THE JUSTICES OF LABOURERS 13 



entirely different ; the letter patent begins with the 

 recital of the whole ordinance and continues with the 

 statement that in consequence of the complaints of its 

 non-observance that have reached the council, special 

 justices are now appointed to punish all offenders against 

 the measure, ending with the reservation that these jus- 

 tices are not to interfere with the rights of the justices 

 of the peace or of the collectors of the subsidy. 



In view of the small proportion of counties here repre- 

 sented one is somewhat puzzled by the clause in the pre- 

 amble to the statute of labourers : Sur qoi commissions 

 furent faites as diuerses gentz en ckescutt counte denquere 

 et punir touz ceaux que venzssent au contraire.' The 

 length of time between June, the date of the ordinance, 

 and the following February, the date of the first enrolled 

 commission,^ is also difficult to explain. It seems prob- 

 able either that, as in the case of the five counties men- 

 tioned, commissions similar to those recorded, or at least 

 supplementary instructions to the existing keepers of the 

 peace, had failed to get enrolled, ^ or that some other set 

 of officials received the powers referred to in the pre- 

 amble. The evidence in favor of this last possibility will 

 be given in full later.* 



2. The second period, from 15 March, 1351, to De- 

 cember, 1352, was one of joint commissions of the peace 

 and for labourers. ^ It has already been emphasized that 

 the statute of labourers passed in February, 1351, was 

 not a re-enactment of the ordinance but a supplement to 



' App., 12. "^ Cf. p. 10, note 4, supra. 



*For the years 1351-1359 the indications are that comparatively few 

 commissions were omitted from the Patent Rolls, cf. p. 21, note i. 



*Pt. I, ch. iii, s. I, A. 



^For conciseness I use this phrase in place of " commissions to en- 

 force the statutes of labourers." 



