supreame under Christ over these Churches and realmes. So this is to request his Care of it which y^e King does by Laying it before y^e Houses of Parliament who Enacts Laws to secure our religion, and reforme evil both in Doctrine and practise by their Acts Duely pass’d. As I said before the arch-Bishop’s Chiefe of this convocation house. Next I will proceed to give some short account of tryalls on our Laws which is thus. Every free man of England being oppress’d Comes in due form of Law to demand his right, which being heard by the judges and a jury of his own fellow subjects—his Country men—they give their verdict in the matter as they thinke most just according to the statutes and Laws, and so the right between man and man which does vary from y^e different Customs of Each County or precinct. This jury are twelve men all sworne on the Bible solemnly to do Justice, not out of feare, fraud or malice, favour or affection to jnjure any man, and y^e first man is their foreman and speakes for the rest, Either acquit or Condemns the person, w^{ch} is in Life or Death, so determining other Causes the same manner, and these twelve men must all be agreed in their verdict, which is after they have heard all Can be witness’d or alleadged on all sides, w^{ch} verdict the Judges also must pronounce on y^e Causes as they have brought it in. Now those suites of Law as well as Causes of Life and death are brought in by bill to y^e Grand-jury, which are twenty four and these all of the best Gentry and many of them justices of peace, they examine the matter and if they find it (that is by any Act of Parliament) is pleadable or to be enquired into, they draw it up into an jndictm^t and so its sent into the Court to be tryed by the Petty Jury, after whose Verdict and the Judges pronouncing it, the matter must be at an End and taken out of that Court. Sometymes indeed if the Subject is oppress’d he may appeale to another Court y^{ts} higher, as from the sessions to the assizes, thence to the Kings Bench, thence to y^e Chancery, or the Parliament House which when a matter has there been Debated and decided there Can be noe more done in it because they are the makers of the Laws so best able to Interpret. Sometymes in these other Courts a Jury brings in a matter speciall, that is, Leaves it on the Judges to determine being a matter of Law, then y^e Judges must Consult and do it all of them together.