Constitutional history -- England -- Sources; Magna Carta
58. We will immediately give up the son of Llywelyn and all the
hostages of Wales, and the charters delivered to us as security for the
peace.
59. We will do toward Alexander, King of Scots, concerning the return
of his sisters and his hostages, and concerning his franchises, and his
right, in the same manner as we shall do toward our other barons of
England, unless it ought to be otherwise according to the charters
which we hold from William his father, formerly King of Scots; and this
shall be according to the judgment of his peers in our court.
60. Moreover, all these aforesaid customs and liberties, the observance
of which we have granted in our kingdom as far as pertains to us toward
our men, shall be observed by all of our kingdom, as well clergy as
laymen, as far as pertains to them toward their men.
61. Since, moreover, for God and the amendment of our kingdom and for
the better allaying of the quarrel that has arisen between us and our
barons, we have granted all these concessions, desirous that they
should enjoy them in complete and firm endurance for ever, we give and
grant to them the underwritten security, namely, that the barons choose
five-and-twenty barons of the kingdom, whomsoever they will, who shall
be bound with all their might, to observe and hold, and cause to be
observed, the peace and liberties we have granted and confirmed to them
by this our present Charter, so that if we, or our justiciar, or our
bailiffs or any one of our officers, shall in anything be at fault
toward any one, or shall have broken any one of the articles of the
peace or of this security, and the offense be notified to four barons
of the foresaid five-and-twenty, the said four barons shall repair to
us (or our justiciar, if we are out of the realm) and, laying the
transgression before us, petition to have that transgression redressed
without delay. And if we shall not have corrected the transgression
(or, in the event of our being out of the realm, if our justiciar shall
not have corrected it) within forty days, reckoning from the time it
has been intimated to us (or to our justiciar, if we should be out of
the realm), the four barons aforesaid shall refer that matter to the
rest of the five-and-twenty barons, and those five-and-twenty barons
shall, together with the community of the whole land, distrain and
distress us in all possible ways, namely, by seizing our castles,
lands, possessions, and in any other way they can, until redress has
been obtained as they deem fit, saving harmless our own person, and the
persons of our queen and children; and when redress has been obtained,
they shall resume their old relations toward us. And let whoever in the
country desires it, swear to obey the orders of the said
five-and-twenty barons for the execution of all the aforesaid matters,
and along with them, to molest us to the utmost of his power; and we
publicly and freely grant leave to every one who wishes to swear, and
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