Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/66

 54 minated homagium, or manhood, by the feudits, from the dated form of words, devenio veter homo.

the tenant had thus profeed himelf to be the man of his uperior or lord, the next conideration was concerning the ervice, which, as uch, he was bound to render, in recompene for the land he held. This, in pure, proper, and original feuds, was only twofold: to follow, or do uit to, the lord in his courts in time of peace; and in his armies or warlike retinue, when neceity called him to the field. The lord was, in early times, the legilator and judge over all his feudatories: and therefore the vaals of the inferior lords were bound by their fealty to attend their dometic courts baron, (which were intituted in every manor or barony, for doing peedy and effectual jutice to all the tenants) in order as well to anwer uch complaints as might be alleged againt themelves, as to form a jury or homage for the trial of their fellow-tenants; and upon this account, in all the feodal intitutions both here and on the continent, they are ditinguihed by the appellation of the peers of the court; pares curtis, or pares curiae. In like manner the barons themelves, or lords of inferior ditricts, were denominated peers of the king's court, and were bound to attend him upon ummons, to hear caues of greater conequence in the king's preence and under the direction of his grand juticiary; till in many countries the power of that officer was broken and ditributed into other courts of judicature, the peers of the king's court till reerving to themelves (in almot every feodal government) the right of appeal from thoe ubordinate courts in the lat reort. The military branch of ervice conited in attending the lord to the wars, if called upon, with uch a retinue, and for uch a number of days, Rh