OF THE FOREST LAWS. 



13. If any person shall break the peace before the middle 

 sort of men, or regarders of the forest, he shall pay to the king 

 ten shillings. 



14. If any person shall be taken offending in the forest, he 

 shall suffer punishment according to the manner and quality of 

 his offence. 



15. The punishment and forfeiture shall not be one and the 

 same of a freeman and one that is not free, of a master and of a 

 servant, of one that is known and of one that is not known ; nor 

 shall the management of causes, either civil or criminal, of the 

 beasts of the forests, and of the royal beasts of the vert and of 

 the vension, be one and the same : for the crime of hunting has 

 been of old reputed (and not undeservedly) amongst the greatest 

 offences that could be committed in the forest ; but that of vert 

 is esteemed so little and trivial, (except as it is a breach of our 

 royal chase) that our constitution of forest laws doth scarcely 

 take notice of it ; nevertheless, he, that offends therein, is guilty 

 of one of the trespasses of the forest. 



16. If any freeman shall course or hunt a beast of the forest, 

 either casually or wilfully, so that by the swiftness of the course, 

 the beast doth pant, and is put out of breath; such freeman 

 shall forfeit ten shillings ; and if he be not a freeman, he shall 

 forfeit double ; but if he be a bondman, he shall -lose his skin. 



17. But if a royal beast be killed by any of them, the free- 

 man shall lose his freedom, the other his liberty, and the bond- 

 man his life. 



18. My bishops, abbots, and barons, shall not be challenged 

 for hunting in my forest, except they kill royal beasts ; and, if 

 they do, they shall make satisfaction according to my pleasure, 

 without knowing the certainty of the forfeiture. 



19. I will that every freeman may, as he pleaseth, have and 

 take venison or vert, upon his own grounds, or in his own field, 

 being out of my chase ; and let all men avoid and forbear taking 

 my venison or vert, in every place where it is mine. 



