the possessions of bishops, as also of some twenty six abbots,
and two priors, were now erected into baronies, whence the lords
spiritual that had suffrage in the Teuton Parliament as spiritual
lords came to have it in the Neustrian Parliament as barons, and
were made subject, which they had not formerly been, to knights'
service in chief. Barony coming henceforth to signify all
honorary possessions as well of earls as barons, and baronage to
denote all kinds of lords as well spiritual as temporal having
right to sit in Parliament, the baronies in this sense were
sometimes more, and sometimes fewer, but commonly about 200 or
250, containing in them a matter of 60,000 feuda militum, or
knights' fees, whereof some 28,000 were in the clergy.

It is ill-luck that no man can tell what the land of a
knight's fee, reckoned in some writs at œ40 a year, and in others
at œ10, was certainly worth, for by such a help we might have
exactly demonstrated the balance of this government. But, says
Coke, it contained twelve plough-lands, and that was thought to
be the most certain account. But this again is extremely
uncertain; for one plough out of some land that was fruitful
might work more than ten out of some other that was barren.
Nevertheless, seeing it appears by Bracton, that of earldoms and
baronies it was wont to be said that the whole kingdom was
composed, as also that these, consisting of 60,000 knights' fees,
furnished 60,000 men for the King's service, being the whole
militia of this monarchy, it cannot be imagined that the
vavasories or freeholds in the people amounted to any
considerable proportion. Wherefore the balance and foundation of
this government were in the 60,000 knights' fees, and these being
possessed by the 250 lords, it was a government of the few, or of