Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/61

 Ch. 4. with the king's recommendation of this policy to the Englih, as the bet way to put themelves on a military footing, and thereby to prevent any future attempts from the continent, were probably the reaons that prevailed to effect it's etablihment here. And perhaps we may be able to acertain the time of this great revolution in our landed property with a tolerable degree of exactnes. For we learn from the Saxon chronicle, that in the nineteenth year of king William's reign an invaion was apprehended from Denmark; and the military contitution of the Saxons being then laid aide, and no other introduced in it's tead, the kingdom was wholly defenceles: which occaioned the king to bring over a large army of Normans and Bretons, who were quartered upon every landholder, and greatly oppreed the people. This apparent weaknes, together with the grievances occaioned by a foreign force, might co-operate with the king's remontrances, and the better encline the nobility to liten to his propoals for putting them in a poture of defence. For, as oon as the danger was over, the king held a great council to inquire into the tate of the nation ; the immediate conequence of which was the compiling of the great urvey called domeday-book, which was finihed in the next year: and in the latter end of that very year the king was attended by all his nobility at Sarum; where all the principal landholders ubmitted their lands to the yoke of military tenure, became the king's vaals, and did homage and fealty to his peron. This eems to have been the aera of formally introducing the feodal tenures by law; and probably the very law, thus made at the council of Sarum, is that which is till extant, and couched in thee remarkable words: "tatuimus, ut omnes liberi homines foedere et acramento affirment, quod intra et extra univerum regnum Angliae Wilhelmo regi domino uo fideles ee volunt; terras et honores illius omni fidelitate ubique ervare cum eo, et Rh