Page:Harvard Law Review Volume 8.djvu/148

132 HARVARD LAW REVIEW. Beornwulf of Mercia, A. d. 822, Kemble, Cod. Dipl. v. 69 : 'Rex dedit ecclesiae Christi et Wulfredo episcopo ad opus roonachorum .... villam Godmeresham. ' IV. It is not uncommon in Domesday Book. Thus, e. g. : — D. B. i. 209 : * Inter totum reddit per annum xxii, libras .... ad firmam regis .... Ad opus reginae duas uncias auri . . . et i. unciam auri ad opus vicecomitis per annum. ' D. B. i. 60 b : ' Duae hidae non geldabant quia de firma regis erant et ad opus regis calumniatae sunt. ' D. B. ii. 31 1 : * Soca et saca in Blideburh ad opus regis et comitis. ' V. A very early instance of the French al os occurs in Leges Willelmi, I. 2. § 3 : ' E cil francs hom .... seit mis en forfeit el cunte afert al os le vescunte en Denelahe xl. ores .... De ces xxxii ores averad le vescunte al os le rei x. ores. ' The sheriff takes certain sums for his own use, others for the king's use. This document can hardly be of later date than the early years of cent. xii. VI. In order to show the identity of opus and os or oes we may pass to Britton, ii. 1 3 : ' Villenage est tenement de demeynes de chescun seignur bailie a tcnir a sa volunte par vileins services de emprouwer al oes le seignur. ' VII. A few examples of the employment of this phrase in connection with the receipt of money or chattels may now be given. Liberate Roll 45 Hen. III. ( Archaeologia, xxviii. 269 ) : Order by the king for payment of 600 marks which two Florentine merchants lent him, to wit, 100 marks for the use ( ad opus ) of the king of Scotland and 500 for the use of John of Brittanny. Liberate Roll 53 Hen. III. (Archaeologia, xxviii. 271) : Order by the king for payment to two Florentines of money lent to him for the purpose of paying off debts due in respect of cloth and other articles taken •' to our use [ad opus nostrum) ' by the purveyors of our wardrobe. Bracton's Note Book, pi. 177 (a. d. 1222 ) : A defendant in an action of debt confesses that he has received money from the plaintiff, but alleges that he was steward of Roger de C. and received it ad opus eiusdem Rogeri. He vouches Roger to warranty. Selby Coucher Bjok, ii. 204 (a. d. 1285 ) : 'Omnibus . . . R. de Y. ballivus domini Normanni de Arcy salutem. Noveritis me recepisse duodecim libras . . . de Abbate de Seleby ad opus dicti Normanni, in qui bus idem Abbas ei tenebatur . . . Et ego . . . dictum abbatem . . . versus dominum meum de supradicta pecunia indempnem conservabo et adquietabo. ' Y. B. 21-2 Edw. I. p. 23 : 'Richard ly bayla l©s chateus a la oeus le Eveske de Ba. ' Y. B. 33-5 Edw. I. p. 239 : ' II ad cont6 qe eux nous livererent meyme largent al oes Alice la fille B. '