THE RULES OF S. ROBERT 125 



manors in England, each by itself, how many ploughs you 

 have in each place, small or great, and how many you can 

 have ; how many acres of arable land, how many of meadow, 

 how much pasture for sheep, and how much for cows, and 

 so for all kind of beasts according to their number ; and 

 what moveables you have in each place of live stock ; and 

 keep this roll by you, and often look at the first roll, and this 

 also that you may quickly know how to find what you ought 

 to do. Let all your servants on the manors be set at a fixed 

 sum of money ; and after August let your granges be 

 closed. 



The third rule teaches the discourse that the lord 

 or lady ought to have with their chief seneschal 

 before some of thy good friends. 



When the aforesaid rolls and inquests have been made, 

 and as soon as you can, that the work of your people be 

 not hindered, call your chief seneschal before any of your 

 people in whom you trust, and speak thus to him : • Good 

 sir, you see plainly that to have my rights set forth clearly, 

 and to know more surely the state of my people, and of my 

 lands, and what I can henceforth do with what belongs to 

 me and what leave, I have caused these inquests and enrol- 

 ments to be made ; now I pray you, as one to whom I have 

 committed trust, as many as I have under me guard and 

 govern. And strictly I command you that you keep whole 

 and without harm all my rights, franchises, and fixed 

 possessions, and whatever of these said things is withdrawn 

 or diminished by the negligence of others, or by wrongdoing, 

 replace it as far as you are able. And my moveable goods 

 and livestock increase in an honest and right way, and keep 

 them faithfully. The returns from my lands, rents, and 

 moveables, without fraud, and with lawful diminution, bring 

 to me and to my treasury to spend according as I shall 

 direct, that God may be satisfied, and my honour and my 

 profit preserved by the foresight of myself and you and my 

 other friends. Further, I strictly command that neither 



