vill3- 第31部分

　the　letting　of　domain　land　or　of　particular　plots　and　rights。（17*）　Of　course　there　was　this　great　disadvantage　for　the　lord；　that　the　tie　between　him　and　his　subjects　was　very　much　loosened　by　such　arrangements；　and　sometimes　he　had　to　complain　that　the　conditions　under　which　the　land　was　held　were　materially　disturbed　under　the　farmership　of　the　village。　It　is　certain；　that　in　a　general　way　this　mode　of　administration　led　to　a　gradual　improvement　in　the　social　status　of　the　peasantry。　　　　　One　great　drawback　of　investigations　into　the　history　of　medieval　institutions　consists　in　the　very　incomplete　manner　in　which　the　subject　is　usually　reflected　in　the　documents。　We　have　to　pick　up　bits　of　evidence　as　to　very　important　questions　in　the　midst　of　a　vast　mass　of　uninteresting　material；　and　sometimes　whole　sides　of　the　subject　are　left　in　the　shade；　not　by　the　fault　of　the　inquirer；　but　in　consequence　of　disappointing　gaps　in　the　contemporary　records。　Even　conveyancing　entries；　surrenders；　admittances；　are　of　rare　occurrence　on　some　of　the　more　ancient　rolls；　and　the　probable　reason　is；　that　they　were　not　thought　worthy　of　enrolment。（18*）　As　for　particulars　of　husbandry　they　are　almost　entirely　absent　from　the　medieval　documents；　and　it　is　only　on　the　records　of　the　sixteenth　and　yet　later　centuries　that　we　have　to　rely　when　we　look　for　some　direct　evidence　of　the　fact　that　the　manorial　communities　had　to　deal　with　such　questions。（19*）　And　so　our　knowledge　of　these　institutions　must　be　based　largely　on　inference。　But　even　granting　all　these　imperfections　of　the　material；　it　must　be　allowed　that　the　one　side　of　manorial　life　which　is　well　reflected　in　the　documents　　the　juridical　organisation　of　the　manor　　affords　very　interesting　clues　towards　an　understanding　of　the　system　and　of　its　origins。　　　　　Let　us　repeat　again；　that　the　management　of　the　manor　is　by　no　means　dependent　on　capricious　and　one…sided　expressions　of　the　lord's　will。　On　the　contrary；　every　known　act　of　its　life　is　connected　with　collegiate　decisions。　Notwithstanding　the　absolute　character　of　the　lord　with　regard　to　his　villains　taken　separately；　he　is　in　truth　but　the　centre　of　a　community　represented　by　meetings　or　courts。　Not　only　the　free；　but　also　the　servile　tenantry　are　ruled　in　accordance　with　the　views　and　customs　of　a　congregation　of　the　tenants　in　their　divers　classes。　There　can　be　no　doubt　that　the　discretion　of　the　lord　was　often　stretched　in　exceptional　cases；　that　relations　based　on　moral　sense　and　a　true　comprehension　of　interests　often　suffered　from　violence　and　encroachment。　But　as　a　general　rule；　and　with　unimportant　exceptions；　the　feudal　system　is　quite　as　much　characterised　by　the　collegiate　organisation　of　its　parts　as　by　their　monarchical　exterior。　The　manorial　courts　were　really　meetings　of　the　village　community　under　the　presidency　of　the　lord　or　of　his　steward。　　　　　It　is　well　known　that　later　law　recognises　three　kinds　of　seignorial　courts：　the　Leet；　the　Court　Baron；　and　the　Customary　Court。　The　first　has　to　keep　the　peace　of　the　King；　the　others　are　concerned　with　purely　manorial　affairs。　The　Leet　appears　in　possession　of　a　police　and　criminal　jurisdiction　in　so　far　as　that　has　not　been　appropriated　by　the　King's　own　tribunals…its　parallel　being　the　sheriff's　tourn　in　the　hundred。　The　Court　Baron　is　a　court　of　free　tenants　entrusted　with　some　of　the　conveyancing　and　the　petty　litigation　between　them；　and　also　with　the　exercise　of　minor　franchises。　The　Customary　Court　has　in　its　charge　the　unfree　population　of　the　manor。　In　keeping　with　this　division　the　Court　Baron　consists　according　to　later　theory　of　a　body　of　free　suitors　which　is　merely　placed　under　the　presidency　of　the　steward；　while　in　the　Customary　Court　the　steward　is　the　true　and　only　judge；　and　the　copyholders；　customary　tenants　or　villains；　around　him　are　merely　called　up　as　presenters。　　　　　The　masterly　investigations　of　Mr　Maitland；　from　which　any　review　of　the　subject　must　start；　have　shown　conclusively；　that　this　latter　doctrine；　as　embodied　in　Coke；　for　instance；　draws　distinctions　and　establishes　definitions　which　were　unknown　to　earlier　practice。　The　Leet　became　a　separate　institution　early　enough；　although　its　name　is　restricted　to　one　province　　Norfolk　　even　at　the　time　of　the　Hundred　Rolls。（20*）　The　foundation　of　the　court　was　laid　by　the　frank…pledge　system　and　the　necessity　of　keeping　it　in　working　order。　We　find　the　Leet　Court　sometimes　under　the　names　'Curia　Visus　franci　plegii；'　or　'Visus　de　borchtruning'；（21*）　and　it　appears　then　as　a　more　solemn　form　of　the　general　meeting。　It　is　held　usually　twice　a　year　to　register　all　the　male　population　from　twelve　years　upwards；　to　present　those　who　have　not　joined　the　tithings；　and　sometimes　to　elect　the　heads　or　representatives　of　these　divisions　　the　'Capitales　plegii；'（22*）　Sometimes　the　tithing　coincides　with　the　township；　is　formed　on　a　territorial　basis；　as　it　were；　so　that　we　may　find　a　village　called　a　tithing。（23*）　This　leads　to　the　inference；　that　the　grouping　into　tens　was　but　an　approximate　one；　and　this　view　is　further　supported　by　the　fact　that　we　hear　of　bodies　of　twelve　along　with　those　of　ten。（24*）　　　　　As　to　attending　the　meeting；　a　general　rule　was　enforced　to　that　effect；　that　the　peasantry　must　attend　in　person　and　not　by　reason　of　their　tenure。（25*）　But　as　it　was　out　of　the　question　to　drive　all　the　men　of　a　district　to　the　manorial　centres　on　such　days；　exceptions　of　different　kinds　are　frequent。（26*）　Besides　the　women　and　children；　the　personal　attendants　of　the　lord　get　exempted；　and　also　shepherds；　ploughboys。　and　men　engaged　in　driving　waggons　laden　with　corn。　Servants　and　aliens　were　considered　as　under　the　pledge　of　the　person　with　whom　they　were　staying。　　　　　The　aim　of　its　whole　arrangement　was　to　ensure　the　maintenance　of　peace；　and　therefore　everybody　was　bound　on　entering　the　tithing　to　swear；　not　only　that　he　would　keep　the　peace；　but　that　he　would　conceal　nothing　which　might　concern　the　peace。（27*）　It　is　natural　that　such　a　meeting　as　that　held　for　the　view　of　frank…pledge　should　begin　to　assume　police　duties　and　a　certain　criminal　jurisdiction。　Mr　Maitland　has　shown　how；　by　its　intimate　connexion　with　the　sheriff's　tourn；　the　institution　of　frank…pledge　was　made　to　serve　the　purpose　of　communal　accusation　in　the　time　of　Henry　II。　The　Assize　of　Clarendon　（1166）　gave　the　impulse　in　regard　to　the　Sheriff's　Court；　and　private　lords　followed　speedily　on　the　same　line；　although　they　could　not　copy　the　pattern　in　all　its　details；　and　the　system　of　double　presentment　described　by　Britton　and　Fleta　proved　too　cumbersome　for　their　small　courts　with　only　a　few　freeholders　on　them。　In　any　case　the　jurisdiction　of　the　Court　Leet　is　practically　formed　in　the　twelfth　century；　and　the　Quo　Warranto　inquiries　of　the　thirteenth　only　bring　out　its　distinctions　more　clearly。（28*）　　　　　The　questions　as　to　the　opposition　between　Court　Baron　and　Customary　Court　are　more　intricate　and　more　important。　Mr　Maitland　has　collected　a　good　deal　of　evidence　to　prove　that　the　division　did　not　exist　originally；　and　that　we　have　before　us　in　the　thirteenth　century　only　one　strictly　manorial　court；　the　'halimotum。'　I　may　say；　that　I　came　to　the　same　conclusion　myself　in　the　Russian　edition　of　the　present　work　quite　independently　of　his　argument。　Indeed　a　somewhat　intimate　acquaintance　with　the　early　Court　Rolls　must　necessarily　lead　to　this　doctrine。　If　some　distinctions　are　made；　they　touch　upon　a　difference　between　ordinary　meetings　and　those　which　were　held　under　exceptional　circumstances　and　attended　by　a　greater　number　of　Suitors　than　usual。　The　expression　'libera　curia'　which　meets　us　sometimes　in　the　documents　is　an　exact　parallel　with　that　of　'free　gallows；'　and　means　a　court　held　freely　by　the　lord　and　not　a　court　of　free　men。　Mr　Maitland　adds；　that　he　has　found　mention　of　a　court　of　villains　and　one　of　knights；　but　that　he　never　came　across　a　court　of　barons　in　the　sense　given　in　later　jurisprudence　to　the　term　'Court　Baron。'　Here　I　must　put　in　a　trifling　qualification　which　does　not　affect　his　main　position　in　the　least。　The　Introduction　to　the　Selden　Society's　second　volume；　which　is　our　greatest　authority　on　this　subject；　mentions　a　case　when　the　halimot　was　actually　divided　on　the　principle　laid　down　by　Coke　and　later　lawyers　generally。　I　mean　the　case　of　Steyning；　where　the　Abbot　holds　a　separate　court　for　free　tenants　and　another　for　his　villains。　The　instance　belongs　to　the　time　of　the　Edwards；　but　it　is　marked　as　an　innovation　and　a　bad　one。（29*）　It　shows；　however；　that　the　separation　of　the　courts　was　beginning　to　set　in。　The　Steyning　case　is　not　quite　an　isolated　one。　I　have　found　in　the　Hundred　Rolls　the　expression　Sockemanemot　to　designate　a　court　attended　by　free　sokemen；（30*）　and　it　may　be　suggested　that　the　formation　of　the　so…called　Court　Baron　may　have　been　facilitated　by　the　peculiar　constitution　and　customs　of　those　courts　where　the　unfree　element　was　almost　entirely　absent。　The　Danish　shires　and　Kent　could　not　but　exercise　a　certain　influence　on　the　adjoining　counties。　However　this　might　be；　the　general　rule　is；　undoubtedly；　that　no　division　is　admitted；　and　that　all　the　suitors　and　affairs　are　concentrated　in　the　one　manorial　court　　the　halimot。　　　　　It　met　generally　once　every　three　weeks；　but　it　happens　sometimes　that　it　is　called　together　without　a　definite　limit　of　time　at　the　pleasure　of　the　lord。（31*）　Cases　like　that　of　the　manors　of　the　Abbey　of　Ramsey；　in　which　the　courts　are　summoned　only　twice　a　year；　are　quite　exceptional；　and　in　the　instance　cited　the　fact　has　to　be　explained　by　the　existence　of　an　upper　court　for　these　estates；　the　court　of　the　honour　of　Broughton。（32*）　The　common　suitors　are　the　peasants　living　within　the　manor　　the　owners　of　holdings　in　the　fields　of　the　manor。　In　important　trials；　when　free　men　are　concerned；　or　when　a　thief　has　to　be　hanged；　suitors　are　called　in　from　abroad　　mostly　small　free　tenants　who　have　entered　into　an　agreement　about　a　certain　number　of　suits　to　the　court。（33*）　These　foreign　suitors　appear　once　every　six　weeks；　twice　a　year；　for　special　trials　upon　a　royal　writ；　for　the　hanging　of　thieves；（34*）　etc。　The　duty　of　attending　the　court　is　constantly　menti