rt en seynt eglise.

[391] Apostrophe of judge John de Moubray, Easter session, 44 Ed. III.,
"Year-books of Edward I.," ed. Horwood (Rolls), 1863 ff., vol. i. p.
xxxi. Judge Hengham interrupts a counsel, saying: "Do not interpret the
statute in your own way; we know it better than you, for we made
it."--"Ne glosez point le statut; nous le savoms meuz de vous, qar nous
le feimes." _Ibid._

[392] "Grosso modo et idiomate quocunque communiter intelligibili factum
proponant." "Munimenta Academica" (Rolls), p. 77.

[393] "Pur ce qe monstre est souventefoitz au Roi par prelatz, ducs,
counts, barons et toute la commune, les grantz meschiefs qe sont advenuz
as plusours du realme de ce qe les leyes, custumes et estatutz du dit
realme ne sont pas conuz communement en mesme le realme, par cause q'ils
sont pledez, monstrez et juggez en lange Franceis q'est trop desconue en
dit realme, issint qe les gentz qi pledent ou sont empledez en les
courtz le Roi et les courtz d'autres n'ont entendement ne conissance de
ce q'est dit por eulx ne contre eulx par lour sergeantz et autres
pledours...." that henceforth all plaids "soient pledetz, monstretz,
defenduz, responduz, debatuz et juggez en la lange engleise; et q'ils
soient entreez et enroullez en latin." 36 Ed. III., stat. i. chap. 15,
"Statutes of the Realm." In spite of these arrangements, the accounts of
the pleas continued to be transcribed in French into the "Year-books,"
of which several have been published in the collection of the Master of
the Rolls. Writing about the year 1300, the author of the Mirror of
Justice had still made choice of French as being the "language best
understood by you and the common people."

[394] "Chroniques," ed. Luce, vol. i. p. 306.

[395] "Polychronicon" (Rolls), vol. ii. p. 159 (contains the Latin text
of Higden and the English translation of Trevisa).

[396]

And I can no Frenche in feith | but of the ferthest ende of Norfolke.

"Visions," ed. Skeat, text B, passus v. line 239. The MS. DD 12.23 of
the University Library, Cambridge, contains "a treatise on French
conjugations." It does not furnish any useful information as regards the
history of French conjugations; "it can only serve to show how great was
the corruption of current French in England in the fourteenth century."
P. Meyer, "Romania," vol. xv. p. 262.

[397] The ambassadors are: "Thomas Swynford, miles, custos castri villae
Calisii et Nicholaus de Rysshetoun, utriusque juri