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 commodities that proceede of the iointe go∣uernement politique and regall in the roy∣alme of Englande. Cap. 36, (Book 36)

WIthein the roialme of England no man so∣iourneth in an other mās house w^tout y^e loue & y^e lea¦ue of y^e good mā of y^e same house: sauīg in cōmen yn∣nes, wher before his de{per}∣ture thence he shal fullye

sattsfie & paye for all his charges there. Neyther shal he escape vnpunished whosoeuer he bee that ta∣keth another mans goods wytheoute the good wyll of the owner therof. Ney¦ther is it vnlawefull for anye manne in that roy∣alme to prouide and store hymselfe of salte and o∣ther marchaundyses or wares at his owne wyl and pleasure of any man that selleth y^e same. How∣be it the kinge, thoughe y^e owners woulde saye nay maye by his officers take necessaries for his house at a reasonable price to be assessed by the discrecions of the constables of the towns. Neuertheles he is bounde by his lawes to paye therefore eyther pre∣sentlye in hande, or elles

at a daye to bee limitted and sette by the higher of∣ficers of his house. For by his lawes he maye ta∣ke awaye none of his sub∣iectes goodes, witheoute due satisfaction for the sa∣me. Neyther dothe the kinge there eyther by him selfe or by his seruauntes and officers leuie vppon his subiectes tallages, sub¦sidies, or anye other bur∣deins, or alter theire la∣wes, or make newe laws without the expresse con∣sente and agreemente of his whole royalme in his parliamente. Wherefore euerye inhabiter of that royalme vseth & enioyeth at his pleasure all the frui¦tes that his land or cattall bearethe, withe all the profites & commodytyes,

whiche by his owne tra∣uayle, or by the labour of others he gaineth by land or by water: not hindered by the iniurie or wronge deteinement of anye man but that hee shalbee allo∣wed a reasonable recom∣pence. And hereby it com∣methe to passe that the men of that lande are ry∣che, hauynge abundaun∣ce of golde and siluer and other thinges necessarie for the mayntenaunce of mans lyfe Theye drynke no water, oneles it bee so that soome for deuotion, and vppon a zeale of pe∣naunce do absteyne from other drinkes. They eate plentyfullye of all kyn∣des of fleshe and fyshe. They weare fine wollen cloth in al their apparell.

Theye haue allso abun∣daunce of bed coueryngs in their houses, and of all other wollen stuffe. They haue greate store of all hustlements and imple∣ments of houshold. They are plentifullye furnished withe all instrumentes of husbandry, & al other thin¦ges that are requisite to the accomplishement of a quiet and wealthie lyfe ac¦cordyng to their estates & degrees. Neither are they sued in y^e law, but onelye beefore ordinarye iudges, wherebye the lawes of the lande theye are iustlye intreated. Neyther are theye arrested or implea∣ded for theire moueables or possessiōs, or arreigned of ani offēce criminal be it neū so great & outragious

but after the lawes of the lande, and before the iud∣ges aforesaide. And thys are the fruites whiche go∣uernement politique and regall conioyned doothe beare and brynge fourthe Whereof nowe appeare euidentlye vnto yowe the experiences of the effectes of the lawe, whiche some of your progenitoures tra¦uayled to abolishe. Befo∣re allso yowe sawe plain¦lye the effects of the other lawe, whyche theye with suche earneste endeuoure laboured to aduaunce and place in steade of this la∣we. So that by the fruites of them bothe you maye knowe what theye are And did not ambition, ry¦otte, and wanton luste,

whiche youre said proge∣nitoures esteemed aboue the wealthe of the realme moue them to this altera∣cion? Consider therefore moste worthie prince, and that earnestlye this that foloweth.

IN regno Angliae nullus perhen∣dinat in alterius domo inuito do∣mino, si non in hospiciis publicis, vbi tunc pro om∣nibus quae ibidem expēdit ip̄e plena∣riê

soluet ante ei{us} abinde recessum: nec impunê quis∣{que} bona alterius ca¦pit, sine voluntate proprietarij eorū∣dē, ne{que} in regno illo prepeditur a∣liquis sibi de sale, aut quibuscunque mercimoniis aliis ad propriū arbitri¦um, et de quocun∣que venditore pro¦uidere. Rex tn̄ necessaria domus suae per rationabile preciū iuxta cōsta¦bulariorum villa∣rum discretiones assidendum, inui∣tis possessoribus {per} officiarios suos ca∣pere potest: sed nihillominus ipse precium illud in manibus, vel ad

diē {per} maiores offi∣ciarios domus suae limitādū, soluere {per} leges suas obnoxi∣us est: quia nullius subditorū suorum bona, iuxta leges il¦las ip̄e deripere po¦test, sine satisfacti∣one debita {pro} eisdē Ne{que} rex ibidē {per} se aut ministros suos tallagia, subsidia, aut q̄uis onera alia īponit legijs suis, aut leges eorū mu¦tat, vel nouas con¦dit, sine cōcessione vel assēsu toci{us} reg¦ni sui, in parliamē∣to suo exp̄sso. Qua¦re incola ōnis reg∣ni illius fructubus quos sibi parit ter∣ra sua, et quos gig¦nit pecus eius, e∣molumētis quo{que}

ōībus: q̄ industria {pro}ria vel aliena ip̄e terra mari{que} lucra¦tur, ad libitū {pro}pri∣ū vtitur nulli{us} p̄pe¦ditus īiuria vel ra∣pina, quin ad min{us} īde debitas cōseq̄∣tur emēdas: vnde inhabitātes terrā il¦lā locupletes sunt, abūdātes auro, et argēto, etcūctis ne¦cessarijs vitae. Aquā ip̄i nō bibūt, nisi q̄ ob deuotiōis et pe¦nitēciae zelū aliquā do ab alijs potub{us} se abstinēt. Omni genere carniū et pisciū ip̄i in copia vescūtur, q̄bus pa∣tria illa nō modicè est referta, pannis de lanis bonis ipsi induūtur in oībus operimentis suis,

etiam abundāt in lectisterniis et quo libet suppellectili cui lana congruit in oībus domibus suis, nec non opu∣lenti ipsi sunt in ō∣nibus hustilimen∣tis domus necessa∣riis culturae, et ōni∣bus q̄ ad quietam, et felicem vitā ex∣iguntur, secundū status suos. Nec in placitum ipsi du∣cuntur nisi coram iudicibus ordina∣riis, vbi illi per le∣ges terrae iuste trac¦tantur. Nec allo∣cuti siue implaci∣tati sunt de mobi∣libus aut possessi∣onibus suis, vel ar∣rettati de crimine aliquo qualit{er} cū{que} magno et enormi,

nisi secundum le∣ges terrae illius, et coram iudici∣bus antedictis. Et hij sunt fructus quos parit regimē politicum et rega∣le, ex quibus ti∣bi iam apparent experienciae effec∣tus legis, quam quidam progeni∣torum tuorum ab¦icere conati sunt. Superius quoque tibi apparent effec¦tus legis alterius, quam tanto zelo loco legis istius, ipsi nisi sunt indu∣cere, vt ex fructu∣bus earum tu ag∣noscas eas, et non∣ne ambicio, lux∣us, et libido, quos

predicti {pro}genito∣res tui regni bono preferebant, eos ad hoc commerci∣um concitabant? Considera igitur princeps optime et iam alia que se∣quentur.