[860]. The meaning of cniht is not certain in this passage. It may imply a servant, but I think it more likely that merely young freemen are intended, who were not full citizens, and were therefore not reckoned full gegyldan.
[861]. Thorpe, i. 258, etc.
[862]. Compare the further provisions of Eádgár’s law. Supp. 11. § 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thorpe, i. 274, 276.
APPENDIX E.
LǼNLAND.
The following documents throw light upon the nature of Lǽland, and the conditions under which it was held. The first is a detailed account given by Oswald, bishop of Worcester, to king Eádgár, of the plan which he adopted in leasing the lands of his church: it is reprinted here from the sixth volume of the Codex Diplomaticus, No. 1287. The second is a statement of the way in which an estate of six ploughlands at Wouldham in Kent became the property of the Cathedral at Rochester: it is No. 1288 in the same collection.
“Domino meo karissimo regi Anglorum Eadgaro, ego Osuualdus Uuigornensis aecclesiae episcopus omnium quae mihi per ipsius clementiam munerum tradita sunt, apud deum et apud homines gratias ago. Igitur si dei misericordia suppeditet, coram deo et hominibus perpetualiter ei fidelis permanebo, reminiscens cum gratiarum actione largifluae benignitatis eius, quia per meos illud quod magnopere expetebam mihi concessit internuntios, id est reverentissimum Dunstanum archiepiscopum et venerandum Æðeluuoldum Uuintoniae episcopum et virum magnificum Brihtnoðum comitem, quorum legatione et adiutorio meam et sanctae dei aecclesiae querelam suscepit, et secundum consilium sapientum et principum suorum iuste emendavit, ad sustentamen aecclesiae quam mihi benigne et libens regendam commisit. Quare quo modo fidos mihi subditos telluribus quae meae traditae sunt potestati per spatium temporis trium hominum, id est duorum post se haeredum, condonarem, placuit tam mihi quam ipsis fautoribus et consiliariis meis, cum ipsius domini mei regis licentia et attestatione, ut fratribus meis successoribus, scilicet episcopis, per cyrographi cautionem apertius enuclearem, ut sciant quid ab eis extorquere iuste debeant secundum conventionem cum eis factam et sponsionem suam; unde et hanc epistolam ob cautelae causam componere studui, ne quis malignae cupiditatis instinctu hoc sequenti tempore mutare volens, abiurare a servitio aecclesiae queat. Haec itaque conventio cum eis facta est, ipso domino meo rege annuente, et sua attestatione munificentiae suae largitatem roborante et confirmante, omnibusque ipsius regiminis sapientibus et principibus attestantibus et consentientibus. Hoc pacto eis terras sanctae aecclesiae sub me tenere concessi, hoc est ut omnis equitandi lex ab eis impleatur quae ad equites pertinet; et ut pleniter persolvant omnia quae ad ius ipsius aecclesiae iuste competunt, scilicet ea quae Anglice dicuntur ciricsceott et toll id est theloneum et tace, id est swinsceade, et caetera iura aecclesiae, nisi episcopus quid alicui eorum perdonare voluerit; seseque quamdiu ipsius terras tenent in mandatis pontificis humiliter cum omni subiectione perseverare etiam iureiurando affirment. Super haec etiam ad omnis industriae episcopi indigentiam semetipsos praesto impendant; equos praestent; ipsi equitent; et ad totum piramiticum opus aecclesiae calcis atque ad pontis aedificium ultro inveniantur parati; sed et venationis sepem domini episcopi ultronei ad aedificandum repperiantur, suaque quandocumque domino episcopo libuerit venabula destinent venatum; insuper ad multas alias indigentiae causas quibus opus est domino antistiti sepe frunisci, sive ad suum servitium sive ad regale explendum, semper illius archiductoris dominatui et voluntati qui episcopatui praesidet, propter beneficium quod illis praestitum est, cum omni humilitate et subiectione subditi fiant, secundum ipsius voluntatem et terrarum quas quisque possidet quantitatem. Decurso autem praefati temporis curriculo, videlicet duorum post eos qui eas modo possident haeredum vitae spatio, in ipsius antistitis sit arbitrio quid inde velit, et quomodo sui vello sit inde ita stet, sive ad suum opus eas retinere, si sic sibi utile iudicaverit, sive eas alicui diutius praestare, si sic sibi placuerit velit; ita dumtaxat ut semper aecclesiae servitia pleniter ut praefati sumus inde persolvantur. Ast si quid praefatorum delicti praevaricantis causa defuerit iurum, praevaricationis delictum secundum quod praesulis ius est emendet, aut illo quod antea potitus est dono et terra careat. Si quis vero, diabolo instigante, quod minime optamus, extiterit, qui per nostrum beneficium aecclesiam dei fraude, seu in sua possessione aut servitio debito privare temptaverit, ipse nostra omnique benedictione dei et sanctorum eius privetur, nisi profundissima emendatione illud corrigere studeat et ad pristinum statum quod defraudavit redigat, scriptum est enim ‘Raptores et sacrilegi regnum dei non consequentur.’ Nunc autem propter deum et sanctam Mariam, in cuius nomine hoc monasterium dicatum est, moneo et praecipio, ut nullo modo quis hoc praevaricare audeat, sed sicut a nobis statutum est, ut praefati sumus, perpetualiter maneat. Qui custodierit omni benedictione repleatur; qui vero infringerit, maledicetur a domino et ab omnibus sanctis, Amen. Gratanter, reverentissime domine, quo tantis tuae donis clementiae, secundum quod totius creatoris cosmi est velle, praeditus sum, meae operam voluntatis, ut pro te tuisque deum iugiter interpellem, devotus impendam, meosque successores ad hoc hortari studebo, ut domini misericordiam pro te deprecari non desinant, ut Christus pace qui perhenni regnat ethrali in arce te consortio dignum haberi dignetur sanctorum omnium in aula coelesti. Valeat in aevum qui hoc studuerit servare decretum. Harum textus epistolarum tres sunt ad praetitulationem et ad signum, una in ipsa civitate quae vocatur Uuigraceaster, altera cum venerabili Dunstano archiepiscopo in Cantuaria, tertia cum Æðeluuoldo episcopo in Uuintonia civitate.”
| “Æðelbryht cinc hit gebócode ðám apostole on éce yrfe and betǽhte hit ðám biscope Eárdulfe tó bewitenne and his æftergæncan. Ðá betweonan ðám wearð hit úte, and hæfdon hit cynegas oð Eádmund cinc; ðá gebohte hit Ælfstán Heáhstáninc Ðá for ðǽre bróðorsibbe geúðe he him Eárhiðes and Crǽgan and Ænesfordes and Wuldahámes his dæg. Ðá oferbád Ælfeh ðæne bróðor and feng tó his lǽne: ðá hæfde Ælfríc suna Eádríc hátte and Ælfeh nǽnne. Ðá geúðe Ælfeh ðám Eádríce Eárhiðes and Crǽgan and Wuldahámes, and hæfde himsylf Ænesford. Ðá gewát Eádríc ǽr Ælfeh cwídeleás, and Ælfeh[Ælfeh] feng tó his lǽne. Ðá hæfde Eádríc láfe and nán beárn; ðá geúðe Ælfeh hire hire morgengife æt Crǽgan; and stód Eárhið and Wuldahám and Lytlanbróc on his lǽne. Ðá him eft geðúhte, ðá nám he his feorme on Wuldahám and on ðám óðran wolde, ac hine geyflade, and he ðá sænde tó ðám arcebiscope Dúnstáne, and he cóm tó Scylfe tó him: and he cwæð his cwide beforan him, and he sætte ǽnne cwide tó Cristes cyrican, and óðerne tó sancte Andrea, and ðane þriddan sealde his láfe. Ðá bræc sýððan Leófsunu þurh ðæt wíf ðe he nám, Eádríces láfe, ðæne cwide, and herewade ðæs arcebiscopes gewitnesse, rád ða innon ða land mid ðám wífe bútan witena dóme. Ðá man ðæt ðám biscope cíðde, ðá gelǽdde se biscop áhnunga ealles Ælféhes cwides tó Eárhiðe, on gewitnesse Ælfstánes biscopes on Lundene, and ealles ðæs hiredes, and ðæs æt Cristes cyrican, and ðæs biscopes Ælfstánes an Hrofesceastre, and Wulfsies preóstes ðæs scírigmannes, and Bryhtwaldes on Mǽreweorðe, and ealra Eást Cantwarena and West Cantwarena. And hit wæs gecnǽwe on Súð-Seáxan and on West-Seáxan and on Middel-Seáxan and on Est-Seáxan, ðæt se arcebiscop mid hisselfes áðe geáhnode Gode and sancte Andrea mid ðam bócan on Cristes hróde, ða land ðe Leófsunu him tóteáh. And ðæne áð nám Wulfsige se scírigman, ðá he nolde tó ðæs cinges handa: and ðǽre wæs God eáca ten hundan mannan ðe ðane áð sealdan. Rubric. Ðús wǽron ða seox sulung æt Wuldahám sancte Andrea geseald intó Hrofesceastre.” | “King Æðelberht granted it by his charter for ever to the apostle, and gave it in charge to bishop Eardwulf and his successors. However in process of time it became alienated, and the kings had it down to Eádmund; then Ælfstán son of Heáhstán bought it of the king for a hundred and twenty mancuses of gold and thirty pounds, and Ælfheáh his son gave him nearly all the money. After king Eádmund, king Eádred booked it to Ælfstán as an inheritance for ever: now after Ælfstán’s day, Ælfheáh his son was his heir, and that he proved with a whole tongue, and deprived Ælfríc his brother both of land and chattels, but what he might deserve at his hands. Now for brotherly love he granted him Erith, Cray, Ænesford, and Wouldham, for his life. Then Ælfheáh survived his brother, and re-entered on his lǽn: but Ælfríc had a son called Eádríc, and Ælfheáh had none. Then Ælfheáh granted to Eádríc Erith, Cray, and Wouldham, and kept Ænesford for himself. Now Eádríc died before Ælfheáh without making a will, and Ælfheáh re-entered on his lǽn. Eádríc had a widow but no child; then Ælfheáh granted her her morning-gift, at Cray; and Erith, Wouldham and Littlebrook stood on his lǽn. When he bethought him, he took his feorm at Wouldham, and meant so to do at the other places, but he fell ill, and sent to archbishop Dúnstán, and he came to him at Scylf: and Ælfheáh declared his will before him, and he deposited one will at Christchurch, another at St. Andrews, and the third copy he gave his widow. But afterwards Leofsunu broke through the will, through the wife he married, namely Eádríc’s widow, and set at nought the archbishop’s testimony, and rode in upon the land with the woman, without any judgment of the witan. Now when this was reported to the bishop, he took all the claims of ownership[ownership] under Ælfheáh’s will, to Erith, in witness of Ælfstán bishop of London, and all the convent, and that at Christchurch, and Ælfstán bishop of Rochester, and Wulfsige the priest who was sheriff, and Bryhtwald of Mereworth, and all the men of East Kent and of West Kent. And it was well known in Sussex and Wessex, and Middlesex and Essex, that the archbishop with his own oath upon the cross of Christ, recovered the land which Leofsunu had invaded, together with the books, for God and St. Andrew. And Wulfsige the sheriff received the oath, since he would not go to the king’s hand: and there was a good addition of a thousand men who gave the oath. Rubric. Thus were the six ploughlands at Wouldham given to St. Andrew at Rochester.” |
APPENDIX F.
HEATHENDOM.
The following passages of the Anglosaxon Laws contain general enactments against heathen practices, or references to heathen superstitions.