vill3-第18部分

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ystem　may　be　found　in　an　ancient　cartulary　of　Ramsey；　now　at　the　British　Museum；　which　though　compiled　in　the　early　thirteenth　century；　constantly　refers　to　the　order　of　Henry　II's　time。　The　estates　of　the　abbey　were　taxed　in　such　a　way　as　to　yield　thirteen　full　farms　of　a　fortnight；　and　each　of　these　was　to　be　used　for　the　maintenance　of　the　monks　through　a　whole　month。　The　extension　of　the　period　is　odd　enough；　and　we　do　not　see　its　reason　clearly。　It　followed　probably　on　great　losses　in　property　and　income　at　the　time　of　Abbot　Walter。　However　this　may　be；　the　thirteen　fortnights'　farms　were　made　to　serve　all　the　year　round；　and　to　cover　fifty…two　weeks　instead　of　twenty…six。　A　very　minute　description　of　the　single　farm　is　given　as　it　was　paid　by　the　manor　of　Ayllington　（i。e。　Elton）。　Every　kind　of　produce　is　mentioned：　flour　and　bread；　beer　and　honey；　bacon；　cheese；　lambs；　geese；　chicken；　eggs；　butter；　&c。　The　price　of　each　article　is　mentioned　in　pence；　and　it　is　added；　that　four　pounds　have　to　be　paid　in　money。　By　the　side　of　the　usual　farm　there　appears　a　'lent'　farm　with　this　distinction；　that　only　half　as　much　bacon　and　cheese　has　to　be　given　as　usual；　and　the　deficiency　is　to　be　made　up　by　a　money　payment。　Some　of　the　manors　of　the　abbey　have　to　send　a　whole　farm；　some　others　only　one　half；　that　is　one　week's　farm；　but　all　are　assessed　to　pay　sixteen　pence　for　every　acre　to　be　used　as　alms　for　the　poor。（94*）　This　description　may　be　taken　as　a　standard　one；　and　it　would　be　easy　to　supplement　it　in　many　particulars　from　the　records　of　other　monastic　institutions。　The　records　of　St。　Paul's；　London；　supply　information　as　to　a　distribution　of　the　farms　at　the　close　of　the　eleventh　century；　which　covered　fifty…two　weeks；　six　days；　and　five…sixths　of　a　day。（95*）　The　firmae　of　St。　Alban's　were　reckoned　to　provide　for　the　fifty…two　weeks　of　the　year；　and　one　in　advance。（96*）　The　practice　of　arranging　the　produce…rents　according　to　farms　was　by　no　means　restricted　to　ecclesiastical　management；　it　occurs　also　on　the　estates　of　the　Crown；　and　was　probably　in　use　on　those　of　lay　lords　generally。　Every　person　a　little　conversant　with　Domesday　knows　the　firmae　unius　noctis；　at　which　some　of　the　royal　manors　were　assessed。（97*）　In　the　period　properly　called　feudal；　that　is　in　the　twelfth　and　thirteenth　centuries；　the　food…revenue　had　very　often　become　only　the　starting…point　for　a　reckoning　of　money…rents。　The　St。　Alban's　farms；　for　example；　are　no　longer　delivered　in　kind；　their　equivalent　in　money　has　taken　their　place。　But　the　previous　state　of　things　has　left　a　clear　trace　in　the　division　by　weeks。　Altogether　it　seems　impossible　to　doubt　that　the　original　idea　was　to　provide　really　the　food　necessary　for　consumption。　One　cannot　help　thinking　that　such　practice　must　have　come　from　the　very　earliest　times　when　a　Saxon　or　a　Celtic　chieftain　got　his　income　from　the　territory　under　his　sway　by　moving　from　one　place　to　another　with　his　retinue　and　feeding　on　the　people　for　a　certain　period。　This　very　primitive　mode　of　raising　income　and　consuming　it　at　the　same　time　may　occasionally　strike　our　eye　even　in　the　middle　of　the　thirteenth　century。　The　tenants　of　the　Abbot　of　Osulveston　in　Donington　and　Byker　are　bound　to　receive　their　lord　during　one　night　and　one　day　when　he　comes　to　hold　his　court　in　their　place。　They　find　the　necessary　food　and　beverage　for　him　and　for　his　men；　provender　for　his　horses；　and　so　forth。　If　the　abbot　does　not　come　in　person；　the　homage　may　settle　about　a　commutation　of　the　duties　with　the　steward　or　the　sergeant　sent　for　the　purpose。　If　he　refuses　to　take　money；　they　must　bring　everything　in　kind。（98*）　　　　　This　is　an　exceptional　instance：　generally　the　farm　has　to　be　sent　to　the　lord's　residence；　probably　after　a　deduction　for　the　requirements　of　the　manor　in　which　it　was　gathered。　When　it　had　reached　this　stage　the　system　is　already　in　decay。　It　is　not　only　difficult　to　provide　for　the　carriage；　but　actually　impossible　to　keep　some　of　the　articles　from　being　spoilt。　Bread　sent　to　Westminster　from　some　Worcestershire　possession　of　the　minster　would　not　have　been　very　good　when　it　reached　its　destination。　The　step　towards　money…payments　is　natural　and　necessary。　　　　　Before　leaving　the　food…rents　we　must　take　notice　of　one　Or　two　more　peculiarities　of　this　system。　It　is　obvious　that　it　was　arranged　from　above；　if　one　may　use　the　expression。　The　assessment　does　not　proceed　in　this　case　by　way　of　an　estimate　of　the　paying　or　producing　strength　of　each　unit　subjected　to　it；　i。e。　of　each　peasant　household。　The　result　is　not　made　up　by　multiplying　the　revenue　from　every　holding　by　the　number　of　such　holdings。　The　whole　reckoning　starts　from　the　other　end；　from　the　wants　of　the　manorial　administration。　The　requirements　of　a　night　or　of　a　week　are　used　as　the　standard　to　which　the　taxation　has　to　conform。　This　being　the　case；　the　correspondence　between　the　amount　of　the　taxes　and　the　actual　condition　of　the　tax…payer　was　only　a　very　loose　one。　Manors　of　very　different　size　were　brought　into　the　same　class　in　point　of　assessment；　and　the　rough　distinctions　between　a　whole　farm　and　half…a…farm　could　not　follow　at　all　closely　the　variety　of　facts　in　real　life；　even　when　they　were　supplemented　by　the　addition　of　round　sums　of　money。　　　　　These　observations　lead　at　once　to　important　questions；　how　was　the　farm…assessment　distributed　in　every　single　manor；　and　what　was　its　influence　on　the　duties　of　the　single　householder？　It　seems　hardly　doubtful；　to　begin　with；　that　the　food…rent　changed　very　much　in　this　respect。　Originally；　when　the　condition　of　things　was　more　or　less　like　the　Osulvestone　example；　the　farm　must　have　been　the　result　of　co…operation　on　the　part　of　all　the　householders　of　a　township；　who　had　to　contribute　according　to　their　means　to　furnish　the　necessary　articles。　But　the　farm　of　St。　Paul's；　London；　even　when　it　is　paid　in　produce；　is　a　very　different　thing。　It　is　the　result　of　a　convention　with　the　firmarius；　or　may　be　with　the　township　itself　in　the　place　of　a　firmarius。（99*）　It　depends　only　indirectly　on　the　services　and　payments　of　the　peasantry。　Part　of　the　flour；　bread；　beer；　etc。；　may　come　from　the　cultivation　of　the　demesne　lands；　another　portion　will　appear　as　the　proceed　of　week…work　and　boon…work　performed　by　the　villains；　and　only　one　portion；　perhaps　a　very　insignificant　one；　will　be　levied　directly　as　produce。　In　this　way　there　is　no　break　between　the　food…rent　system　and　the　labour…system。　One　may　still　exist　for　purposes　of　a　general　assessment　when　the　other　has　already　taken　hold　of　the　internal　arrangement　of　the　manor。　　　　　Most　of　our　documents　present　the　labour　arrangement　in　full　operation。　Each　manor　may　be　regarded　as　an　organised　group　of　households　in　which　the　central　body　represented　by　the　lord's　farm　has　succeeded　in　subordinating　several　smaller　bodies　to　its　directing　influence。　Every　satellite　has　a　movement　of　its　own；　is　revolving　round　its　own　centre；　and　at　the　same　time　it　is　attracted　to　turn　round　the　chief　planet；　and　is　carried　away　in　its　path。　The　constellation　is　a　very　peculiar　one　and　most　significant　for　the　course　of　medieval　history。　Regarded　from　the　economic　standpoint　it　is　neither　a　system　of　great　farming　nor　one　of　small　farming；　but　a　compound　of　both。　The　estate　of　the　lord　is　in　a　sense　managed　on　a　great　scale；　but　the　management　is　bound　up　with　a　supply　and　a　distribution　of　labour　which　depend　on　the　conditions　of　the　small　tributary　households。　It　would　be　impossible　now…a…days　to　say　for　certain　how　much　of　the　customary　order　of　week…work　and　boon…work　was　derived　from　a　calculation　of　the　requirements　of　the　manorial　administration；　and　how　much　of　it　is　to　be　regarded　as　a　percentage　taken　from　the　profits　of　each　individual　tenant。（100*）　Both　elements　probably　co…operated　to　produce　the　result：　the　operations　performed　for　the　benefit　of　the　lord　were　ordered　in　a　certain　way　partly　because　so　many　acres　had　to　be　tilled；　so　much　hay　and　corn　had　to　be　reaped　on　the　lord's　estate；　and　partly　because　the　peasant　virgaters　or　cotters　were　known　to　work　for　themselves　in　a　certain　manner　and　considered　capable　of　yielding　so　much　as　a　percentage　of　their　working　power。　But　although　we　have　a　compromise　before　us　in　this　respect；　it　must　be　noted　that　the　relation　between　the　parts　and　the　whole　is　obviously　different　under　the　system　of　labour　services　from　what　it　was　under　the　farm…system。　It　has　been　pointed　out　that　the　food…rent　arrangement　was　imposed　from　above　without　much　trouble　being　taken　to　ascertain　the　exact　value　and　character　of　the　tributary　units　subjected　to　it。　This　later　element　is　certainly　very　prominent　in　the　customary　labour…system；　which　on　the　whole　appears　to　be　constructed　from　below。　Is　it　necessary　to　add　that　this　second　form　of　subjection　was　by　no　means　the　lighter　one？　The　very　differentiation　of　the　burden　means　that　the　aristocratical　power　of　the　landlord　has　penetrated　deep　enough　to　attempt　an　exact　evaluation　of　details。　　　　　I　have　had　occasion　so　many　times　already　to　speak　of　the　process　of　commutation；　that　there　is　no　call　now　to　explain　the　reasons　which　induced　both　landlords　and　peasants　to　exchange　lab