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.

BVt to y^e intent most ex¦cellēt prince ye maye conceaue a fourme & an ymage of this study, as I am able I will discribe it vntoo you. For there bee in it tenne lesser housez or ynnes, & somtimes moe,

whyche are called ynnes of the Chauncery. And to euerie one of them belon∣geth a C. studients at the least, & to some of them a muche greater nomber, though they bee not euer all together in the same. These studentes, for the most part of thē, are yong¦men, lerning or studying y^e originals, & as it were y^e elements of y^e law. who profiting therein, as they growe to rypenes, so are they admitted into y^e grea¦ter ynnes of the same stu∣dy, called ynnes of court. Of the whiche greater ynnes there are .iiii. in number. And to the lest of them beelongeth in fourme aboue mentio∣ned twooe hundrethe Studentes or thearea∣boutes.

For in these greter ynnez there can no studient bee mainteined for lesse expē∣ses by the yeare then xx. markes. And if he haue a seruaunt to waite vppon him, as moste of thē haue then so muche the greater will his charges be. Now be reason of this charges the children onelye of no∣ble menne doo studye the lawes in those ynnes.

For the poore and com∣men sorte of the people are not hable to beare so greate charges for the ex∣hibition of theire children And marchaunt menne can seeledoome fynde in theire heartes to hynder theire marchandise with so greate yerly expenses. And thus it falleth out y^t there is scant any manne founde within y^e roialme

skilfull and connynge in the lawes, excepte hee bee a gentleman borne, and come of a noble stocke.

Wherefore they more then anye other kinde of menne haue a special re∣garde to theire nobilitie, and too the preseruation of theire honour & fame And to speake vprightly there is in these greater ynnes, yea and in the lesser too, besyde the study of the lawes, as it were an vniuersitie or schole of all commendable quali∣ties requisite for noble men. There they learne to singe, and to exercise themselfes in all kinde of armony. There also they practise daunsing, and o∣ther noble mennes pas∣times, as they vse to doe

which are brought vppe in the kinges house.

On the woorkyedayes the moste parte of them applye themselues to the studye of the lawe. And on the holyedayes to the studie of holye scripture: and out of the tyme of di∣uine seruice to the rea∣dynge of chronicles. For there in deed are vertues studyed, and all vices ex∣iled. So that for the en∣dowement of vertue, and abandoning of vice Knightes and Barons, with other states and no∣ble menne of the roialme place theire children in those ynnes, though they desire not to haue them learned in the lawes, nor to lyue by the practise therof, but only vpō their fathers allowaunce.

Skante at anye tyme ys there harde among them any sedition, chydynge or grudginge. And yet the offendours are punished with none other paine, but onelye to be amoued from the cōpany of their felowshippe. Whiche pu¦nishement they doe more feare, then other criminal offenders doe feare im∣prisonment and yrons.

For hee that is ones ex∣pelled frō any of those fe∣lowships is neuer recea∣ued to be a fellow in any of the other felowshippes And so by this meanes there is cōtinual peace: & theire demeanour is like the behauiour of suche as are coupled together in {per}∣fect amitie. But after what manner & sorte the

lawes are learned ī those ynnes, thereof heere too make rehersall, it is not needeful, forsomuche as it is not for your estat most noble Prince to putte the same in vre. Yet knowe ye this, that it is pleasant and delectable, and in any wise expedient for the learninge of the law, and worthy with all affection to bee embraced. But one thīg ther is that I would haue you to knowe, that neyther at Orleaunce, where aswel the Canon as the Ciuyle lawes are taughte, and whether out of manye Countreys scholars doe repayre, nor at Angeo, or at Cane, or any vniuersity of France (Paris onelye excepted) are founde so many stu∣dentes past chyldhoode,

as in this place of studye, notw^tstanding y^t al y^e stu∣dētes there are Englishe borne.