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·Royal ·
Commentarie,:'
.Bo(XK
V.
people, every one ferved him wich fuch chearfulnefs and ala~rity, thac a
Spanifh
Hiftorian much admiring thereac, ufed chefe words : .. " The Riches of thofe bar–
•' barous Kings confül:ed in che Number
?f
~heir ,Subjefü, who wer~ all Slaves
'' to chem
j
and whac is m~fl wonderfull_ 1s, chat aH t~e l~bour and co1l chey
u[ed
" for tbeir Kings, was cheir greaceft delight and recreat1on
j
and fuch was che
'' good rule aqd order obferved in ir, chat no labour was cedious, bue rather
of
" comenun~nt and fatisfafüon. Thefe ,yords are not my own, but che expreffi–
ons of
'l_ofeph
de
Ac~fta,
a Perfon of good ~uthority, w_hich I gladly infert here
1
as in ocher places, to defend my felf agamfl the Malic~ and Obloquy of chofe
who are ready to charge me with Fables forged in honot¡r and favour to my own
Kíndred and Coumrey. And chis is what we have
to
fay of the Tribute which
was given to chefe ldolacrous Kings.
Therf::
\Vª1>
anqther fort of'fribute which che Kings exatled from che Impotent,
and [qch ~s were
q\ld
Poor
j
an¡.i that was, chc1.c every one was obllged from
fo
many qays,
to
fuch a tiine,,
to
deliver imo ch~ hanps of che Governours a Reed
filled wich Li<:e.
le
i~faid, that che -I'~afon why che
lnfa1
required chis ll:range
for~ of Tribute, was,
tlw
fo
no perfol}; how impotent foever, mighc precend an
entire e~ernption from Tribute
j
:rnct
beeaufe Lice were che eaíieíl Tribuce, che
King exaéted fuch as rhey could pay; and che racher, chat fo chis people by foch
obligaci9n might be forced for payment
to
clear and make clean chemfelves oí
Vermine,
4
nd not prnceng
~-o
be void of all employfllent; aod che care of chis
Colkétio(l was encharged to aDeaurion, or Officer of ten, as before mencioned.
By
fuch
Aéts
of merey and compafflQn as chis cowards the Poor, che
Inca
meri–
ted che Tide of a Lover of che Poor, che which Name he affumed ro himfelf
amongíl: his other Digni~s-aQd Ti~les of Honour.
The perfo,ns exempt from all Tribur~
1
were che
lncM
o[
the Bloud-Royal,
the
·Pde~s aQp Miniílers of che Temple, the
C11raca1
,and Sovereign Lords, Colonels,
and CapEains, and Centurions, thougb they were not of che Bloud-Royal ; alfo
Governoqrs,
J
udges, Miniílers of Seate , during che time of che
ir
Oflíces, chey
were onely obliged ~o attend cheir ch¡¡rge and employments, wichouc ocher crou–
ble qr ~iverfion: A\1 Souldiers who were ¡¡tlually in Arms, and attending in tke
War, were excufed from ocher Services; and Youths under che Age of cwency
five years, bei~1g untill that time efi:eemed Servants
to
cheir Fachers, and wichouc
power over themfelves ; and not capable to di[pofe of rhem[elves in Marriage,
were not obliged
to
pay any fort of Tribute ; as alfo new-married perfons for the
foíl: year were difpenfed with in chat particular. Old Men from fifcy years and
upwards, as alfo Women, and M<\ids,
4
nd Widows, and Married people were
alío exempc from Tribute, though che
Spanijh
Wricers alledge, chaeWomen were
obliged u.neo chat payment, bec:iu[e tbey were obferved
to
work and labour as
o–
ther µeople ; bue h!rein they were miíl:aken, for chat \\'ornen were no~ obliged
to
this labour by way of Tribute,- but onely for che help and affiílence of cbeir
Parencs or Husbands, chac fo chey might more [peedily difpatch cheir casks, and
finifh che labour allotted to chem.
It was alfo an excufe for any to prove
hirnfelf
to
have been fick and indifpofed in his health
j
che lame alfo and che b\ind,
bue
noc che dumb nor ~bf were freed from theit' perfonal labour; che which belong–
ing properly to every particular perfón, bec:ime a debe not
to
be remicced, unleís
on
che preceding Condicionsand Provifoes. And chus much
Bliu Va/era
alledges
fo
agreeabl~ to om:
[en[e,
as if what we fhall hereafcer declare
in
thi matter, or have
already herein delivered, had been onely a Copy, or Extraét, out of
his
Wri–
ting,s.
e
HAP.