THE OFFICE OF ALIENATIONS. 379 



was to be passed ; or causeth a bargain and sale to be in- 

 rolled, when nothing passed thereby, because a fine had 

 transferred the land before ; or else inrolleth it within the 

 six months ; whereas, before the end of those months, the 

 land was brought home to the first owner, by repayment of 

 the money for which it was engaged. In which and many 

 other like cases, the client will rather choose to give a 

 moderate fine for the alienation so recharged, than to under 

 take a costly plea in the exchequer, for reformation of that 

 which was done amiss. I take it for a venial fault also to 

 vouchsafe a pardon, after the rate and proportion of a license, 

 to him that without fraud or evil mind hath slipped a term 

 or two months, by forgetting to purchase his license. 



Much more could I say concerning this unblamable in 

 equality of fines and rates: but as I meant only to give an 

 essay thereof, so not doubting but that this may stand, 

 both for the satisfaction of such as be indifferent, and for the 

 discharge of us that be put in trust with the service, wherein 

 no doubt a good discretion and dexterity ought to be used, 

 I resort to the place where I left, affirming that there is in 

 this employment of ours great use of good learning also, as 

 well to distinguish the manifold sorts of tenures and estates; 

 to make construction of grants, conveyances, and wills, and 

 to sound the validity of inquisitions, liveries, licenses, and 

 pardons ; as also to decipher the manifold slights and sub 

 tleties that are daily offered to defraud her majesty in this 

 her most ancient and due prerogative, and finally to handle 

 many other matters, which this purpose will not permit me 

 to recount at large. 



Lastly, here is need, as I said, of integrity throughout 

 the whole labour and practice, as without the which both 

 the former learning and discretion are no better than armata 

 nequitia, and nothing else but detestable craft and double 

 villany. 



And now as you have seen that these clerks want not 

 their full task of labour during the time of the open term, 

 so is there for them whereupon to be occupied in the vaca 

 tion also. 



For whereas alienations of lands, holden by the tenure of 

 prerogative, be continually made, and that by many and 

 divers ways, whereof all are not, at the first, to be found of 

 record ; and yet for the most part do come to be recorded 

 in the end : the clerks of this office do, in the time of the 

 vacation, repair to the rolls and records, as well of the 

 Chancery and King s Bench, as of the Common Pleas and 



