De laudibus legum Angliæ writen by Sir Iohn Fortescue L. Ch. Iustice, and after L. Chancellor to K. Henry VI. Hereto are ioind the two Summes of Sir Ralph de Hengham L. Ch. Iustice to K. Edward I. commonly calld Hengham magna, and Hengham parua. Neuer before publisht. Notes both on Fortescue and Hengham are added

Here is shewed, that the proceeding by a Iurie, is not repugnant to the Law of God. Chap. 32. (Book 32)

THe Lawes of Eng∣land {quod} the Chancel∣lor, are nothing at all re∣pugnant to these things y^• trouble you, most worthy Prince, though they in matters of doubt do som∣what otherwise boult out the truth. The law of the generall Councel, wherin it is prouided that Cardi∣nals shall not be conuicted of criminal offēces, other∣wise then by the depositiō

of twelue witnesses, is it any hinderance to the testimonie of two men? If the testimonie of two men bee true, of more force must the testimo∣nie of twelue men bee iudged true, according to a rule of the Law that saith: The more, euer containeth in it, that which is lesse. The In∣holder was promised to bee rewarded with an ouer-plus, if hee besto∣wed vppon the cure of the wounded man, more then the two pence, which hee receiued. A man that laboureth to prooue, that hee was absent at the time of the offence, wherewith hee is charged, shall i•• not bee needefull for him to bring foorth moe then

two or three witnesses, when his aduersarie hath prooued, or is readie to prooue the same, by two or three witnesses? And so hee, that trauelleth to cōuince witnesses of per∣iurie, must of necessitie bring foorth many moe then they were, so that the testimonie of two or three men shall not euer be iudged true: But that Lawe must thus bee vn∣derstanded, that by a les∣ser number of witnesses then two, the truth, in matters doubtfull, ought not to bee searched for, as appeareth by Ber∣narde assygning diuers cases, wherein by the Lawes moe then three witnesses must needes bee produced: As in some of them fiue, and in

and in some seuen. Nor yet the Lawes of Eng∣land bee not against it, but that the trueth may be prooued by two wit∣nesses, when it cannot otherwise be tried. For if thinges bee donne vp∣pon the Sea without the bodie of any Countie of that Realme, which af∣terward bee brought in plea before the Lord Admiral, the same things by the decrees of the lawes of England must bee prooued by witnesses. In like maner it hath bin accustomed to bee donne before the Constable and Marshall of England, touching a fact that was donne in an other Roy∣alme, so that the heare∣ing thereof appertaineth to the Constables court.

Moreouer, in the Courts of certaine Liberties in England, where matters proceede by Lawe Mer∣chant, contractes or bar∣gaines, made among Merchaunts in another Realme, are prooued by witnesses. And this com∣meth to passe, because that in these cases there be no neighbours found, by whose oathes, Iuries of twelue men may bee made, as in contractes, and other cases, arising within the Realme of Englande is accusto∣med to bee done. Like∣wise if a deede, wherein witnesses are named, bee brought into the Kings Court, then processe shal ••ee made against those witnesses: and they toge∣••her with twelue Iurers

shall by their oathes re∣cognise, whether the same bee his deede or no, whose it is supposed to bee. Wherefore the Lawe of Englande re∣prooueth not the Lawe, which by witnesses try∣eth out the truth, speci∣ally when necessitie so re∣quireth: For so doe the Lawes of Englande too, not onely in the cases now mentioned, but also in certiane other cases, whereof here to make re∣hersall it shall not be ma∣teriall. Howbeit this Lawe neuer determineth a controuersie by witnes∣ses onely, that may be de∣termined by a Iury of xii men: forsomuch as this way is much more a∣uaileable and effectuall for the tryall of the truth

then is the forme of any other Lawes of the worlde, and fur∣ther from the daunger of corruption and sub∣ornation. Nor this forme of proceeding, cannot in any cause faile for want of wit∣nesses, nor the testi∣monies of witnesses (if any bee) cannot chose but come to their due ende and effecte: Nei∣ther can such twelue men bee forsworne, but that for their offence they must suffer most sharpe punishment, and neuer∣thelesse the partie, by their depositions grie∣ued, shall obtaine due remedye: And these things shall not bee done by the will and sayings of strange or vnknowne

men, but by the oathes of good, of worshipfull, and of credible men, neigh∣bours to the parties, in whom the same parties haue no cause of chal∣lenge or mistrust, tou∣ching their verdict. O how horrible and detesta∣ble dangers happen ma∣nie times through the forme of proceeding by witnesses! If a man make a priuie contracte of ma∣trimonie, and afterward before witnesses, doe be∣troth or assure him selfe to another woman, shall hee not in the contentious court bee compelled to marrie her, and also af∣ter that in the Penitenci∣all court, bee iudged to lye with the first, if hee bee duely required, and to do pennance, as oft as by

his owne motion and procurement hee lyeth with the second, though in both Courtes the Iudge be one and the self same man. In this case, as it is written in Iob, are not the sinewes of Leuiathan perplexed and intricate? Fie for shame they are intricate in deed: For, this man can car∣nally companie with nei∣ther of these two wo∣men, nor with any other, without punishment ey∣ther by the contentious Court, or by the Pe∣nitentiall Courte, Such a myschiefe, inconueni∣ence, or danger, can ne∣uer happen in any case by the way of proceeding by the Law of England, no not though Leuiathan himselfe would labour to

procure the same. Doe yee not nowe see, most noble Prince, that the more you obiect against the Lawes of Englande, the more worthy they ap∣peare?

CAncellari{us}. Nō his, quibus tur∣baris, Princeps, cō∣trariātur leges An∣gliae, licet aliter quodammodo ipsae in dubijs eliciant veritatē. Quid du∣orum hominum te∣stimonio obest lex illa generalis Conci∣lij, qua cauetur, vt non nisi duodecim testium depositione

cardinales de crimi∣nibus conuincātur? Si verum est duorū testimonium, a for∣tiori, testimonium duodecim verū iu∣dicari debet, dicen∣te iuris regula: Plus, semper in se continet, quod est minus. Su∣pererogationis me∣ritum promitteba∣tur stabulario, si plus quam duos, quos re cepit, denarios, ipse in vulnerati curati∣onē erogasset. Non ne plus quam duos aut tres testes pro∣ducere oportebit quempiam, qui ab∣sentem se fuisse {pro}∣bare nititur, tempo∣re criminis sibi im∣positi, quod per duos aut tres testes

aduersarius eius {pro}∣bauit, vel probare parat{us} est? Sic & qui testes de periurio conuincere satagit, multo illis plures, producere necesse habet, quo nō sē{per} ij.v••liij. hominū te∣stimoniū verū esse iudicabitur: sed in∣telligenda est lex il∣la, qd minore testiū numero quamij. ve∣ritas in dubijs non debet exquiri, vt pa tet per Bernardum extra▪ de testi. ca. li∣cet in glossa ordi∣naria, vbi ipso assig∣nat diuersos casus, in quib{us} per leges, plures quam tres o∣portet producere, testes: Vz. in ali∣quibus eorum v.

& in aliquib{us} septē: per duos etiā testes veritatē {pro}bari pos∣se, cū non aliter ipsa pateret, vti{que} leges Angliae affirmant. Nam si quae supra al∣tum mare extra cor∣p{us} cuiuslibet comi∣tatus regni illius fi∣ant, quae postmodū in placito corā Ad∣mirallo Angliae de∣ducantur, per testes illa iuxta legū An∣gliae sanctiones pro∣bari debent. Consi∣militer quo{que} corā cōstabulario et ma∣riscallo Angliae fieri solitū est de facto, qd in regno alio a∣ctum est, dūmodo ad iurisdictionē cu∣riae Cōstabularij, cog¦nitio eius pertineat.

Etiam & in curijs quarundā liberta∣tum in Anglia, vbi per legem Mercato∣riā proceditur, pro∣bant per testes, con∣tract{us} inter merca∣tores extra regnum factos. Quia in casi∣bus his non reperi∣untur vicini, {per} quo∣rum sacramenta, iu∣ratae ex duodecim hominib{us} fieri pos∣sunt, prout de con∣tractibus & alijs ca∣sibus, infra regnum Angliae emergenti∣bus, est fieri con∣suetum. Similiter, si carta, in qua te∣stes nominantur, deducatur in cu∣ria Regis, proces∣sus tunc fiet erga testes illos, ipsi

quo{que} recognoscēt simul cū xij. iurato∣rib{us} per eorū sacra∣mēta vtrū carta illa sit factum eius, cui{us} supponitur, an non. Quare, legē, qua te∣stib{us} veritas extor∣quetur, lex Angliae nō condēnat, maxi∣me cum necessitas id deposcat: quia & sic faciunt ipsae leges Angliae nedū in ca∣sibus iā notatis, sed etiā in q••ibusdā ca¦sibus alijs, quos nō expedit hic notare. Sed per testes solū, lex ipsa nūquā litē dirimit, quae per iu∣ratamxij. hominum decidi poterit, cum sit modus iste ad veritatem eliciendā multo potior &

efficatior, quam est forma aliquarū ali∣arum legum orbis, & remotior a cor∣ruptionis & subor∣nationis periculo. Nec potest haec {pro}∣cedendi forma in causa aliqua, ob de∣fectū testiū deperi∣re, ne{que} testium (si quifuerint) attesta∣tio, effectū debitū non sortiri, nec per∣iurari possunt duo∣decim homines hu∣m̄di, quin pro eorū crimine, ipsi acer∣bissime puniātur, & nihilomin{us} pars, {per} eorum depositionē grauata, remedium debitum conseque∣tur: ac, non fient haec per extran••∣orum aut igno∣torū

hominū arbi∣triū aut dictamē, sed {per} proborū, nobiliū & fide dignorū, vi∣cinorū partibus, sa∣cramētū, quib{us} par¦tes illae nullā habent causam calumpniae aut diffidētiae de e∣orum dicto▪ O quā horrendum & dete∣stabile discrimē sae∣pe accidit, ex forma {per} depositionem te∣stium procedendi! Nonne, si quis clan∣destinum cōtrahat matrimoniū, & po∣stea corā testib{us} mu∣lierē aliā ipse affida∣uerit, cum eadē cō∣summare matrimo∣nium arctabitur in foro contencioso, & postea in penitētiali ••oro iudicabituripse

cōcumbere cū pri∣ma, si debite requi∣ratur, & penitere debet quoties ex a∣ctione propria cō∣cubuerit cū secūda, licet in vtro{que} foro iudex fuerit homo vnus & idē. Nonne in hoc casu, vt in Iob scribitur, perplexi sunt testiculi Leuia∣thā•• Proh pudor, ve re perplexi sunt, nā, cum neutramulierū harū, ne{que} cum alia, contrahens iste, ex∣tunc concumbet, si∣ne animaduersione in foro contenden∣tium aut penitenti∣um: quale malum, inconueniens, aut discrimen per mo∣dum & formā pro∣cessus legis Angliae

impossibile est in casu aliquo euenire, etiā si Leuithiā ipse ea generare nitatur. Nōne vides iā, prin∣ceps clarissime, leges Angliae tanto magis clarescere, quanto ••isdem tu amplius reluctaris?