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.

After what maner a Iustice is created, and of his habite and conuersation. Cap. 51

BVt to the intent the state of Iustices as∣well as of seriauntes at lawe maye be knowen to your grace, as I cā I wil describe vnto you their fourme and office. In the commen bēche there are custumable v. Iustices or vi. at the most. And in the kynges benche .iiii. or v. And as ofte as the place of any of them by deathe or otherwyse is voyde, y^e kynge vseth to choose one of the seriauntes at lawe and him by his letters pa¦tents to ordeine a Iustice in the place of the iudge so ceassynge. And thē the lorde Chauncellor of En¦gland

shall enter into y^e courte where the Iustice is so lackynge, bryngyng with him those letters patents, and sittynge in y^e myddes of the Iustices, causeth the seriaūt so elect to be brought in, to whō in the open courte he no∣tifieth the kynges plea∣sure touchynge the office of the iustice then voyd and causeth the foresaid letters to be openly read. Whiche dōe the maister of the rolles shall reade before the same elect per∣son the othe that he shall take. Which whē he hath sworne vpon the holy gos¦pell of god, the lord Chaū¦cellour shall deliuer vn∣to him the kynges letters aforesaid. And the lorde chiefe Iustice of y^t courte shall assine vnto him a

place in the same, where he shall then place him: & that place shall he after∣ward kepe. Yet you must knowe, most noble prīce, that this Iustice shall thē amonge other thinges sweare, that he shal indif¦ferently minister iustice to all men aswell foes as frendes, that shall haue any sute or plea before hī And this shal he not for∣beare to do thoughe the kinge by his letters, or by expresse worde of mouth woulde commaunde the contrarie. He shall also sweare that from that tyme forwarde he shall not receaue or take any fee or pension, or lyuerye of any mā, but of y^e kīg onely nor any gyfte, re∣ward or brybe of any mā hauīg sute or plea before

him, sauynge meate and drīke. which shalbe of no great value. You shall al¦so knowe that a Iustice thus made shal not be at the charges of any diner, or solempnitie, or anye o¦ther costes at the tīe whē he taketh vpō him his of∣fice & dignitie, forsomuch as this is no degree in y^e facultie of the lawe, but an office onely & a rowm of autoritie to cōtinue du¦ringe the kynges pleasur Howebeit the habit of his raimēt he shall from tyme to tyme forward in some poyntes chaunge, but not in all the ensigne¦ments thereof. For beīge a seriaūt at lawe he was clothed in a longe robe priestlyke, with a furred cape about his should••rs, & therupon a hoode with

ii. labels such as doctours of the lawes vse to weare in certen vniuersities, w^t the aboue discribed quoife But beinge ones made a Iustice, ī stede of his hood he shal weare a cloke clo¦sed vpon his right shoul¦der, all y^e other ornamēts of a seriaunt still remai∣ning: sauīge that a Ius∣tice shal weare no partie coloured vesture as a seri¦aunt maye. And his cape is furred with none other then meneuer, whereas the seriauntes cape is e∣uer furred w^t white lābe. And this habite I would wishe your grace to brīg into hieghe estimation, when it shalbe ī your po∣wer, for the worshippe of the state of the lawe, & y^e honour of your royalme

Furthermore I woulde ye shoulde know that the Iustices of England sitt not in the kinges courtes aboue iii. houres in a day, that is to saye, from viii. of the clock in y^e forenone till xi. complete, For in y^e afternones those courtes are not holden or kepte. But the Suters then re∣sort to y^e {per}using of theire writinges and elswhere consulting with the Ser∣iauntes at lawe and o∣ther theire counsailoures Wherfore the Iustyces after they haue taken theire refection, doo passe and bestowe all the resi∣due of the daye in the stu∣dye of the lawes, in rea∣dynge of holye scripture, and vsynge other kynde of contemplacion at their pleasure. So that theire

lyfe may seeme more con¦templatiue then actiue. And thus do they leade a quiete lyfe discharged of al wordly cares and trou¦bles. And it hath neuer bene knowen that ani of them hathe bene corrupt with gyftes or brybes. whereupō we haue sene this kynde of grace folo∣wynge, that skante anye of them dyethe without yssue, which vnto iust mē is a token of the great & peculiar blessynge of god And in myne opiniō it is to be iudged for no small poynte of the bountefull goodnes of god, that out of the generation of Iud¦ges there haue hetherto spronge vp mo states & peares of the royalme thē out of any other state of mē: which by their owne wytte & policie haue aspi∣red

vnto great wealthe, nobilitie, & honour Yea thoughe the state of mer∣chauntes surmount the nūber of Iudgeis by ma∣ny thousans beinge men of suche singular wealth that amonge them com∣mēly ther be such, as one of thē in riches passeth all the Iusticeis of y^e royalm For this cannot be ascri∣bed vnto fortune, which is nothynge. But it is to be attributed (as I take it) onely to the blessynge of god. For somuche as by his prophet hee saieth y^t the generatiō of righ∣teous men shalbe blessed And the prophet in an o∣ther place speakīg of iust men, sayeth y^t theire chil∣dren shalbe in blessynge. wherefore o most magni∣ficēt prince be you in loue w^t iustice, which thus ēri∣cheth, exalteth to honour

and auaunceth to perpe∣tuite the children of them that haue her in venerati¦on. And be you a zelous louer of the lawe, the ve∣rie welsprīge of Iustice, y^t by you it may be sayed y^t is writē of y^e righteous And their seede shall re∣mayne for euer.

SEd vt Iusticiari ••orū (sicut et ser¦uiētū ad legē) sta¦t{us} tibi innotescat, eorū formā offici¦ū{que} (vt potero) iā discribā. Solēt nā∣que in comuni bā¦cō quin{que} iusticia¦rii esse vel sex ad maius. Et in bāco regis quatuor vel quin{que} ac quociēs eorum aliquis per mortē vel aliter cessauerit, rex de aduisamento con¦silii sui eligere so∣let vnū de seruiē∣tibus ad legem, et eū {per} litteras suas patētes constitue¦re in iusticiariū lo¦co iudicis sic cessā¦tis et tunc cancel¦larius

Angliae adi¦bit curiā vbi iusti¦tiari{us} sic deest, dif¦ferēs secū litteras illas, ac sedens in medio iusticiario∣rū introduci sacit seruientē sic elec∣tū, cui in plena cu¦ria ipse notifica∣bit volūtatē regis de officio iudicia∣rio sic vacante, et legi faciet ī publi∣co literas p̄dictas Quo facto, cus∣tos rotulorum cā¦celariae regis leget corā eodē electo iusiurādū qd ipse factur{us} est, qd et cū super sctā dei Euāgelia ipse iu∣rauerit, cācellari{us} sibi tradet litteras regis predictas, et capitalis iusticiari¦us curiae illi{us} assig∣nabit

sibi locū ī e¦adē, vbi deīceps il¦le sedebit, et mox eū sedere faciet ī eodē. Sciēdum ta¦mē tibi ē Prīceps qd Iusticiari{us} iste int{er} cetera tūc iu∣rabit: se iustitiā mi¦nistraturū īdiffe∣rēt{er} ōnib{us} homini¦b{us} corā eo placi∣tātib{us}, īimicis et a¦micis, nec sic face∣re differet, etiam si rex per litteras su¦as aut ore ten{us} cō¦trariū iusserit. Iu∣rabit etiam quod extunc non reci∣piet ipsae ab aliquo preterquā a rege, feodū aut pencio¦nem aliquam seu liberatam, neque donum capiet ab¦habente placitum coram eo, preter∣quam esculenta

et poculēta, q̄ nō magni erūt precii Sciendū etiā tibi est, qd Iusticiarius sic creatus, cōuiuī¦um solēpnitatēue aut sūpt{us} aliquos non faciet, tēpore susceptionis offi∣cii et dignitatis suae, cū nō sint ill•• grad{us} aliqui in fa¦cultate legis, sed officiū solū illa sīt & magistrat{us}, ad regis nutū du••atu¦ra, habitū tn̄ indu¦mēti sui (ī q̄busd’) ip̄e ex tunc mu∣tabit, sed non in oīb{us} insigniis ei{us} Nā seruiens ad le∣gē ipse existēs, ro∣ba lōga, ad instar sacerdotis, cū ca∣picio penulato cir¦ca humeros eius et desu{per} collobio, cū duob{us} labelul{is}

qualiter vti solēt doctores legū in vniūsitatib{us} qui∣busdā, cum supra discripto birreto vestiebatur. Sed Iusticiari{us} factus, loco collobii cla∣mide induetur, fir¦mata super hume¦rū ei{us} dexterū, ce∣teris ornamentis seruientis, adhuc permanētib{us}, ex∣cepto qd stragu∣lata veste, aut co¦loris depertiti vt potest seruiēs ius∣ticiari{us} nō vtetur et capiciū ei{us} non alio quā meneue∣ro penulatur. Ca∣pīcium tn̄ seruiē∣tis pellib{us} agninis semper al bis im∣plicatur, qualē ha¦bitū te pl{us} ornare optarē, cū potes∣tas

tibi fuerit, ad decorē status legis et honorem regni tui. Scire te etiam cupio qd’ iusticia∣rii angliae nō sedētī curiis regis nisi per¦tres horas in die. s. ab hora viii. ante meridiē, vs{que} horā xi. cōpletam, quia post meridiē curiae illae non tenentur. Sed placitātes tūc se diuertunt ad {per}∣uisū et alibi, cōsu∣lētes cū seruienti∣bus ad legē et aliis cōsiliar’ suis. Qua∣re iusticiarij post∣quā se refecerint totū diei residuū {per}trāseūt studēdo in legibus, sacram legēdo scripturā, et aliter ad eorū li¦bitū cōtēplādo, vt

vita ipsorū pl{us} cō¦templatiua videa¦tur quā actiua. Sic{que} quietā illi vitā a¦gūt, ab oī solicitu¦dine et mundi tur¦binib{us} semotam: nec vnquā cō{per}tū ē eorū aliquē, do∣nis aut munerib{us} fuisse corupt’. Vn¦de et hoc genus gratiae vidim{us} sub¦secutū, qd vix eo∣rū aliqⁱs sine exitu decedat, qd iustis magn̄ et quasi ap¦{pro}priatae benedic∣tionis dei est, mi∣hi quo{que} nō mini∣mi muneris diui∣ni censetur esse pēsād, qd ex iudi∣cū sobole, plures de proceribus et magnatib{us} regni hucus{que} {pro}dierūt, quā dealiquo alio statu hoīm regni,

qⁱ se prudētia et in¦dustria {pro}pria opu¦lētos, inclitos, no∣bilesque fecerunt Quāquā mercato¦rū stat{us}, quorū ali¦qui sūt, qⁱ oīb{us} iu∣sticiariis regni p̄s∣tāt ī diuitiis iudicū numerū in mili∣b{us} hoīm excedat. Nā fortunae q̄ ni∣hil est, istud ascri∣bi nō poterit: sed diuinae solū bene∣dictioni fore arbi¦tror tribuēd. Cū ipse {per} {pro}phetā di∣cat: qd generatio rectorū benedice¦tur. Et alibi de ius¦tis loquēs {pro}pheta ait: qd filii eorum in benedictione e¦rūt. Dilige igitur, (fili regis) iusticiā quae sic ditat, co∣lit, et {per}petuat f••t{us}

colentium eā. Et zelator esto legis que iustitiam pa∣rit, vt a te dicatur qd a iustis scribi∣tur: et semen eo∣rum ineternū ma¦nebit.