vill3-第43章

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ial　beadle　was　matched　by　the　communal　reeve；　and　a　like　contrast　is　sometimes　found　on　the　lower　degrees。（3*）　In　exceptional　cases　the　lord　nominates　the　reeve；　although　he　still　remains　the　chief　representative　of　village　interests　and　the　chief　collector　of　services。　But　in　the　normal　course　the　office　was　elective；　and　curious　intermediate　forms　may　be　found。　For　instance；　the　village　selects　the　messarius　（hayward）；　and　the　lord　may　appoint　him　reeve。（4*）　This　is　a　point；　again；　which　shows　most　clearly　the　intimate　connexion　between　the　interests　of　the　lord　and　those　of　the　village。　The　peasants　become　guarantors　for　the　reeve　whom　they　chose。　A　formula　which　comes　from　Gloucester　Abbey　requires；　that　only　such　persons　be　chosen　as　have　proved　their　capacity　to　serve　by　a　good　conduct　of　their　own　affairs：　all　shortcomings　and　defects　are　to　be　made　good　ultimately　by　the　rural　community　that　elected　the　officer；　and　no　excuses　are　to　be　accepted　unless　in　cases　of　exceptional　hardship。（5*）　The　economic　tracts　of　the　thirteenth　century　state　the　same　principle　in　even　a　more　explicit　manner。　　　　　From　the　manorial　point　of　view　the　whole　village　is　responsible　for　the　collection　of　duties。　There　are　payments　expressly　imposed　on　the　whole。　Such　is　the　case　with　the　yearly　auxilium　or　donum。　The　partition　of　these　between　the　householders　is　naturally　effected　in　a　meeting　of　the　villagers。（6*）　Most　services　are　laid　on　the　virgaters　separately。　But　they　are　all　held　answerable　for　the　regularity　and　completeness　with　which　every　single　member　of　the　community　performs　his　duties。　As　to　free　holdings；　it　is　sometimes　noticed　especially　to　what　extent　they　are　subjected　to　the　general　arrangement：　whether　they　participate　with　the　rest　in　payments；　and　whether　the　tenants　have　to　work　in　the　same　way　as　the　villains。（7*）　Very　often　the　documents　point　out　that　such　and　such　a　person　ought　to　take　part　in　certain　obligations　but　has　been　exempted　or　fraudulently　exempts　himself；　and　that　the　village　community　has　to　bear　a　relative　increase　of　its　burdens。（8*）　A　Glastonbury　formula　orders　the　steward　to　make　inquiries　about　people　who　have　been　freed　from　the　performance　of　their　services　in　such　a　way　that　their　responsibility　has　been　thrown　on　the　village。（9*）　　　　　But　it　would　be　very　wrong　to　assume　that　the　rural　community　could　act　only　in　the　interest　of　the　lord。　Its　solidarity　is　recognised　in　matters　which　do　not　concern　him；　or　even　which　call　forth　an　opposition　between　him　and　the　peasantry。　　　　　I　have　already　spoken　of　the　curious　fact　that　the　village　is　legally　recognised　as　a　unit；　separated　from　the　manor　although　existing　within　it。　When　the　reeve　and　the　four　men　attend　the　sheriff's　tourn　or　the　eyre；　they　do　not　represent　the　lord　only；　but　also　the　village　community。　Part　of　their　expenses　are　borne　by　the　lord　and　part　by　their　fellow　villagers。（10*）　The　documents　tell　us　of　craftsmen　who　have　to　work　for　the　village　as　well　as　for　the　lord。（11*）　On　a　parallel　with　services　due　to　the　landowner；　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　tho