The Domestic Acquirements of the Landed Interest. 365 



in the Court Roll, He then proceeds to impannel the jury/ 

 and swears them as follows : — " You shall enquire and faith- 

 fully make presentment of all things which I shall give you 

 in charge ; your companion's counsel, the king's and your own 

 you shall keep ; and you ought to present the truth and 

 nothing but the truth ; So help you God," The foreman 

 first, alone, and then the jury in threes or fours come to the 

 Book and are sworn, to whom the steward thus speaks, " The 

 same oath which J. S. your foreman hath taken of his part, 

 you for your parts shall come to the Book together, and shall 

 be sworn together, as afore is said." 



The petty treasons and felonies about to be tried, though 

 enquirable and presentable in a leet, were not all punishable 

 there. They were written and indented, and one part remained 

 with the steward and the other with the jury to be delivered 

 to the Justices of Assize at the ensuing gaol delivery of that 

 particular county,^ Such were counterfeits of the King's 

 seal or arms and money of the realm f murders, man- 

 slaughters, rapes, burglaries, robberies, incendiarisms, thefts, 

 taking doves and young pigeons, poaching deer and other 

 game, petty larceny, etc. Those offences inquirable, present- 

 able, and also punishable, were neglect of capital pledges, 

 refusals to swear oaths of loyalty by all over twelve years 

 of age who have resided within the lordship a year and a daj'', 

 villains fugitive beyond a year and a day without claim, 

 neglect of customs or services due to the court, annoyances 

 upon land, wood, water, blocks, stocks, ditches and hedges, 

 diversion of ways, waters, ditches, or paths, encroachments, 

 nuisances, trespasses, eavesdroppings, corruptions of waters, 

 vagabondage, false weights and other deceits of artificers, 

 abuses of the assise of bread and ale, appropriations of 

 treasure trove, estreys of horses, sheep, hogs, beasts or swans, 

 " waifes," fugitives and outlaws, pounds broken, neglect to 

 discharge the common fines due to the leet at Michaelmas, 

 non-observance of the king's claims on wrecks of the sea, 



^ By 6 Hen. IV. fol. 2, a presentment in Leet was to be by twelve. 



2 Compare 17 Hen. VIII. fol. 2, and 1 Edw. III., last chap. 



3 27 Hen. VIII. c. 2. 



