In 3 Hen. IV. the chief justice of the king's bench 40l. per annum; and in 9 Hen. IV. John Colepeper, one of the justices of the common pleas, fifty-five marks per annum.

This disagreeable uncertainty in the yearly salaries and allowances for robes of the judges appears to have continued till the 18th of Henry VI., when a formal complaint in parliament' being exhibited by

Please au roy nostre soveraign signieur de considerer, coment les justices de banke le roy, et del commun bank; les justices as assizes prendre, assignez; les sergeants et attorney le roy pur le temps esteantz; devant sez heures, feurent toutz temps paies en mains, de lour fees et regardez de roy, per les tresorers d'Engleterre, pur le temps esteantz, annuelment en lez termes del Pasche et St. Michell per owelx porcions, tanq; jetarde en temps de William Kenwoldmershe alors tresorer d'Engleterre : et qe ore, mesmez lez justicez, sergeantz et attourne, de lour ditz feez et regardez, ne de lour vesture, pellure, ne linure, ne sount mye paiez; eins sount ascuns de eux arere dez lour ditz fees et regardez nient paies per ii ans et pluis. Et qe a quelle temps del an, que ascun dez ditz justicez, sergeantz, ou attourne devie, ou soit discharge, soit le jour prochein devant le fest de Pascq, ou Seint Michell; luy, ou sez executorz jammes n'ount paiement del rien del rate de lour ditz feez et regardes, pur le rate del temps encurruz par entre le jour de sa mort, ou discharge; et le proschen precedent feste dez festez suisditz; issent, qe per cas lez justicez, sergeantz, ou attourne ensi mort, ou discharge, ferra son dit office, per dimy an, forsq; un jour, a cez graundez costagez, labour et expenses, saunz riens unques avoir pur ycell, a sa tresgraund enpoverishment per cas en temps de sa plus graund necessite. Et que il y ad null dez ditz justices, forspris les chief, que ne ad damage et perde de Cl. per annum; pur ceo, q'il est en office del justice, coment il soit paiez de sez ditz feez et regardez; issint, que per les ditz damage et perde, et le noun paiement dez ditz feez et regardez, et autres causez de perte, covyendra a mesmez lez justicez encountre lour gree de necessite eux retraher de lour dit officez, faire, a dishonour de vous et de vostre royaulme, et avyntisment dez mesmez lez justicez, si en ne soit re medie purveue.

the justices of all the king's courts at Westminster, as well as the king's serjeants and attorney (the prayer of which petition was agreed to), they were increased, and for the future rendered more permanent, changing only with the value of money.

Et sur ceo, per auctorite de cest present parliament d'ordeigner, que le gardein, ou le clerke de la hanaper del chauncellarie nostre seigneur le roy, pur le temps esteant, dez primiers deniers provenauntz du dit hanaper, et queux de droit et loialment, solonc la course de la ley deivent apperteigner, destre paiez en mesme le hanaper; et les collectours et receivours dez graundez et petitz custumez de roy en les portes de London, Bristowe, et le ville de Kingeston super Hull, pur le temps esteantz, dez premiers deniers, issuez, et profitz severalment provenauntz dez custumez suisditz, outre lez chargez et reprisez ent a present dewez; payent, et ayent power, et soient tenuz de paier en money nombrez, severalment, et per severallez parcellez, come lour officez requergent, as chescun dez ditz justicez, sergeantz et attorney, pur le tempz esteantz, et sez executourz, sez ditz feez et regardez annuelment as festes de Pascq; et seint Michell per owelx porcions; et le dit rate de sez ditz feez et regardez a celle feste, dez festes suisditz qe a proschein ensuit le jour de sa mort, ou sa discharge: et annuelment dez festez de Nowel et Pentecost, as chescun dez ditz justices, pur sa vesture, pellure, et linure, tauntz et tielxs sommes de monoy, come ount este, ou serrount allowez al gardeyn de le graunde garderobe nostre seigneur le roy, en sez accomptez de son dit office, pur la vesture, pellure, et linure de tiel justice, annuelment, per le greindre part de dix ans darren passez: et annuelment al feste de Nowell, as chescuns des ditz sergeantz et attourne, tauntz et tielxs sommes de money come ount este, ou serrount allowes al dit gardeyn de le dit garderobe en sez ditz accomptez, pur le vesture de tiel sergeant, ou attourne, annuelment, per le greindre partie des x. anz suisditz : et as oeptas de seinte Trinite proschein ensuant, as ches cun dez ditz justicez, sergeantz, et attourne, sibien autiels sommes de moneye, pur lez arrerages de sa dit vesture, pellure, et linure ore encurruz, et a luy dewes, come touz lez arreragez de sez ditz fees et regardez, auxi ore encurruz et a luy dewes, sibien lez arreragez dez sommes de money, per taillez levez, et resceitz del escheker nostre

The king having accordingly issued out writs to the treasurer and chamberlains of his exchequer requiring to be certified what salaries had been paid to the justices of the king's bench, common pleas, jus

seigneur le roy a luy assignez, nient paiez toft aprez mesmez lez taillez, al resceit de dedit escheker restitutz, come autrez arreragez.

Et que le dit gardein ou le clerke de la hanaper, et lez ditz collectourz et receivours dez ditz custumez, ne null de eux, null allowance, discharge, ne respite per paiement de money, ne autrement en lour accomptz de lour ditz officez, joyntement, ne severalment, de null parcell de lour resceitz, forspriz allowance dez ditz chargez et reprisez ne aient, devant dewe paiement per eux faitz as chescun dez ditz justicez, sergeantz, et attourne, de sez feez, regardez, et rate suisditz; et de lez sommes de money pur sa vesture, pellure, et linure. Et si ascun allowance, discharge, ou respite, soit fait a contrari de ceste ordenaunce, que ceo soit voide et tenuz per nul: et que les ditz justicez, sergeantz, et attourne, et sez executours, et chescun de eux quytement ayt et ayent lour ditz feez, regardez, et rate, et lez ditz sommes de money, pur lour vesture, pellure, et linure, pur le temps q'ils estoient en lours ditz officez; et a tauntz et tielz briefs soubs le grand seale nostre seigneur le roy et sez heires, pur l'exploit et execution de lez premissez, come a eux serront besoignablez en ceste partie, ascun estatute, ou ordenaunce a contrarie nient obstant: savunt toutz temps, que le chanceleur d'Engleterre, le clerke de parlement du roy; le dit clerk du dit hanaper; lez clerks de crown du roy en sa chauncellarie, et autres officers du nostre dit seigneur le roy en mesme le chauncellarie, en paiemantz de eux, ou ascun de eux affairez, de lour feez a eux appurtenauntz, per cause de lour ditz officez, ou autrement, a eux, ou ascun de eux, per lettrez patentz du roy grauntez, et dez issuez de mesme le hanaper apaiers, et autre, ore eiantz estat de frank tenement en ascuns annuitees, a paiers dez issuez de dit hanaper, ou dez custumez suisditz; et autre persons ore enheritez en ascuns annuitees, apaiers dez issues de dit hanaper, ou dez custumez suisditz, et autre persons eiantz ascuns assignementz faitz a eux devaunt le primier jour de Feverer proschein ensuant le comencement de ceste present parlement, dez paiementz a eux affairez dez issues du dit hanaper, ou de les custumez suisditz, soient en chescun maner preferrez: purveu toutz foitz, que nul dez ditz

tices of assize, serjeants at law, &c.; as likewise what money had been paid them for their winter and summer robes for the greater part of ten years then next preceding, and having received answers to the same, both the salaries and allowances of money for robes were increased. And in the first of the next reign we find John Markham, then chief justice of the king's bench, had a yearly pension of one hundred and seventy marks granted him, and payable by the clerk of the hanaper; as also 106s. 11d. qu. and sixth part of an halfpenny, for his Christmas robe; and 66s. 6d. for his robe at Whitsuntide, juxta formam cujusdam actus in parliamento, an. 18 Hen. VI.

In 1 Hen. VII. sir William Huse, knight, constituted chief justice of the same court, had the yearly fee of one hundred and forty marks, and 106s. 11d. farthing, and the sixth part of a halfpenny, granted him for his winter robe; as also 66s. 6d. for his robe at Whitsuntide.

In 37 Hen. VIII. there was a still farther increase of their fees, viz. to the chief justice of the king's

justicez, sergeantz, ou attourne soit paie des dit custumez en ascun dez ditz portes, de sez ditz feez, regardez, et rate; ne pur sa dit vesture, pellure, et linure, tanq; le chauncelleir d'Angleterre, pur le temps esteant, soit apris per examination del clerk de hanaper ne suffisent a mesme le paiement as termes suisditz, affaire, outre lez autres paiementz et chargez suisditz.

Quá quidem petitione, in parliamento prædicto, lectâ, auditâ & pleniùs intellectâ ; eidem petitioni, de avisamento I assensu prædictis, responde

batur sub biis verbis:

Le roy, del advys et assent des seigneurs S. et T. et lez commens en ceste parlement esteauntz, ad graunte tout ceo q'est contenuz en iceste petition.

bench, and his successors for the time being, of 30l. per annum; and to every justice of the common pleas, and their successors, 207. per annum.

CHAP. V.

OF TRIAL IN CASES CIVIL AND CRIMINAL, VIZ. BY JURY, COMBAT, FIRE AND WATER ORDEAL, AND WAGER OF LAW.

Juries.]-TRIAL by jury, called also trial per pais, or by the country, the boast of English jurisprudence, is undoubtedly the most ancient form of decision known in the kingdom, and was in use among the earliest Saxon colonies who settled here, though some trace its origin to the Britons themselves. We find actual mention of it so early as the time of Etheldred, in a law passed at Wanting: "Let there (says he) be in each hundred a court; and therein twelve of the chief men, together with the provost (bailiff of the hundred), sworn according to their evidence, to condemn the guilty, and to acquit the innocent." And another law of the same period ordains six English and six Welch to be joined together for the determi、 nation of such controversies as happened in the marches of Wales.

The nature of this principal criterion of truth in the laws of England being now so well understood as scarcely to need a description, we shall, as matter of