88 Stat. i. Anno decimo tertio Edwardi I. A. D. 128$. A Writ of Mefne, and the Procefs therein. Regit*. 160. Fitz. Mefne, 1, ■3, 7, 11, 12,15, i6 j >7» I0 , 20, 3-J } S-J-j S 6 > S 8< Fifz. Proclamat. so 21. Co. Lit. 100. a. Fitz. Mefne, 3, 18, 47> 57» 66, «7, 70. The Mean fore- judged of his Fee and Services, King's Court, that the Diftrefs is lawfully taken upon his Tenant, which is upon the Mean ; (2) and many have been heretofore fore grieved by fuch Dif- treffes, in fo much as the Mean (notwithstanding that he hath whereby he may be diftrained) doth make long Delays before he will come into the Court to anfwer for his Tenant unto the Writ of Mean ; (3) and further, the Cafe was moft hard when the Mean had nothing : (4) In cafe alfo when the Tenant was ready to do his Services and Cuftoms unto his Lord, and the chief Lord would refufe to take fuch Services and Cuftoms by the Hands of any other than of his next Tenant, and fo fuch Tenants in Demean loft fomewhiles the Profits of their Lands for a Time, and fomewhiles for their whole Time, and hitherto no Remedy hath been provided in this Cafe;" (5) 'a Remedy is provided and ordained hereafter in this Form, That fo foon as fuch Tenant in Demean (having a Mean -between him and the chief Lord) is diftrained, incontinent the Tenant fhall purchafe his Writ of Mean. (6) And if the Mean, having Land in the fame County, abfent him- felf until the great Diftrefs awarded, the Plaintiff fhall have fuch Day given him in his Writ of great Diftrefs, afore the coming whereof two Counties' may be holden, and the Sheriff fhall be commanded to dif- train the Mean by the great Diftrefs, like as it is con- tained in the Writ, and neverthelefs the Sheriff in two full Counties fhall caufe to fee proclaimed fo- lernnly, that the Mean do come at a Day contained in the Writ, to anfwer his Tenant; (7) at which Day, if he come, the Plea fhall pafs between them after the common Ufage.; ,(8) and if he do not come, then fuch Mefne fhall lofe the Services of his Tenant, and from thenceforth the Tenant fhall not anfwer him in any Thing; but the fame Mean being ex- cluded, he fhall anfwer unto the chief Lord for fuch Services and Cuftoms as before he ought to have done to the fame Mean ; (oj neither fhall the chief Lord have Power to diftrain, fo long as the aforefaid Te- nant doth offer him the Services and Cuftoms due. (10) And if the chief Lord exadt more than the Mean ought to do, the Tenant in fuch Cafe fhall have fuch Exceptions as the Mean fhould. (11) And if the Mean have nothing within the King's Dominion, the Tenant fhall neverthelefs purchafe his Writ of Mean to the Sheriff of the fame Shire wherein he is diftrained. (12) And if the Sheriff return, that he hath nothing whereby he may be fummoned, then fhall the Tenant fue his Writ of Attachment. (13) And if the Sheriff return, that he hath nothing to be attached by, he fhall neverthelefs fue his Writ of Great Diftrefs, and Proclamation fhall be made in Form abovefaid. (14) And if the Mean have no Land in the Shire where the Diftrefs is taken, but hath Land in fome other Shire, then a Writ Origi- nal fhall iffue to fummon the Mean unto the Sheriff of the fame Shire where the Diftrefs is taken, and when it is returned by the Sheriff that he hath no- thing in his Shire, a Writ Judicial fhall iffue to fum- mon the Mean unto the Sheriff of the fame Shire, in which it fhall be teftified that he hath Land, and Suit fhall be made in the fame Shire until they have paffed unto the Great Diftrefs and Proclamation, as above is faid in the Mean having Land in the fame Shire in which the Diftrefs is taken. (i<;) And ne- verthelefs Suit fhall be made in the fame Shire where he hath nothing, as above is faid of the Mean that Ex Rot. in'Turr. Lond. nem fieri fuper tenentem fuum videlicet fuper me- dium multi per hujufmodi diftrictiones hucufque gr-avati extiterunt per hoc quod medius licet habe- ret per quod -diftringi poffet magnas fecerit dilatio- nes antequam ad curiam venerit ad refpondendum hujufmodi tenentibus fuis ad breve de medio per hoc etiam quod' durius fuit in cafu quando medius nichil habuit In cafu etiam quando fi tenens para- tus effet facere capitali domino fervicia & confue- tudines exadtas & capitalis dominus fervicia & con- fuetudines fibi debitas renuebat percipere per ma- nus alterius quam proximi tenentis fui & fie ami- ferunt hujufmodi tenentes in dominico proficuum terrarum fuarum aliquando ad tempus aliquando toto tempore fuo nee fuit antea aliquod reme- dium in hoc cafu provifum Ordinatum eft & provifum in hoc cafu remedium impofterum fub hac forma quod quam cito hujufmodi tenens In dominico habens medium inter ipfum & eapitalem dominum diftringitur ftatim perquirat fibi tenens breve de Medio & fi medius habens terram in eo- dem comitatu diffugerit ufque ad magnam diftridti- onem detur querenti in brevi fuo de magna di- ftridtione talis dies ante cujus adventum duo co- mitatus teneantur & precipiatur vicecomiti quod diftringat medium per magnam diftrictionem prout in brevi continetur Et nichilominus vicecomes in duobus plenis comitatibus folempniter proclamari faciat quod hujufmodi medius veniat ad diem in brevi contentum refponfurus tenenti fuo ad quern diem fi venerit procedat placitum intor eos modo confueto Et fi non venerit amittat hujufmodi medi- us fervicium tenentis fui & amodo non refpondeat ei tenens in aliquo fet omiffo illo medio refpondeat capitali domino de eifdem ferviciis & confuetudini- bus que prius facere debuit predidto medio nee ha- beat capitalis dominus poteftatem diftringendi dum predidtus tenens offerat ei fervicia debita & con- fueta. Et fi capitalis dominus exegerit plufquam medius ei facere deberet habeat tenens in hoc cafu exceptionem quam haberet medius. Si vero me- dius nichil habuerit in poteftate Regis nichilomi- nus perquirat tenens breve fuum de medio ad vice- comitem illius comitatus in quo diftringitur. Et fi vicecomes mandaverit quod nichil habet ubi po- teft fummoneri nichilominus fequatur breve de at- tachiamento. Et fi vicecomes mandaverit quod nichil habet per quod poteft attachiari nichilomi- nus fequatur breve de magna diftridtione & fiat prbclamatio in forma predidta. Si vero medius non habet terram in comitatu in quo fit diftridtio fet habeat terrain in alio comitatu tunc exeat breve originale ad fummonendum medium ad vicecomi- tem illius comitatus in quo fit diftridtio & cum teftificatum fuerit per ilium vicecomi'tem quod ni- chil habeat in comitatu fuo exeat breve de Judicio ad fummonendum medium ad vicecomitem illius comitatus in quo teftificatum fuerit quod habet te- nementa & fiat fedta in illo comitatu quoufque perveniatur ad magnam diftridtionem & procla- mationem ficut didtum eft fupra de medio habente terram in eodem comitatu in quo fit diftridtio & nichilominus fiat fedta in comitatu in quo nichil habet ficut didtum eft fupra de medio nichil ha- bente quoufque perveniatur ad magnam diftridtio- nem & proclamationem & fie poft proclamationem in utroque comitatu fadtam abjudicetur medius a feodo & fervicio fuo, Et cum aliquando contin- gat
