Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 275 



called knights fees. But thefe great lords divided their territories in- 

 to lefTer fiefs ; which were held of them by their vaflals, in the lame 

 manner that they held their lands of the Crown, that is by military 

 fervice. 



But befides the land thus fet off to military tenants, tliefe great 

 lords had other lands, which they fet off to be held, not by thejtr^ 

 vice of the field^ which was the defcription they gave of knights 

 fervice, (for at that time a fliield was part of the armour of a knight) 

 but by the fervice of the plough. Thefe vaffals were bound to plough 

 the lands, which the lord kept in his own poffeffion, and were call- 

 ed his domain : And fr04.11 thence it was that fuch vaffals were called 

 fock-men ; and the tenure^ by which they held their lands, was called 

 focca^e tenure. To others they fet off lands to be held by villain s te- 

 nure ; and thefe vaffals were called villain or villains : And the dif- 

 ference betwixt them and the fock men was, that the fervice of thefe 

 was particular and determined ; whereas, the fervice of the villains 

 "was general and undetermined, fo that they might be employed in 

 any way their lord thought proper. Befides thefe foci-men and vil- 

 Irni^ the lord had under him another kind of fervants, who alfo held 

 lands of him, and are frequently mentioned in Doomfday book, un- 

 der the name of Bordarii : Thefe performed fervices at board or table, 

 or other domeftic fervices, to their lord. 



Befides thefe fervants who held lands for their fervice, there were 

 a great number of flaves, or nativi^ as they were called, who had no 

 lands, but ferved their mafters in the fame manner as the Greek imd 

 Roman flaves ferved their mafters. Of thefe it appears from Doomf- 

 day book that there was a great number in England : For this book 

 contains the moft exad: furvey that ever was made of any country ; 

 as it may be faid to contain the whole inhabitants of every rank and 



M m 2. denomination,, 



