Here begynneth a ryght frutefull mater: and hath to name the boke of surueyeng and improume[n]tes

¶Of forren pastures that be commen / howe many and of what maner of catell the lorde maye haue in the same / and what the pasture of a beest is worthe by the yere. Cap. iiii. (Book 4)

ITem inquirend est de pasturis for inficis que est cōmunis quot & quas bestias aīalia dominus habere possit in eadem et quantū valet pastura per annum et locand. It is to be inquered of forren pastures that is cō¦myn / how many and what beestes and catell / & what the lorde may haue in the same / and what the pastur of a beest is worthe by the yere to set. This is a der∣ke letter to be well vnderstande without a better de∣claracyon / for where he saythe / De pasturis forinfi∣cis que est cōmunis. That may be vnderstande thre wayes: for there is in many townes / where as their closes and pastures lye in seueraltie. There is com∣monly a cōmyn close taken in / out of the cōmen or fel∣des by tenauntes of the same towne / for their oxen or kyen or other catell / in the whiche close euery man is stynted and sette to a certayntie / howe many beestes he shall haue in the same / & of what maner of beestes they shalbe. And if y^e lorde shall haue any catell ther∣in he shulde be put to a certayntie and of what ma∣ner of catell / and this pasture may be well valewed / And also the beestes grasse what it is worthe therin. But than it ought to be shewed howe many acres be contayned in the sayd pasture / and what euery acre is worthe one with another. Another maner of com∣myn pasture / is moost cōmenly in playne champyon countreis: where their catell gothe daylye before the herdeman / and lyeth nighe adioynīg to their cōmyn feldes / and it may lye in two or thre places or mo. & in these it is also conuenyent that euery man be styn∣ted

to a certentie / outher by yerdes / landes / oxgāges rentes / or suche other customes as the tenaūtes vse / and the lorde in lyke maner. These cōmen pastures may be extended how many acres be in euery parcell by it selfe / and what an acre is worthe by it selfe / but it can nat be so well knowen what a beestes grasse is worthe yerely / for they lye moost cōmenly with the fa¦lowe feldes / & some falowe feldes is better than some and so a beestes grasse may be better or worse. The thirde maner of cōmen pasture / is in y^e lordes out wo¦des that lye cōmen to his tenauntes / as commen mo∣res or hethes / the whiche were neuer errable landes. In these maner of cōmens / me semeth the lorde shul∣de nat be stynted nor sette at no certentie / but put his catell vpon suche maner of cōmen pasture at his plea¦sure / bycause all the whole commen is his owne / and his tenauntes haue no certayne parcell therof layde to their holdyng{is} / but all onely bytte of mouthe with their catell / and it were agayne reason to a bridge a man of his owne right. But his tenauntes and eue∣ry mannes tenauntes / me semeth ought of ryght to be stynted what euery manne ought to haue goynge vpon all maner of commens / for elles wolde the ry∣che men in the begynnynge of Somer byeshepe and other maner of catell and eate vp the commens / and selle them againe at wynter / or putte them in their pa¦stures that they haue sparedde all the Somerr / and so ouerpresse the poore men that haue no money to bye nor able to reyre.