Page:Harvard Law Review Volume 8.djvu/90

74 74 HARVARD LAW REVIEW. tamen cum istis caducis bonis aeternaliter, sine fine mansura, alta polorum regna et jugiter florentis paradisi amoenitas mercari a fidelibus viris queunt; " and again in his grant to the see of Wor- cester, A. D. 780:^ ** Et quod cum his transitoriis eterna mercari possunt." The almost blunt simplicity of the transactions is refreshing ; they seemed to entertain no fear that the eternal price would not be paid for their " caduca," " transitoria," "mundana" bona. Instances of similar language could be multiplied indefi- nitely. The priestly hand in these cartularies comes out even more plainly in reinforcing the grant with a blessing and a curse at the end, — the former for those who respected it; the latter for those who interfered with it, and couched in denunciatory terms that seem to send a reverberating echo of the thunders of the Church down through the long lapse of centuries to our own day. It is a pity our conveyancers have nothing to compare with this vigorous rhetoric : — " Qui vero minuere et per antiquam si supervenerit cartulam elidere temptaverit [says the deed to Wlhun, Bishop of Chichester, a. d. 931 ^], sciat semet ipsum novissima examinationis die, classica Archangeli clan- gente buccina, cum Juda impiae proditionis compilatore, infauslis quoque Judaeis Christum ore sacrilego blasphemantibus aeterna dampnatione, edacibus favillantium tormentorum flammis esse periturum." So in the deed of Athelstane to Sherborne, A. D, 933 : 3 " Si autem, quod absit, aliquis diabolica deceptus fraude banc mese liberalitatis breviculam in aliquo elidere vel impugnare temptaverit, sciat se die tremendae districtionis ultima, clara reboante Archangeli voce, cum Juda proditore, qui a satoris pio sato " filius perditionis " dicitur, aeterna damnatione edacibus indicibihum tormentorum flammis arsurum." All the terrors of the Day of Judgment are thus invoked on the head of the disturber, but almost always with the significant saving clause : " nisi prius digna satisfactione emendare voluerit," that is, buys his peace at a rate to be fixed by the Church. Nor was this purchase of heaven by any means limited to royal grantors, or to donations of land. Throughout the whole fabric of society the same principle obtained, and constantly there were made in testators' wills provision for the endowment of hospitals, 1 I Birch Sax. Cart. 327, 329. So Caducalla to Wilfrid, A. D. 680; ib. 81. 2 2 Birch Sax. Cart. 315, 316 8 Ib. 392. Athelstane seems particularly fond of this form of imprecatory sanction See numerous instances, ib. pp. 318-390.