[341] “History of Agriculture and Prices in England,” vol. iv. chap. iv. p. 155. As to Stourbridge fair, ibid. vol. i. chap. vii. p. 141. [342] “Winter’s Tale,” iv. 3. Cf. “The foure Ps,” by John Heywood, London, 1545, one of the “Ps” is a pedlar, whose wares are enumerated in full. [343] Wordsworth, “The Excursion,” Bk. viii. [344] “The Nut Brown Maid,” in Skeat’s “Specimens of English Literature,” Clarendon Press, 1887, p. 96. [345] Statute of Winchester, 13 Edward I, chap. iv., confirmed by Edward III. See before p. 156. [346] “Item videtur nulla esse utlagaria si factum, pro quo interrogatus est, civile sit et non criminale.” Bracton, Rolls Series, vol. ii. p. 330. [347] “Year Books of Edward I.” Rolls Series, years 30–31, p. 533. [348] “Year Books of Edward I,” Rolls Series, years 30–31, pp. 537–538. In the case of this woman, freedom was granted “propter parvitatem delicti,” and because she had been one year in prison; and no confiscation took place, because her husband was absent in Paris, and it would have been inappropriate to, maybe, wrong that man who was, like every husband, the owner of his wife’s chattels. “Et nota,” beautifully adds the judge (or the reporter), “quod melius est nocentem relinquere impunitum quam innocentem punire.” But the court, at the same time, fines an innocent, known to it as such, for fear of displeasing the king; a circumstance that the recorder is bold enough to note down: “Et nota quod fecerunt hoc Justiciarii magis ad appruyamentum (profit, for the king got the money) Regis faciendum quam ad legem manutenendum, quia hoc dixerunt in terrorem.” Ibid. pp. 503–507. [349] “Fleta,” lib. i. chap. xxvii. [350] “Bracton,” vol. ii. pp. 340–342. [351] “Year Books of Edward I,” year 30–31, p. 515. Sometimes a man would profit by the absence of an enemy on the continent and affirm to a magistrate that he was in flight, and cause him to be declared an outlaw; thus the priest, John Crochille, complains to parliament of having been unjustly outlawed during a journey which he had made to the Court of Rome, in 1347 (“Rolls of Parliament,” vol. ii. p. 178); the priest, Robert of Thresk, is also declared outlaw during his absence from the kingdom, “by the malice of his accusers” (ibid., 1347, vol. ii. p. 183). John of Gaunt orders the restitution of his goods to “nostre tenant neif, Johan Piers,” whose belongings had been seized, “à cause q’il deust estre utlagé, à ce q’est dit, et ore il nous est certifié par recorde, q’il n’est pas utlagé.” Oct. 12, 1374. “John of Gaunt’s Register,” ed. S. Armitage Smith, document 1544.