his sake;" and if I may not within forty
days together, I shall get me again into the church as the King's felon.
So God me help, and by this book, according to your judgment.'
"And if a clerk, flying to the church for felony, affirming himself to
be a clerk, he shall not abjure the realm, but yielding himself to the
laws of the realm, shall enjoy the liberties of the church, and shall be
delivered to the ordinary, to be safe kept in the convict prison,
according to the laudable custom of the realm of England."
When it became known that a malefactor had taken refuge in a church it
was the duty of the authorities to _beset_ the place, and send for the
coroner, who parleyed with the person in the manner described in the
above recital. From the same account it will be gleaned that the maximum
limit allotted to the refugee was ordinarily forty days, after which he
would cease to receive sustenance. According to Britton he had forty
days after being summoned by the coroner. It will be further observed
that the criminal undertook to "hasten" to the port of departure. It is
generally stated that forty days were granted him for this purpose, but
it is certain that this was not always the case. By the Assize of
Clarendon persons of evil repute, who had purged themselves by the
ordeal without satisfying their neighbours as to their innocence, were
required to quit the realm within _eight_ days:
"The lord King wishes also that those who shall be tried and shall be
absolved by the law, if they be of very bad testimony and are publicly
and disgracefully defamed by the testimony of many and public men, shall
forswear the lands of the King, so that within eight days they shall
cross the sea, unless the wind detains them; and with the first wind
which they shall have afterwards they shall cross the sea; and they
shall not return any more to England unless by the mercy of the lord
King; and there, and if they return, shall be outlawed; and, if they
return, they shall be taken as outlaws.
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