iv. Clauses referring to towns, trade and merchants :—The aids of the city of London are to be governed by the same rule as the baronial aids, and the city is to have its ancient liberties and free customs. All other cities, boroughs, towns and harbours, are to have their liberties and free customs (12-13). There is to be one measure of wine and ale and corn within the realm, namely the London quarter, and one breadth of cloth, and it is to be the same with weights (35). All merchants are to be free to come and go, to stay in the land and to buy and sell, except in time of war. In time of war merchants of enemy countries in England are to be treated as English merchants are treated in the enemy countries (41). All kydells are to be removed from the Thames and the Medway and throughout all England except the sea coasts (33).
v. Clauses reforming judicial and legal matters:—Common pleas are not to follow the court but to be held in some certain place (17). For the taking of inquisitions of Novel disseisin, mort d'ancestor, and darrein presentment two justices are to be sent through the realm four times a year and with four knights of each county chosen by the county are to hold the assizes on the day and in the meeting place of the shire court. If all cannot be taken on the one day, enough knights and freeholders are to remain to conduct the business (18, 19). Amercements are to be in accordance with the measure of the offence. They are not to be so heavy, in the case of grievous crimes, as to deprive any man of his means of livelihood. They are to be assessed by the honest men of the neighbourhood (2o). Earls and barons are to be amerced by their peers according to the measure of their offence (21). Clerks shall only be amerced according to the measure of their offence and only the lands which they hold by lay tenure shall be answerable for the amercement (22). The lands of those convicted of felony shall only be held by the king for a year and a day and then shall return to the lord of the fee (32). The writ called Precipe shall not in future be issued to anyone touching any tenement whereby a free man may lose his court (34). Nothing shall henceforth be given for a writ of enquiry touching life or limb, but it shall be granted freely and not denied (36). No one is to be taken or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman for the death of any other thai1 her husband (54) VI. Clauses intended to check the abuses of local officers :—No town or individual shall be forced to make bridges or maintain river banks except such as ought to be so maintained by ancient custom and right (23). No sheriff, constable or bailiff is to hold the pleas of the crown (24). All counties, hundreds, wapentakes and ridings are to be at their old farm without any increment, except the king's demesne manors (25). No constable or bailiff is to take a man's corn or other chattels without immediate pay ment unless the owner allows a respite (29). No sheriff, bailiff or
any other person shall take a freeman's horses or carts for car riage duty except with the owner's consent (3o). Neither the king nor his bailiffs are to take a man's timber for castle-building or any other royal work without the consent of the owner of the wood (3i ). No justice, constable, sheriff or bailiff is to be ap pointed but such as knows the law and is willing to observe it (45). No bailiff upon his own bare word without credible witnesses is to send a man to the ordeal (38).
VII. Forest Clauses :—Men who dwell without the forest are not to come before the justices of the forests on a general sum mons but only when they are concerned in special cases (44). All forests made by John are to be disafforested and all evil customs of the forests abolished. Justice is to be done with regard to the forests made by Henry II. and Richard I. (47, 48).
VIII. Clauses of temporary interest, to correct temporary Viii. Clauses of temporary interest, to correct temporary abuses:—All hostages and charters taken from the English barons are to be returned (49). Welsh grievances are to be considered and Welsh hostages are to be returned (56-68). Scottish hostages are to be returned and justice is to be shown to Alexander, king of Scotland (59). Certain named mercenaries and their followers are to be sent away. All mercenaries are to be dismissed (5o, 51). Justice is to be done in the case of wrongful dispossessions by John himself, Henry II. or Richard I. (52). In all cases the king is to have the crusader's respite. Illegal fines and amercements are to be remitted. The 25 barons who were to be responsible for the maintenance were to judge any disputed matters, together with Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury.
nc. The form of security for the maintenance of the provisions of the charter :—The barons were to choose 25 of their number to be the guardians of the charter. If the king or one of his officers did anything contrary to its terms the offence was to be notified at once to 4 of the 25 who were to go to the king or the Justiciar and ask that the matter might be corrected. If it were not cor rected within 4o days the 4 barons were to refer the matter to the rest of the 25, who together with the community of the whole land "shall distrain and trouble us in all possible ways by taking our castles, lands and possessions." When redress has been forced upon the king, former relations with him were to be resumed. Anyone who wished could swear to obey the 25. The king would enforce the oath on anyone who refused to take it. On the death of one of the 25 the survivors were to appoint his successor. A majority of them were to decide questions in dispute. The king promised that he would not directly or indirectly do anything by which the concessions might be revoked or diminished.