100 THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



always in any case requiring immediate action, and the 

 Grand-Master happening to be more than ten leagues 

 distant from the jurisdiction in which the disorder has 

 occurred, they may draw up legal instruction, after having 

 made attachment and given interlocutary judgment, though 

 they have no power to pass a definitive judgment excepting 

 in the presence of Grand-Masters. 



1 9. Also they cannot decree on simple minutes or 

 instructions drawn up by Ushers and Sergeants, nor give 

 or address their commissions to other than to the Officers 

 of the Maitrises, or to other Judges-Royal in places where 

 there are no Courts of the Waters and Forests, on pain of 

 nullity, and responsibility for the loss and damages of the 

 parties. 



' 10. Neither can they, when it so happens, decree or 

 summon, on report of charges, minutes or informations 

 by commissioned officers, or oblige the parties to compear 

 before the Courts of the Marble Table, to be heard, and to 

 proceed to verification of testimony confronting the parties ; 

 but they shall be bound to send the instruction to the 

 same Officer who drew up the instruction or to another 

 on the nearest Maitrise, if there be cause of suspicion or 

 complaint, to carry out the process to a definitive conclu- 

 sion, under pain of nullification, and payment of expenses, 

 loss, and damage of the parties. 



'11. The Forest-Masters, the Lieutenants, our Attorneys 

 and the Gardes-Marteaux, shall receive at the Courts of 

 the Marble Table the information concerning their life 

 and conduct in the localities, previously lodged by the 

 Grand-Masters or other Officers of the Waters and Forests 

 commissioned by him; and there shall be paid to cover all 

 expenses, fees, and dues, twelve livres to the Judges, eight 

 livres to our Attorneys, and a like sum to the Registrar, 

 and six livres to each of the Ushers, and that is for all acts 

 and business done in the case, it being expressly forbidden 

 to the Officers of the Marble Table to take a larger sum. 

 or receive any present under any pretext whatever, under 

 pain of prosecution for exaction, 



