ANCIENT AND MODERN FORESTRY 35 



presture. Waste, and Assart. Purprestre, from the 

 old French Pourpris, ' a taking for oneself, and 

 enclosing/ was trespass or wrongful encroach- 

 ment by enclosure or usage. Anything in the 

 shape of building, enclosure, or exercising any 

 liberty or privilege without special warrant to 

 do so was, as Manwood, the great historian of 

 old English forest laws, says, a grave offence, for 

 * the Law indendeth a very grievous Fine should 

 be set on him who makes a Purprestre on the 

 king's lands.' A man might not even build 

 a dwelling-house for himself on his own free 

 land within the forest unless he had previously 

 obtained the requisite special license. Waste 

 included everything done in the forest which 

 tended to damage or destroy the coverts and 

 pastures for the deer and other game. A free- 

 holder within the forest could not even cut down 

 any thick covert, or fell trees in his own woods, 

 without either obtaining a license from the Chief 

 Justice in Eyre, or else performing the act in view 

 of the king's forester. Even ploughing a meadow 

 without previous permission was * waste ' ; and 

 he who committed waste was fined by the Chief 

 Justice, the place wasted being seized for the 



