctoure doctours holde that a law grouÌ„ded vpon a custome is the moste surest law / but this muste always vnderstaÌ„de therwith that such a custome is nother coÌ„trarie to the lawe of reason / nor to the law of god And now I pray the shewe me somwhat of the maxymes of the lawe of Englande wherof thou haste made mencioÌ„ before in the .iiii. chapitre ¶ StudeÌ„t I wyll with good wyll ☞ Of the .iiii. grounde of the lawe of Englande The .viii. Chapitre STudent The .iiii. grouÌ„de of the law of EnglaÌ„de standeth in diuers principles that be called in the lawe maximes / the which haue ben always takeÌ„ for law iÌ„ this realme / fo that it is nat lawfull for none that is lerned to denye them / for euery one of those maximes is sufficiente auctoritie to hym selfe And whiche is a maxime / whiche nat shall alway be determined by the Iuges / nat by .xii. men And it nedeth nat to assigne any reason / why they were fyrste receyued for maximes for it suffiseth that they be nat agaiÌ„st the law of reason nor the law of god / and that they haue alway be taken for lawe And suche maximes be nat onely holden for law / but also other cases lyke vnto theÌ„ all thynges that necessarily foloweth vpoÌ„ the same / ar to be reduced to lyke law And therfore moste coÌ„meÌ„ly there be assigned some reasons or coÌ„sideracion why suche maximes be resonable to the intente that other cases lyke may the more conueniently be applyed to them And they be of the same strength effect in the law as statutes be And though the generall custome of the realme be the strength warraunte of the sayd maximes as they be of the generall customes of the realme / yet because the sayd generall customes be in maner knowen throughe the realme as well to them that be vnlerned as lerned / may lightly be had knowen and that with lytell studye And the sayd maximes be onely knoweÌ„ in the kynges courtes or amoÌ„ge them that take great studie in the lawe of the realme / amonge fewe other persones Therfore they be set in this writtynge for seuerall groundes he that
lysteth may so accompte them / or if he wyll he may take theÌ„ for one grounde after his pleasure / of which maximes I shal hereafter shewe the parte ⧠Fyrst there is a maxime that escuage vncertayne maketh knyghtes seruice ⧠Also there is another maxime that escuage certayne maketh socage ⧠Also that he that holdeth by castelgarde / holdeth by knyghtes seruice / but he holdeth nat by escuage And that he that holdeth by .xx. s. to the garde of a castell holdeth by socage ⧠Also there is a maxime that a disceÌ„t taketh awaye an entre ⧠Also that no prescripcion in laÌ„des maketh a ryght ⧠Also that a prescripcion of rente of profites aprendre out of lande maketh a ryghte ⧠Also that the limitacioÌ„ of a ê‘scripcioÌ„ generally takeÌ„ is froÌ„ the tyme that no maÌ„nes mynde renuyth to the contrarie ⧠Also that assignes may be made vpoÌ„ laÌ„des gyueÌ„ in fee for terme of lyfe / or for tme of yeres though no meÌ„cioÌ„ be made of assignes / the same lawe is of a rent that is grauÌ„ted / but otherwyse it is of a waraÌ„tie of a couenaunte ⧠Also that a condicion to auoyde a freholde can nat be pleaded without dede / but to auoyde a gyft of a chatel it may be pleaded without dede ⧠Also that a release or a confirmacion made by hym that at the tyme of the release or coÌ„firmacion made had no ryghte is voyde in the law / though a righte come to hym after / except it be with warrauÌ„tye / theÌ„ it shall barre hym of all right that he shall haue after the warrauÌ„tye made ⧠Also that a right or title of accioÌ„ that onely dependeth in accion can nat be gyueÌ„ nor graunted to none other but onely to the tenaunt of the grouÌ„de / or to hym that hath the reuercion or remayndre of the same lande ⧠Also that in an accion of dette vpon a contracte the def maye wage his law / but otherwyse it is vpoÌ„ a lease of laÌ„des for terme of yeres or at wyll ⧠Also that if an exigent in case of felonye be awarded agaynste a man he hathe therby forthwith forfeted his goodes to the kynge ⧠Also if the sone be attaiÌ„ted in the lyfe of the father / and after he purchaseth his Chartour of pardon of the kynge / after the father dyed In this case the laÌ„de shall Eschete to the lorde of the fee in so moche that that though he haue a yoÌ„gerbrother yet the laÌ„de shall nat discende to hym / for by the atteyndre of the elder brother the blode is corrupte the father in the lawe dyed without heyre ⧠Also if an Abbot or a Priour alyene the landes of his house dyed / in that case though his successour haue right to the laÌ„de / yet he may nat entre but he muste take his accioÌ„ that is appoynted hiÌ„ by the law ⧠Also there is a maxime iÌ„ the law that if a villayne purchase landes the lord entre / he shall enioye the laÌ„de as his owne / but if the villayne alyene before the lorde entre / that alienacion is good And the same law is of goodes ⧠Also if a maÌ„ stele goodes to the value of .xii. d. or aboue it is felonye / and he shall dye for it And if it be vnder the value of .xii. d. then it is but petite larcinie he shall nat dye for it / but shal be otherwyse punysshed after the discrecioÌ„ of the Iuges except it be takeÌ„ fro the person / for if a maÌ„ take any thynge howe lytell so euer it be / from a maÌ„nes ê‘son felonously / it is called roberye he shall dye for it ⧠Also he that is areyned vpon an InditemeÌ„t of felonie shal be admitted iÌ„ fauoure of lyfe to chaleÌ„ge .xxxv. iurours pereÌ„torily but if he chaleÌ„ge any aboue that nombre / the law taketh hiÌ„ as one that hath refused the law because he hath refused thre hole enquestes / therfore he shal dye but with cause he may chaleÌ„ge as many as he hath cause of chaleÌ„ge to And further it is to be vnderstaÌ„de that suche peremtorie chaleÌ„ge shall nat be admitted in appeale because it is at the suyt of the partie ⧠Also the lande of euery man is in the law enclosed froÌ„ other though it lye iÌ„ the opeÌ„ felde And therfore if a maÌ„ do a trespas theriÌ„ the writ shal be quare clausuÌ„ fregit ⧠Also that reÌ„tes / coÌ„mons of pasture of turbary reuercioÌ„s remayndres / nor suche other thyngê which lye nat in manuell occupacioÌ„ may nat be gyuen nor grauÌ„ted to none other without writtynge ⧠Also that he that recouereth dette or damages in the kynges court by suche an accioÌ„ within a Capias lay in to the ê“cesse may withiÌ„ a yere after the recouerie haue a Capias ad satisfacienduÌ„ to take the bodye of the defendauÌ„t to coÌ„mit hiÌ„ to pryson tyll he haue payd the dette damagê but if there lay no Capias iÌ„ the fyrst accioÌ„ theÌ„ the pleyntyfe shall haue no Capias ad satisfacieÌ„duÌ„ / but muste take a Fierifacias or an Elegit withiÌ„ the yere or a Scire facÌ„ aft the yere or within the yere if he wyll ⧠Also if a release or confirmacioÌ„ be made to hym that at the tyme of the release made had no thynge in the laÌ„de cÌ„ the release or coÌ„firmacioÌ„ is voyde except certaiÌ„ cases as to vouchye certayne other whiche nede nat here to be remembred ⧠Also there is a maxime in the lawe of Englande that the kynge may dissease no maÌ„ / ne that no maÌ„ may dissease the kynge ne pull any reuercyon or remayndre out of hym ⧠Also the kynges excelleÌ„cie is so hygh in the law that no freholde may be gyuen to the kynge ne be deriuied from hym / but by matter of recorde ⧠Also there was somtyme a maxime a lawe in Englande that no man shulde haue a writte of right but by special suyt to the kynge And for a fyne to be made in the ChauÌ„cerie for it / but these maximes be chauÌ„ged by the statute of Magna carta the .xvi. Chapi where it is sayd thus Nulli negabimê° nulli vendemus rectum vel iusticiam And by the wordes nulli negabimus / a maÌ„ shall haue a writte of righte of course in the ChauÌ„cerie without suynge to the kynge for it And by the wordes nulli vendemê° He shall haue it without fyne and so many tymes the olde maximes of the law be chaunged by statutes ⧠Also though it be reasonable that for the many solde diuersities of accions that be in the lawes of Englande / that there shulde be diuersities of processe as in the reale accions after one maner / in personall accions after another maner yet it can nat be proued merely by reason that the same processe ought to be had none other / for by statute it might be altered And so
partie Also where there can be had no sufficieÌ„t prouffe / there can be no remedye in the Chauncerye / no more than there maye be in the spirituall courte And bycause thou haste gyuen an occasion to speke of conscience / I wolde gladly here thy oppynion where coÌ„scieÌ„ce shal be ruled after the lawe / and where the lawe shal be ruled after conscieÌ„ce ¶ Doc. And of that mater I wolde lykewyse gladly here thy oppinion / specially in cases grouÌ„dyd vpon the lawes of Enlgande / for I haue nat herde but lytell therof in tyme past / but byfore thou put any cases therof I wolde that thou woldest shewe me how those two questioÌ„s after thy oppinion are to be vnderstande ¶ Of what lawe this question is to be vnderstande that is to say / where coÌ„scieÌ„ce shal be ruled after the lawe The .xix. Chapitre STudent The lawe wherof mencion is made in this question that is to say where conscience shal be ruled by the lawe / is nat as me semeth to be vnderstande only of the lawe of reason / of the lawe of god / but also of the lawe of man that is nat contrary to the lawe of reason nor the lawe of god but that it is supperadded vnto them for the better orderynge of the comon welth / for suche a lawe of man is alwayes to be sette as a rule in coÌ„science so that it is nat lawful for no man to go fro it on the one syde ne on the other / for suche a lawe of man hath nat only the strength of mannes lawe / but also of the lawe of reason / or of the law of god / wherof it is dyriuied / for lawes made by man whiche haue receyued of god power to make lawes be made by god And therfore coÌ„scieÌ„ce muste be ordered by that lawe / as it muste be vpon the lawe of god / vpon the lawe of reason And ferthermore that lawe wherof meÌ„cion is made in the latter ende of the chapitre next byfore that is to saye in that question wherin it is asked where the lawe is to be lefte forsaken for conscience / is nat to be vnderstande of the lawe of reason nor of the lawe of god for tho two lawes maye nat be lefte / nor it is nat to be vnderstande of the lawe of man that is made in particuler cases / that is consonant to the lawe of reason / to the lawe of god / that yet that lawe shuld be lefte for coÌ„science for of suche a lawe made by man coÌ„scieÌ„ce muste be ruled / as is sayd byfore Nor it is nat to be vndepstaÌ„de of a lawe made by man coÌ„maundynge or prohybitynge any thynge to be done that is agaynste the lawe of reason or the lawe of god For if any lawe made by man / bynde any person to any thyng that is agaynste the sayd lawes / it is no lawe / but a corrupcion a manifeste errour Therfore after them that be lerned in the lawes of Englande / the sayde question that is to saye where the lawe is to be lefte for coÌ„science and where nat / is to be vnderstande in diuers maners after diuers rules / as here after shall somwhat be touched ¶ Fyrste many vnlerned persones byleue that it is lawfull for them to do with good conscience / all thynges whiche if they do them / they shall nat be punysshed therfore by the lawe / though the law doth nat warraunt them to do that they do / but onely when it is done doth nat for some reasonable coÌ„sideracion punysshe hym that dothe it / but leuyth it onely to his coÌ„science And therfore many persones do oft tymes that they shulde nat do / kepe as theyr owne that / that in coÌ„scieÌ„ce tey ought to restore / wherof there is in the lawes of Englande this case ¶ If two men haue a woode ioyntly / the one of them selleth the wood kepeth all the mony hollye to hym selfe In this case his felowe shall haue no remedye agaynste hym by the lawe / for as they whan they toke the woode ioyntlye put eche other in truste / were contented to occupy togyther so the lawe sufferyth them to ordre the profittes therof accordynge to the truste that eche of them put other in And yet if one toke all the profittes / he is bounde in coÌ„science to restore the halfe to his felowe for as the lawe gyueth hym ryght onlye to the halfe lande / so it gyueth hym ryght only in coÌ„scieÌ„ce to the halfe ê“fittes And yet neuertheles it can nat be sayd in that case / that the lawe is agaynst coÌ„science / for the lawe neyther wyllyth ne coÌ„maundyth that one shulde take all the ê“fittes / but leuyth it to theyr coÌ„science so that no defaute can be founde in the lawe / but in hym that taketh al the profittes to hym selfe may be assigned defaute / whiche is bounde in conscieÌ„ce to reforme if he wyll saue his soule / though he can nat be compelled therto by the lawe And therfore in this case other lyke / that oppinion which some haue / that they may do with coÌ„science all that they shal nat be punysshed for by the lawe if they do it / is to be lefte for coÌ„scieÌ„ce / but the lawe is nat to be lefte for conscience ☞ Addicion ⧠Also many men thynke that if a man haue laÌ„de that another hath tytle to / if he that hath the ryght shal nat by the accion that is gyuen hym by the law to recouere his ryght by recouere damagê / that then he that hath the lande is also discharged of damages in conscience and that is a great errour in conscience / for though he can nat be compelled to yelde the damagê by no mannes lawe / yet he is compelled therto by the lawe of reason by the lawe of god / wherby we be bounde to do as we wolde be done to / and that we shal nat coueyte our neyghbours good And therfore if tenant in tayle be disseased the disseasour dyeth seased / and then the heyre iÌ„ the tayle bryngeth a Formedon recoueryth the lande / no damages for the lawe gyueth hym no damage in that case yet the tenant by coÌ„scieÌ„ce is bounden to yelde damages to the heyre in tayle fro the dethe of his ancestre Also it is taken by some men / that the lawe muste be lefte for conscience where the lawe dothe nat suffre a man to denye that he hath byfore affermed in court of record / or for that he hath wylfully excluded hym selfe therof for some other cause / as if the doughter that is only heyre to her father wyll sue lyuerey with her suster that is bastarde / in that case she shall nat be after receyued to say that her suster is bastarde in so moche that if her suster take halfe the lande with her / there is no remedy agaynst her by the law And
fourth lesson the thyrde corollarie sayth that god wyl that makers of lawes iuge only of outwarde thynges reserue secrete thinges to him And so it appereth that man maye nat iuge of the inward intent of the deed / but of suche thynges as be apparaūt / certayne it is that it is nat apparaunte that there was any suche corrupte entent in the makers of the sayd statute / howe may it therfore be sayd that that lawe is good or right wyse / that nat only suffereth suche thynges agaynst the statute / but also agaynst the commaundement of god ¶ Studēt To that some answere say that whan the lande is solde a recouery is had therupon in the kīges court of recorde that it sufficeth to barre the tayle in conscience / for they saye that as the tayle was fyrste ordayned by the lawe So they saye that by the lawe it is adnulled agayne ¶ Doctoure Be thou thy self iuge if in that case there be lyke auctorite in the makynge of the tayle as there is in the adnullynge therof / for it was ordayned by auctorite of parliament / the which is alway taken for the moste hyghe court in this realme byfore any other / and it is anulled by a false supposell for that that they that be named demaundaūtes shulde haue right to the lande where in trouthe they neuer had right therto whereupō foloweth a false supposell in the writte / a false supposell in the declaracion a voucher to warraūte by couyn of suche a person as hath nothynge to yelde in value thereupon by couyn collucion of the perties foloweth the default of the vouchee by the whiche default the iugement shall be gyuen And so al that iugemente is deriuyed grounded of the vntrue supposell ouyn of the parties / whereby the lawe of realme that hath ordayned suche a writte of entre to helpe them that haue righte to landes or tenementes is defrauded the courte is desceyued the heyre is disherited as it is to doubte the byer the seller theyr heyres assignes hauing knowlege of the tayle be bounde to restitucion / and verily I haue herde many tymes / that aft the lawe of the realme suche recoueries shulde be no barre to the heyre in the tayle if the lawe of the realme might be therein indifferently harde ¶ Studēt I can nat se but that after the lawe of the realme it is a barre of the tayle / for whan the tenāt in tayle hath vouched to warrauntie / and the vouchee hathe appered entred in to the warrauntye / after hath made defaut in despite of the court whereupō iugemēt is gyuen for the demaundaunt agaynste the tenaunt / for the tenaunt that he shal recouer in value agaynst the vouchee / the heyre in the tayle shulde after brynge his forme done and recouer the landes intayled / and after vouchee purchaseth landes / than shulde the heyre also haue execucion agaynst hym to the value of the landes entayled as heyre to his auncestre that was tenaunt in the fyrst accion and so he shulde haue his owne landes / and also the landes recouered in value and therefore bycause of that presumpcion that the vouchee maye purchase landes after the iugement / some be of opinion that it is in the lawe a good barre of the tayle ¶ Doctor. I suppose that in that case thou haste put that the vouche maye barre the heyre in tayle of his recouerie in value bycause he hath recouered the fyrste landes Neuerthelesse I wyll take a respite to be aduised of that recouerye in value And if thou can yet shewe me any other consideracion why the sayde recoueries shuld stāde with conscience / I praye the let me here thy cōceyte therein / for the multitude of the said recoueries is so great that it were greate pytye that all they shuld be bounde to restitucion that haue landes by suche recoueries syth there is none that as far as I can here disposeth them to restore ¶ Student Some men make an other reason to proue that the sayde recoueries shulde be sufficient by the lawe to a voyde the state of west than if they be sufficiēt therto / they be sufficient in conscience ¶ Doctour What is theyr reason therin ¶ Student In the .vii. yere of kynge Hēry the .viii. the .iiii. chapitre amonge other thynges it is enacted / that all recouers theyr heyres assignes may aduowe and iustifie for rentes seruice and customes by them recouered as they agaynste whome they recouered mighte haue done And than they saye that whā the parliamēt gaue to suche recouerers auctorite to aduowe iustifie for suche rētes customes seruices as they recouered / that the entēt of the parliament was that suche recouers shulde haue right to that for the whiche they shulde aduowe or iustifi for els they saye that it shuld be in vayne to gyue thē suche power / that the parliament shulde els be takē in maner as fortifiers of wrōg full rules so they say that suche recouerers by reason of the sayde statute haue right the law ¶ Doctour That statute as it semeth was made onely to gyue to the recouerers a forme to aduowe iustyfie / whiche they had nat byfore though they had recoueryd vpon a good tytle And the cause why they had no forme to aduowe or iustifie byfore the sayde statute was for as moche as the recouerers dyd nat by the pretence of theyr acciō afferme the possession of him or thē agaīst whome they recouered / nor claymed nat by them / but rather disafermed and distroyed theyr astate And therfore they cā nat alege any continaunce of theyr title by thē / as they may that haue rentes or seruices / or such other of the graunt of other by dede or by fyne And therfore as it semeth the moste principall intent of that statute was that suche recouerers shuld auowe iustify for rentes seruices customes as they shulde or might do that had them by fine or dede nat hauinge any respect as it semeth whether they recouered agaynst tenaūt in fee simple or in fee tayle / nor whether the recoueries were had vpon a rightfull title And therfore as me semeth the sayd estatute neyther affermeth nor disaffermeth the title of the recoueries wherby they do aduowe for if a man had right byfore the recouerye that right shulde remayne vnto hym natwithstandynge the sayd statute so me semeth that the title of them that haue the landes entayled by suche recoueries is nothynge fortyfyed nor affermyd by the said estatute but that they are ī the same case as they were byfore what thynkest thou therin ¶ Student / this mater is great / for as thou sayste there be so many that haue tayled landes by suche recoueries / that it were great pytie heuynes to condempne so many persones to iuge that they all were bounde to restitucion For I thynke there
be but fewe ī this real me that haue landes of any notable value but that they or theyr aūcestours / or some other by whome they clayme haue had parte therof by such recoueries / In so moche that lordes spirituall tēporal knyghtes / squyres ryche men / poore / monasteries / collegies / and hospitalles haue suche landes / for suche recoueries haue ben vsed of longe tyme / who may thynke therfore without great heuines that so many men shulde be bounde to restitucion / and that yet as thou sayste / no man disposeth hym to make restitucion And so I am in maner perplexed and wot nat what to saye in this case / but that yet I truste that ignoraunce maye excuse many persons in this behalfe ¶ Doctoure Ignoraunce of the dede maye excuse / but ignoraunce of the lawe excuseth nat but it be inuincible / that is to saye that they haue done that ī them is to knowe the trouthe as to councell with lerned men and to aske thē what the lawe is in that behalfe and if they answere them that they may do this or that lawfully / than they be thereby excused in conscience / but yet in mannes lawes they be nat thereby discharged / but they that haue taken vpon them to haue knowlege of the law be nat excused by ignoraunce of the lawe / ne no more are they that haue a wilfull ignoraunce that wolde rather be ignoraunt than to know the trouth And therfore they will nat dispose them to aske any councell in it / if it be of a thynge that is agaynste the lawe of god / or the lawe of reason / no man shal be excused by ignoraunce / and to there be but fewe that be excused by ignoraūce ¶ Studēt what than shall we condempne so many so no table men ¶ Doctoure We shall nat condempne them / but we shall shewe them theyr peryll ¶ Student yet I truste that theyr daunger is nat so greate that they shulde be bounde to restitucion For Iohā Gerson sayth in the sayd boke called Devintate ecclesiastica consideracione secunda / quod cōmunie error facitius That is to saye a common errour maketh a right / of whiche wordes as it semeth some trust maye be had / that though it were fully admitted that the sayd recoueries were fyrst had vpon an vnlawfull grounde and agaynste the good ordre of conscience that yet neuertheles for as moche as they haue ben vsed of longe tyme / so that they haue ben taken of diuers men that haue ben righte well lerned in maner as for a lawe / that the byers partly be excused so that they be nat bounde to restituciō And moreouer it is certeyn that that statute of westm̄ the. 2 nor none other statute made by mā cā nat be of greater vertue or strength / thā was the bonde of matrimonie that was ordayned by god And though that bonde of matrimoni was indissoluble / yet neuertheles Moyses suffred a byll of refusell to the Iewes / whiche in latine is called Libellū repudu / and so they mighte thereby forsake theyr wyfes As it appereth Deutro xxiii therefore lyke as a dispensacion was sufred agaynst that bōde / so it semeth it may be agaynst this statute ¶ Doctour as to that reason that thou haste laste made of a byll of refusell / let all purchasours of lāde here what our lorde sayth in the Gospell to the Iewes of that byll of refusell Mathei xix where he sayth thus / To the hardnes of iour hertes / Moyses suffred you to leue your wyfes / for at the begynnynge it was nat so / of whiche wordes Doctours holde commonly that thoughe suche a byll of refusell was lawfull so that they that refused theyr wyfes therby / shulde be without payne in the lawe / that yet it was neuer lawfull so that it shuld be with out synne And so likewyse it may be sayd in this case / that suche recoueries be suffred for the hardnes of the hertes of Englisshemen / whiche desyre lande possessions with so great gredynes that they cā nat be withdrawne from it neyther by the lawe of god / nor by the lawe of the realme And therefore that ryche men shulde nat take the possessions of poore mē from thē by power without coloure of title / that is to saye eyther by open disseson / or by the onely sale of the tenaunte in tayle so to holde them agaynste the expresse wordes of the statute / suche recoueryes haue ben suffred And though for theyr great multitude they maye haplye be without payne as to the lawe of the realme yet it is to feare that they be nat without offence as agaynst god / as to thy other reason that a common errour shulde make a right those wordes as me semeth be to be thus vnderstande / that a custome vsed agaynst the lawe of man shal be taken in some coūtres for lawe if the people be suffred so to continue And yet some mē call suche a custome an errour bycause that the continuance of that custome agaynst the lawe was partlye an errour in the people / for that that they wolde nat obey to the law that was made by theyr superiours to the contrarye of that custome but it is to be vnderstande that the sayd recoueries though they haue ben longe vsed may nat be taken to haue the strength of a custome / for many as well lerned as vnlerned haue alwaye spokē agaynste thē and yet do And furthermore as I haue herde say a custome or a p̄scripcion in this realme agaynste the statutes of the realme preuayle nat in the lawe ¶ Studēt though a custome in this realme preuayleth nat agaynst a statute as to the lawe / yet it semeth that it may preuayle agaynste the statute in conscience / for though ignoraunce of a statute excuseth nat in the lawe / neuertheles it may excuse in conscience / so it semeth that it may do of a custome ¶ Doctoure But it suche recoueries can nat be brought in to a lawful custome in the lawe / it semeth they maye nat be brought in to a custome in conscience / for conscience muste alway be groūded vpon some lawe in this case it can nat be grounded vpon the lawe of reason / nor vpon the lawe of god and therefore if the lawe of man serue nat / there is no groūde wherupon conscience in this case may be grounded / at the begynnynge of suche recoueries they were taken to be goood / bycause the lawe shuld warraunt them to be good and nat by reason of any custome and so if the reason of the lawe wyll nat serue in tho recoueries / the custome cā nat helpe for an euyll custome is to be put awaye And therfore me semeth that tho recoueries be nat without offence against god / thoughe haplye for theyr great multitude / and that there shulde nat be as it were a subuersion of
rayle / nor the righte of entre that is gyuen by the statute / so as me semeth his nexte heyre maye therefore entre ¶ Student As I perceyue all thy dowte is in this case bycause the assent of the heyre was after the recouerie / for if it hadde ben at the tyme of the recouerie as if the heyre had ben vouched to warrantye in the same recouerie and he had enterred and thereupon the Iugemente had be gyuen thou agreest well / that that recouerye shulde haue auoyded the tayle for euer ¶ Doctoure That is true for it is in the expresse wordes of the statute / but whan the assente is after the recouerye / than me thynketh it is nat so / ne that the right of the fyrste tayle / whiche was reuyed by the sayde statute shall nat be extincte by his fyne / no more than it shall in other tayles ¶ Student I wyll be aduised vpon thy opinion in this mater / but yet one thynge wolde I moue ferther vpō this statute and that is this Some saye that by this statute all other recoueries that haue ben had / ouer and beside these recoueries of 〈◊〉 be affermed / for they say that syth the parliamēt at the makīg of this statute / knewe well that many other recoueries were than vsed and had to defete tayles and that it was lyke that they wolde so continue / which neuertheles the parliament dyd nat prohibite for the time to come as it dyde the sayde recoueries of ioyntours that it is therefore to suppose that they thought that they shulde stāde with lawe and consciēce but bycause iointoures were made rather for the sauynge of the inheritaunce of the husbande / than to destroy the inheritaunce / they say that the parliament thought and adiuged the alienacions and recoueries of suche ioyntours to be agaynste the lawe and consciēce and nat the alienacion of other landes entayled / for if they had they say / that the parliament wolde haue aduoyded recoueries of tayled landes generally aswell as it dyd of recoueries of ioyntoures ¶ Doctoure As to that opinion I wyll answere the thus for this tyme / that though that the makers of the sayde estatute onely put awaye recoueries of ioyntoures / and nat other recoueries that yet it can nat be taken therfore that theyr entent was that the other recoueries shulde stande good and perfite / for they speke thā onely of ioyntours bycause there was no complaynte made in the parliament at that tyme / but agaynst recoueries had of ioyntours / and therfore it semeth that they intended nothynge concernynge other recoueries but that they shulde be of the same effecte as they were byfore and no otherwyse And that will appere more playnly thus / though the makers of the sayd estatute entended to put awaye and adnull suche recoueries as shulde be made of ioyntours after a certayne day limitted in the statute / that yet they entended nat to aduoyde ne afferme suche recoueries of ioyntours as were passed byfore that tyme if they intended nat to aduoyde ne afferme the recoueries had of ioyntoures byfore that tyme than howe can it be taken that they intended to put awaye or afferme other recoueries that were passed byfore that tyme and nat of ioyntours / that wolde nat afferme ne put awaye recoueries passed of ioyntoures byfore that time And so as it semeth they intended to spare the multitude of them that were passed of bothe and nat to comforte any to take them after that tyme. ¶ Student I am contente thy oppinion stande for this tyme / and I wyll aske the another question ☞ The .vi. question of the Student / concernynge tayled landes The .xxxii. Chapitre STudent If tenaunt in tayle be disseased / and dye and an auncestre collaterall to the heyre in tayle release with a warrauntye and dye / and the warrātye descendeth vpō the heyre in the tayle / whether is he thereby barred in conscience / as he is in the law ¶ Doctour Bycause our principall intēt at this tyme is to speke of recoueries and nat of warrāties and also bycause it hath ben of longe tyme takē for a principall maxime of the law that it shuld be a barre to the heyre as well that claymeth by a fee simple as by a state tayly / and for that also that it was nat put away by the sayde statute of westminster the .i. which ordayned the tayle I wil nat at this time make the an answere then / but will take a respite to be aduised ¶ Student Than I praye the yet or we departe shewe me what was the moste principall cause that moued the so moue this question of recoueries had of tayled landes ¶ Doctour This moued me thereto / I haue perceyued many tymes that there be many dyuers oppinions of those recoueries whether they stande with conscience or nat / that it is to dowte that many persones rē into offence of conscience thereby And therefore I thought to fele thy mynde in them whether I coulde perceyue that it were clere / that they serued to breke the tayle in lawe conscience / or that it were clerely agaynste conscience so to breke the the tayle / or that it were a mater in dowt and if it appered a matter in dowte / or that it appered that the matter were vsed clerely agaynste conscience / than I thoughte to do somwhat to make the mater appere as it is to the intent that they that haue the rewle and the charge ouer the people as well the spirituall men as temporall men / shulde the rather endeuer them to se it reformed for the common welth of the people / as well in bodye as in soule For whan any thynge is vsed to the displesure of god / it hurreth nat onelye the body but also the soule And tēporall rewlers haue nat onely cure of the bodyes / but also of the soules / and shall answere for them if they perysshe ī theyr defaute and bycause it semeth by the more apparaunt reason that the tayles be nat brokē ne fully auoyded by the sayd recoueries / that yet neuertheles the great multitude of thē that be passed is righte moche to be pondered Therefore it were very good to prohibite them for tyme to come / to put awaye suche ambiguities and dowtes as ryse now by occasion of the sayde recoueries / and so they be but as snares to deceyue the people / and so wyll they be as longe as they be suffered to continue And me thynketh verily that it were therfore right expediēt that tayled landes shulde from hensforthe eyther be made so stronge in the lawe that the tayle shulde nat be brokē by recouerie fyne with proclamacion collaterall warrantye nor otherwyse / or els that all tayls shulde be made fee simple / so that euery man that liste to sell his lande mighte sell it by his bare feoffement and without any scriple or gruge of conscience thā
the waste ¶ StudeÌ„t ye verely ¶ Doct. And what is the lawe of tenantes for tme of lyfe or for tme of yeres if they do waste ¶ Student They be punysshable of wast by the statute shall yelde treble damagê / but at the comon lawe before that statute they were nat punysshable ¶ Doctour But whether thynkest thou that before that statute they myght haue done waste with conscieÌ„ce bycause they were nat punysshable by the law StudeÌ„t I thynke nat / for as I take it the doyng of the wast of suche particuler tenantes for terme of lyfe / for terme of yeres / or of tenantes in dower / or by the curtesye is prohibite by the lawe of reason / for it semeth of reason that whan suche leases be made / or that suche tytles in dower or by the curtesy be gyuen by the lawe that there is onely gyueÌ„ vnto them the annuall ê“fites of the lande and nat the houses trees the grauel to dygge cary away / wherby the hole ê“fite of them in the reuercion shulde be taken away for euer And therfore at the comon lawe for waste done by tenant in dower or tenant by the curtesy there was punysshemeÌ„t ordeyned by the lawe by a ê“hibicion of waste wherby they shulde haue yelded damages to the value of the waste But agaynst tenant for terme of lyfe or for tme of yeres lay no suche ê“hibicion / for there was no maxime iÌ„ the lawe therin agaynst them as there was agaynste the other And I thynke the cause was for as moche as it was iuged a folye in the lessour that made suche a lease for terme of lyfe / or for terme of yeres that at the tyme of the lessee he dyd nat prohibite them that they shulde nat do waste / and sythe he dyd nat prouide no remedye for hym selfe the lawe wolde none ê“uide But yet I thynke nat that the intent of the lawe was that they myght lawfully with good coÌ„scieÌ„ce do waste / but agaynst tenantes in dower by the curtesye the lawe prouided remedy for they had theyr tytle vy the lawe Do. And verely me thynketh that this tenant in tayle as to doyng of waste / shuld be lyke to a tenaunt for terme of lyfe / for he shall haue the lande no lenger than for terme of his lyfe no more thaÌ„ a tenant for terme of lyfe shall / and the waste of this tenant is as great hurte to hym in the reuercion or remayndre / as is the waste of a tenant for terme of lyfe and if he alyene / the donoure shall entre for the forfeyture as he shall vpon the alyenacion of a tenant for terme of lyfe / and if he make defaute in a Precipe ê™ reddat the donour shal be receyued as he shal be vpon the defaute of a tenant for terme of lyfe / and therfore me thynketh he shal also be punysshable of wast / as tenant for terme of lyfe shall ¶ Student If he alyen the donour shal entre / as thou sayst bycause that alyenacion is to his disheritance / and therfore it is a forfeyture of his estate and that is by an auncient maxime of the lawe that gyueth that forfeyture in that selfe case / and if he make defaute in a PrecÌ„ ê™ redd he in the reuercion / as thou sayest shal be receyued / but that is by the statute of West .ii. for at the comon lawe ther was no suche receyt / and as for the statute that gyueth the accion of waste agaynst a tenant for terme of lyfe and for terme of yeres it is a statute penall shall nat be taken by equite / so there is no remedy gyuen agaynste hym / neyther by comon lawe nor by statute / as there is agaynste tenant for terme of lyfe / therfore he is vnpunysshable of waste by the lawe ¶ Doctour And thoughe he be vnpunysshable of waste by the lawe yet neuerthelesse me thynketh he maye nat by conscieÌ„ce do that / that shal be hurtefull to the inheritaunce after his tyme / sythe he hathe the lande but for terme of his lyfe no more than a tenaunte for terme of lyfe may / for than he shulde do as he wolde nat be done to / for thou agreest thy selfe that thoughe a tenaunt for terme of lyfe was nat punysshable of wast before the statute that yet the lawe iuged nat that he myght ryghtfully with good conscieÌ„ce do wast And therfore at this day if a feffement be made to the vse af a man for terme of lyfe / thoughe there lye no accion agaynst hym for waste / yet he offendeth conscience if he do waste as the tenaunte for terme of lyfe dydde afore the statute whan no remedye lay agaynste hym by the lawe ¶ Stud. That is true / but there is great diuersite bytwene this tenant a tenant for terme of lyfe for this tenaunt hath good authorite by the donour to do waste / so hathe nat the tenaunte for terme of lyfe / as it is sayd before For the estate of a tenaunt in tayle after possibilite of yssue extyncte is in this maner Whan landes be gyuen to a man to his wyfe and to the heyres of theyr two bodyes begotten / and after the one of them dyeth without heyres of their bodyes begotten / than he or she that ouerlyueth / is called tenant in tayle after possibilite of yssue extyncte / bycause there can neuer by no possibilite be any heyre that may inheryte by force of that gyfte And thus it apereth that the donees at the tyme of the gyfte receyued of the donour estate of enheritance / which by possibilite might haue continued for euer / wherby they had power to cut downe trees to do all thiÌ„ge that is wast / as tenant iÌ„ fee simple myght and that authorite was as stronge in the lawe as if the lessour that maketh a lease for terme of lyfe say by expresse wordes in the lease that the lesse shall nat be punysshable of waste And therfore if the donour in this case had graunted to the donees that they shulde nat be punisshable of wast that graunt had ben voyde bycause it was included in the gyfte before as it shulde be vpon a gyfte in fe simple so for as moch as by the fyrste gyfte and by the lyuere of season made vpon the same the donees had authorite by the donour to do waste Therfore though the one of the donees be nowe deed without yssue / so that it is certayne that after the dethe of the other the lande shall reuerte to the donour / yet the authorite that they had by the donour to do waste coÌ„tinueth as longe as the gyfte and the lyuerey of season made vpon the same coÌ„tinueth and I take this to be the reason why he shal nat haue in ayde as tenaunt for terme of lyfe shal / that is to say / for that he can nat aske helpe of that maxime
hym no disobedience / for a disobedience implieth a knowelege of that he shulde haue obeyed vnto ¶ Student It semeth iÌ„ this case that he shulde be coÌ„pelled to take knowlege of the sute at his peryll / for sythe he hathe atteÌ„pted to offeÌ„de the lawe it semeth reasoÌ„ that he shal be compelled to take hede what the lawe wyll do agaynst hym for it / and nat onely that but that he shulde rather offre amendes for his trespasse than for to tary tyll he were sued for it And so it semeth the ignoraunce of the sute is of his owne defaute / specially syth iÌ„ the lawe is set suche ordre that euery man may knowe if he wyll what sute is taken agaynst hym / and may se the recordes therof whan he wyll / so it semeth that neyther the partye nor the lawe be nat bounden to gyue hym no knowlege therin And ouer this I wolde somwhat moue ferther in this mater thus That though the accioÌ„ were vntrue / the defendauÌ„t nat gylthy / that yet the goodes be forfeyted to the kyng for his nat apparauÌ„ce in lawe also in conscieÌ„ce / that for this cause / the kyng as souereyne hed of the lawe is bouÌ„den of iustice to grauÌ„t such writtes and such ê“cesses as be oppoynted in the lawe to euery ê‘sone that wyll complayne be his surmyse true or false / there vpon the kynge of iustice oweth as well to make processe to bryng the defendaunt to answere whaÌ„ he is nat gyltye as whan he is gyltie / thaÌ„ whaÌ„ there is no maxime in the lawe that if a man be outlawed in suche maner as before apê‘eth that he shall forfayte all his goodes to the kynge / maketh no excepcioÌ„ whether the accioÌ„ be true or vntrue / it semeth that the sayd maxime more regardeth the generall ministracion of iustice than the particuler ryght of the party that therfore the property by the outlawry by the sayd maxime ordeyned for ministracion of iustice is altered and is gyuen to the kynge as byfore appereth / that both in lawe and coÌ„science as wel as if the accion were true And than the ê‘tie that is so outlawed is dryuen to sue for his remedy agaynste hym that hath so caused hym to be outlawed vpon an vntrue accioÌ„ ¶ Doct. If he haue nat sufficient to make recompence or dye before recouere can be had / what remedy is than ¶ Student I thynke no remedy / and for a ferther declaracion in this case and in suche other lyke cases where the propertie of goodes maye be altered without asseÌ„t of the owner it is to coÌ„sydre that the ê“pertie of goodê be nat gyueÌ„ to the owners directly by the law of reason nor by the lawe of god but by the lawe of man / is suffred by the lawe of reason by the law of god so to be For at the begynnyng al goodê were in comoÌ„ / but after they were brought by the lawe of man into a certeyne ê“pertie so that euery man myght knowe his owne thaÌ„ whan such ê“pertie is gyueÌ„ by the law of maÌ„ the same lawe may assigne such coÌ„dicioÌ„s vpoÌ„ the ê“pertie as it lysteth / so they be nat agaynst the lawe of god ne the lawe of reason / and may lawfully take away that it gyueth / appoynt howe longe the ê“perty shall continue And one coÌ„dicioÌ„ that goeth with euery ê“perty iÌ„ this realme is if he that hathe the ê“perty be outlawed accordyng to such proces as is ordeyned by the lawe / that he shal forfayte the propertie vnto the kyng / and diuerse other cases there be also wher by propertie in goodê shal be altered in the lawe and the ryght in landes also without assente of the owner / wherof I shall shortely touche some without laynge any aucthorite therin / for the more shortnes Fyrst by a sale in open marked the propertie is altered Also goodes stolen and seased for the kynge or weyued be forfaite oneles appelle or enditement be sued Also strayes if they be proclaymed and be nat after claymed by the owner within the yere be forfayte / also a deodand is forfayte to whome so euer the property was byfore / except it belonged to the kynge and shal be disposed for the soule of hym that was slayne therwith and a fyne with a nonclayme at the comoÌ„ lawe was a barre if claime were nat made within a yere as it is nowe by statute if the clay We be nat made withiÌ„ .v. yeres And al these forfaytures were ordeyned by the lawe vpon certayne consideracions whiche I omit at this tyme / but certeyne it is that none of theÌ„ was made vpoÌ„ a better coÌ„sideracion than this forfayture of outlagary was For if no especiall punisshemeÌ„t shulde haue ben ordeyned for offenders that wolde absent them selfe nat appere whan they were sued in the kyngê courtes many sutes in the kinges courtes shulde haue ben of smale effecte And sythe this maxime was ordeyned for the execucion of Iustice and as moche done therin by the comon lawe as policie of maÌ„ coulde reasonably deuise to make the partie haue knowelege of the sute and nowe is added therto by the statute made the syxte yere of kynge Hnry the .viii. that a writte of proclamacion shal be sued if the partie be dwellynge in a nother shyre / it semeth that such title as is gyueÌ„ to the kyng therby is good in coÌ„scieÌ„ce / especially seyng that the kyng is bounden to make processe vpon the surmyse of the playntyfe may nat examine but by the ple of the partie whether the surmyse be true or nat But if the partie be retourned .v. tymes called where in dede hf was neuer called as in the seconde case oe the laste Chapitre of the sayd dialogue iÌ„ latyne is conteyned / than it semeth the partie shall haue good remedy by petition to the kynge / specially if he that made the returne be nat sufficient to make recoÌ„pence or dye byfore recouere can be had ¶ Doct. Nowe syth I haue herde thyne opinion in this case wherby it appereth that many thyngê muste be sene or a ful and a playne declaracion can be made in this behalfe / seyng also that the plaine answere to this case shall gyue a great lyght to dyuerse other cases that may come by suche forfeyture I pray the gyue me a ferther respyte or that I shewe the my ful opinion therin / and here after I shall ryght gladly do it And therfore I pray the procede nowe to some other case ⧠The thyrde question of the student The fourth Chapitre STudent If a straunger do waste in laÌ„des that a nother holdeth for terme of lyfe without assent af the tenaunt for terme of lyfe wether may he in the reuercion recouer treble damages and the place wasted agaynste the tenaunt for terme of lyfe accordyng to the statute in conscience as he may by the lawe if
the straunger be nat sufficient to make recompence for the wast done ¶ Doctoure Is the lawe clere in this case that he in the reuercion shal recouer agaynst the tenauÌ„t for terme of lyfe thoughe that he assented nat to the doyng of the wast ¶ Student ye verely / and yet if the tenauÌ„t for terme of lyfe had ben bouÌ„den in an obligacion in a certeyne suÌ„me of money that he shulde do no waste he shuld nat forfayt his boÌ„de by the wast of a strauÌ„ger / and the diuersite is this It hathe ben vsed as an auncient maxime in the lawe that tenaunt by the curtesy and tenauÌ„t in dower shuld take the lande with this charge / that is to saye / that they shulde do no waste them selfe ne suffre none to be done / and whan an accion of wast was gyuen after agaynst a tenaunt for terme of lyfe thaÌ„ was he taken to be in the same case as to that poynt of waste as tenaunt by the curtesy and tenaunt in dower was / that is to saye / that he shulde do no waste nor suffre none to be done / for there is a nother maxime in the lawe of Englande that all cases lyke vnto other cases shal be iuged aft the same lawe as the other cases be syth no resoÌ„ of diuersite can be assigned why thete naÌ„t for terme of lyfe after an accioÌ„ of wast was gyueÌ„ agaynst hiÌ„ shuld haue any more fauour iÌ„ the lawe thaÌ„ the tenaÌ„t by the curtesie or tenauÌ„t iÌ„ dower shuld / therfore be is put vnd the same maxime as they be / that is to say / that he shall do no wast ne suffre none to be done / and so it semethe that the lawe in this case dothe nat considre the abilite of the persone that dothe the waste whether he be able to make recompeÌ„ce for the wast or nat But the assent of the sayd tenauntes wherby they haue wylfully taken vpon theÌ„ the charge to se that no wast shal be done ¶ Doctor I haue herde that if houses of these tenauntes be destroyed with sodeyne tempest or with straunge enemies that they shall nat be charged with wast ¶ Student Trouthe it is ¶ Doct. And I thynke the reason is bycause they can haue no recouere ouer ¶ Student I take nat that for the reason but that it is an olde reasonable maxime iÌ„ the lawe that they shuld be discharged iÌ„ those cases / how be it some wyll saye that in those cases the lawe of reason doth discharge them therfore they saye that if a statute were made that they shulde be charged in those cases of wast that the statute were agaynst reason and nat to be obserued / but yet neuertheles I take it nat so / for they myght refuse to take suche estate if they wolde / and if they wyll take the state after the lawe made it semeth reasonable that they take it with the charge and with the condicion that is appoynted therto by the lawe thoughe hurte myght folowe to theÌ„ afterward therby / for it is oftentymes sene iÌ„ the lawe that the lawe doth suffre him to haue hurt without helpe of the lawe that wyll wylfully renne into it of his owne acte nat coÌ„pelled therto and aiugeth it is folly so to renne into it / for whiche folly he shall also be many tymes without remedy in conscience As if a man take landes for terme of lyfe and byndeth hym selfe by obligacion that he shall leue the lande in as good case as he founde it / if the houses be after bloweÌ„ downe with tempest or destroyed with straunge enemies as in the case that thou hast put byfore he shal be bouÌ„de to repayre them or els he shall forfayte his obligacioÌ„ in lawe conscience bycause it is his owne acte to bynde hiÌ„ to it / yet the lawe wolde nat haue bounde hym therto as thou hast sayd byfore So me thiÌ„keth that the cause why the sayd tenauntes be discharged in the lawe in an accion of wast whaÌ„ the houses be destroyed by sodeyne tempest or by straunge enemyes is by a speciall reasonable maxime in the lawe / wherby they be excepted fro the other generall bonde byfore reherced / that is to saye they shall at theyr peryl se that no waste shal be done and nat by the lawe of reason / and syth there is no maxime in this case to helpe this tenaunt ne that he can nat be holpeÌ„ by the lawe of reason / it semeth that he shal be charged in this case by his owne acte bothe in lawe conscience whether the straunger be able to recompence hym or nat ¶ Doctour I doute iÌ„ this case whether the maxime that thou spekest of be reasonable or nat / that is to say / that tenauntes by the curtesye tenauntes in dower were bounden by the comon lawe lawe that they shulde do no waste them selfe / and ouer that at theyr peryll to se that no waste shulde be done by none other For that lawe semeth nat reasonable that byndeth a man to an impossibilite And it is impossible to preuent that no wast shal be done by straungers / for it may be sodeynly done iÌ„ the nyght that the tenauÌ„tê can haue no notice of / or by great power that they be nat able to resyste / and therfore me thiÌ„keth they ought nat to be charged in those cases for the waste / without they may haue good remedy ouer and thaÌ„ percase the sayd maxime were sufferable / els my thynketh it is maxime agaiÌ„st reason ¶ StudeÌ„t As I haue sayd before no man shal be compelled to take that boÌ„de vpon hym but he that wyll take the lande and if he wyll take the lande it is reasoÌ„ he take the charge as the lawe hath appoynted with it / and thaÌ„ if any hurte growe to hym therby it is throughe his owne acte and his owne assent / for he myght haue refused the lease if he wolde ¶ Doctoure Thoughe a man may refuse to take estate for terme of lyfe or for terme of yeres / and a womaÌ„ may refuse to take her dower yet tenauÌ„t by the curtesy can nat refuse to take his estate for immedeatly after the deth of his wyfe the possession abideth styll iÌ„ hym by the acte of the lawe without entre / and thaÌ„ I put the case that after the deth of his wyfe he wolde weyue the possessioÌ„ after wast were done by a strauÌ„ger whether thiÌ„kest thou that he shuld answere to the wast ¶ Stu. I thynke he shulde by the lawe ¶ Doct. And howe staÌ„deth that with reasoÌ„ / seyng there is no defaut iÌ„ hiÌ„ ¶ Stu. It was his defaut / at his owne peryll that he wolde marye an enheritrice whervpon such dauÌ„ger myght folowe ¶ Doc. I put case that he were withiÌ„ age at the mariage or that the laÌ„de disceÌ„ded to his wyfe aft he maried her Stu. there thou mouest a 〈◊〉 doute than the fyrste question is /
thynketh iÌ„ this case that the feoffe oughte in coÌ„scyence to paye the damages fro the deth of her husband seinge that immediately after his deth she ought too haue her dower ¶ Student Thoughe she oughte too be endowed immediately after the dethe of her husbande / yet she can lay no defaute in the feoffe tyll she demaunde her dower vppon the grounde / and that the tenaunte be not there too assigne it / or if he be there that he wyl not assigne it / for he that hath the possessyon of lande whervnto any womaÌ„ hath tytle of dower hath good auctorytye as agaynste her to take the ê“fytes tyll she requyre her dower for euery womaÌ„ that demaundeth dower affermeth the possessyon of the tenaunt as agaynste her and therfore all thoughe she recouer it by accyoÌ„ she leueth the reuercyon alwey in him agaynst whome she recouereth thoughe he be a dysseasour bryngeth nat the reuercyon by her recouery to hym that hath righte as other tenauntes for terme of lyfe do And for this reason it is that the tenaunte in a wrytte of dower where the husbande dyed seased if he appere the fyrst day may saye to excuse hymselfe of damages that he is and all tymes hathe ben redy to yelde dower if it had ben demaunded / so he shall nat be receyued to do iÌ„ a wryt ofcosynage nether iÌ„ the case that thou remembrest aboue / for in bothe cases the renauntes be supposed by the wrytte to be wronge doers / but it is nat so in this case / and so me thynketh it clere that the feoffe iÌ„ this case shall nether be bounde by lawe nor conscience to yelde damages for the tyme that passed byfore the requeste / but for the tyme after the requeste is greater doute / howe be it some thynketh hym nat there bounde to yelde damages bycause his tytle is good as is sayd byfore and that it is her defaute that she brought nat her accyon ¶ Doctour As vnto the tyme byfore the requeste I holde me contente with thyne opinion so that he assigne the dower whan he is required / but whan he refuseth to assigne it than I thynke hym bounde in conscience to yelde damages for bothe tymes though he shall none recouer by the lawe And fyrste as for the tyme after the refusell it appereth euidentely that whan he denied to assigne her dower he dyd agaynste conscieÌ„ce / for he dyd nat that of ryght to haue done by the lawe / ne as he wolde shulde haue ben done to him / and so after the request he holdeth her dower fro her wrongfully ought in conscience to yelde damages therfore And as to the defaute that thou assignest in her that she toke nat her accioÌ„ / that forceth lytel for accioÌ„s nede nat / but where the partie wyll nat do that he ought to do of ryght And for that he ought of right to haue done and dyd it nat / he can take none aduauntage / and than as to the damages byfore the request me thynketh hym also bounden to paye theÌ„ / for whan he was requyred to assygne dower and refused It appereth that he neuer inteÌ„ded to yelde dower fro the begynnyng / so he is a wrong doer in his owne coÌ„science / and more ouer if the husbande dye seased the lawe is such that if the tenaunt refuse to assigne dower whan he is requyred wherfore the womaÌ„ bryngeth a wrytte of dower agaynst him / that in that case the woman shall recouer damages as wel for the tyme byfore the request as after / and yet he ought nat iÌ„ that case after thyne opinioÌ„ to haue yelded any maner of damages if he had ben redy to assigne dower whan it was demaunded / and so me thynketh here ¶ Studente The cause in that case that thou haste put is for that the statute is general that the demauÌ„dauÌ„t shall recouer damages where the husbande dyed seased / and that statute hathe ben alwaye construed that where the tenaunt maye nat saye that he is and hathe ben alway redy to yelde dower cÌ„ that the demaundaunt shall recouer damages fro the dethe of her husbande But in this case there is no law of the realme that helpeth for the damaundauÌ„t neyther comon lawe nor statut / forthermore though it myght be proued by his refusell that he neuer entended fro the deth of the husbande to assigne her dower yet that proueth nat / but that he had good ryght to take the ê“fites of her thyrde parte for the tyme as well as he had of his owne two partes tyl request be made as is afore sayd / and so me thynketh that nat withstandyng the denyer he is nat bounde to yelde damagê in this case but fro the tyme of the request / and nat for the tyme byfore ¶ Doctoure For this tyme I am content with thy reason ⧠The .xii. question of the student The .xiiii. Chapitre STudent A maÌ„ seased of certayne landê knowyng that an other hath good ryght and tytle to them leuieth a fyne with proclamacion to the entent he wolde extyncte the ryght of the other man / the other man makethe no clayme within the .v. yeres / whether may he that leuyed the fyne holde the lande in coÌ„scieÌ„ce as he may do by the lawe ¶ Doctoure By this question it semeth that thou doste agre that if he that leuyeth the fyne had no knowlege of the other mannes ryght that his ryght shulde than be extyncted by the fyne in conscience ¶ Student ye verely / for thou dydest shewe a reasoneble cause why it shulde be so in oure fyrste dialogue in latyne the .xxiiii. Chapitre as there appereth But if he that leuyeth a fyne and that wolde extyncte the ryghte of an other / knowynge that the other hathe more ryghte than he than I doute therin for I take thyne opinion in our fyrste dialogue to be vnderstaÌ„de in conscience where he that wolde extincte former ryghtes by suche a fyne with proclamacioÌ„ knoweth nat of any former tytle but for his more surety if any suche former ryght be he taketh the remedy that is ordeyned by the lawe ¶ Doctoure Whether dost thou meane in this case that thou puttest now that he that hath right knoweth of the fyne and wylfully lettethe the .v. yere pas without claime or that he knoweth nat any thynge of the fyne ¶ Student I pray the let me knowe thyne opinion in bothe cases and whether thou thinke that he that hathe ryght be barred in eyther of the cases by conscience as he is by the law or nat ¶ Doctour I wyll with good wyl here after shewe me thy mynde therin / but at this tyme I praye the gyue a lytell sparyng and procede nowe for this tyme to some other question ⧠The .xiii. question of the student The .xv. Chapitre STudent A man seased of certayne landes in fee hath a doughter whiche is his heyre apparauÌ„te / the doughter taketh a
/ yet I meruayle howe suche an vse may be reserued against a fyne that is one of the hyghest recordes that is in the law / and is taken in the lawe of so hyghe effecte that it shulde make an ende of all stryffes / or agaynst a recouere that is ordeyned in the lawe for them that be wronged to recouer theyr ryght by / and me thiÌ„keth that great encoÌ„uenience and hurte may folowe whan suche recordes may so lyghtly be auoyded by a secrete intente or vse of the ê‘ties and by a nude and bare auerment and mater in dede / and specially sythe suche a mater in dede maye be aleged that is nat true wherby may rise great strife bytwene the parties / and great coÌ„fusion and vncertaynte in the lawe / but neuertheles sythe our intente is nat at this tyme to treate of that mater I pray the touche shortly some of the causes why there hath ben so many persones put in estate of landes to the vse of other as there hathe ben / for as I here say / fewe men be sole seased of theyr owne landes ¶ Student There hath ben many causes therof / of the whiche some be put away by diuerse statutê / and some remayne yet / wherfore thou shalte vnderstande that some haue put theyr lande in feoffent secretely to the inteÌ„t that they that haue ryght to the lande shuld nat knowe agaynst whome to bryng theyr accion / that is moche what remedied by diuerse statutes that gyue accioÌ„s agaynst pernours and takers of the profites And somtyme suche feoffemeÌ„tes of trust haue ben made to haue mayntenaunce and berynge of theyr feoffes / whiche peraduenture were great lordes or rulers in the countreye / and therfore to put a way suche mayntenaunce treble damagê be gyuen by statute against theÌ„ that make suche feoffementes for mayntenauÌ„ce And soÌ„tyme they were made to the vse of mort mayne whiche myght than be made with out forfayture thoughe it were prohibite that the freeholde myght nat be gyuen in mortmayne But that is put away by the statute of Rycharde the seconde And somtyme they were made to defraude the lordes of wardê / relyefs / harryots / and of the landes of theyr vylleyns / but those poiÌ„tes be put away by diuerse statutes made iÌ„ the tyme of kynge Henry the .vii. Somtyme they were made to auoyde execucions vpon statutes Staple / Statute MarchauÌ„te / Recognisaunce / and remedy is prouided for that that a maÌ„ shall haue execucion of all suche landes as any persone is seased of to the vse of hym that is so bounde at the tyme of execucion sued iÌ„ the .xix. yere of H. the .vii. And yet remayne feoffementes / fynes / and recoueres in vse for many other causes / in maner as many as there dyd byfore the sayde estatutes And one cause is why they be yet thus vsed is to put away tenauncy by the curtesy and tytles of dower An other cause is for that landê in vse shall nat be put in execucion vpon a statute staple / statute marchaunt / nor recognisaunce / but suche as be in the handê of the recognisour tyme of the execucion sued And somtyme landê be put iÌ„ vse that they shulde nat be put in execucion vpon a wryt of Extendi facias ad valenciaÌ„ And somtyme suche vses be made that he to whose vse cÌ„ may declare his wyl theron / somtyme for surety of diuerse couenauntes in indentures / of mariage / other bargains / and these two last articles be the chyefe principal causes why so moche laÌ„de is put in vse Also landê in vse be no asses neyther in a Fourmedone nor in an accion of Det agaynste the heyre ne they shall nat be put in execucion by an Elegit sued vpon a recouere as some men say and these be the very chyefe causes as I nowe remeÌ„bre why so moche lande standeth iÌ„ vse as there doth / and all the sayd vses be reserued by the intente of the parties vnderstande or agreed bytwene them / and that many tymes dyrectely agaynst the wordes of feoffement / fyne / or recouere / and that is done by the lawe of reason as is aforesayd ¶ Doctour May nat an vse be assigned to a straunger as well as to be reserued to the feoffour if the feoffour so appoynted it vpon his feoffement ¶ Student yes as well / in lykewyse to the feoffe and that vpon a fre gyfte without any bargayne or recompence if the feoffour so wyl ¶ Doctour What if no feoffement be made but that a man grauÌ„t to his feoffe that fro thens forthe he shall stande seased to his owne vse / is nat the vse chaunged though there be no recompence ¶ Student I thynke yes for there was an vse in Esse byfore the gyfte whiche he may as lawfully gyue away as he myght the lande if he had it in possession ¶ Doc. And what if a man beynge seased of lande in fee graunte to a nother of his mere mocion without bargayne or recompeÌ„ce that he fro thens forthe shal be seased to the vse of the other / is nat that graunte good ¶ Student I suppose that it is nat good / for as I take the lawe a man can nat commence an vse but by lyuerey of seasoÌ„ or vpon a bargayne or some other recompence ¶ Doctoure I holde me contented with that thou haste sayd in this Chaphitre for this tyme and I pray the shewe me what diuersite thou putteste bytwene those two cases that thou hast byfore reherced in the xx Chapitre and in the .xxi. Chapitre of this present boke ¶ Student I wyl with good wyll ⧠The diuersite bytwene two cases here after folowynge / wherof one is put in the .xx. Chapitre and the other in the .xxi. Chapitre of this present boke The .xxiii. Chapitre ¶ STudent The fyrste case of the sayd two cases is this A man maketh a feoffement by dede indented vpon a condicion that the feoffe shall paye a certayne rente yerely to a straunger cÌ„ if he paye it nat that it shal be lawfull to the straunger to entre into the lande In this case I sayd byfore in the .xx. Chapitre that the strauÌ„ger myght nat entre bycause that he was nat pryuey vnto the condicion But I sayd that iÌ„ that case the feoffour myght lawfully reentre by the fyrste wordê of the indenture bycause they implye a condicioÌ„ in the lawe that the other wordes that is to saye that the straunger shulde entre be voyde in lawe and conscience And therfore I sayd ferther that whan the feoffour had reeÌ„tred that he was seased of the laÌ„de to his owne vse nat to the vse of the straÌ„ger / thoughe his entent at the makyng of the feoffement were that the straunger after his entre shuld haue had the laÌ„d to his owne vse if he myghte haue entred by the law And the cause why I thynke that the
into a towne that hath auctoritie to make attachementes of goodes vpon playntes of dette cÌ„ there vpon a playnte of dette made agaynste the seruant the maysters horse is atached by the officers thynkinge that the horse were his owne / bycause the seruaunt appereth nat the officers sease the horse as forfeyt / iÌ„ this case the lorde shall haue an accion of trespas agaynst the officers / this attachemeÌ„t for the det of his seruauÌ„t shall nat binde hiÌ„ cÌ„ but that an host or a keper of a tauerne shal be charged for theyr ghestes oneles it be done by theyr asseÌ„t or coÌ„mandement I do nat remembre that I haue rede it in the lawes of Englande ¶ Addition ☞ Whether a villayne or abonde man maye gyue away his goodes The .xliii. Chapitre DOctoure It appereth in the sayd suÌ„ne called Summa angelica in the citle donatio prima the .9 Paragrafe that a bonde man nor a religious maÌ„ / nor a monke / ne suche other that hath nothiÌ„g in propre may nat gyue but it be by the licence of theyr superiour / but that sayenge is nat as it is sayd there to be vnderstande of religious persones that haue lawfull ministracioÌ„ of goodes / for if they giue with a cause reasonable it is good / but without cause they may nat ⧠Also if they by the licence if theyr prelate with the councell of the more parte of the couent abyde at scole or go on pilgrimage they may gyue as other honest scolers pilgrymes be reasonably wonte to do / and they maye also gyue almes where there is great nede if they haue no tyme to aske licence ⧠Also if they se one in extreme necessite they may gyue almes though theyr superiours prohibite them / for than all thiÌ„ges be in comon by the lawe of god And therfore they be bounden for to do it / as appereth in the aforesayd summe called SuÌ„ma angelica in the title Elemosina the .6 Pagrafe Dothe nat the lawe of Englande agree with these diuersities ¶ Student For as moche as the question is onely made whether a villayne or a boÌ„de man may gyue awaye his goodes or nat And it semeth that after the forsayd Summe in the title whiche thou haste before reherced / that he ne none other that hath no propertie may nat gyue / whereby it appereth that the sayd Summe taketh it that a bondeman shulde haue no propertie in his goodes / that therfore his gyfte shulde be voyde I shall somwhat touche what propertie what autoritie a villayn hath in his goodes after the lawe of the realme / what auctoritie the lorde hath ouer them And I wyll leue the diuersities that thou hast remeÌ„bred before of religiouse persones to them that liste to treate ferther therin hereafter ⧠Fyrst if a villayne haue goodes either by his owne proper byenge sellynge / or otherwyse by the gyfte of other men / he hath as perfite a propertie also as 〈◊〉 interest in them / maye as lawfully gyue theÌ„ away as any free man hath may But if the lordes sease theÌ„ before his gifte than they be the lordes / the interest of the villayne therein is determined ⧠Also if the lorde sease parte of the goodes of his villayne in the name of all the goodes that the villayne hath or shall hereafter haue that seasure is good for all the goodes that he had at that tyme / thoughe they were nat there present at the tyme of the sesure But if goodes come to the villayne after the seasure he maye lawfully gyue them away nat withstandynge the sayde seasure ⧠Also if the lorde clayme all the goodes of the villayne and seasith no parte of theÌ„ that seasure is voyde / and the gyfte of the villayne is good nat withstandynge that seasure ⧠Also if a man be bounde to villayne in an obligacion in a certayne summe of money / the lorde seaseth the obligacion thaÌ„ the obligacion is his / but yet he can take no accion there vpon but in the name of the villayne / and therfore if the villayne release the dette the lord is barred by that release ⧠Also if a woman be a nyef / she maryeth a free man / the goodes immediately by the mariage be the husbandes / and the lorde shall come to laâ—e to make any seasure / if the husbaÌ„de in that case maketh his wyfe his executrix dyeth / and the wyfe taketh the same goodes agayne as executrix to her husbande / yet it shall nat be lawfull for the lorde to take them frome her thoughe she be a nyefe as she was before the maryage ⧠Also if goodes be gyuen to a maÌ„ to the vse of a villayne / the lorde seaseth those goodes / that seasure after some meÌ„ is good by the statute made in the .xix. yere of kiÌ„ge Henry the .vii. whereby it is enacted that the lord shall entre iÌ„ to laÌ„des wherof other persons be seased to the vse of his villayne they say that the same statute shal be vnderstande by equitie of goodes in vse / as well as of landes in vse ☞ Also if a villayn be made a preste / yet neuertheles the lord may sease his goodes laÌ„des as he might before And vntill the seses he may alien them gyue them awaye as he might before he was preste And in this case the lorde maye order hym so that he shall do hym suche seruice as belongeth to a preste to do before any other but he may nat put hym to no laboure nor other busines but that is honeste and lawfull for a preste to do ⧠Also if a villayn entre in to religion 〈◊〉 his yere of proffe he maye dispose his goodes as he might haue done before he toke the habitte vpoÌ„ hym And in likewyse the lorde maye sease his goodes as he myghte haue done before but if he aftre make executours be professed And the executours take the goodes to the perfourmaunce of the wyll than the lorde maye nat seise the goodes though the executours haue them to the perfourmaunce of the wyll of hym that is his villayne nor in that case the lorde may nat sease his bodye ne put hym to no maner of laboure but muste suffre hym to abyde in his religion vnder the obedience of his superiour as other religiouse persoÌ„s do that be no bondmen And the lord hath no remedye in that case for losse of his boÌ„d man but onely to take an accioÌ„ of trespas agaynst hym that receyued hym into religion without his licence / therevpoÌ„ to recouer dammages as shal be assessed by .xii. men Many other cases there be coÌ„cerniÌ„g the gyfte of the goodes of a vilayn wherof I wyll speke no more at thê tyme for this that I haue sayde suffiseth to shewe that the knowlege of the kynges lawe is right expediente to the good ordre of conscience coÌ„cernynge suche goodes â§
market had nat excused hym Also if a man reteyne a nother mannes seruaunt nat knowynge that he is reteyned with hym / that ignoraunce excuseth hym bothe for the offence that was at the comoÌ„ lawe agaynst the maxime that prohibited suche reteynynge of a nother mannes seruauÌ„t And also agaynst the statute of .xxiii. of Edwarde the .iii. whereby it is ê“hibite vpon payne of inprysonemente that none shall reteyne no seruaunte that departeth within his terme without licence or reasonable cause / for it hath ben alwaye taken that the intente of the makers of the sayde statute was that they that were ignorauÌ„t of the fyrste reteynoure shulde nat renne in any penaltye of the statute And the same lawe is of hym that reteyneth one that is warde to another / nat knowynge that he is his warde And if homage be due the tenaunt after that the homage is due maketh a feoffement / after the lorde nat knowynge of the feoffement distreyneth for the homage in that case that ignoraunce shall excuse hym of dammages in a Repleuin / thoughe he can nat auowe for the homage but if he had knowen of the feoffemente he shulde haue yelded damages for the wroÌ„gfull takynge Also if a man be bouÌ„de in an obligacioÌ„ that he shall repayre the houses of hym that he is bounde to by suche a certayne tyme as ofre as nede shall require / after the houses haue nede to be repayred but he that is bounde knoweth it nat / that ignorauÌ„ce shall nat excuse him for he hath bounde hym selfe to it / so he muste take knowlege at his peryll / but if the condicioÌ„ had ben that shulde repayre suche houses as he to whome he was bounde shulde assigne / after he assigneth certayne houses to be repayred / but he that is bounde hath no knowlege of that assignement / that ignoraunce shall excuse hym in the lawe / for he hath nat bounde hym selfe to no reparacioÌ„s in certayne / but to suche as the party will assigne / and if he none assigne he is bouÌ„de to none / therfore syth he that shuld make the assignement is priuye to the dede he is bounde to gyue notice of his owne assignement / but if the assignement had ben appoynted to a strauÌ„ger thaÌ„ the oblegour muste haue taken knowlege of the assignement at his peryll Also if a man bye laÌ„des whereunto a nother hath title whiche the byer knoweth nat / that ignoraunce excuseth hym nat in the lawe no more than it dothe of goodes Also if a seruaÌ„t come with his maysters horse to a towne that by custome may attache goodes for det / vpon a playnte agaynst the seruauÌ„te an officer of the towne by informacion of the party attacheth the maysters horse thynkynge that it were the seruantes horse / that ignoraunce excuseth hym nat / for whan a man wyll do an acte as to entre in to lande / sea se goodes / take a distresse or suche other / he muste by the law at his peryll se that that he doth be lawfully done as in the case before reherced And in lykewyse if a shyryfe by a repleuyn deliuer other beastes than were distreyned / thoughe the partye that distreyned shewed hym they were the same beastes / yet an accion of trespas lyeth agaynst hym / ignoraunce shall nat excuse hym for he shal be compelled by the law as all officers comonly be to execute the kynges writte at his peryll accordynge to the tenour of it to se that the acte that he dothe be lawfully done But otherwyse it is after some men if vpon a somons in a Precipe quod reddat the shyryfe by informacion of the demaundaunt somoneth the tenauÌ„t in a nother maÌ„nes lande thynkynge it for the tenauntes lande there they say he shal be excused / for in that case he dothe nat sea se the lande ne take possession in the lande / but onely dothe somon the tenaunt vpoÌ„ the lande / the writte coÌ„maundeth hym nat that he shall somon the tenaunt vpon hys owne lande but generally that he shall somon hym nameth nat in what lande than by an olde maxime in the lawe it is taken that he shall somon hym vpon the laÌ„de in demaunde / therfore though he mistake the lande ignoraunt of it / yet if the demaundaunt enforme hym that that is the lande that he demaundeth that suffyseth to the shyryfe as to his entre for the so monynge as they saye though it be nat the tenauÌ„tes lande And here I make an ende of these questions for this tyme. ¶ Doctour I praye the yet or we departe take a litell more payne at my desire ¶ StudeÌ„t what is that ¶ Doctour That thou woldest shewe me thy mynde in diuers cases of the law of the realme / whiche as me semeth stande nat so clerely with conscience as they shulde do And therfore I wolde gladly here thy conceyte therein how they may stande with conscience ¶ Student Put the cases I shall with good will say as I thynke to them ¶ Addition ☞ The fyrste question of the Doctour Howe the lawe of Englande maye be sayd reasonable that prohibiteth them that be arreyned vpon an Inditemente of felony or murdre to haue couÌ„cell The .xlviii. Chapitre STudent Me thynketh that the lawe in that poynte is very good indifferent takynge the lawe therein as it is ¶ Doctoure why what is the lawe in this poynt ¶ Student The lawe is as thou sayst that he shall haue no couÌ„cell / but thaÌ„ the law is ferther / that in all thynges that perteyne to the ordre of pledynge the Iuges shall so instructe hym so ordre hym that he shall renne into mo ieopardye by his mispleadyng / as if he wyll pleade that he neuer knewe the man that was slayne / or that he neuer had a peny worthe of the goodes / that is supposed that he shulde steele in these cases the Iuges are bouÌ„de in conscience to enforme hym that he muste take the general yssue plede that he is nat gyltye / for thouh they be set to be 〈◊〉 bytwene the kynge the partye as to the partye as to the principall matter as they be in all other matters yet they be 〈◊〉 this case to se that the partye haue no hurt in fourme of pleadynge in suche induces as he shall shewe to be the truthe of the matter / that is a greate fauoure of the lawe / for iÌ„ appell though the Iustices of fauour wyll moste comonly helpe fourth the partye soÌ„tyme his counsell also in the forme of pleadynge as they do also many tymes in common plees / yet they might in tho cases if they wolde byd the party his counsayle plede at theyr peryll But they maye nat do so with conscience vpon enoâ—â—ementes as me semeth / for it were a greate vnreasonablenes in the lawe if it shulde prohibit hym that standeth in ieopardy of his lyfe that he shulde
enfeffed hym as before apereth it is vsed that he shall plede ferther saye that the pleyntyfe claming in by a coloure of a dede of feffemeÌ„t made by the sayd feffo r before the feffemente made to hym / where nought passed by the dede eÌ„tred / vpoÌ„ whome he entred asketh iugemente if the assiselye agaynste hym In this case bycause it appereth to be a dout to vnlerned meÌ„ whether the lande passe by the dede without lyuerey or nat / therfore the lawe suffreth the tenaÌ„t to haue that speciall matter to bring the matter to the determinacion of the Iuges And in suche case the Iuges may nat put the tenant fro the plee / for they knowe nat as Iuges but that it is trewe / so if any defaut be it is in the tenaunt nat in the court And though the trouthe be that there were no suche dede of feoffemeÌ„t made to the playntyfe as the tenaunt pleadeth / yet me thynketh it is no defaute in the tenant for he dothe it to a good inteÌ„t as before appereth ¶ Doctour If the tenante knowe that the feoffour made no suche dede of feoffement to the pleyntyfe / thaÌ„ there is a defaut in the tenant to plede it / for he wittingly sayth agaynste the trouthe / it is holden by all doctours that euery lye is an offence more or lesse / for if it be of malice to the hurte of his neyghbour / than it is called MendaciuÌ„ permiciosum that is dedely synne And if it be in sporte to the hurte of no man / nor of custome vsed / ne of pleasure that he hath in lyenge / than it is veniall synne / is called in latine meÌ„dacium iocosum And if it be to the profite of his neyghbour to the hurte of no man than it is also veniall synne / is called in latine mendacium officiosum And though it be the leeste of tho thre yet it is a veniall synne wolde be eschewed ¶ Student Thoughe the mydwyfes of Egipte lyed whan they had reserued the male chyldreÌ„ of the Ebrewes / saiÌ„g to the kyng Pharao / that the Ebrewes had women that were connyng in the same crafte whiche or they came had reserued the chyldren alyue where in dede they theÌ„selfe of pytye of drede of god reserued them yet saint Ierome expouÌ„deth the texte folowyng whiche sayth that our lorde therfore gaue theÌ„ houses that it is to be vnderstande that he gaue them spirituall houses that they had therfore eternall rewarde / if they synned by that lye all though it were but veniall / yet I caÌ„ nat se howe they shulde haue therfore eternall rewarde And also if a man intending to slee a nother aske me where that man / is it nat better for me to lye to say I can nat tell where he is though I know it / thaÌ„ to shewe where he is whereupon murder shulde folowe ¶ Doctour The dede that the mydwyfes of Egipte dyd in sauing that chyldren was meritorious deserued rewarde euerlastinge if they beleued in god dyd good dedes beside as it is to presume they dyd / whan they for the loue of god refused the dethe of the Innocentes / than though they made a lye after whiche was but veniall synne that coulde nat take fro them theyr rewarde / for a veniall synne dothe nat vtterly extincte charitie but letteth the feruour therof therfore it maye well stande with the wordes of saynt Ierome that they had for theyr good dede eternall houses / yet the lye that they made to be a veniall synne / but neuertheles if suche a lye that is of it selfe but veniall be affirmed with an othe / it is alwaye mortall if he know it befalse that he swereth And as to the other question it is nat lyke to this question that we haue in hande as me semeth / for somtyme a man for eschewing of the greater euyll may do a lesse euyll / than the lesse is no offence in hym / so it is in the case that thou hast put wherin bycause it is lesse offeÌ„ce to say he wotteth nat where he is though he knowe where he is than it is to shewe where he is / wherupon murdre shulde folowe / it is therfore no synne to saye he wotteth nat where he is / for euery maÌ„ is bounde to loue his neyghbour if he shewe in this case where he is knowynge his dethe shuld folowe therupon it semeth that he loued hym nat / ne that he dyd nat to hiÌ„ as he wolde be done to / but iÌ„ the case that we be in here / there is no suche synne eschewed / for though the partie pleded the generall issue the iury might finde the trouth in euery thyng / therfore in that he sayth that the pleyntyfe claymiÌ„ge in by the colour of a dede of feffement where nought passed entred cÌ„ knowynge that there was no suche feffemeÌ„t it was a lye in hym a veniall synne as me thynketh And euery maÌ„ is boundeÌ„ to suffre a deedly synne in his neyghbour / rather than a veniall synne in hiÌ„selfe ¶ StudeÌ„t Though the Iury vpoÌ„ the generall issue may finde the trouth as thou sayste / yet it is moche more daungerous to the Iury to enquere of many poiÌ„tê thaÌ„ to enquere onely of one poiÌ„t And for as moch as our lord hath gyueÌ„ a coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t to euery maÌ„ vpoÌ„ hê neyghbour / therfore euery maÌ„ is bouÌ„d to forse as moch as iÌ„ hiÌ„ is that by hiÌ„ no occasioÌ„ of offeÌ„ce come to hê neyghbor. And for the same cause / the law hath ordeined diuers maximê principles whereby issues in the kynges court may be ioyned vpon one poynte in certayne as nyghe as may be / nat generaltye / lest offence might folowe therupon agaynst god / a hurte also vnto the Iuri / wherfore it semeth that he loueth nat in hys neyghboure as hym selfe ne that he dothe nat as he wolde be done to that offereth suche daunger to his neyghbour where he may well conueniently kepe it fro hym if he will folowe the order of the lawe / it semeth that he putteth hym selfe wilfully an ieoperdye that dothe it / it is written Ecclesiastici .iii. Qui amat periculum in illo peribit / that is to say / he that loueth peryl shall perysshe in it / and he that putteth his neyghbour in peryll to offende putteth hiÌ„ selfe iÌ„ the same / so shuld he do me semeth that wolde wilfully take the generall issue where he mighte coÌ„uenieÌ„tly haue the speciall matter / ferthermore it is none offeÌ„ce in princes rulers to suffre coÌ„tractes and byeÌ„g selliÌ„g in markettes / fayres / though bothe periure disceyte will folowe therevpon / bycause suche contractes be necessarye for the comon welthe / so it semeth lykewyse that there is no defaute in the partye that pleadeth suche a special mater
to auoyde fro his neyghbour the daunger of periurie / ne yet in the court though they enduce hym to it / as they do somtyme for the intent before reherced / in lykewyse some wyll say that if the rulers of Cytyes communaltyes somtyme for the punisshement of felons / murderers / such other offenders wyll to the intēte they wolde haue thē to cōfesse the trouth say to thē that be suspected that they be informed in such certayne defautes or misdemeanours ī the offenders that they do to the intente to haue thē to confesse the truth that though they were nat so informed that yet it no offence to saye they were so īformed bycause they do it for the comō welthe / for if offenders were suffered to go vnpunisshed the comon welth wolde soone decay vtterly perysshe ¶ Doctour I wyll take aduisemēt vpō the reason in this matter tyll an other season I wyll now aske the another question somwhat lyke vnto this I praye the let me here thy mynde therein ¶ Studēt Let me here thy question and I shall with good wyll say as I thynke therein ¶ Addition ☞ The .vii. question of the Doctoure concerneth the pleadynge in assise whereby the tenauntes vse sōtyme to pleade in such maner that they shall cōfesse no ouster ⸫ The .liiii. Chapitre DOctoure It is comonly vsed as I haue herde say that whan the tenāt in assise pleadeth that a straūge our was seased enfeoffede hym gyueth the plaītyfe a colour in suche maner as before appereth in the .liii. chapitre / that the tenant many tymes whan he hath pleaded thus the pleyntyfe claymyng in by a colour of a dede of feoffemente made by the sayd straūgeour / where nought passed by the dede entred / that than they vse to say ferther vpon whome A. B. entred vpon whome the tenant entred / where in dede the sayd A. B. neuer entred / ne haplye there was neuer no suche man Howe can thys pleadynge be excused of an vntruthe / and what reasonable cause can be why suche a pledynge shulde be suffred agaynste the trouthe ¶ Student The cause why that maner of pleading is suffred is this If the tenaūt by his pleadyng cōfessed an immediate entrye vpō the plaītyfe or an immediate putting out of the playntyfe / whiche in frenche is called an oustre / thā if the title were after founde for the playntyfe the tenaūt by his confession were attayned of the disseason And bycause it maye be that though the playntyfe haue good title to the lande that yet the tenaūt is no disseasour Therfore the tenaūtes vse many tymes to pleade in suche maner as thou hast sayd before to saue them selfe fro cōfessing of an oustre / so if there be any defaut it is nat in the courte ne in the lawe / for they know nat the trouth therin tyll it be tried me thynketh also that there is in this case right litle defaut or none in the tenāt nor in his coūsell / specially if the coūcell know that the tenant is no dissesour But as to that poynt I praye the that lyke as thou haste takē a respite to be aduysed or that thou shewe thy ful mynde in the questiō of a colour gyuē in assise whereof menciō is made in the sayde .liii. chapitre / that I in lykewyse maye haue a lyke respyte in this case tyll other tyme to be aduised / than I shall with good wyll shewe the my full mynde therin ¶ Doctour I am content it be as thou sayest but I pray the that I may yet adde a nother question to the two questiōs before rehersed of the colours in assise fele thy mynde therein / bycause that sowneth moche to the same effecte that the other do that is to saye to proue that there be diuers thynges suffred in the law to be pleaded that be agaynst the trouthe / I pray the let me hereafter knowe thy mynde in all thre questiōs / thou shal thā with a good wyll knowe myne ¶ Student I praye the shewe me the case that thou spekest of ¶ Doctoure If a mā stele an horse secretely in the nighte It is vsed that there vpon he shal be Indyted at the kynges suyte / it is vsed that in that Indytement it shal be supposed that he suche a daye place with force armes / that is to saye / with staues / swordes / knyues c̄ felonouslye stele the horse agaynst the kinges peace / that fourme muste be kepte in euery Indytement / though the fellon had neyther sworde nor other weapō with hī but that he came secretely without weapō Howe can it therfore be excused but that therein is an vntrouthe ¶ Student It is nat alleged in the Indytement by matter in dede that he had suche weapon / for the fourme of an Indytement is this Inquiratur pro domino Rege si A. tali die Anno apud talem locum vi armis videlicet gladus c̄ talem equam talis hominis felonice cepit c̄ And than the twelue mē be onely charged with the effect of the byl That is to saye / whether he be gylty of the felonye or nat / nat whether he be gyltye vnder suche maner and fourme as the bylle specifieth or nat / and so whan they saye billavera they saye trewe as they take the effecte of the bylle to be And therefore if there were false latine in the byll of Indictement the Iury sayth billa vera yet theyr verdit is trewe / for theyr verdite stretcheth nat to the trouth or fals hede of the latine but to the felonye / ne to the fourme of the wordes but to the effect of the mater / that is to enquyre whether there were any suche felonye done by that person or nat / though the byll vary from the day / fro the yere / also from the place where the felony was done in / so it vary nat fro the Shyre that the felony was done in And the Iury saythe billa vera they haue gyuē a trew verdite / for they are boūde by theyr othe to gyue theyr verdite accordinge to the effecte of the byll nat accordinge to the fourme of the byll And so is he that maketh auow boūde likewyse to that that by the law is the effecte of his auowe / nat onely to the wordes of his auow As if a man auowneuer to eat whyte meate / yet in tyme of extreme necessitie he may eate whyte meat rather thā dye nat breke his auow thoughe he affermed it with an othe / for by the effecte of his aduowe extreme necessitye was excepted though it were nat expressely excepted in the wordes of the auowe / and so lykewyse though the wordes of the byl be to enquire whether suche a mā suche a daye yere in suche a place dyd suche a felony / yet the effecte
that do assoyle hym / but yet neuertheles he is assoyled / and if he be nat able to make amendes that he muste yet be assoyled / takynge a sufficiente gage to satysfie yf he be able here after / or elles that he make an othe to satisfie if he be able And these sayenges in many thynges holde nat in the lawes of Englande ¶ Doctoure I pray the shewe me wheriÌ„ the law of the realme varieth therfro ¶ StudeÌ„t If a man be excommunicate in the spirituall courte for det / trespas / or suche other thynges as belong to the kynges crowne to his royall dignite there he oughte to be assoyled without makynge any satisfaccion / for the spirituall courte exceded theyr power in that they helde ple in those cases the party if he wyll may therupon haue a Premunire facias as well agaynste the partye that sued hym as agaynst the iuge therfore in this case they oughte in conscience to make absolucion withoute any satisfaccion / for they nat onely offeÌ„ded the party in callynge hym to answere before theÌ„ of suche thynges as belong to the law of the realme but also the kynge / for he by reason of suche sutes maye lese greate aduauntages by the reason of the writtes originals / iudicials / fynes / amerciamentes / suche other thynges as mighte growe to hym if suche sutes had beÌ„ takeÌ„ in his courtes accordynge to his lawes / accordyng to his saynge it apperet in diuers statutes that if a man laye violent handes vpon a clerke bete hym / that for the betynge ameÌ„des shal be made in the kynges court / for the layeng of violent haÌ„des vpoÌ„ the clerke amendes shal be made in the courte cristieÌ„ And therfore if the iuge in the court cristieÌ„ wolde awarde the partie to yelde damages for the betynge he dyd agaynste the statute / but admitte that a man be excommenged for a thynge that the spirituall courte may awarde the party to make satisfaccioÌ„ of / as for the nat inclosinge of the churche yarde / or for nat apparelliÌ„ge of the churche conueniently Than I thynke the partye muste make restitucion or lay a sufficiente causion if he be able or he be assoyled / but if the partye offre sufficient ameÌ„des haue his absolucion / the iuge wyll nat make hym his letters of absolucion if the excommengemente be of recorde in the kynges courte thaÌ„ the kynge may writte vnto the spirituall iuge coÌ„maundyng hym that he make the party his letters of absolucion vpon payn of a contempte / if the sayd excommunicacioÌ„ be nat of recorde in the kynges courte than the partye maye in suche case haue his accion agaynst the Iuge spirituall for that he wolde nat make hiÌ„ his lettres of absolucion but if he be nat assoyled or if he be nat able to make satisfaccion therfore the iuge spirituall wyll nat assoyle hym / what the kynges lawes maye do iÌ„ tha case I am somwhat in doute / and wyll nat moche speke of it at this tyme / but as I suppose he may as well haue his accion in that case for the nat assoylynge hym as where he is assoyled that the Iuge will nat make hiÌ„ his letters of absolucion / I suppose the same law to be where a maÌ„ is accursed for a thyng that he iuge had no power to accurse hiÌ„ in / as for dette / trespasse / or suche other ¶ Doctor. There he may haue other remedies as a premunire facias or suche other / therfore I suppose the other accioÌ„ lieth nat for hiÌ„ ¶ Student The iuge the partie may be ded / thaÌ„ no premunire lieth / though they were alyue were coÌ„deÌ„pned in a Premunire / yet that shulde nat auoyd the eâ—coÌ„mengement / therfore I thynke the accion lieth specially if he be therby delayed of accions that he might haue in the kynges court if the sayd excoÌ„mengement had nat ben ☞ Whether a Prelate may refuse a legaci The .xxxiii. Chapitre STudeÌ„t It is moued in the sayd summe named Rosella in the title alienacio xx the .xi. article whether a pÌ„late may refuse a legaci / where in diuers opynions be recited there / whiche as me thynketh haue nede after the lawes of the realme to be more playnly declared ¶ Doctoure I praye the shewe me what the law of the realme will therin ¶ StudeÌ„t I thinke that euery pÌ„late suffereyn that may onely sue be suyd in his owne name as Abbates â–ª Priours suche other may refuse any legaci that is made to the house for the legacie is nat perfyte tyl he to whome it is made assent to take it for els if he mighte nat refuse it he might be compelled to haue laÌ„des wherby he myghte in some case haue greate losse but than if he intende to refuse he muste as sone as his title by the legacy falleth relinquisshe to take the profites of the thyng bequethe / for if he ones take the profites therof he shall nat after refuse the legaci but yet his successour may if he will refuse the takynge of the profites to saue the house fro yeldynge of damages or fro arrerages of rentes if any suche be lyke lawe is of a remayndre as is in legaci for though in the case of a remaindre also of a deuise as moste men say the freholde is caste vpon hym by the lawe whan the remayndre or deuise falleth yet it is in his libertie to refuse the takynge of the profites to refuse the remaiÌ„dre or deuise if he wyll as he myghte do of a gyfte of landes or goodes for if a gyfte be made to a man that refuseth to take it / the gyfte is voyde if it be made to a man that is absent the gifte taketh nat effecte in hym tyll he assent no more than if a maÌ„ dissease one to another maÌ„nes vse / he to whose vse the disseason is made hath nothyng in that laÌ„de ne is no disseasoure tyll he agre And to suche disseasons gyftes an Abbot or Priour may disagre as well as any other maÌ„ but after some men a Bisshope of a deuise or remayndre that is made to the Bisshop to the deane chapitre nor a deane and a chapitre of a deuise or remayndre made to theÌ„ ne yet the mayster of a colage of suche a deuise or remayndre made to hiÌ„ to his bretherne / maye nat disagre withoute the chapitre or bretherne for the Bisshoppe of of suche landes as he hath with the deane chapitre ne the deane nor mayster of suche lande as they haue with the chapitre or bretherne may nat answere without the chapitre bretherne therfore some saye that if the deane or mayster wyll refuse or disclayme in the landes that they haue by the deuise or remaindre that that disclaymour without the chapitre or bretherneis voyde And therfore it is holdeÌ„ in
the law that if a Bisshope be vouched to warrātie the tenaunt byndeth hī to the warrātye by reason of a lease made to hym by the Bisshope by the deane the chapitre yelding a rente / that in that case the Bisshoppe may nat disclayme in that reuercion without the assent of the deane chapitre But yet if a reuercion were graūted to a deane a chapitre the deane refuse / the graunt is voyde / so it appereth that a deane may refuse to take a gyfte or graunte of landes or goodes or of a reuercion made to hym to the chapitre that yet he maye nat disagre to a remaīdre or deuise / the diuersite is because the remayndre deuise be caste vpon hym without any assent / wherunto nether the deane nor the chapitre by them selfe maye in no wyse disagre without the assent of the other / but a gifte or graūt is nat good to them without they bothe assēt in suche giftes as I suppose an Infaunt may disagre as well as one of full age / but if a woman couert disagre to a gifte the husbande agre that gyfte is good ¶ Doctoure what if the landes in that case of a man his wyfe be charged with damages or be charged with more rent than the lande is worthe / the husbande dye shall the wyfe be charged to the damages or to the rent ¶ Studēt I thynke nay if the wyfe refuse the occupacion of the grounde after her husbande deth / I thynke the same lawe to be if a lease be made to the husbande to the wyfe yelding a greater rent thā the lande is worth that the wyfe after the husbandes dethe maye refuse the lease to saue her fro the payment of the rente / so may the successour of an Abbot ¶ Docto. And if the husbande in that case ouerliue the wyfe than make his executours and dye / whether may his executours in lykewyse refuse the lease ¶ Student If they haue goodes sufficient of theyr testatoure to pay the rente I thynke they may nat refuse it / but if they haue no goodes sufficient of theyr testatours to pay the rente to the ende of the terme / I thynke if they relinquisshe the occupacion they may by special pleedynge discharge them selfe of the rent and the lease / and if they do nat they may lightly charge them selfe of theyr owne goodes And if a lease be made for terme of lyfe the remayndre to an Abbot for terme of the lyfe of Iohan at style / reseruynge a greater rente than the lande is worthe / and after the tenaunte for terme of lyfe dyeth the Abbot may refuse the remayndre for the cause before reherced / and in case that the Abbot assent to the remaindre wherby he is charged to the rēt durynge the tyme that is Abbot / after he dyeth or is deposed liuynge the sayd Iohā at style / in that case his successoure maye discharge hym selfe by refusinge the occupacion of the lande as is aforesayd But I thynke that if suche a remayndre were made to a deane / to the chapitre / the deane agre without the assent of the chapitre that in that case the deane the chapitre maye afterwarde disagre to the remayndre and that the acte of the deane without the assēt of the chapitre shall nat charge the chapitre ī that behalfe / thus it appereth though the meaninge of the sayde chapitre article in the sayde summe be / that a prelate may nat disagre vnto a legacie for hurtīge of the house / yet he may after the lawes of the realme disagre thereto where it shulde hurte his house And if in a Precipe quod reddat there be but one tenaunt be he spirituall or temporall / he refuse by waye of disclaymoure in suche case where he maye disclayme by the lawe / there the lande shal veste in the demaundaunt / if there be two tenauntes than it shall veste in his felowe / if he wyll take the hole tenaūcie vpon him or els it shall veste in the demaundaunte But if an Abbot or a laye man refuse the takynge of the profites / shewe a speciall cause why it shulde hurte hym if he dydde assente be therby discharged as is sayde before / In whome the lande shall than veste it is more doute whereof I wyll no ferther speke at this tyme. And thus it appereth by diuerse of the cases that be put in this chapitre that he that is ignoraunt in the lawe of the realme / shall lacke the true iugement of conscience in many cases / For in many of these cases that that maye be done therein by the lawe muste also be obserued in conscience c̄ ☞ Whether a gyfte made vnder a condicion be voyde if the souerayne onely breke the condicion ⸫ The .xxxiiii. Chapitre SLudent In Sūma rosella in the title alienacio / the .xii. article is asked this question whether a gyfte made vnder a certayne forme may be auoyded or reuoked because the prelate or souereyne onely dyd breke the forme / it is there answered that it may nat for that the dede of the prelate onely ought nat to hurte the churche / if those wordes vnder a maner be vnderstande of a gyfte vpon condicion as they seme to be / than the sayd solucion holdeth nat in this realme nether in lawe nor consciēce ¶ Doctoure What is than the law of Englande if a man enfeffe an Abbot by dede intented vpon condicion that if the Abbot paye nat to the feffoure a certayne some of money at suche a daye / that than it shal be lawfull to the feoffour to reentre / at that day the Abbot fayleth of his paymēt may the feoffer lawfully reentre put out the Abbot ¶ Student ye veryly for he had no right to the lande but by the gyfte of the feffour his gyfte was condicionell therfore if the condicion be broken it is lawfull by the lawe of Englāde for the feffoure to reentre to take his lande agayn to holde it as in his fyrst estate by which reentre after the lawes of the realme he disproueth the fyrste lyuerey of season al the meane actes done betwene the fyrst feffement the reētre / it forceth litle in the lawe in whome the defaute be that the cōdicion was nat performed whether in the Abbot or in his couēt or ī bothe / or in any other persone what so euer he be excepte it be in the feffoure hīselfe And it is great diuersitie betwene a clere gyfte made to an Abbot without cōdiciō / where it is made with cōdictō / for whan it is made without cōdiciō the acte of the Abbot onely shal nat by the comō lawe disherite the house but it be in very fewe cases / but yet vpon diuers statutes the sufferaūce of the Abbot