tion to the king, entered on record, and taken in some court or by some judicial officer; whereby the parties acknowledge themselves, to be indebted to the crown in the sum required, (for instance L. 100.) with condition to be void and of none effect, if the party shall appear in court on such a day, and in the mean time shall keep the peace; either generally towards the king, and all his liege people; or particularly also, with regard to the person who craves the security. Or, if it be for the good behaviour, then on condition that he shall demean and behave himself well, (or be of good behaviour) either generally or specially, for the time therein limited, as for one or more years, or for life. This recognizance, if taken by a justice of the peace, must be certified to the next sessions, in pursuance of the statute 3 Hen. VII. c. l. and if the condition of such recognizance be broken, by any breach of the peace in the one case, or any misbehaviour in the other, the recognizance becomes forfeited or absolute; and, being estreated or extracted (taken out from among the other records) and sent up to the exchequer, the party and his sureties, having now become the king's absolute debtors, are sued for the several sums in which they are respectively bound.

2. Any justices of the peace, by virtue of their commission, may demand such security according to their own discretion; or it may be granted at the request of any subject, upon due cause shewn, provided such demandant be under the king's

protection. Indeed a peer or peeress cannot be bound over in any other place, than the courts of king's bench or chancery. Wives may demand it against their husbands; or husbands, if necessary, against their wives. But married women, and infants under age, ought to find security by their friends only, and not to be bound themselves: for they are incapable of engaging themselves to answer any debt; which, as we observed, is the nature of these recognizances or acknowledgments.

3. A recognizance may be discharged, either by the demise of the king, to whom the recognizance is made; or by the death of the principal party bound thereby, if not before forfeited; or by order of the court to which such recognizance is certified by the justices (as the quarter sessions, assizes, or king's bench) if they see sufficient cause: or in case he at whose request it was granted, if granted upon a private account, will release it, or does not make his appearance to pray that it may be continued.

I shall now consider them separately: and first, shall shew for what cause such a recognizance, with sureties for the peace, is grantable; and then, how it may be forfeited.

make

1. Any justice of the peace may, ex officio, bind all those to keep the peace, who in his presence any affray; or threaten to kill or beat another; or contend together with hot and angry words; or go about with unusual weapons or attendance, to the terror of the people; and all

such as he knows to be common barretors; and such as are brought before him by the constable for a breach of the peace in his presence; and all such persons, as, having been before bound to the peace, have broken it and forfeited their recognizances. Also, wherever any private man hath just cause to fear, that another will burn his house, or do him a corporal injury, by killing, imprisoning, or beating him; or that he will procure others so to do; he may demand surety of the peace against such person and every justice of the peace is bound to grant it, if he who demands it will make oath, that he is actually under fear of death or bodily harm; and will shew that he has just cause to be so, by reason of the other's menaces, attempts, or having lain in wait for him: and will also farther swear, that he does not require such surety out of malice or for mere vexation. This is called swearing the peace against another: and, if the party does not find such sureties, as the justice in his discretion shall require, he may immediately be committed till he does.

2. Such recognizance for keeping the peace, when given, may be forfeited by any actual violence, or even an assault, or menace, to the person of him who demanded it, if it be a special recognizance: or, if the recognizance be general, by any unlawful action whatsoever, that either is or tends to a breach of the peace; or, more particularly, by any one of the many species of offences which are mentioned as crimes against the public peace in the eleventh chapter of this book; or, by any

private violence committed against any of his majesty's subjects. But a bare trespass upon the lands or goods of another, which is a ground for a civil action, unless accompanied with a wilful breach of the peace, is no forfeiture of the recognizance. Neither are mere reproachful words, as calling a man knave or liar, any breach of the peace, so as to forfeit one's recognizance (being looked upon to be merely the effect of unmeaning heat and passion) unless they amount to a challenge to fight.

The other species of recognizance, with sureties, is for the good abearance, or good behaviour. This includes security for the peace, and somewhat more: we will therefore examine it in the same manner as the other.

1. First then, the justices are empowered by the statute 34 Edw. III. c. 1. to bind over to the good behaviour towards the king and his people, all them that be not of good fame, wherever they be found; to the intent that the people be not troubled nor endamaged, nor the peace diminished, nor merchants and others, passing by the highways of the realm, be disturbed nor put in the peril which may happen by such offenders. Under the general words of this expression, that be not of good fame, it is holden that a man may be bound to his good behaviour for causes of scandal, contra bonos mores, as well as contra pacem. But, if the justice commit a man for want of sureties, he must express the cause thereof with convenient certainty, and take care that such cause be a good one.

2. A recognizance for the good behaviour may be forfeited by all the same means, as one for the security of the peace may be; and also by some others. As, by going armed with unusual attendance, to the terror of the people; by speaking words tending to sedition; or, by committing any of those acts of misbehaviour, which the recognizance was intended to prevent.

CHAPTER XIX.

OF COURTS OF A CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.

THE sixth, and last, object of our inquiries will be the method of inflicting those punishments, which the law has annexed to particular offences: by, first, pointing out the several courts of criminal jurisdiction, wherein offenders may be prosecuted to punishment; and by, secondly, deducing down in their natural order, and explaining, the several proceedings therein.

I shall begin with an account of such as are of a public and general jurisdiction throughout the whole realm; and, afterwards, proceed to such as are only of a private and special jurisdiction, and confined to some particular parts of the kingdom.

I. In our inquiries into the criminal courts of public and general jurisdiction, I shall rank them according to their dignity, and begin with the highest of all; viz.