226 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



families. For there was an excellent moral law 

 moulded thus ; the taking and carrying away of wo 

 men forcibly and against their will, except female- 

 wards and bond-women, was made capital. The 

 parliament wisely and justly conceiving that the 

 obtaining of women by force into possession, how 

 soever afterwards assent might follow by allurements, 

 was but a rape drawn forth in length, because the 

 first force drew on all the rest. 



There was made also another law for peace in 

 general, and repressing of murders and man 

 slaughters, and was in amendment of the common 

 laws of the realm, being this : That whereas by the 

 common law the king s suit, in case of homicide, did 

 expect the year and the day, allowed to the party s 

 suit by way of appeal ; and that it was found by 

 experience, that the party was many times com 

 pounded with, and many times wearied with the 

 suit, so that in the end such suit was let fall, and by 

 that time the matter was in a manner forgotten, 

 and thereby prosecution at the king s suit by indict 

 ment, which is ever best, &quot; flagrante crimine,&quot; neg 

 lected ; it was ordained, that the suit by indictment 

 might be taken as well at any time within the year 

 and the day as after ; not prejudicing nevertheless 

 the party s suit. 



The king began also then, as well in wisdom as 

 in justice, to pare a little the privilege of clergy, 

 ordaining that clerks convict should be burned in 

 the hand, both because they might taste of some 

 Corporal punishment, and that they might carry a 



