Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/272

 236 Readings in European History Restrictions placed upon the king's officers. under seal ; and, besides, we shall cause to be summoned generally, by our sheriffs and bailiffs, all those who hold from us in chief, for a certain day, at the end of at least forty days, and for a certain place ; and in all the letters of that summons we will state the cause of the summons, and when the summons has thus been given the business shall proceed on the appointed day, on the advice of those who shall be present, even if not all of those who were sum- moned have come. 15. We will not grant to any one, moreover, that he shall take an aid from his free men, except for ransoming his body, for making his oldest son a knight, and for once marry- ing his oldest daughter; and for these purposes only a reasonable aid shall be taken. . . . 20. A free man shall not be fined for a small offense, except in proportion to the gravity of the offense ; and for a great offense he shall be fined in proportion to the magni- tude of the offense, saving his freehold ; and a merchant in the same way, saving his merchandise ; and the villein shall be fined in the same way, saving his wainage, if he shall be at our mercy ; and none of the above fines shall be imposed except by the oaths of honest men of the neighborhood. . . . 28. No constable or other bailiff of ours shall take any one's grain or other chattels without immediately paying for them in money, unless he is able to obtain a postpone- ment at the good will of the seller. 29. No constable shall require any knight to give money in place of his ward of a castle if he is willing to furnish that ward in his own person, or through another honest man if he himself is not able to do it for a reasonable cause ; and if we shall lead or send him into the army he shall be free from ward in proportion to the amount of time which he has been in the army through us. 30. No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or any one else, shall take horses or wagons of any free man, for carrying purposes, except on the permission of that free man. 31. Neither we nor our bailiffs will take the wood of another man for castles, or for anything else which we are