THE OFFICE OF ALIENATIONS. 377 



land, an officer that laboureth in furtherance of the tenure, 

 or a poor person, are not, as I think, to be measured by the 

 common yard, but by the pole of special grace and dispensa 

 tion. Such as served in the wars have been permitted, by 

 many statutes, to alien their lands of this tenure, without 

 suing out of any license. All those of the chancery have 

 claimed and taken the privilege to pass their writs without 

 fine ; and yet, therefore, do still look to be easily fined : yea 

 the favourites in court, and as many as serve the queen in 

 ordinary, take it unkindly if they have not more than market 

 measure. 



Again, the consideration of the place or county where the The place. 

 lands do lie, may justly cause the rate or valuation to be 

 the more or less ; for as the writs too commonly report the 

 land by numbers of acres, and as it is allowable, for the 

 eschewing of some dangers, that those numbers do exceed 

 the very content and true quantity of the lands themselves ; 

 so in some counties they are not much acquainted with ad 

 measurement by acre ; and thereby, for the most part, the 

 writs of those shires and counties do contain twice or thrice 

 so many acres more than the land hath. In some places 

 the lands do lie open in common fields, and be not so 

 valuable as if they were inclosed ; and not only in one and 

 the same shire, but also within the selfsame lordship, 

 parish, or hamlet, lands have their divers degrees of value, 

 through the diversity of their fertility or barrenness : wherein 

 how great odds and variety there is, he shall soonest find, 

 that will examine it by his own skill in whatsoever place 

 that he knoweth best. 



Moreover some lands be more chargeable than others are, 

 respecting either the tenure, as knight s service, and the 

 tenure in chief, or in regard of defence against the sea and 

 great rivers ; as for their lying near to the borders of the 

 realm, or because of great and continual purveyances that 

 are made upon them, or such like. 



And in some counties, as namely, westward, their yearly 

 rents, by which most commonly their value to her majesty 

 is accounted, are not to this day improved at all, the land 

 lords making no less gain by fines and incomes, than there 

 is raised in other places by inhancement of rents. 



The manner and sorts of the conveyance of the land it- The manner of 

 self is likewise variable, and therefore deserveth a diverse that assurance. 

 consideration and value : for in a pardon one whole year s 

 value, together with the mean rates thereof, is due to be 

 paid ; which ought therefore to be more favourably assessed, 



