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.

The inconueniences that happen in the royalme ••f Fraūce throughe regall gouerne¦ment alone. Cap. 35. (Book 35)

CAll to remēbraūce, most worthye prince after what sorte you saw y^e wealthie villages and townes (as touchynge ••••ore of corne) in the roy∣alme of Fraunce, while you were there a so iour∣ner, pestered with the kynges men at armes & their horses, so that skant in any of y^e great townes there you could gett any lodgynge. Wheare of y^e inhabiters you learned y^t those men, thoughe they continue in one village a monethe or ii, do not nor will paye any thynge at all either for their owne charges, or for the char∣ges of their horses. But, which is worse, y^•y cōpel∣led y^e īhabitz of y^e vilages

and town dwellers whe∣ther they cāe, to prouide of their owne proper costes out of the villages adioyninge wyne & flesh for them, and other thīgs y^t thei needed at dearer prices then they might haue bought the same at home. And if any refused thus to do, they were anō by plaine stafford lawe forced to do it. And when they had spent all the vic∣tualies, fewell, and horse meat in one towne, then those men went to an o∣ther towne wastynge the same in lyke maner, not payeyng one pennye for any necessaries either for themselfs, or ells for their cōcubines and harlottes, whereof they euer car∣ryed

caried aboute withe them great abundaunce, nor for hosē or shewes, and other lyke euen to the least poīt or lace, but they compelled the townesmen, wheare theye carried to beare all theire expenses. And thus were al the villages and vnwalled townes of that lande vsed, so that there is not the least village there free from this miserable calamitie, but that it is once or twyse euery yeare beggered by this kynde of pilling. Furthermore the kyng suffereth no man to eate salte within his king¦dome, excepte he buy it of the kinge at suche price as pleaseth him to assesse.

And if any pore man had rather eate his meate fre∣she, then to buy salt so ex∣cessiuely deare, hee is im∣īmediatly

cōpelled to buy so much of y^e kinges salte at the kings price as shall suffice so many persones as he keepeth in his house. Moreouer all the inhaby∣ters of that royalme gee∣ue yearelye to the kynge the fowerthe parte of all the wynes y^t theire groūd¦es bearethe: and euerye vintener the fowerth pen¦ney of the price of the wi∣ne that hee sellethe. And beesides all this euery vil∣lage and borroughe pay∣ethe yearelye to the kyng great summes of moneye assessed vppon them for the wages of men at ar∣mes, so that the charges of the kings army, which is euer verye great, is main¦teyned by the poore peo∣ple of y^e villages, boroug∣hes, & towns of y^e roialme.

And yet moreouer euerye village findethe continu∣allye twoo Crossebowes at the leaste, and some mo wythe all furnyture and habyliments requisite for the kynges seruyce in hys warres as ofte as it plea∣sethe hym to muster them whyche hee dothe verye ofte. And these thynges not considered, other ex∣ceedynge greate talleges are yearelye assessed vp∣pon euerye vyllage of the same royalme to the kyn∣ges vse, whereof theye are no yeare released. The people beeinge wyth the∣se and diuers other cala∣mities plagued and op∣pressed, do liue in greate mysery, drīkīg water dai∣ly. Neyther do y^e inferiour sort tast any other licor sa∣uīg only at solēpne feasts

Theire shamewes are made of hempe, muche ly∣ke to sacke clothe. Wool∣len clothe theye weare none, excepte it bee verye course, and that onelye in theire coates vnder theire sayde vpper gar∣mentes. Neyther vse they anye hosen, butte from the knee vpwarde: the residue of theire legges go naked. Theire wo∣men go barefoote sauing on holye dayes. Neyther menne nor women eate anye fleshe there, but one¦lye larde of bacon, wythe a small quantity whereof they fatten theire potage and brothes. As for rosted or sodden meate of fleshe they tast none, except it be of y^e inwards sometimes & heads of beastes y^e be kil¦led for gētlemē & merchātz

But the menne at armes they deuour and consume al their pullein so, y^e theye haue skant the egges left to eate for speciall deintiez And if theye fortune at a∣nye time to growe some∣what wealthie in substā∣ce, so that any of them be compted ryche, hee is by & by charged to the kinges subsidie more deepely thē any of his neighboures, so that within short time he is made equall in pouer∣tie with the rest of his beg¦gerlye neighboures. And this as I suppose, is the state of the common and rascall people of that na∣tion. But gentlemen and nobles are not so oppres∣sed, and ouercharched wyth exaccions. Butte yf anye of them chaū∣ce

to bee accused of anye cryme, thoughe it be by hys enemies, hee is not euer wonte to bee cyted or called beefore an ordy∣narye iudge. But ma∣nye tymes it hathe beene seene that hee hathe in that beehalfe been talked wythe in the kynges chamber, or elswhere in some priuate place, and sometymes onelye bye a pourseuaunte or messen∣ger. And immedyatlye as soone as the princes conscience hathe throughe the reporte of others, iud∣ged him guiltie, he is wi∣theout anye fassion of iud¦gement put in a sacke and in the night season by the Marshals seruāts hurled īto a riuer, & so drowned.

After which sort you haue harde of manye mo put to deathe, then that haue be∣ne by ordinary processe of the lawe condempned.

Howe be it the princes ple¦sure, as saye the Ciuile lawes, hathe the force of a lawe. Also whyle yowe weare abydynge in Fraū¦ce, and nighe to the same kyngedome, you heard of other greate enormityes lyke vnto these, and some much worse then these de∣testable & damnable done no otherwise but vnder y^e colour of that lawe: whi∣che here to rehearse woul¦de continue oure talke too longe a time. Now there∣fore let vs se what y^e effect of the lawe politique and regal, which some of your progenitours would haue chaunged into this Ciuile

hathe wrought in the roy∣alme of Englande: that yowe beeynge instructed wythe the experience of bothe lawes, may the bet∣ter by theire effectes iudge whether of thē ye oughte rather to choose. Seeynge the philosopher, as afore is rehearsed, dothe saye, y^e contraries layde together do more {per}fectly appeare.

REminiscer’ (prī¦ceps diuine) qualit{er} villas et o¦pida regni Frācioe frugum opulētis∣sima dum ibidem peregrinabaris cō¦spexisti, Regis ter¦roe illi{us} hominib{us} ad arma et eorū equis ita onust••, vt vix in eorū ali¦quib{us} quā mag∣nis opidis tu hos∣pitari valebas. Vbi ab incolis didicis¦ti, hoīes illos licet in villa vna per mensē aut duos perhend inauerīt, nihil prorsus pro¦suis aut equorum suorū expēsis sol¦uisse aut soluere velle, sed quod pe¦ius est, artabant incolas villarum

et opidorum in q̄ descēderat sibi de¦vinis, carnib{us} et a∣liis q̄b{us} indigebāt, etiā cariorib{us} ne∣cessariis quā ibi re¦periebātur, a cir∣cumuicinis villa∣tis, suis {pro}priis sum tib{us} {pro}uidere. Et si qui sic facere re∣nuebāt, cōcito fus¦tib{us} cesi, propere hoc agere cōpel∣lebātur, ac demū cōsumptis in villa vna victualib{us} fo¦calibus et equorū p̄bēdis, ad villā ali ā homines illi pro¦perabāt, eā cōsimi¦liter deuastando, nec denarium v∣num {pro} aliquibus necessariis suis eti¦am aut concubi∣••••rum suarū qua•• ••n magna copia

secum sem{per} ve∣hebant vel pro sotularibus, caligis et aliis hm̄odi, vs{que} ad minimā earū ligu∣lā soluerūt, sed sin∣gulassuas qualescū{que} expēsas, hītator’ villarū vbi moras fecerūt soluere co¦egerūt Sic{que} et fac¦tū est ī oībus villis et opidis nō mura¦tis toti{us} region̄illi{us} vt nō sit ibi villula vna ex{per}s de cala∣mitate ista, q̄ nō se¦mel aut bis in āno hac nephāda p̄ssu∣ra depilet’. Pretere a nō patit’ Rex q̄n quā regn̄sui salē e∣dere, quē nō emat ab ip̄o Rege, p̄cio ei{us} solū arbitrio as¦sesso. Et si īsulsum pau{per} q̄uis mauult edere quā salē ex∣cessiuo

precio cō∣parare, mox cōpel¦litur ille tātū de sa¦le reg{is} ad ei{us} p̄ciū emere, quātū con¦gruet tot {per}sonis, quot ip̄e in domo sua fouet. Insu{per} ō∣nes regni illi{us} īco∣lae, dāt ōni āno re∣gi suo quartā par∣tē ōniū vinorū q̄ si¦bi accrescūt et oīs caupo quartū de∣nariū p̄cij vinorū q̄ ip̄e vendit et vl∣tra hec, ōēs villae et burgi soluūt Regi ānuatim ingentes sūmas sup eos asses¦sas, {pro} stipēdijs ho∣minū ad arma, sic qd’ armata reg{is}, q̄ quā magna sē{per} est pascat’ ānuatī de stipēdijs suis {per} pau¦peres villarū, bur∣gorū, et ciuitatum

regni. Et vltra hec quel’t villa sē{per} sus∣tinet sagittarios du¦os ad min{us}. et aliq̄ plures, in ōni appa¦ratu & abilimentis sufficiētib{us} ad ser∣uiendū regi in gu∣erris suis, quotiens sibi libet eos sūmo¦nire, qd’ et crebro facit, ac hijs nō pō¦deratis maxima tal¦lagia alia sūt ōni á∣no assessa ad opus regis su{per} quālibet villā eiusdē regni, de quib{us} non vno anno ipsi alleuian∣tur. Hijs et nōnul∣lis alijs calamitati∣b{us}, plebs illa laces∣sita, ī miseria nō mi¦nima viuit aquāco tidie bibit, nec ali∣um nisi in solemnī¦bus festis plebei gustant liquorem·

Froccis siue collo¦bitis de canabo ad modū pāni sacco∣rū tegūtur. Pāno de lana p̄terquāde vilissima et hoc so¦lū in tunicis suis subt{us} froccas illas non vtuntur, ne{que} caligis nisi ad ge∣nua, discooperto residuo tibiarum. Mulieres eorū nu¦dipedes sūt excep∣tis dieb{us} festis, car¦nes nō comedunt mares aut feminae ibidē, preter lardū baconis, quo īpin∣guāt pulmētaria su¦a ī minima quātita¦te. Carnes assatas coctasue alias ipsi nō gustant, preter¦quā interdū de ī∣testinis et capitib{us} animaliū pro no∣bilib{us} et mercato∣ribus occisorum,

sed gentes ad ar∣ma comedunt ali∣tilia sua, ita vt vix oua eorum ipsis relinquantur pro summis vescenda delicijs. Et si quid in opibus eis ali∣quando accreue∣rit, quolocuples e∣orum aliquis repu¦tetur, concito ipse ad regis subsidium plus vicinis suis ce¦terisoneratur, quo extunc conuicinis ceteris ipse equa∣bitur paupertate. Hec ni fallor for¦ma est status gen∣tis plebanae regio∣nis illius. Nobi∣les tamen non sic exactionibus op∣primuntur. Sed si eorum aliquis ca∣lumpniatus

fuerit de crimine, licet {per} inimicos suos, non semper coram iu∣dice ordinario ip∣se conuocari solet Sed quam sepe in regis camera, et a∣libi in priuato lo∣co, quandoque ve¦ro solum per īter∣nuntios, ipse inde aloqui visus est, et mox vt criminosū eum principis con¦scientia relatu ali∣orum iudicauerit in sacco posit{us}, abs¦que figura iudicij, perprepositi maris calorum ministros noctanter in flu∣mine proiectus submergitur, qua∣liter et mori audi∣uisti

maiorē multo numerū hominū, quā q̄ legittimo {pro}¦cessu iuris cōuicti extiterūt. Sed tam̄ quod principi pla∣cuit (iuxta leges ci¦uiles) legis hēt vi∣gorē. Etiā et alia enormia hijs simi∣lia ac quedā hijsde teriora, dū in Frā∣cia et {pro}pe regnū illud conuersat{us} es audisti, nō alioquā legis illius colore detestabiliter dāna biliter{que} {per}petrata q̄ hic inserere nos∣trū nimiū dialogū protelaret: quare quid effectus legis politicae et regalis, quā quidam pro∣genitorū tuorum pro lege hac ciuili cōmutare nisi sùt,

operatus est ī reg∣no Angliae, amo∣do visitem{us}, vt v∣tra{que} legum expe∣riencia doct{us}, q̄ e∣arū tibi eligibilior sit ex earū effecti∣bus elicere valeas, cū (vt sup̄ memo¦ratur) dicat philo¦sophus, quod op∣posita iuxta se po∣sita magis apparēt