Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/111

 1920 MERCHANTS' COURTS AT WINCHESTER 103 only &d. the defendant ' fecit legem suam ', as if no more than his own oath were wanted. In 35 Henry VIII for a debt of £5 the law is ' nona manu', for 20s., 7s. 46?., Is. 8c?. it is ' tercia manu ', but for 465. 8rf. only ' secunda manu '. The status of the defendant is rarely given and unfortunately never with the amount of the debt. A clericus makes his law ' tercia manu', a mercator ' quarta ', a baker ' nona ', but in none of these cases is the amount of the debt stated. The following from the roll of II Henry VI is an illustration of an ordinary case of debt : die Sabati xxix^ die mensis Novembris ad horam ii*™ post prandium coram prefatis maiore et Ballivis anno supradicto : Thomas Morale (ponit loco K.E.) queritur versus lohannem Hernere de placito debiti : plegius de prosequendo R.E., plegius defendentis Elias Broune : ad quam qmdera horam pars querens comparuit et pars defendens comparuit et de xxii d. placitavit ad patriam : plegius de patria Elyas Broune : ideo preceptum est ministro curie quod venire faciat xii iuratos ad faciendum quandam iuratam inter partes predictas die mercurii iii^ die mensis Decembris erga horam ii*™ post prandium dicte diei : at de residuo placitavit ad legem suam 86 iiia manu : plegius de lege Elyas Broune : idem dies et eadem hora : ad quam quidem horam partes predicti comparuerunt et pars defendens fecit legem suam de xxiii d. ideo querens in misericordia iii. d. pro iniusta querela : et de residuo iurati non comparuerunt : ideo preceptum est ministro curie quod venire faciat sex tales erga horam iiam post prandium die lovis iiii^ die mensis Decembris : iurati dicunt quod ei debet xx d. et pro damagiis et costagiis iiii d. : ideo consideratum est per curiam quod querens recuperet dictos denarios, et defendens in miseri- cordia pro iniusta querela et defendens in misericordia quia non satisfecit. J. S. FURLEY. Proceedings in Parliament relative to the Sentence on Mary Queen of Scots Among the manuscripts at Hatfield is a parchment roll, calendared as a ' Report of the proceedings, speeches, &c., in Parliament from 15 October 1586 to 2 December 1586 with regard to the Babington conspiracy and the Queen of Scots',^ which proves to be the original of a copy preserved in a volume of parhamentary transcripts in the Cottonian collection (Titus F. i, fo. 263 f.). Its origin is explained in its report of the proceedings in the upper house on the last day of the autumn meeting. The Lords' and Commons' Journals, both defective for 1586, omit these proceedings, but record a request of the commons made on » Hist. MSS. Comm., Salisbury M88. xiii. 312, The Hatfield reference to the roll is 216. 14.