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of Feudal System, pervaded Europe during an origin, growth 

 and decay of a thousand years, and traces of which linger in 

 the language of the title deeds of every one of you, was 

 based also upon the same idea that proprietorship of land 

 involved sovereignty — political sovereignty. It would be 

 tedious to attempt to enumerate the various and multiplied 

 forms of tenure, which prevailed under that great and. com- 

 plicated system, every one of which required fealty in some 

 form and under some name to the owner by the possessor. 

 The estate of " freehold " was in its first signification simply 

 the possession of the soil by a Free-man ; and the word fee, 

 which to all of us imports the highest possible estate, is of 

 the same feudal origin, and implies that the estate is held not 

 in the right of its possessor, but under another, to whom some 

 allegiance or some service is due. Men held their lands upon 

 condition that they acknowledged fealty and rendered service 

 to the owner, and he who was possessed of land to which no 

 such condition was annexed, was himself a sovereign over a 

 larger or smaller domain, as his possessions were more or less 

 extended. When some six hundred and fifty years ago the 

 signature of King John was obtained to Magna Charta on 

 that little strip of meadow upon the banks of the Thames, 

 now famous through the civilized world as Runnymede, it 

 was substantially the triumph of landed proprietorship. It 

 was the Liber Homo — the Freeman — the possessor of lands, 

 who derived the substantial benefits from that instrument. In 

 terms, it was broad enough to secure justice in some respects to 

 all — but like the common law, it was subsequently made ap- 

 plicable rather by its elasticity, than because it was originally 

 made to cover the condition of others, than the barons who 

 secured it. The ladies, however, will not pardon me if, be- 

 fore taking leave of Magna Charta, I do not say, that by 

 that great instrument the right of dower became incorpo- 

 rated into the constitution of England as a part of its funda- 

 mental law. But although the proprietorship of land is thus 

 influential and is in the nature of sovereignty, it, by no means, 

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