16 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE [iv. 



The terms on which the sokemen held their lands, 

 as appears by Domesday, were various. Some could 

 alienate their land without the license of their lord ; 

 others were unable to do so. If they possessed the 

 right of alienation, in some instances, upon aliena- 

 tion, the jurisdiction over the land, the soke, re- 

 mained with the lord ; in other cases the tenants 

 were free to dispose not only of the land, but of 

 the soke also. 



This variety seems to indicate that the relation 

 of lord and sokeman often had its origin in contract. 

 The liberated serf also must frequently have passed 

 into the ranks of the sokemen. The latter gene- 

 rally paid a rent to his lord in money or in kind, 

 as well in return for the protection he could claim, 

 as for the use of his land. There are still freehold 

 lands held of the lords of some manors, at ancient 

 rents of small amount generally called quit-rents. 



When we consider the extraordinary deference 

 which the Anglo-Saxon laws paid to wealth, esti- 

 mating not only the value of a man's life, but the 

 value of his testimony aJso, by the number of his 

 hides, it is not difficult to account for the readiness, 

 with which small free proprietors commended them- 

 selves to a great noble or prelate, and became his 

 sokemen, in order to obtain his advocacy. 





