a;S T H E IM S T O R Y Book h poflefiion of no lefs than an hundred and eighty years, a term rudely fuppofed to be comnieftfurate With three generations^ 'Any proprietor in the kingdom might annually let out his land at his own difcretion ; but he could not either fell or mortgage it without a licence from his lord :6 . - All the eftates in- the king* dom were entailed, and could not be alienated from the line, unlefs the king and all the relations of the pofleflbr, his bro- thers, his coufins, and his couftns fons, concurred in the a&, and unlefs the alienation 'was made m order to pay the fine for murder, a payment in which the law confidered the fon as equally intercfted wkh the father ". And nothing could be be- queathed by a teftament but debts 3f . The fon was a&ually of age . at fourteen, and the daughter at twelve ; and by a ftraiigp abfurdity the fon had a juft ground of a&ien againft bis father for any corre&ion afterwards * And the general peace of the country was fecured by that wife neeonomy of civil polity which appears afterwards fo greatly improved among the Saxons, the inftitution of Frank-pledges. The free-man or noble was r* r fponfible to the ftate for the condu& of his fans and his villainy and was obliged to fatiafy the government for any offences which they committed, unlefs (as was very feldom the cafe) the punifliment was the forfeiture of life or limb 4 °. Being entitled to receive fatisfa&ion for any offences committed upon them* he was naturally required to make k for any ofiences committed by them 4 The general jurifprudence of the country was regulated as it feems to have been regulated in all nations at firft, and as it was particularly regulated among the Germans 4 *. No crimes were ordinarily capital. They were puniflied only with an Eric or fine. Such was the cafe formerly in Scotland 4 Such was the cafe originally in Ireland *. And fuch was the cafe; aii- tiently in Wales. Thefe fines were of two appellations a©d degreea, the public and the private 45 . The former were twelve cows or three pounds, the latter were three cows or an hundred and eighty pence 4 *. A theft a rape and a riot were 'generally punifhed by the former j all ethe* offences (except murder) were
