filias, omnes filiae erunt pares ad haereditatem patris, eodem /\modo ac si omnes essent ex eadem matre 1. Cum quis autem moriatur sine haerede filio vel filia, si habuerit nepotes vel neptes ex filio vel filia, tunc quidem indubitanter succedent ipsi eodem modo quo predeterminatum est supra de filio vel filiabus, et sub eadem distinctione. Illi enim qui recta linea descendunt, semper illis preferuntur qui ex transverso veniunt. Cum quis autem moriatur habens filium postnatum, et ex primogenito filio praemortuo nepotem, magna quidem juris dubitatio solet esse, uter illorum preferendus sit alii in illa successione, scilicet utrum filius an nepos. Quidam enim dicere volebant filium postnatum rectiorem esse haeredem quam nepotem talem, ea videlicet ratione, quia filius primogenitus cum mortem patris non expectaret nec expectavit quousque haeres ejus esset, et ita cum postnatus filius superviveret tam fratrem quam patrem, recte ut dicunt patri succedit. Aliis vero visum est nepotem talem de jure avunculo suo esse praeferendum. Cum enim nepos ille ex filio primogenito exierit, et de corpore suo exstiterit haeres, in totum jus quod pater suus, si adhuc viveret, haberet, ipse patri suo succedere debet. Ita dico si pater suus non fuerit ab avo suo forisfamiliatus2, etc.

c. 4. Deficientibus autem hiis qui recta linea descendunt, tunc frater vel fratres succedent 3: aut si non reperiantur fratres, vocandae sunt sorores; quibus praemortuis eorum liberi vocantur; post hos vero vocantur avunculi et eorum liberi; postremo materterae vel earum liberi; habita et observata distinctione superius praenotata, inter filios militis et filios sokemanni et nepotes similiter; habita quoque distinctione inter masculos et feminas.

c. 16. Quaeri potest de bastardo, qui nullum haeredem habere potest, nisi de corpore suo habuerit haeredem.

1 As to co-parceners, see below, Chap. V. § 5.

2 It does not appear that Glanvill is here referring to any known process of English law. Probably this expression arises from the association of the doctrines of Roman law with reference to the position of the emancipated son.

3 The Inheritance Act, 1833 (3 and 4 Will. IV, c. 106), has introduced the important alteration in the law of descent that next after lineal descendants the inheritance shall go to the nearest lineal ancestor. This has based the succession of collaterals on a new principle. They now take, not as before directly from the person last seised, but as representing the common ancestor.

The following passage shows that in Glanvill's time the conception that a tenant in fee simple might freely alienate his land had not been reached. He can only do so to a certain extent, and for certain purposes. But the restrictions upon alienation, with the exception of the prohibition of wills of land, were not of a feudal character; they are not, as was the case soon after the reign of Henry II, encroachments upon the freedom of the tenant devised by the selfishness and avarice of the lords 1. They are the relics of primitive custom antecedent to the growth of feudal ideas.

We have seen that though in Anglo-Saxon times freedom of alienation in the case of bookland was the general rule, this freedom was deemed to depend on the power conferred on the grantee by the charter 2; if there were no evidence of the grant of any such power, the property of the family could not be wholly alienated 3. This passage shows that traces of the old customary law prevailed in the time of Henry II. After this reign questions as to the right of alienation depend not on the duties of the freeholder towards his heir, but on his duties towards his lord. The distinction between the power of alienating the ancient inheritance of the family and the recent acquisition of the tenant is very characteristic of the history of alienation. It is very prominent in the customary law of France.

Lib. vii. c. 1. In alia enim acceptione accipitur dos secundum leges Romanas; secundum quas proprie appellatur dos, id quod cum muliere datur viro, quod vulgariter dicitur maritagium. Potest itaque quilibet liber homo, terram habens, quan1 See below, Chap. III. § 14. 2 See above, p. 14.

3 Si bocland autem habeat, quam ei parentes sui dederint, non mittat eam extra cognationem suam. Leg. Hen. I, 70, § 21; Thorpe, Anc. Laws and Inst., fol. ed., p. 251.

The property which by Teutonic custom was given by the father of the bride to the husband on her marriage was called faderfioh or faderfeum (father's cattle; see above, p. 32, note). See Laws of Ethelbert, 81;

дел

helen

dam partem terrae suae cum filia sua vel cum aliqua alia qualibet muliere, dare in maritagium, sive habuerit haeredem sive non; velit haeres, si habuerit haeredem, sive non velit; immo etiam eo et contradicente et reclamante. Quilibet etiam, cuicunque voluerit, potest dare quandam partem sui liberi tenementi in remunerationem servitii sui vel loco religioso in eleemosynam, ita quod si donationem illam seisina fuerit secuta, perpetuo remanebit illi cui donata fuerit terra illa et haeredibus suis, si jure haereditario fuerit ei concessa. Si vero donationem talem nulla sequuta fuerit seisina, nihil post mortem donatoris ex tali donatione contra voluntatem haeredis efficaciter peti potest1; quia id intelligitur secundum consuetam regni interpretationem potius esse nuda promissio quam aliqua vera promissio vel donatio. Licet autem ita generaliter cuilibet de terra sua rationabilem partem pro sua voluntate, cuicunque voluerit, libere in vita sua donare; in extremis tamen agenti non est cuiquam hactenus permissum2; quia possit tunc immodica fieri haereditatis distributio, si fuisset hoc permissum illi qui fervore passionis instantis et memoriam et rationem amittit, quod non nunquam evenire solet ; unde preThorpe, fol. ed., p. 10. As to the distinction between this gift and dower, see below, Chap. III. § 4. As to maritagium, or frank-marriage, see Glanvill, lib. vii. c. 18. 'Liberum dicitur maritagium quando aliquis liber homo aliquam partem terrae suae dat cum aliqua muliere alicui in maritagium, ita quod ab omni servitio terra illa sit quieta, et a se et haeredibus suis versus capitalem dominum acquietanda. Et in hac quidem libertate ita stabit terra illa usque ad tertium haeredem, nec interim tenebuntur haeredes inde facere aliquod homagium: post tertium vero haeredem ad debitum servitium terra ipsa revertetur et homagium inde capietur.-Cum quis itaque terram aliquam cum uxore sua in maritagium ceperit, si ex eadem uxore sua haeredem habuerit filium vel filiam clamantem et auditum infra quatuor parietes, si idem vir uxorem suam supervixerit, sive vixerit haeres sive non, illi in vita sua remanet maritagium illud, post mortem vero ipsius ad donatorem vel ejus haeredes est reversurum. Sin autem ex uxore sua nunquam habuerit haeredem, tunc statim post mortem uxoris ad donatorem vel haeredes ejus revertetur maritagium.' In later times estates in frank marriage came to be regarded as a particular kind of estates in special tail. See Coke upon Littleton, lib. i. c. 2. § 17. As to dower, see below, Chap. III. § 4; and as to the husband's life estate by the curtesy, ib. § 16.

1 For without livery of seisin no estate would have passed.

2 This restriction upon power of disposing of lands by will is a limitation of the usual freedom of alienation of privately-owned lands enjoyed! before the Conquest.

sumeretur quod si quis in infirmitate positus ad mortem, distribuere cepisset terram suam, quod in sanitate sua minime facere voluisset, quod potius proveniret illud ex furore animi quam ex mentis deliberatione. Posset tamen hujusmodi donatio in ultima voluntate alicui facta ita tenere, si cum consensu haeredis fieret et ex suo consensu confirmaretur. Cum quis autem de terra sua in maritagium vel alio modo donat, aut habet haereditatem tantum, aut questum tantum 1, aut haereditatem et questum. Si haereditatem tantum, poterit quidem ex eadem haereditate quandam partem donare, ut dictum est, cuilibet extraneo cuicunque voluerit. Si autem plures habuerit filios mulieratos 2, non poterit de facili praeter consensum haeredis sui filio suo postnato de haereditate sua quantamlibet partem donare: quia si hoc esset permissum, accideret inde frequens prius natorum filiorum exhaeredatio, propter majorem patrum affectionem quam saepe erga postnatos filios suos habere solent. Sed numquid filio suo bastardo potest quis, filium et haeredem habens, de haereditate sua donare? Quod si verum est, tunc melioris conditionis est in hoc bastardus filius quam mulieratus postnatus; quod tamen verum est. Si vero questum tantum habuerit is qui partem terrae suae donare voluerit, tunc quidem hoc ei licet, sed non totum questum, quia non potest filium suum haeredem exhaeredare. Veruntamen si nullum haeredem filium vel filiam ex corpore suo procreaverit, poterit quidem ex questu suo cuicunque voluerit quandam partem donare, sive totum questum haereditabiliter. Ita quod si inde seisitus fuerit is cui donatio illa facta fuerit in vita donatoris, non poterit aliquis haeres remotior donationem illam irritare. Potest itaque quilibet sic totum questum donare in vita sua, sed nullum haeredem inde facere potest, neque collegium3, neque aliquem hominem; quia solus Deus haeredem facere potest non homo. Sin autem et haereditatem et questum habuerit; tunc indistincte verum est quod poterit de questu suo quantamlibet partem, sive totum, cuicunque voluerit donare, ad remanentiam, de haereditate vero sua nihilominus dare potest secundum quod praedictum est dum scilicet rationabiliter hoc fecerit. Sciendum autem quod si quis liberum habens socagium plures habuerit filios, qui

1 The contrast is here between land inherited and land acquired by gift or purchase.

2 i.e. sons born in lawful wedlock.

3 Corporation.' For the precise meaning of a corporation, see note on the Statute 7 Ed. I, Chap. IV. § 2.

omnes ad haereditatem aequaliter pro aequalibus proportionibus sunt admittendi, tunc indistincte verum est quod pater eorum nihil de haereditate vel de questu, si nullam habuerit haereditatem, alicui filiorum, quod excedat rationabilem partem suam quae ei contingat de tota haereditate paterna, donare poterit. Sed tantum donare poterit de haereditate sua pater cuilibet filiorum suorum de libero socagio in vita sua, quantum jure successionis post mortem patris idem consequuturus esset de eadem haereditate. Veruntamen occasione liberalitatis quod patres in filios vel etiam in alios exercere solent, juris quidem quaestiones in hujusmodi donationibus saepius emergunt1.

§ 8. A Fine of Lands.

The only direct way of conveying a freehold interest in lands from one person to another was by feoffment accompanied by livery of seisin. But a practice prevailed as early as the reign of Henry II of conveying lands by means of a fictitious or collusive suit, commenced by arrangement by the intended alienee against the alienor, and then compromised with permission of the court by the defendant making his peace with the claimant and abandoning his defence. The whole transaction was then enrolled of record, and a document was drawn up, called in later times the foot, chirograph, or indenture of the fine, of which the following is a specimen. This operated as an assurance of lands binding upon all persons, whether parties or not, who did not within a given time, finally fixed (after having been extended indefinitely) at five years, put in their claim 2. The doctrine of fines was formerly one of the most intricate branches of the law of real property. As however this mode of dealing with land was entirely abolished by the Act for the Abolition of Fines

1 Glanvill proceeds to put the case of a gift of land by a father to one of four or more sons and the death of the donee without issue. Who is to succeed? Not the father, for it is a maxim that 'nemo ejusdem tenementi simul potest esse haeres et dominus.' The same reasoning excludes the elder sons. On this point he says, 'Magna juris dubitatio et contentio in curia domini regis evenit vel evenire potest.'

2 Blackstone, ii. 354.