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 oughte to be enfourmed by euiden∣ces and witnesses. Cap. 26. (Book 26)

Twelue good & lawefull mē beīg at y^e last swor∣ne in fourme aforsaid, ha∣uing besides their mouea∣bles, sufficiēt possessiōs as afore is declared, wherby they may be hable to maī¦taī their own states, & be∣ing to neither partye sus∣pected or hated, but neigh∣bours to thē both, thē shal¦be red before thē in Eng∣lish by y^e court al y^e recorde & processe of the plea de∣pendynge beetwene the

parties, with a plaine de∣claracion of the yssue of y^e plea, touchinge the trueth whereof those sworne mē shall certifie the courte. Whyche thynges beinge done eyther party by him¦selfe or his coūsellours in the presence of the courte shal vtter and open to the saide sworne men all and singuler maters and eui∣dences whereby he thyn∣kethe he may best informe them of the truethe of the yssue so impleaded. And then maye eyther partie bring before the same Ius¦tices and sworne menne al and singuler suche wit∣nesses on his beehalfe as hee will produce. Who by the Iustices beeinge charged vpon the holye gospell of godde, shal tes∣tifie

al thinges proouynge the truthe of the fact, whe¦reupon the parties cōtend And if neede so require, those witnesses shalbe se∣uered and deuided til they haue deposed all that they wyll, so that the sayinge of one shall not mooue or prouoke an other to testy∣fye the lyke. The premis∣ses beeynge done, then af∣ter that those Iurers ha∣ue had talke at theire plea¦sure vppon the truethe of that yssue wythe asmuche deliberation as themselfs shall require, in the kee∣pynge of the ministers of the courte wythin a place to them for the same pur∣pose assigned, to the in∣tente that noe manne in the meane tyme may cor∣rupte them, theye shall

retourne into the courte, and certyfie the Iustices vppon the decitie of the ys¦sue so ioyned in the pre∣sence of bothe the partyes (if theye willbe there) and specially of the plainetyfe The reporte of whiche Iu¦rers by the lawes of Eng¦lande is called a verdycte: by the whyche woorde is mente, a true reporte, or a reporte of the truethe. And thenne accordyng to the qualitie of that vere∣dicte the Iustices shall fra¦me and fourme their iud∣gemente. Notwithestan∣dynge yf the other par∣tye, agaynste whom the verdycte is geeuen com∣playne that hee is there∣by vniustly greeued, then the same partye maye sue a writte of attyncte

agaynst those Iuries, and against the partie y^t hathe preuayled. By force of whiche write if it shalbee found by the othe of .xxiiij. men in fourme aforesaide retourned elect and swor∣ne, whiche shalbee men of muche greater lyuynges then the first Iurers were that the same first Iurers haue made a false othe, then the bodies of y^e same fyrste Iurers shalbee com¦mitted to the kynges pri∣sone, theire goodes shall∣bee confiscate, and al their possessions shalbee seased into the kinges handes. theire howses also & buil∣dynges shalbee rased and throwne downe, there woodes felled, and theire medowe groūdes plowed And also y^e same f••rst Iu∣rers

shal for euer after be noted for infamed persōs, and shal in no place be re∣ceaued to testifie the truth And the partie whiche in the former plea had the ouerthrowe, shalbe resto∣red to all thynges whyche by occasion thereof he ha∣the lost. Who thē, though he regarde not his soules healthe, yet for feare of so greate punishmente, and for shame of so greate in∣famye woulde not vppon his othe declare the trueth And if one man parauen∣ture haue so litle respecte to hys honoure or estima∣tion, yet some of so ma∣nye Iurers wyll not neglecte theyre owne good fame, nor wyl not thoroughe theyre owne defaulte suffre themselfes

thus to be spoyled of their goodes and possessions. Is not this order now for the boultynge oute of the truethe better and more effectuall, then the pro∣cesse which the Ciuile la∣wes do procure? Here no cause nor no mans ryghte quailethe throughe death, or for wante of witnesses Here are not brought f••r∣the vnknowen witnesses, hiered persons, pore men, vagaboundes, vnconstant people or suche whose con¦ditions and naughtynes is vnknowen. These wit¦nesses are neygheboures hable to lyue of theyre owne, of good name and fame of honeste reporte, not brought into the court by the partye, but by a

worshipfull and indiffe∣rent officer chosen, and so compelled to come before the iudge. These knowe all that the witnesses are hable to depose, ••id theye knowe allso the constan∣cye and vnconstauncye of the witnesses, and what reporte goethe vppon thē. And what wyll ye haue more. Doubtles there is nothynge that maye dys∣close the truethe of anye doubt fallynge in conten∣tion, whiche can in anye wyse be hydde from suche Iurers, so that it be possi∣ble for the same to come to mans knowledge.

IVratis demum in forma p̄dicta duodecī {pro}bis et le¦galib{us} hominibus habentibus vltra mobilia sua posses∣siones vt p̄dicitur sufficiētes, vnde e∣orū statū ipsi cōti∣nere poterūt, et nulli partiū suspec¦tis nec īuisis, sed e∣isdē vicinis, legetur in anglico corā eis {per} curiā, totū recor¦dū et {pro}cessus pla∣citi qd’ pēdet īter

partes: ac delucidè exponetur eis exi∣tus placiti de cuius veritate iurati•• illi curiā certificabūt: quib{us} {per}actis, vtra∣que partiū {per} se vel consiliarios suos ī presentia curiae, re∣feret et manifesta∣bit eisdē iuratis, ō∣nes et singulas ma¦terias et euidenti∣as, quibus eos do∣cerese posse credit veritatem exitus taliter placitati. Et tunc adducere potest vtra{que} pars coram eisdem ius∣ticiarijs et iuratis, oēs et singulos tes∣tes, quos {pro} parte sua, ip̄a producere velit, qui su{per} sācta dei euāgelia {per} ius∣ticiarios onerati,

testificabūt’ o••a q̄ cognoscūt {pro}ban∣tia veritatē facti, de quo partes con¦tendunt. Et si ne∣cessitas exegerit, diuidentur testes huiusmodi, donec ipsi deposuerint quicquid velint, i∣ta qd’ dictum vni∣us, nō docebit aut concitabit eorū a∣liū ad consimiliter testificandū. Qui∣bus consummatis, postquā iuratores illi deinde ad eorū libitū su{per} veritate exitus hm̄odi, de liberatione quam tam ip̄i optabunt, colloquiū habue∣rint: ī custodia mi∣nistrorū curiae ī lo∣co eis ad hoc assig¦nato, neīterī eos a∣liq subornare vale¦āt,

reuenient illi in curiā, et certifica∣būt iustitiarios su{per} veritate exitus sic iuncti, in presentia partium (si interes¦se velint) et maxi∣me petētis. Quo∣rū iuratorū dictū, per leges Angliae veredictū nūcupa¦tur, et tunc secūdū hm̄odi veredicti qualitatem iustiti∣arij reddēt et for∣mabūt iudic̄ suū. Tamen si pars al∣tera cōtra quā ve∣redictū hm̄odi pro¦latū est, conquera∣tur se {per} illud inius¦te esse grauatū, {pro}∣fequi tunc potest pars illa versus iu∣ratores illos, et ver¦s{us} partē q̄ optinuit breue de attineta.

Virtute cuius, si cōpertū fuerit per sacramentū vigin∣ti quatuor homi∣nū, in forma p̄no∣••ata retornatorū, electorum, et iura ••orum, qui multo maiora habebunt patrimonia quam iuratores primi, quod ijdem primi iuratores falsum fecerunt sacramē∣tū, corpora eorun¦dem primorū iura¦torū prisonae regis cōmittentur bona eorū cōfiscabūtur, ac oēs possessiones eorundem in ma∣nus regis capiētur. domus quo{que} eorū et edificia proster∣nentur, bosci suc∣cidentur, et prata arabuntur, ipsi eti∣am iuratores primi

extunc infames e∣runt, nec alicubi recipientur in tes∣timonium verita∣tis, et pars q̄ succu¦buit in priori pla∣cito, restituetur ad omnia que ip̄e per didit occasione ei{us} Quis tunc (etsi immemor saluti•• animae suae fuerit,) non formidine tantae penae, et ve∣recundia tantae in∣famiae, veritatē nō diceret, sic iuratus et si vn{us} forsan tā∣tus sui honoris {pro}∣digus esse nō pe{per}∣cerit aliqui tamen iuratorū tātorum famā suā nō necli∣gēt, ne{que} bona et possessiōes suas ta∣liter distrahi paci∣entur,

propria cul¦pa sua. Nōne iam hic ordo reuelādi veritatē, potior et efficacior est, quā est processus qua∣lē pariunt ciuiles leges? Non hic pe¦riunt causae aut ius alicuius per mortē aut ob defectū tes¦tium, nō hic pro∣ducuntur testes ig¦noti, conducticij, pauperes, vagi, in∣constātes, aut quo rum conditiones vel maliciae ignorā¦tur. Vicini sunt tes¦tes isti, de propri∣is viuere potentes famae integrae, et opinionis illesae, non per partem in¦curiam ducti, sed {per} officiariū nobilem

et indifferētē elec¦ti, et coram iudice venire compulsi. Isti omnia sciunt q̄ testes deponere norūt et isti testi∣um productorum agnoscūt constan¦tias, incōstātias{que} et famā. Quid vl∣tra? vere nihil est quod veritatē du∣bij de quo conten¦di poterit, detege∣re valebit, qd’ iura torib{us} talib{us} late∣re quomodolibet potest aut ignora∣ri, dūmodo possibi¦le sit, illud venire posse in agnitionē humanam.