vill3-第58章

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wn　fields；　and　the　home…estate　of　the　lord　tacked　on　to　this　settlement　and　dependent　on　the　work　supplied　by　it。　I　take　only　the　agrarian　side；　of　course；　and　do　not　mention　the　political　protection　which　stands　more　or　less　as　an　equivalent　for　the　profits　received　by　the　lord　from　the　peasantry。　And　as　for　the　agrarian　arrangement；　we　ought　to　keep　it　quite　distinct　from　forms　which　are　sometimes　confused　with　it　through　loose　terminology。　A　community　paying　taxes；　farmers　leasing　land　for　rent；　labourers　without　independent　husbandry　of　their　own；　may　be　all　subjected　to　some　lord；　but　their　subjection　is　not　manorial。　Two　elements　are　necessary　to　constitute　the　manorial　arrangement；　the　peasant　village　and　the　home　farm　worked　by　its　help。　　　　　If　we　turn　now　to　the　evidence　of　the　feudal　period；　we　shall　see　that　the　labour…service　relation；　although　very　marked　and　prevalent　in　most　cases；　is　by　no　means　the　only　one　that　should　be　taken　into　account。　In　a　large　number　of　cases　the　relation　between　lord　and　peasants　resolves　itself　into　money　payments；　and　this　is　only　another　way　of　saying　that　the　manorial　group　disaggregates　itself。　The　peasant　holding　gets　free　from　the　obligation　of　labouring　under　the　supervision　of　the　bailiff；　and　the　home　estate　may　be　either　thrown　over　or　managed　by　the　help　of　hired　servants　and　labourers。　　　　　But　alongside　of　these　facts；　testifying　to　a　progress　towards　modern　times；　we　find　survivals　of　a　more　ancient　order　of　things；　quite　as　incompatible　with　manorial　husbandry。　Instead　of　performing　work　on　the　demesne；　the　peasantry　are　sometimes　made　to　collect　and　furnish　produce　for　the　lord's　table　and　his　other　wants。　They　send　bread；　ale；　sheep；　chicken；　cheese；　etc。；　sometimes　to　a　neighbouring　castle　and　sometimes　a　good　way　off。　When　we　hear　of　the　firma　unius　noctis；　paid　to　the　king's　household　by　a　borough　or　a　village；　we　have　to　imagine　a　community　standing　entirely　by　itself　and　taxed　to　a　certain　tribute；　without　any　superior　land　estate　necessarily　engrafted；　upon　it；　a　home　farm　may　or　may　not　be　close　by；　but　its　management　is　not　dependent　on　the　customary　work　of　the　vill　（consuetudines　villae）；　and　the　connexion　between　the　two　is　casual。　The　facts　of　which　I　am　speaking　are　certainly　of　rare　occurrence　and　dying　out；　but　they　are　very　interesting　from　a　historical　point　of　view；　they　throw　light　on　a　condition　of　things　preceding　the　manorial　system；　and　characterised　by　a　large　over…lordship　exacting　tribute；　and　not　cultivating　land　by　help　of　the　peasantry。　　　　　We　come　precisely　to　the　same　conclusion　by　another　way。　The　feudal　landlord　is　represented　in　the　village　by　his　demesene　land；　and　by　the　servants　acting　as　his　helpers　in　administration。　Now；　the　demesne　land　is　often　found　intermixed　with　the　strips　of　the　peasantry。　This　seems　particularly　fitted　for　a　time　when　the　peasantry　did　not　collect　to　work　on　a　separate　home　farm；　but　simply　devoted　one　part　of　the　labour　on　their　own　ground　to　the　use　of　the　lord。　What　I　mean　is；　that　if　a　demesne　consisted　of；　say；　every　fifth　acre　in　the　village　fields；　the　teams　of　four　virgaters　composing　the　plough　would　traverse　this　additional　acre　after　going　over　four　of　their　own　instead　of　being　called　up　under　the　supervision　of　the　bailiff；　to　do　work　on　an　independent　estate。　The　work　performed　by　the　peasants　when　the　demesne　is　still　in　intermixture　with　the　village　land；　appears　as　an　intermediate　stage　between　the　tribute　paid　by　a　practically　self…dependent　community；　and　the　double　husbandry　of　a　manorial　estate　linked　to　a　village。　　　　　Another　feature　of　transition　is　perceivable　in　the　history　of　the　class　of　servants　or　ministers　who　collect　and　supervise　the　dues　and　services　of　the　peasants。　The　feudal　arrangement　is　quite　as　much　characterised　by　the　existence　of　these　middlemen　as　modern　life　by　the　agreements　and　money　dealings　which　have　rendered　it　useless。　In　the　period　preceding　the　manorial　age　we　see　fewer　officers；　and　their　interference　in　the　life　of　the　community　is　but　occasional。　The　gathering　of　tribute；　the　supervision　of　a　few　labour　duties　in　addition；　did　not　require　a　large　staff　of　ministers。　It　was　in　the　interest　of　the　lord　to　dispense　as　much　as　possible　with　their　costly　help；　and　to　throw　what　obligations　there　were　to　be　performed　on　the　community　itself。　It　seems　to　me　that　the　feudal　age　has　preserved　several　traces　of　institutions　belonging　to　that　period　of　transition。　The　older　surveys；　especially　the　Kentish　ones；　show　a　very　remarkable　development　of　carriage　duties　which　must　have　been　called　forth　by　the　necessity　of　sending　produce　to　the　lord's　central　halls　or　courts；　while　the　home　farms　were　still　few　and　small。　The　riding　bailiffs　appear　in　ancient　documents　in　a　position　which　is　gradually　modified　as　time　goes　on。　They　begin　by　forming　a　very　conspicuous　class　among　the　tenants；　in　fact　the　foremost　rank　of　the　peasantry。　These　radmen；　radulfs；　rodknights；　riders；　are　privileged　people；　and　mostly　rank　with　the　free　tenants；　but　they　are　selected　from　among　the　villagers；　and　very　closely　resemble　the　hundredors；　whose　special　duties　have　kept　up　their　status　among　the　general　decay。　In　later　times；　in　the　second　half　of　the　thirteenth　century　and　in　the　fourteenth；　it　would　be　impossible　to　distinguish　such　a　class　of　riding　tenants。　They　exist　here　and　there；　but　in　most　cases　their　place　has　been　taken　by　direct　dependents　of　the　lord。　Besides；　as　the　home…farm　has　developed　on　every　manor；　their　office　has　lost　some　of　the　importance　it　had　at　a　time　when　there　was　a　good　deal　of　business　to　transact　in　the　way　of　communicating　between　the　villages　and　the　few　central　courts　to　which　rents　had　to　be　carried。　And；　lastly；　I　may　remind　the　reader　of　the　importance　attached　in　some　surveys　to　the　supervision　of　the　best　tenants　over　the　rest　at　the　boon　works。　The　socmen；　or　free　tenants；　or　holders　of　full　lands；　as　the　case　may　be；　have　to　ride　out　with　rods　in　their　hands　to　inspect　the　people　cutting　the　corn　or　making　hay。　These　customs　are　mostly　to　be　found　in　manors　with　a　particularly　archaic　constitution。　They　occur　very　often　on　ancient　demesne。　And　I　need　hardly　say　that　they　point　to　a　still　imperfect　development　of　the　ministerial　class。　The　village　is　already　set　to　work　for　the　lord；　but　it　manages　this　work　as　much　as　possible　by　itself；　with　hardly　any　interference　from　foreign　overseers。　　　　　One　part　of　the　village　population　is　altogether　outside　the　manorial　labour　intercourse　between　village　and　demesne。　The　freeholders　may　perform　some　labour…services；　but　the　home…farm　could　never　depend　on　them；　and　when　such　services　are　mentioned；　they　are　merely　considered　as　a　supplement　to　the　regular　duties　of　the　servile　holders。　At　the　same　time；　the　free　tenants　are　members　of　the　village　community；　engrained　in　it　by　their　participation　in　all　the　eventualities　of　open　field　life；　by　their　holdings　in　the　arable；　by　their　use　of　the　commons。　This　shows；　again；　that　the　manorial　element　is　superimposed　on　the　communal；　and　not　the　foundation　of　it。　I　shall　not　revert　to　my　positive　arguments　in　favour　of　the　existence　of　ancient　freehol