Page:The child's pictorial history of England; (IA childspictorialh00corn).pdf/76

 either to serve as a soldier himself, or send a substitute.

14. The rest of the country was divided by the king amongst the great barons, who agreed, in return, that whenever he went to war they would go with him, and take with them so many men, properly armed and trained for warfare, perhaps fifty or a hundred, or even more, according to the extent of lands they held.

15. These great Baronies were called Feods, and the king was the feodal or feudal lord of the barons, who were called crowned vassals; and, when any one of them died, the king took the lands again until the heir paid him a large sum of money to redeem them.

16. Some of the kings behaved very ill in this, in making the heirs pay a great deal more than was just; and, if a baron died, and left a daughter only, she was obliged to marry any one the king chose, or he would not let her have her inheritance at all.

17. The feudal laws were therefore very bad, because they gave men the power of being tyrants to each other; for the nobles had the same power of oppressing their vassals that the king had of oppressing them.

18. You must understand that the great Barons, who held very extensive domains, gave