Magna Charta
73
derwritten security, namely, that the barons may choose five-and-twenty
barons of the kingdom, whom they think convenient; who shall take
care, with all their might, to hold and observe, and cause to be observed,
the peace and liberties we have granted them, and by this our present
Charter confirmed in this manner; that is to say, that if we, our justiciary,
our bailiffs, or any of our officers, shall in any circumstance have failed
in the performance of them towards any person, or shall have broken
through any of these articles of peace and security, and the offence be notified to four barons chosen out of the five-and-twenty before mentioned,
the said four barons shall repair to us, or our justiciary, if we are out of
the realm, and, laying open the grievance, shall petition to have it redressed without delay: and if it be not redressed by us, or if we should
chance to be out of the realm, if it should not be redressed by our justiciary within forty days, reckoning from the time it been notified to us, or
to our justiciary (if we should be out of the realm), the four barons aforesaid shall lay the cause before the rest of the five-and-twenty barons; and
the said five-and-twenty barons, together with the community of the
whole kingdom, shall distrain and distress us in all the ways in which
they shall be able, by seizing our castles, lands, possessions, and in any
other manner they can, till the grievance is redressed, according to their
pleasure; saving harmless our own person, and the persons of our Queen
and children; and when