72 Urdahl—Historical Survey of Fee Systems. 
fish and hunt were at first privileges attached to the ownership 
or possession of the soil; still the king had often these rights 
reserved to himself, and instances are not wanting where he 
granted these rights away in certain localities for fixed pay¬ 
ments. 1 
When Charlemagne had consolidated his immense empire, he 
turned his attention to internal improvements. Bridges were 
built, roads laid out and improved, lighthouses established on 
the Gallic coast, harbors and dikes were made and repaired, 
and even a canal was planned and begun, from the Rhone to the 
Danube. With his efficient centralization of political power, he 
was able to levy and collect fees for the use of these improve¬ 
ments. 2 In time the repairs were required to be made by the 
localities while the fees still continued to be collected for the 
king. Pirates were brought into subjection and protection 
offered to merchants. For this they were required to pay fees 
roughly proportioned to their profits. Jews were also granted 
privileges and protection by a sort of license, Schutzbrief, for 
which they were charged payments in the nature of fees. 3 * * 6 The 
well-known Wehrgeld of the middle ages was also of this charac¬ 
ter.* Fees for protection and privileges were also paid by mon¬ 
asteries and individuals, for whom the king appointed one of 
his lieutenants to act as protector. In earlier times there were 
even two protectors appointed, one against the Goths and the 
other against the Romans. Each was supposed to be recom¬ 
pensed for their services by their proteges.* 
In Charlemagne’s courts of justice, presided over by his missi t 
or local counts, the presence of a recording scribe or clerk was 
required by law. He was appointed by the missi , and the court 
fees collected by him were divided between the judge, the notary, 
and the sheriff. In amount these fees varied according to local 
conditions. The fine prescribed by the capitularies was divided 
1 Waitz, IV, 115. 2 Waitz, IV, 26. 
3 Waitz, IV, 200-201; II, 55, 3-4. Payments called Friedensgeld, partly 
in the nature of fees and partly in the nature of fines, were also collected. 
Ibid., II, 535. 
4 Waitz, IV, 275, 295. 
6 Brunner, Deutsche Fechtsgeschichte, II, 51. Waitz, VI, 450-3. 
