OF THE FOREST LAWS. 243 



sort of men or regarders, and meaner sort of men or foresters, 

 shall be free and quit from all provincial summons and popular 

 pleas (which the English call hundred laghe), and from all taxes 

 concerning the wars or weapons (which the English call warscot) 

 and from all foreign plaints. 



8. That the causes of the middle sort of men or regarders, 

 and the meaner sort of men or foresters, and their corrections, 

 as well criminal as civil, shall be adjudged and decided by the 

 provident wisdom and discretion of the chief men or verderors. 

 But the enormities of the chief men or verderors, if any such 

 shall be, we ourselves will cause to be punished according to our 

 royal displeasure. 



9. These four (chief men or verderors) shall have a royal 

 power (saving in our presence), and four times in the year the 

 general demonstrations of the forest, and the forfeitures of vert 

 and venison (which the English call mechehunt) where they shall 

 all of them hold claim, or challenge of any thing touching the 

 forest, and shall go to a threefold judgment (which the English 

 call gang fordel) and thus the threefold judgment shall be ob- 

 tained : the party shall take with him five others, and he himself 

 shall make the sixth, and so by swearing, he shall obtain a three- 

 fold judgment or triple oath. But the purgation of fire, or fiery 

 ordale, shall be by no means admitted, unless in such cases where 

 the naked truth cannot otherwise be found out. 



10. Whosoever shall offer any violence to the chief men or 

 verderors of my forest, if he be free, he shall lose his liberty, 

 and all that he hath ; and if he be a villain, his right hand shall 

 be cut off. 



11. If either of them shall offend again, in the like case, he 

 shall be guilty of death. 



12. Jn the like manner, if any person shall contend in suit 

 with one of the chief men or verderors, he shall forfeit to the 

 king as much as he is worth. 



