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.

Here is shewed that the procedinge by a Iurie is not repugnaunt to the lawe of god. Cap. 32. (Book 32)

THe lawes of Englād, quod the Caūcellour are nothīge at all repug∣naunt to these thynges that trouble you, most worthie prince, thoughe they in maters of doubte do somewhat otherwyse boult out y^e trouthe. The lawe of the generall coū∣cell, wherī it is prouided that Cardinalles shall not be cōuicted of crimīal

offenses otherwise then by the deposition of xii witnesses, is it any hyn¦deraunce to the testimo∣nie of ii. men Yf? the testi¦monie of ii men be true, of more force must the tes¦timonie of xii men be iud¦ged true, acordynge to a rule of the law that say∣ethe: The more euer con¦teyneth in it that whiche is lesse. The īholder was promised to be rewarded with an ouerplus, if he bestowed vpon the cure of the wounded mā more then the ii. pense which he receaued. A man that laboreth to proue that he was absent at the tyme of the offense wherewith he is charged, shal it not be nedefull for him to

brynge furthe mo then ii or iii, witnesses, when his aduersarie hathe pro∣ued, or is readie to proue the same by ii. or iii. wyt∣nesses. And so he that tra¦uaylethe to conuince wit¦nesses of periurie, must of necessite bringe furthe many mo then they were so that the testimonie of ii. or iii. men shall not e∣uer be iudged true. But that lawe must thus be vnderstanded, that by a lesser number of witnes∣ses then ii. the truthe in matters doubtfull ought not to be searched for, as appeareth by Bernard assignynge dyuers cases wherin by the lawes mo then iii. wytnesses must needes be produced. As in some of them v, and in

and in some vii. Nor yett the lawes of Englande be not against it, but that the truethe may be pro∣ued by ii. witnesses, whē it can no otherwyse be tri¦ed For if thinges be done vppō the sea without the bodye of any countye of that royalme, which af∣terward be brought in plea before the lord ad∣mirall, the same thynges by the decrees of y^e lawes of england must be pro∣ued by wytnesses. In lyke maner it hathe bene accustomed to be done be¦fore the Cōstable & Mar∣shall of England tou∣chynge a facte that was done in an other roy∣alme, so that the hea∣rīge thereof appertaīeth

to the Constables courte. Moreouer in the courtes of certein liberties in En¦glād where matters pro∣ceede by lawe merchaunt contractes or bargaynes made amōge merchaūtz in an other royalme are proued by witnesses.

And this cōmeth to passe because that in these ca∣ses there be no neigh∣bours founde by whose othes Iuries of xii men may be made, as in con∣tractes and other cases ariesynge within the roy¦alme of Englande is ac∣customed to be dōe Like∣wyse if a deede wherin witnesses are named be brought into the kynges courte, then processe shal∣be made agaynst those witnesses: and they to¦gether withe xii. Iurers

shall by their othes recog¦nise whether the same be his deede or no whose it is supposed to be. Where¦fore the lawe of Englād reproueth not that lawe whiche by wytnesses try¦eth out the trueth, special¦ly whē necessitie so requi∣rethe. For so do y^e lawes of Englande too, not one¦ly in the cases now men∣cioned, but also in certein other cases, wherof here to make rehersall it shall not be material. Howbeit this lawe neuer determi¦neth a cōtrouersie by wit¦nesses onely that maie be determined by a Iurie of xii. men: forsomuche as this waye is muche more aualeable and effectuall for the triall of the trueth

then is the fourme of any other lawes of the world and further from the daū¦ger of corruption and su∣bornation. Nor this fourm̄ of proceedinge cā¦not in any cause faille for wante of witnesses: nor the testimonies of wit¦nesses, (if anye be) can not choose but come to their due ende and effect Neither cā suche xii. men be forsworne, but that for their offēse they must suffer most sharpe pu∣nishement, and neuerthe¦lesse the partie by their depositions greeued shall obteie due remedie And these thīges shall not be dōe by y^e will & saīges of straunge or vnknowne

men but by the othes of good, of worshipfull, and of credible mē neigh¦bours to the parties, in whome the same par∣ties haue no cause of chal¦lenge or mistrust touchīg their verdit. O howe hor∣ryble and detestable daū¦gers happen mani times throughe the fourme of proceedinge by wytnes∣ses. Yf a mā make a pri∣uie contract of matrimo∣nie, & afterward before wytnesses do betrouthe or assure himself to ano∣ther woman, shall he not in the contentious courte be cōpelled to marye her, & also after that in y^e peni¦tenciall courte be iudged to lye with the first, if he be duely required, and to do penaūce as ofte as by

his owne mociō and pro∣curement he liethe with the seconde, thoughe in bothe courtes the iudge be one and the selfe same man. In this case, as it is wryten in Iob, are not y^e synewes of Leuyathan perplexed and intricat. Fie for shame, they are ī∣tricate in deede For this man can carnally compa¦nie with neither of these ii. women, nor with any other without punishe∣ment either by the con∣tentious courte, or by the penitenciall courte. Such a mischiefe, inconueni∣ence, or daunger can ne∣uer happen in any case by the waye of proceedīg by the lawe of England, no not though Leuiathā himselfe would labour to

procure the same. Do ye not now see, most noble prince, that the more you obiect agaynst the lawes of England, the more worthie they appere.

CAncellarius. non his quib{us} turbaris princeps, contrariantur le∣ges Angliae licet a liter quodamodo ipsae in dubiis eli∣ciant veritatem. Quid duorū ho∣minū testimonio obest lex illa ge∣neralis cōsilii, qua cauetur, vt non nisi duodecē tes∣tium

depositione cardinales de cri∣minibus conuin∣cantur? Si verum est duorum testi∣monium, a fortio∣ri testimoniū du∣odecim verum iu¦dicari debet, dicē∣te iuris regula. Plus semper in se continet quod est minus. Super ero∣gationis meritum promittebatur sta¦bulario, si pl{us} quā duos quos recepit denarios, ipse in vuln̄rati cura ero gasset. Nōne plus∣quā duos aut tres testes producere oportebit quēpiā qui absen••ē se fu∣isse probare niti∣tur, tēpore crimi∣nis sibi impositi, quod {per} duos aut

tres testes adūsa∣ri{us} ei{us} {pro}bauit vel probare parat{us} ē? Sic et qui testes de {per}iurio cōuīce∣re satagit, multo illis plures {pro}duce¦re necesse habet, quo nō sē{per} duo∣rū vel triū ho••m testimoniū verū esse iudicabitur, sed intelligēda est lex illa, qd mino∣re testiū numero, quam duorū, veri¦tas in dubiis non debet exquiri, vt patet per Bernar∣dū ex tra. de testi. ca. licet ī glosa or dinaria, vbi ip̄e as¦signat diūsos cas{us} ī q̄b{us} {per} leges plu∣res quātres opor¦tet {pro}ducere tes∣tes. Videlicet ī ali∣q̄b{us} eorū quin{que}

et in aliquib{us} sep¦tē, per duos etiam testes veritatē {pro}∣bari posse, cū non aliter ip̄a pateret vti{que} leges Angliae affirmāt. Nā si quae supra altum mare extra corpus cu∣iuslibet comitatus regni illius fiant, quae postmodū in placito corā admi¦rallo Angliae de∣ducātur, {per} testes illa iuxta legū An¦gliae sāctiones pro¦bari debent. Con¦similiter quo{que} co¦rā constabulario et mariscallo An∣gliae fieri solitū est de facto qd in reg¦no alio actū ē dū∣modo adiurisdicti¦on̄ curiae cōstabula¦riae cognitio eius

pertineat, etiā et in curiis quarūdā libertatū ī Anglia vbi {per} legē merca∣toriā proceditur, {pro}bant per testes contractus inter mercatores extra regnum factos.

Quia in casib{us} his nō reperiūtur vici¦ni, {per} quorū sacra¦menta iuratae ex duodecim hoīb{us} fieri possūt, prout de contractib{us} et aliis casibus infra¦regnū Anglioe e∣mergentibus, est fieri consuetū. Si militer si carta in qua testes nomi∣nātur, deducatur in curia regis, pro¦cessus tūc fiet er∣ga testes illos, ipsi

quoque recognos¦cēt simul cum du¦odecim iuratori∣bus per eorum sa¦cramenta, vtrum carta illa sit factū eius cuius suppo∣nitur an nō. Qua¦re legem qua testi¦bus veritas extor quetur, lex An∣gliae non condēp∣nat, maxime cum necessit’ id depos∣cat, quia et sic faci¦ūt ipsae leges An∣glioe, nedū in casi∣b{us} iā notatis, sed etiā ī quibusdā ca¦sibus aliis quos nō expedit hic notar’ Sed {per} testes solū, lex ipsa nūquā li∣tē dirimit, q̄ {per} iura tā duodecē homi∣nū discidi poterit cū sit mod{us} iste ad veritatē eliciendā multo potior et

efficatior quā est forma abquarum aliarū legū orbis, et remotior a cor¦ruptionis et su∣bornationis peri∣culo. Nec pot’ hec {pro}decendi forma in causa aliqua, ob defectum testium deperire, ne{que} tes∣tiū (si qui fuerint) attestationes, ef∣fectum debitum non sortiri, nec {per}iurari possūt duo∣decī homines hu¦iusmodi, quī {pro} eo¦rū crimine ipsi a∣cerbissimè puniā∣tur, et nihilomin{us} {per}s {per} eorū deposi∣tionē grauata, re∣mediū debitū cō∣sequetur, ac non fient hec per ex∣traneorū aut igno

torum hominum arbitriū aut dicta∣mē, sed {per} probo∣rū, nobiliū, et fide dignorū vicino∣rū {per}tib{us} sacramē∣ta, q̄b{us} partes illae nullā habēt causā calūpniae aut dif∣fidēcioe de eorum dicto. O quā hor∣rēdum et detes∣tabile discrimē se∣pe accidit, ex for∣ma {per} depositionē testium {pro}cedēdi. Nōne si quis clā¦destinū cōtrahat matrimonium, et postea corā testi∣b{us} mulierē aliā ip¦se affidauerit, cū cadē cōsummare matrimoniū arta∣bitur in foro con¦tēcioso, et postea ī penitēciali foro iudicabitur ipse

cōcumbere cum prima, si debitè re¦q̄ratur, et penitere debet quotiēs ex actione {pro}pria cō¦cubuerit cū secū∣da, licet in vtro{que} foro iudex fuerit homo vn{us} et idē. Nōne in hoc casu vt ī Iob. scribitur {per}plexi sūt testiculi leuiathā? Proh pu¦dor, verè perplexi sunt, nā cum neu∣tra mulierum ha∣rum, ne{que} cū alia, contrahēs iste ex tunc cōcu mbet si¦ne animaduertio∣ne in foro cōtēdē¦tium aut penitēti∣um, quale malū in∣cōueniēs aut dis∣crimen, per mo∣dum et formā pro∣cess{us} legis Anglioe

impossibile est in casu aliquo eue∣nire, etiam si leui∣athan ipse ea ge∣nerare nitatur. Nōne vides iā prī¦ceps clarissime, le¦ges Anglioe tāto magis clarescere, quāto eisdē tu ā pli{us} reluctaris?