HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 381 



theless not to produce them in any reasonable time 

 to their answer, but to suffer them to languish long 

 in prison, and by sundry artificial devices and terrors 

 to extort from them great fines and ransoms, which 

 they termed compositions and mitigations. 



Neither did they, towards the end, observe so 

 much as the half-face of justice, in proceeding by in 

 dictment ; but sent forth their precepts to attach 

 men and convent them before themselves, and some 

 others, at their private houses, in a court of commis 

 sion; and there used to shuffle up a summary pro 

 ceeding by examination, without trial of jury; 

 assuming to themselves there to deal both in pleas 

 of the crown, and controversies civil. 



Then did they also use to inthral and charge the 

 subjects lands with tenures &quot; in capite,&quot; by finding 

 false offices, and thereby to work upon them for 

 wardships, liveries, premier seisins, and alienations, 

 being the fruits of those tenures, refusing, upon di 

 vers pretexts and delays, to admit men to traverse 

 those false offices, according to the law. Nay, the 

 king s wards, after they had accomplished their full 

 age, could not be suffered to have livery of their 

 lands, without paying excessive fines, far exceeding 

 all reasonable rates. They did also vex men with 

 informations of intrusion, upon scarce colourable 

 titles. 



When men were outlawed in personal actions, 

 they would not permit them to purchase their char 

 ters of pardon, except they paid great and intoler 

 able sums ; standing upon the strict point of law, 



