Popular Law-making: A study of the origin, history, and present tendencies of law-making by statuteStimson, Frederic Jesup
History
Popular Law-making: A study of the origin, history, and present tendencies of law-making by statute
Stimson, Frederic Jesup
Legislation -- United States
In 1463 is another curious sumptuary law prescribing with great care
the apparel of knights, bachelors, gentlemen and their wives, making
it criminal for tailors to make cloths not according to this fashion,
and for shoemakers to make boots or shoes having pikes more than two
inches long. No draper shall sell or women wear hose to the value of
more than fourteen pence, nor kerchiefs worth more than ten shillings,
but scholars of the universities "may wear such Array as they may,"
nor does the ordinance extend to judges or soldiers. The provision
against long pikes to shoes appears to be considered of importance,
for it was re-enacted in 1464. I have searched in vain for a statute
relating to hatpins. Again in 1482 there is another long statute
concerning apparel which seems to have been considered under the reign
of Edward IV quite the most important thing in life. A more manly
clause of the statute is concerned with the benefits of archery to
England, reciting that "In the Time of the victorious Reign ... the
King's Subjects have virtuously occupied and used shooting with their
Bows, whereby and under the Protection of Almighty God, victorious
acts have been done in Defence of this Realm," and the price of long
bows of yew is limited to three and four pence. The statutes now begin
to be in English.
In 1488 the Isle of Wight is to be repeopled with English people for
"defence of the King's auncien ennemyes of the realme of Fraunce."
In 1491 all Scots are to depart the realm within forty days upon pain
of forfeiture of all their goods; it is not recorded that any remained
in England. In 1491 Henry VII levied an amazingly heavy tax upon
personal property, that is to say, two fifteenths and tenths upon all
"movable goodes cattales and othre thinges usuelly to suche xvmes and
xmes contributory," with the exception of Cambridge and a few other
favored towns. In 1495 the famous Oklahoma statute is anticipated by a
law regulating abuses in the stuffing of feather beds.
In 1503 a statute recites that the "Longe Bowes hathe ben moche used
in this his Realme, wherby Honour & Victorie hathe ben goten ... and
moche more drede amonge all Cristen Princes by reasone of the same,
whiche shotyng is now greatly dekayed." So this mediaeval Kipling
laments that they now delight in cross-bows to the great hurt and
enfeebling of the Realm and to the comfort of outward enemies,
wherefore cross-bows are forbidden except to the lords, on penalty of
forfeiture of the bow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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