Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/412

362 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE The story of Laon further shows us how rapidly the Spread of communal movement spread from town to communal town. As a rule, however, each town had to movement: . . ... copying of work out its own liberty. The French corn- charters munes formed almost no such leagues as that of the Lombard cities against Barbarossa. But they copied one another's charters and laws a great deal. Each commune had a seal of its own, a belfry whose bell summoned the citizens to the defense of their liberties, and Govern- a pillory and gibbet where the decrees of town commune: justice were executed. For the commune hadj Soissons its own court, made its own laws or followed its own customs, and the fines paid went into the town treasury and not into the lord's pocket. Indeed, the commune owned no lord. Within the area of the town and its suburbs the authority of the commune was supreme. The charter of Soissons, dating from the twelfth century and widely copied by other towns, declares that "all men living within the! walls and without the walls in the suburb, to whatever manor they may belong, shall take the oath to the com- mune; and if any one of them shall refuse, those who have taken the oath shall confiscate his house and money. All men living within the boundaries of the commune shall aid one another to the extent of their ability, and shall not per- mit any outsider to carry anything away nor to collect taxes from any one of them. When the bell summons the com- mune to assemble, any one failing to appear shall pay a fine of twelve pence. If any member of the commune has com- mitted any offense and refuses to give satisfaction before the aldermen, the men of the commune shall punish him." Such sentences illustrate the ideals of independence, demo- cratic brotherhood, and active citizenship which animated the founders of these twelfth-century commonwealths. Soissons at this time was scarcely more than an agricul- tural center with a market for the corn, wine, timber, and Rural salt of the vicinity. The commune here preceded the formation of artisan gilds. Indeed, as in Italy, many tiny villages shared in this revolutionary move-