[134]: Domsday-book. Tenants in chief.
[135]: Pictorial history, I, 666. Selon Ailred (Temps de Henri II), «un roi, beaucoup d'évêques et d'abbés, beaucoup de grands comtes et de nobles chevaliers, descendus à la fois du sang anglais et du sang normand, étaient un soutien pour l'un et un honneur pour l'autre.»—«À présent, dit un autre auteur du même temps, comme les Anglais et les Normands habitent ensemble et se sont mariés constamment les uns avec les autres, les deux nations sont si complétement mêlées l'une à l'autre, que, du moins pour ce qui regarde les hommes libres, on peut à peine distinguer qui est de race normande et qui est de race anglaise.... Les vilains attachés au sol, dit-il encore, sont seuls de pur sang saxon.»
[136]: Grande charte, 1215.
A frankelein was in this compagnie;
White was his berd as is the dayesie.
Of his complexion he was sanguin.
Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in win.
To liven in delit was ever his wone.
For he was Epicures owen sone,
That held opinion, that plein delit
Was veraily felicite parfite.
An housholder, and that a grete was he;
Seint Julian he was in his contree.
His brede, his ale, was alway after on;
A better envyned man was no wher non.
Withouten bake mete never was his hous,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plenteous,
It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke,
Of alle deintees that men coud of thinke.
After the sondry sesons of the yere,
So changed he his mete and his soupere.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe;
And many a breme, and many a luce, in stewe.
Wo was his coke but if his sauce were
Poinant and sharpe, and redy all his gere.
His table, dormant in his halle, alway
Stode redy covered alle the longe day.
At sessions ther was he lord and sire;
Ful often time he was knight of the shire.
An anelace and a gipciere all of silk
Heng at his girdel, white as morwe milk.
A shereve hadde he ben and a countour.
Was no wher swiche a worthy vavasour.
[138]: Prologue des Contes de Cantorbéry, v. 547. Édition Urry.
The Miller was a stout carl for the nones,
Ful bigge he was of braun, and eke of bones;
That proved wel; for over all ther he came,
At wrastling he wold bere away the ram.
He was short shuldered, brode, a thikke gnarre,
Ther n'as no dore, that he n'olde heve of barre,
Or breke it at a renning with his hede.
His berd as any sowe or fox was rede,
And therto brode, as though it were a spade:
Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
A wert, and theron stode a tufte of heres,
Rede as the bristles of a sowes eres:
His nose-thirles blacke were and wide.
A swerd and bokeler bare he by his side.
His mouth as wide was as a forneis:
He was a jangler, and a goliardeis,
And that was most of sinne and harlotries.
Wel coude he stelen corne and tollen thries.
And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.
A white cote and a blew hode wered he.
A baggepipe wel coude he blowe and soune,
And therwithall he brought us out of toune.
[140]: Dès 1214, et aussi en 1225 et 1254. Guizot, Origine du système représentatif en Angleterre, pages 297-299.
[141]: 1264.