A learned commendation of the politique lawes of Englande vvherin by moste pitthy reasons & euident demonstrations they are plainelye proued farre to excell aswell the ciuile lawes of the Empiere, as also all other lawes of the world, with a large discourse of the difference betwene the. ii. gouernements of kingdomes: whereof the one is onely regall, and the other consisteth of regall and polityque administration conioyned. written in latine aboue an hundred yeares past, by the learned and right honorable maister Fortescue knight ... And newly translated into Englishe by Robert Mulcaster.

Howe Iurers must be chosen and sworne

AS ofte as suters in the courtes of the kynge of Englande are come to y^e issue of their plea vpon y^e mater of the facte, furth∣with the Iustices by ver¦tue of the kynges wrytte directed vnto the shirief of the countie, wherein y^e deede is supposed to be done, wyll him to cause to come before the same Iusticeis at a certein day by them limitted xii good and lawfull men neigh∣bours to the place where the facte is supposed to be done: the same to be such as be of no kynne to ei∣ther of the pleaders, to the ende that by ther oths it maye certeynly be kno¦wē, whether y^e deede wer done as the one partie af¦firmeth,

or ells as the o∣ther partye denyeth. Vp∣pon the daye aforesayde the shieref shall retourne the said wrytte before the same Iustices, together with the pannell of their names, which he hereun∣to hath sommoned. Whē they are come either par∣tie may refuse them, al∣legyng that the shierief hathe made that pannell fauorably for the other partye of persones not in different. Whiche excep∣tion if it be founde treue by the othe of ii men of the same pannell chosen thereunto by the Iusty∣ceis, that pannell shall immediatly be quassed And then y^e Iustices shall

wryte to the coroners of the same coūtie that they shall make a newe pai∣nell. Whiche when thei haue dōe if it be likewise foūde fautie, it shall also be quassed. And then the Iustices shall elect and choose ii of the clerkes of the same courte, or other of the same coūtie, which in the presēce of the court vpon their othes shall make an indifferent pa∣nell, whiche by neither of the parties shalbe chal¦lenged. Howbeit when the men so impanelled are come into the courte, either of the parties may make exceptions against the persōe of anye of thē, as he may also do in all cases & at all times whē any mā by any meanez

impanelled shall appeare to be sworne in the courte vpon the truthe of such an issue: saiyng that the per∣son impannelled is cosein or allyed to y^e other party or by anye kind of amity so knytte vnto him, that he is not indifferent to de¦clare the truethe betwene them. And of these excep∣tions there are so manye kyndes and sortes, that theye can not bee in fewe woords rehearsed. Wher¦of if anye one bee founde true, thenne shall not hee bee sworne agaynst whō the exception is purposed, but his name shallbe can∣celled in the pannell. So allso shalbee done of all the names of the persons impannelled, vntill .xii. of thē so indifferēt be sworn,

that neither party can ha∣ue against them any ma∣ter of exception or challen∣ge. Also of these .xii.iiii. at the least shalbe of the hū∣dred where the village stā¦deth wherin the fact wher uppon the sutte riesethe is supposed to bee done. And euerie suche Iurer shall haue landes or reuenues for terme of lyfe at y^e least to the yearly value of xl. s̄. And this order is obserued & kept in al accions & cau∣ses criminall reall, and personall, sauynge whe∣re the dammages or debt in acciōs {per}sonal excedeth not the sūme of .xl. mar∣kes of Englishe moneye For thenne it is not re∣quisite that Iurers in such accyons shall bee hable to dyspende somuche.

Yet they shall haue lande or rentes to a competente value after the discretion of the Iustices. Other∣wyse theye shall not bee sworne, leaste for neede and pouertie such Iurers myghte easelye bee cor∣rupte and suborned.

And if by suche excepti∣ons so manye Iurers na∣mes bee cancelled in the pannel that there remay∣neth not a sufficient num∣ber to make thereof a Iu∣rie, thē y^e sherifes by y^e kin¦ges write shalbe cōmaū∣ded to adioin mo Iur••rs. Which thing may ofte be don, so y^t for lack of Iurers y^e inquisitiō of y^e truth vpō such a plea shal not ••emaī And this is y^e fourm how Iurers and suche inquisi∣tours of truth ought to be chosē in the kings courte.

and lykewise to bee swor∣ne. Wherefore how they muste bee charged and in∣fourmed of y^e vtteryng of y^e same trueth, this nowe resteth to be discussed.

QVociescun{que} contendētes in curiis regis An¦gliae, ad exitū pla¦citi super materia facti deuenerint, concito Iusticiarii {per} breue regis scri¦bunt vic. com̄ in quo factum illud fieri supponitur, quod ipse venire faciat coram eis∣dem Iusticiariis, ad certū diem {per} eos limitatum, du¦odecī probos et legales homines, de vicineto, vbi il¦lud factum sup∣ponitur, q̄ neutri partiū sic placitā∣tiū vlla affinitate attingunt. Ad re∣cognoscendū su{per} eorū sacramenta, si factū illud fac∣tum fuerit, sicut vna earundē par¦tium

dicit, vel nō sicut altera pars negat. Quo adue¦niente die, vice∣comes returnabit breue p̄dictū co∣rā eisdē iustitiariis vna cum pan ello nominū eorum quos ipse ad hoc sūmoniuit, quos) si venerit) vtra{que} pars recusare po∣terit, dicēdo qd vi¦cecōes panellum illud fauorabiliter fecit {pro} {per}te altera videlicet de per∣sonis min{us} īdiffe∣rentib{us}. Que ex∣ceptio, si cōperta fuerit vera per sa¦cramētum duo∣rum hominū de eodē panello, ad hoc {per} Iusticiarios electorū, mox pā¦nellū illud quassa¦bit’ et iusticiar’ tūc

scribēt Coronato¦rib{us} eiusdē comi∣tat{us}, qd ipsi nouū faciāt panellum. Quod cum fecerīt si & illud cōsimi∣lit{er} re{per}tum fuerit viciatū, etiā et il∣lud quassabitur: et tūc iusticiarii e∣ligēt duos de cle∣ricis curiae illi{us}, vel alios de eodē co∣mitatu qui ī p̄sen∣tia curiae {per} eorum sacramēta faciēt ī differēs panellum qd deinde {per} nul∣lā partiū illarū ca¦lūpniabitur. sed cū venerīt sic īpanel¦lati ī Curiā q̄libet partiū exciper’ po¦test cōtr’ {per}sonā cu¦iuscū{que} eorū, sicut et pot’ ī ōni casu et ōni tēpor’ quo aliq̄s qualitercū{que}

cū{que} īpanellat{us} cō¦paruerit incuria su¦per veritate exitus hm̄odi iuraturus, dicēdo qd’ īpanel∣latus ille est cōsan∣guineus vel affinis parti alteri, vel a∣micitia quacū{que} ta¦li sibi coniūct{us}, qd’ indifferēs ip̄e nō ē ostēdere inter eos veritatē: qualiū ex¦ceptionū tot sunt genera et species, quod nō licet eas breui explicare ser¦mone. Quarū si a∣liqua re{per}ta fuerit vera nō tūc iurabi¦tur ille cōtra quē exceptio illa {pro}po∣nitur, sed cācellabi¦tur nomē ei{us} in pa¦nello. Sic quo{que} fi∣et de ōīb{us} nomini¦b{us} impanellatorū, quous{que} duodecī

eorū iurēt’ ita īdif¦ferētes, qd’ vers{us} e∣os neutra partium hēat aliquā materi¦ā calūpniae. Horū autē xij. ad minus quatuor erunt de hūdredo vbi villa ī qua factū de quo cōtēditur fieri sup¦ponit{ur}, sita ē et q̄∣libet iurat’ hm̄odi, habebit terras vel reddit{us} {pro} t{er}mīo vi¦tae suae, ad min{us} ad valorē annuū xl. s. Et hic ordo obser¦uat’ ī oīb{us} acciōib{us} et causis criminali¦b{us}, realib{us} et {per}so∣n••lib{us}, p̄terq̄ vbi dāna vel debitū ī {per}sonalib{us} nō exce¦dūt xl. marcas mo¦n••te anglicanae q̄a tūc nō req̄rit’ qd’ iu••••••ores ī actioni¦b{us} hm̄odi tātū ex∣p••d••r•• possint •• la¦bebūt

tn̄ terrā vel reddit’, ad valorē cōpetētē, iuxta dis¦cretiōē iusticiario∣rū, alioquin ip̄imi¦nīe iurabūt’, ne ({per} inediā et pau{per}tatē iurator{is} hm̄odi de facili valeāt corrū¦pi aut subornari. Et si {per} tales excep¦tiōes, tot iuratorū ••o••a ī pannello cā¦celēt’, qd’ nō rema¦neat numer{us} suffi¦ciēs ad faciēdū īde iuratā, tūc mādabi¦tur vic̄ {per} breue re∣gis, qd’ ip̄e appon̄ plures iurator. qd’ et sepi{us} fieri potest ita qd’ inq̄sitio ve∣ritat. su{per} exitu pla¦citi, nō remanebit ob defectū iurato¦rū. Et hec ē forma qualit{er} iuratores et veritat’ hm̄odi īq̄si¦tor’ eligi debēt in curia regis

similiter et iurari, quare quo modo ipsi de veritate illa dicēda onerari de¦bent et informari, iā restat vt quera∣mus.