The essential nature of what took place at Runnymede, in June, 1215, is plain, when stripped of legal subtleties. A bargain was struck between the King and the rebel magnates, the purport of which was that the latter should renew their oaths of fealty and homage, and give security that they would keep these oaths, while John, in return, granted “to the freemen of England and their heirs for ever” the liberties enumerated in sixty-three chapters. No one thought of asking whether the transaction thus concluded was a “treaty” or a private “contract.” The terms of this bargain, however, had to be drawn up in proper legal form, so as to bear record for all time to the exact nature of the provisions therein contained, and also to the authenticity of John’s consent thereto. It was, therefore, reduced to writing, and the resulting document was naturally couched in the form invariably used for all irrevocable grants intended to descend from father to son, namely, a feudal charter, authenticated by the addition of a seal—just as in the case of a grant of land, and with many of the clauses appropriate to such a grant.[190] ----- Footnote 190: In strict legal theory the complete investiture of the grantee required that “charter” should be followed by “infeftment” or delivery (real or constructive) of the subject of the grant. In the case of such intangible things as political rights and liberties, the actual parchment on which the Charter was written would be the most natural symbol to deliver to the grantees. ----- John grants to the freemen of England and their heirs certain specified rights and liberties, as though these were merely so many hides or acres of land. _Concessimus etiam omnibus liberis hominibus regni nostri, pro nobis et haeredibus nostris in perpetuum, omnes libertates subscriptas, habendas et tenendas, eis et haeredibus suis, de nobis et haeredibus nostris._[191] The legal effect of such a grant is hard to determine; and insuperable difficulties beset any attempt to expound its legal consequences in terms of modern law.[192] In truth, the form and substance of Magna Carta are badly mated. Its substance consists of a number of legal enactments and political and civil rights; its form is borrowed from the feudal lawyer’s book of styles for conferring a title to landed estate.[193] ----- Footnote 191: See chapter 1. The grant which thus purports to be perpetually binding on John’s heirs, was in practice treated as purely personal to John, and requiring confirmation by his son. Yet this also was in strict accordance with feudal theory, which required the heir to complete his title to his deceased father’s real estate by obtaining a Charter of Confirmation from his lord, for which he had to pay “relief.” The liberties of the freemen were only a new species of real estate. Footnote 192: