vill2-第39章

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he　lord；　but　this　will　and　pleasure　does　not　find　expression　in　any　capricious　interference　which　would　have　wantonly　destroyed　order　and　rule　in　village　life。　Under　cover　of　this　will；　customs　are　forming　themselves　which　regulate　the　constantly　recurring　events　of　marriage；　succession；　alienation；　and　the　like。　Curious　combinations　arise；　which　reflect　faithfully　the　complex　elements　of　village　life。　An　instruction　for　stewards　provides；　for　instance；　that　one　person　ought　not　to　hold　several　tenements；　where　such　agglomerations　exist　already　they　ought　to　be　destroyed；　if　it　can　be　done　conveniently　and　honestly。（106*）　In　one　of　the　manors　of　St。　Paul　of　London　the　plots　held　by　the　ploughmen　are　said　to　be　resumable　by　the　lord　without　any　injury　to　hereditary　succession。（107*）　'The　rule　of　hereditary　succession'　is　affirmed　in　regard　to　normal　holdings　by　this　very　exception。　We　find　already　the　phrase　of　which　the　royal　courts　availed　themselves；　when　in　later　days　they　extended　their　protection　to　this　base　tenure：　the　tenants　hold　'by　the　custom　of　the　manor。'（108*）　On　the　strength　of　such　custom　the　life　of　the　unfree　peasantry　takes　a　shape　closely　resembling　that　of　the　free　population；　transactions　and　rights　spring　into　being　which　find　their　exact　parallel　in　the　common　law　of　the　'free　and　lawful'　portion　of　the　community。　Walter；　a　villain　of　St。　Alban's；　surrenders　into　the　hand　of　the　monastery　two　curtilages；　which　are　thereupon　granted　to　his　daughter　and　her　husband　for　life；　upon　condition　that　after　their　death　the　land　is　to　revert　to　Walter　or　to　his　heirs。（109*）　An　Essex　villain　claims　succession　by　hereditary　right；　for　himself　and　his　heirs。（110*）　I　have　already　spoken　of　the　'free　bench'　to　be　found　equally　on　free　and　unfree　land。　In　the　same　way　there　exists　a　parallel　to　the　so…called　'Curtesy　of　England'　in　the　practice　of　manorial　courts；　if　the　son　inherits　land　from　his　mother　during　his　father's　life；　the　latter　enjoys　possession　during　his　life；　or；　it　may　be。　only　until　his　son　comes　of　age。　In　view　of　all　this　manorial　documents　have　to　draw　a　distinction　between　tenements　in　villainage　and　land　held　at　the　will　of　the　lord；　not　in　the　general；　but　in　the　special　and　literal　sense　of　the　term。（111*）　From　a　formal　point　of　view；　villain　tenure　by　custom　obtained　its　specific　character　and　its　name　from　a　symbolical　act　performed　in　open　Court　by　the　steward；　a　rod　was　handed　over　to　the　new　holder　by　the　lord's　representative；　and　a　corresponding　entry　made　in　the　roll　of　the　Court。　Hence　the　expression　tenere　per　virgam　aut　per　rotulum　Curie。（112*）　　　　　I　ought　perhaps　to　treat　here　of　the　different　and　interesting　forms　assumed　by　services　and　rents　as　consequences　of　manorial　organisation。　But　I　think　that　this　subject。　will　be　understood　better　in　another　connexion；　namely　as　part　of　the　agrarian　system。　One　side　only　of　it　has　to　be　discussed　here。　Everywhere　customs　arise　which　defend　the　villains　from　capricious　extortions　on　the　part　of　the　lord　and　steward。　These　customs　mostly　get　'inbreviated'（113*）　described　in　surveys　and　cartularies；　and　although　they　have　no　legally　binding　power；　they　certainly　represent　a　great　moral　authority　and　are　followed　in　most　cases。　　　　　A　very　characteristic　expression　of　their　influence　may　be　found　in　the　fact　that　the　manorial　rolls　very　often　describe　in　detail；　not　only　what　the　peasants　are　bound　to　do　for　the　lord；　but　what　the　lord　must　do　for　the　peasants；　especially　when　and　how　he　is　to　feed　them。　Of　course；　the　origin　of　such　usage　cannot　be　traced　to　anything　like　a　right　on　the　part　of　the　villain；　it　comes　from　the　landlord's　concessions　and　good…will；　but　grace　loses　its　exceptional　aspect　in　this　case　and　leads　to　a　morally　binding　obligation。（114*）　When　the　villain　brings　his　yearly　rent　to　his　lord；　the　latter　often　invites　him　to　his　table。（115*）　Very　common　is　the　practice　of　providing　a　meal　for　the　labourers　on　the　boon…days；　the　days　on　which　the　whole　population　of　the　village　had　to　work　for　the　lord　in　the　most　busy　time　of　the　summer　and　autumn。　Such　boon…work　was　considered　as　a　kind　of　surplus　demand；　it　exceeded　the　normal　distribution　of　work。　It　is　often　mentioned　accordingly　that　such　service　is　performed　out　of　affection　for　the　lord；　and　sometimes　it　gets　the　eloquent　name　of　'love…bene。'　In　proportion　as　the　manorial　administration　gets　more　work　done　in　this　exceptional　manner；　it　becomes　more　and　more　gracious　in　regard　to　the　people。　'Dry　requests'　（siccae　precariae）　are　followed　by　'requests　with　beer'　（precariae　cerevisiae）。　But　it　was　not　beer　alone　that　could　be　got　on　such　days。　Here　is　a　description　of　the　customs　of　Borle；　a　manor　belonging　to　Christ　Church；　Canterbury；　in　Essex。　'And　let　it　be　known　that　when　he；　the　villain；　with　other　customers　shall　have　done　cutting　the　hay　on　the　meadow　in　Raneholm；　they　will　receive　by　custom　three　quarters　of　wheat　for　baking　bread；　and　one　ram　of　the　price　of　eighteen　pence；　and　one　pat　of　butter；　and　one　piece　of　cheese　of　the　second　sort　from　the　lord's　dairy；　and　salt；　and　oatmeal　for　cooking　a　stew'　and　all　the　morning　milk　from　all　the　cows　in　the　dairy；　and　for　every　day　a　load　of　hay。　He　may　also　take　as　much　grass　as　he　is　able　to　lift　on　the　point　of　his　scythe。　And　when　the　mown　grass　is　carried　away；　he　has　a　right　to　one　cart。　And　he　is　bound　to　carry　sheaves；　and　for　each　service　of　this　kind　he　will　receive　one　sheaf；　called　〃mene…schef。〃　And　whenever　he　is　sent　to　carry　anything　with　his　cart；　he　shall　have　oats；　as　usual；　so　much；　namely；　as　he　can　thrice　take　with　his　hand。（116*）　　　　　All　such　customs　seem　very　strange　and　capricious　at　first　sight。　But　it　is　to　be　noticed　that　they　occur　in　different　forms　everywhere；　and　that　they　were　by　no　means　mere　oddities；　they　became　a　real　and　sometimes　a　heavy　burden　for　the　landlord。　The　authorities；　the　so…called　'Inquisitiones　post　mortem'　especially；　often　strike　a　kind　of　balance　between　the　expense　incurred　and　the　value　of　the　work　performed。　By　the　end　of　the　thirteenth　century　it　is　generally　found　that　both　ends　are　just　made　to　meet　in　cases　of　extra　work　attended　by　extra　feeding；　and　in　some　instances　it　is　found　that　the　lord　has　to　lay　out　more　than　he　gets　back。（117*）　The　rise　in　the　prices　of　commodities　had　rendered　the　service　unprofitable。　No　wonder　that　such　'boon…work'　has　to　be　given　up　or　to　be　commuted　for　money。　　　　　These　regularly　recurring　liberationes　or　liberaturae　as　they　are　called；　that　is；　meals　and　provender　delivered　to　the　labourers；　have　their　counterpart　in　the　customary　arrangement　of　the　amount　and　kind　of　services。　I　shall　have　to　speak　of　their　varieties　and　usual　forms　in　another　connexion；　but　it　must　be　noticed　now；　that　these　peasants　unprotected　at　law　were　under　the　rule　of　orderly　custom。　W　e　have　seen　already　that　the　payments　and　duties　which　followed　from　the　subjection　of　the　villains　were　for　the　most　part　fixed　according　to　constant　rules　in　each　particular　case。　The　same　may　be　said　of　the　economical　pressure　exercised　in　the　shape　of　service　and　rent。　It　did　not　depend　on　the　caprice　of　the　lord；　although　it　depended　theoretically　on　his　will。　Th