Magna Carta (1215) The Great Charter
[Preamble]
John, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciars, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants and all his officials1 and faithful subjects' greeting. Know that we, out of reverence for God and for the salvation of our soul and those of all our ancestors and heirs, for the Honour of God and the advancement of Holy Church and the reform of our Kingdom, on the advice of our reverend fathers, Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Henry archbishop of Dublin, William of London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry and Benedict of Rochester bishops, of Mater Pandulf subdeacon and member of the household of the lord pope, of brother Aimeric master of the Knights of the Temple in England and of the noblemen William the Marshal earl of Pembroke, William earl of Salisbury, William earl of Warenne, William earl of Arundle, Alan of Galloway constable of Scotland, Warin son of Gerild, Peter son of Herbert, Hubert de Burgh seneschal of Poitou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew son of Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip d'Aubigny, Robert of Ropsley, John Marshal, John son of Hugh and others, our faithful subjects2.
1 Officials
(ballivi)— A bellivus was a
minor local official responsible to the sheriff
of the county, but as here, the word is often used in a more general sense.
of the county, but as here, the word is often used in a more general sense.
2 Faithful
subjects (fideles)— those bound
by an oath of loyalty, in this context
probably the freemen of the country.
probably the freemen of the country.
Editor’s Note: Only those Articles pertaining to today’s
constitutional guarantees under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,
1867 to 1997, the Constitution of the United States of America and other
relevant statutes are reproduced herein Ed.
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And then follow all the clauses that this important document comprises, for us Hashers the following one seems to be the most vital one:
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Article 35.
35.
Let there be throughout our kingdom a
single measure for wine and a single measure for ale and a single measure for
corn, namely "the London quarter," and a single width of cloth
(whether dyed, russet7 or halberjet8) namely two ells9
within the selvedges10 and let it be the same with weights and
measures.
7 Russet- a coarse,
home-spun cloth much used by the peasantry. (Probably hemp-Ed.)
8 Halberjet- probably
a superior type of cloth. (Probably hemp-Ed.)
9 Ell- a standard
measure of length said to have been based on the length of the right arm of
king Henry 1.
10 Selvedges-
the borders which were usually of a
different weave from the body of the cloth.
Wow. Clearly ahead of their time, were those Anglo-Saxons not? A mere 301 years later, ze Germans came up with the following:
GERMANY'S PURITY LAW
Following is an English translation of the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) adopted in 1516, the oldest provision still enforced to protect the consumer. This is taken from the article "History of German Brewing" by Karl J. Eden, published in 'zymurgy' magazine, Vol. 16, No. 4 Special 1993.
"We hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our Province, that henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the country as well as in the cities and marketplaces, the following rules apply to the sale of beer: "From Michaelmas to Georgi, the price for one Mass [Bavarian Liter 1,069] or one Kopf [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one Mass], is not to exceed one Pfennig Munich value, and
"From Georgi to Michaelmas, the Mass shall not be sold for more than two Pfennig of the same value, the Kopf not more than three Heller [Heller usually one-half Pfennig].
"If this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below shall be administered.
"Should any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer than March beer, it is not to be sold any higher than one Pfennig per Mass.
"Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.
"Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or markets buy two or three pails of beer (containing 60 Mass) and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one Heller more for the Mass of the Kopf, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there arise a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley (also considering that the times of harvest differ, due to location), WE, the Bavarian Duchy, shall have the right to order curtailments for the good of all concerned."
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Happy Magna Carta Day and ze German Purity Law inventors werent't bad either.
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