3G6 



AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF 



The name of 

 the office. 



The scope of 

 the discourse, 

 and the parts 

 thereof. 



The first part 

 of this treatise. 



The king s, 

 lenant in chief 



casualty itself was wont to be, in parcel meal, brought in 

 and answered there. 



And now forasmuch as the only matter and subject 

 about which this farmer or his deputies are employed, is 

 to rate or compound the sums of money payable to her 

 majesty, for the alienation of lands that are either made 

 without license, or to be made by license, if they be holden 

 in chief, or to pass for common recovery, or by final con 

 cord to be levied, though they be not so holden, their ser 

 vice may therefore very aptly and agreeably be termed the 

 office of compositions for alienations. Whether the ad 

 vancement of her majesty s commodity in this part of her 

 prerogative, or the respect of private lucre, or both, were 

 the first motives thus to dissever this member, and thereby 

 as it were to mayhem the chancery, it is neither my part 

 nor purpose to dispute. 



But for a full institution of the service as it now stand- 

 eth, howsoever some men have not spared to speak hardly 

 thereof, I hold worthy myjlabour to set down as followeth: 



First, that these fines, exacted for such alienations, be 

 not only of the greatest antiquity, but are also good and 

 reasonable in themselves ; secondly, that the modern and 

 present exercise of this office is more commendable, than 

 was the former usage ; and lastly, that as her majesty hath 

 received great profit thereby, so may she, by a moderate 

 hand, from time to time reap the like, and that without 

 just grief to any of her subjects. 



As the lands that are to be aliened, be either immediately 

 holden in chief, or not so holden of the queen, so be these 

 fines or sums respectively of two sundry sorts; for upon 

 each alienation of lands, immediately held of her majesty 

 in chief, the fine is rated here, either upon the license, 

 before the alienation is made, or else upon the pardon when 

 it is made without license. But generally, for every final 

 concord of lands to be levied upon a writ of covenant, war- 

 rantia charta, or other writ, upon which it may be orderly 

 levied, the sum is rated here upon the original writ, whe 

 ther the lands be held of the queen, or of any other person ; 

 if at the least the lands be of such value, as they may yield 

 the due fine. And likewise for every writ of entry, where 

 upon a common recovery is to be suffered, the queen s fine 

 is to be rated there upon the writ original, if the lands 

 comprised therein be held of her by the tenure of her pre 

 rogative, that is to say, in chief, or of her royal person. 



So that I am hereby enforced, for avoiding of confusion, 



