vill3-第34部分

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wner；　we　find　sometimes　kindred　services　reserved　for　the　village　community。（12*）　If　a　person　has　been　guilty　of　misdemeanours　and　is　subjected　to　a　special　supervision；　this　supervision　applies　to　his　conduct　in　regard　both　to　the　lord　and　to　the　fellow　villagers。（13*）　No　doubt　the　relations　of　the　village　to　its　lord　are　much　more　fully　described　in　the　documents　than　the　internal　arrangement　of　the　community；　but　this　could　not　be　otherwise　in　surveys　compiled　for　the　use　of　lords　and　stewards。　Even　the　chance　indications　we　gather　as　to　these　internal　arrangements　are　sufficient　to　give　an　insight　into　the　powerful　ties　of　the　village　community。　　　　　Indeed；　the　rural　settlement　appears　in　our　records　as　a　'juridical　person。'　The　Court　Rolls　of　Brightwaltham；　edited　for　the　Selden　Society　by　Mr　Maitland；　give　a　most　beautiful　example　of　this。　The　village　of　Brightwaltham　enters　into　a　formal　agreement　with　the　lord　of　the　manor　as　to　some　commons。　it　surrenders　its　rights　to　the　lord　in　regard　to　the　wood　of　Hemele；　and　gets　rid　in　return　of　the　rights　claimed　by　the　lord　in　Estfield　and　in　a　wood　called　Trendale。（14*）　Nothing　can　be　more　explicit：　the　village　acts　as　an　organised　community；　it　evidently　has　free　disposition　as　to　rights　connected　with　the　soil；　it　disposes　of　these　rights　not　only　independently　of　the　lord；　but　in　an　exchange　to　which　he　appears　as　a　party。　We　see　no　traces　of　the　rightless　condition　of　villains　which　is　supposed　to　be　their　legal　lot；　and　a　powerful　community　is　recognised　by　the　lord　in　a　form　which　bears　all　the　traits　of　legal　definition。　in　the　same　way　the　annals　of　Dunstable　speak　of　the　seisin　of　the　township　of　Toddington；（15*）　and　of　a　feoffment　made　by　them　on　behalf　of　the　lord。　　　　　I　have　only　to　say　in　addition　to　this　summing　up　of　the　subject；　that　the　quasi…legal　standing　of　the　villains　in　regard　to　the　lord　appears　with　special　clearness　when　they　stand　arrayed　against　him　as　a　group　and　not　as　single　individuals。　We　could　guess　as　much　on　general　grounds；　but　the　self…dependent　position　assumed　by　the　'communitas　villanorum'　of　Brightwaltham　is　the　more　interesting；　that　it　finds　expression　in　a　formal　and　recorded　agreement。　　　　　We　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　same　phenomenon　from　yet　another　point　of　view。　It　is　quite　common　to　find　entire　estates　let　to　farm　to　the　rural　community　settled　upon　them。（16*）　In　such　cases　the　mediation　of　the　bailiff　might　be　dispensed　with；　the　village　entered　into　a　direct　agreement　with　the　lord　or　his　chief　steward　and　undertook　a　certain　set　of　services　and　payments；　or　promised　to　give　a　round　sum。　Such　an　arrangement　was　profitable　to　both　parties。　The　villains　were　willing　to　pay　dearly　in　order　to　free　themselves　from　the　bailiff's　interference　with　their　affairs；　the　landowner　got　rid　of　a　numerous　and　inconvenient　staff　of　stewards　and　servants；　the　rural　life　was　organised　on　the　basis　of　self…government　with　a　very　slight　control　on　the　part　of　the　lord。　Such　agreements　concern　the　general　management　of　manors　as　well　as　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　intima