vill3-第16部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

e　on　the　animal's　neck。（55*）　Poultry　is　brought　almost　everywhere；　but　these　prestations　are　very　different　in　their　origin。　The　most　common　reason　for　giving　capons　is　the　necessity　for　getting　the　warranty　of　the　lord：（56*）　In　this　sense　the　receipt　and　payment　of　the　rent　constitute　an　acknowledgment　on　the　part　of　the　lord　that　he　is　bound　to　protect　his　men；　and　on　the　part　of　the　peasant　that　he　is　the　lord's　villain。　　Wood　hens'　are　given　for　licence　to　take　a　load　of　wood　in　a　forest；　similar　prestations　occur　in　connexion　with　pasture　and　with　the　use　of　a　moor　for　turbary。（57*）　At　Easter　the　peasantry　greet　their　protectors　by　bringing　eggs：　in　Walton；　a　manor　of　St。　Paul's；　London；　the　custom　is　said　to　exist　in　honour　of　the　lord；　and　at　the　free　discretion　of　the　tenants。（58*）　Besides　all　those　things　which　may　be　'put　on　the　fire　and　eaten；'　rents　in　kind　sometimes　take　the　shape　of　some　object　for　permanent　use；　especially　of　some　implement　necessary　for　the　construction　of　the　plough。（59*）　Trifling　rents；　consisting　of　flowers　or　roots　of　ginger；　are　sometimes　imposed　with　the　object　of　testifying　to　the　lord's　seignory；　but　the　payers　of　such　rents　are　generally　freeholders。（60*）　I　need　not　dwell　long　on　the　enumeration　of　all　the　strange　prestations　which　existed　during　the　Middle　Ages；　and　partly　came　down　to　our　own　time：　any　reader　curious　about　them　will　find　an　enormous　mass　of　interesting　material　in　Hazlitt's　'Tenures　of　Land　and　Customs　of　Manors。'　　　　　In　opposition　to　labour　and　rents　in　kind　we　find　a　great　many　payments　in　money。　Some　of　these　are　said　in　as　many　words　to　have　stept　into　the　place　of　labour　services；　of　mowing；　carrying；　making　hedges；（61*）　etc。　The　same　may　be　the　case　in　regard　to　produce：　barlicksilver　is　paid　instead　of　barley；　fish…silver　evidently　instead　of　fish；　malt…silver　instead　of　malt；　a　certain　payment　instead　of　salt；　and　so　on。（62*）　But　sometimes　the　origin　of　the　money　rent　is　more　difficult　to　ascertain。　We　find；　for　instance；　a　duty　on　sheep；　which　is　almost　certainly　an　original　imposition　when　it　appears　as　fald…silver。　Even　so　the　scythe…penny　from　every　scythe；　the　bosing…silver　from　every　horse　and　cart；　the　wood…penny；　probably　for　the　use　of　wood　as　fuel；　must　be　regarded　as　original　taxes　and　not　quit…rents　or　commutation…rents。（63*）　Pannage　is　paid　in　the　same　way　for　the　swine　grazing　in　the　woods。（64*）　Ward…penny　appears　also　in　connexion　with　cattle；　but　with　some　special　shade　of　meaning　which　it　is　difficult　to　bring　out　definitely；　the　name　seems　to　point　to　protection；　and　also　occurs　in　connexion　with　police　arrangements。（65*）　　　　　I　must　acknowledge　that　in　a　good　many　cases　I　have　been　unable　to　find　a　satisfactory　explanation　for　various　terms　which　occur　in　the　records　for　the　divers　payments。　An　attentive　study　of　local　usages　will　probably　lead　to　definite　conclusions　as　to　most　of　them。（66*）　From　a　general　point　of　view　it　is　interesting　to　notice；　that　we　find　already　in　our　records　some　attempts　to　bring　all　the　perplexing　variety　of　payments　to　a　few　main　designations。　Annual　rents　are；　of　course；　reckoned　out　under　the　one　head　of　'census。'　Very　obvious　reasons　suggested　the　advisability　of　computing　the　entire　money…proceed　yielded　by　the　estate。（67*）　It　sometimes　happens　that　the　general　sum　made　up　in　this　way；　fixed　as　it　is　at　a　constant　amount；　is　used　almost　as　a　name　for　a　complex　of　land。（68*）　A　division　of　rents　into　old　and　new　ones　does　not　require　any　particular　explanation。（69*）　But　several　other　subdivisions　are　worth　notice。　The　rent　paid　from　the　land　often　appears　separately　as　landgafol　or　landchere。　It　is　naturally　opposed　to　payments　that　fall　on　the　person　as　poll　taxes。（70*）　These　last　are　considered　guaranteed　by　the　as　a　return　for　the　personal　protection　lord　to　his　subjects。　Of　the　contrast　between　gafol　as　a　customary　rent　and　mal　as　a　payment　in　commutation　I　have　spoken　already；　and　I　have　only　to　add　now；　that　gild　is　sometimes　used　in　the　same　sense　as　mal。（71*）　Another　term　in　direct　opposition　to　gafol　is　the　Latin　donum。（72*）　It　seems　to　indicate　a　special　payment　imposed　as　a　kind　of　voluntary　contribution　on　the　entire　village。　To　be　sure；　there　was　not　much　free　will　to　be　exercised　in　the　matter；　all　the　dependent　people　of　the　township　had　to　pay　according　to　their　means。（73*）　But　the　tax　must　have　been　considered　as　a　supplementary　one　in　the　same　sense　as　supplementary　boon…work。　It　may　have　been　originally　intended　in　some　cases　as　an　equivalent　for　some　rights　surrendered　by　the　lord；　as　a　mal　or　gild；　in　fact。（74*）　In　close　connexion　with　the　donum　we　find　the　auxilium；（75*）　also　an　extraordinary　tax　paid　once　a　year；　and　distinguished　from　the　ordinary　rent。　It　appears　as　a　direct　consequence　of　the　political　subjection　of　the　tenantry。（76*）。　It　is；　in　fact；　merely　an　expression　of　the　right　to　tallage。　Our　records　mention　it　sometimes　as　apportioned　according　to　the　number　of　cattle　owned　by　the　peasant；　but　this　concerns　only　the　mode　of　imposition　of　the　duty　and　hardly　its　origin。（77*）　As　I　have　said　already；　the　auxilium　is　in　every　respect　like　the　donum。　One　very　characteristic　trait　of　both　taxes　is；　that　they　are　laid　primarily　on　the　whole　village；　which　is　made　to　pay　a　certain　round　sum　as　a　body。（78*）　The　burden　is　divided　afterwards　between　the　several　householders；　and　the　number　of　cattle；　and　more　particularly　of　the　beasts　of　plough　kept　on　the　holding；　has　of　course　to　be　taken　into　account　more　than　anything　else。　But　the　manorial　administration　does　not　much　concern　itself　with　these　details：　the　township　is　answerable　for　the　whole　sum。　　　　　It　is　to　be　added　that　the　payment　is　sometimes　actually　mentioned　as　a　political　one　in　direct　connexion　with　'forinsec'　duties　towards　the　king。　The　burdens　which　lay　on　the　land　in　consequence　of　the　requirements　of　State　and　Church　appear　not　unfrequently　in　the　documents。　Among　those　the　scutage　and　hidage　are　the　most　important。　The　first　of　these　taxes　is　so　well　known　that　I　need　not　stop　to　discuss　it。　It　may　be　noticed　however　that　in　relation　to　the　dependent　people　scutage　is　not　commonly　spoken　of；　the　tax　was　levied　under　this　name　from　the　barons　and　the　armed　gentry；　and　was　mostly　transmitted　by　these　to　the　lower　strata　of　society　under　some　other　name；　as　an　aid　or　a　tallage。　Hidage　is　historically　connected　with　the　old　English　Danegeld　system；　and　in　some　cases　its　amount　is　set　out　separately　from　other　payments；　and　the　tenants　of　a　manor　have　to　pay　it　to　the　bailiff　of　the　hundred　and　not　to　the　steward。　A　smaller　payment　called　ward…penny　is　bound　up　with　it；　probably　as　a　substitute　for　the　duty　of　keeping　watch　and　ward。（79*）　In　the　north　the　hidage　is　replaced　by　cornage；（80*）　a　tax　which　has　given　rise　to　learned　controversy　and　doubt；　it　looks　like　an　assessment　according　to　the　number　of　horns　of　cattle；　pro　numero　averiorum；　as　our　Latin　extents　would　say。　The　Church　has　also　an　ancient　claim　on　the　help　of　the　faithful；　the　churchscot　of　Saxon　times　often　occurs　in　the　feudal　age　under　the　name　of　churiset　or　cheriset。（81*）　It　is　mostly　paid　in　kind；　but　may　be　found　occasionally　as　a　money…rent。　　　　　A　survey　of　the　chief　aspects　assumed　by　the　work　and　the　payments　of　the　dependent　people　was　absolutely　necessary；　in　order　to　enable　us　to　understand　the　descriptions　of　rural　arrangements　which　form　the　most　instructive　part　of　the　so…called　extents。　But　every　survey　of　terms　and　distinctions　（even　if　it　were　much　more　detailed　than　the　one　I　am　able　to　present）；　will　give　only　a　very　imperfect　idea　of　the　obligations　actually　laid　on　the　peasantry。　It　must　needs　take　up　the　different　species　one　by　one　and　consider　them　separately；　whereas　in　reality　they　were　meant　to　fit　together　into　a　whole。　On　the　other　hand　it　may　create　a　false　impression　by　enumerating　in　systematic　order　facts　which　belonged　to　different　localities　and　perhaps　to　different　epochs。　To　keep　clear　of　these　dangers　we　have　to　consider　the　deviations　of　practical　arrangements　from　the　rules　laid　down　in　the　books　and　the　usual　combinations　of　the　elements　described。　　　　　When　one　reads　the　careful　notices　in　the　cartularies　as　to　the　number　of　days　and　the　particular　occasions　when　work　has　to　be　performed　for　the　lord；　a　simple　question　is　suggested　by　the　minuteness　of　detail。　What　happened　when　this　very　definite　arrangement　came　into　collision　with　some　other　equally　exacting　order？　One　of　the　three　days　of　week…work　might；　for　instance；　fall　on　a　great　feast；　or　else　the　weather　might　be　too　bad　for　out…of…doors　work。　Who　was　to　suffer　or　to　gain　by　such　casualties？　The　question　is　not　a　useless　one。　The　manorial　records　raise　it　occasionally；　and　their　ways　of　settling　it　are　not　always　the　same。　We　find　that　in　some　cases　the　lord　tried　to　get　rid　of　the　inconveniences　occasioned　by　such　events；　Or　at　least　to　throw　one　part　of　the　burden　back　on　the　dependent　population；　in　Barling；　for　instance；　a　manor　of　St。　Paul's；　London；（82*）　of　two　feasts　occurring　in　one　week　and　even　in　two　consecutive　weeks；　one　profits　to　the　villains　and　the　other　to　the　lord；　that　is　to　say；　the　labourer　escapes　one　day's　work　altogether。　But　the　general