The property of the free men was originally the “aleu,” which was under the jurisdiction of the royal magistrates.  The aleu gradually lost the greater part of its franchise, and became liable to the common charges due on lands which were not freehold.

In ancient times, all landed property of a certain extent was composed of two distinct parts:  one occupied by the owner, constituted the domain or manor; the other, divided between persons who were more or less dependent, formed what were called tenures.  These tenures were again divided according to the position of those who occupied them:  if they were possessed by free men, who took the name of vassals, they were called benefices or fiefs; if they were let to laeti, colons, or serfs, they were then called colonies or demesnes.

[Illustration:  Fig. 18.—­Ploughmen.—­Fac-simile of a Miniature in a very ancient Anglo-Saxon Manuscript published by Shaw, with legend “God Spede ye Plough, and send us Korne enow.”]

The laeti occupied a rank between the colon and the serf.  They had less liberty than the colon, over whom the proprietor only had an indirect and very limited power.  The colon only served the land, whilst the laeti, whether agriculturists or servants, served both the land and the owner (Fig. 18).  They nevertheless enjoyed the right of possession, and of defending themselves, or prosecuting by law.  The serf, on the contrary, had neither city, tribunal, nor family.  The laeti had, besides, the power of purchasing their liberty when they had amassed sufficient for the purpose.

Serfs occupied the lowest position in the social ladder (Fig. 19).  They succeeded to slaves, thus making, thanks to Christianity, a step towards liberty.  Although the civil laws barely protected them, those of the Church continually stepped in and defended them from arbitrary despotism.  The time came when they had no direct masters, and when the almost absolute dependence of serfs was changed by the nobles requiring them to farm the land and pay tithes and fees.  And lastly, they became farmers, and regular taxes took the place of tithes and fees.

The colons, laeti, and serfs, all of whom were more or less tillers of the soil, were, so to speak, the ancestors of “the people” of modern times; those who remained devoted to agriculture were the ancestors of our peasants; and those who gave themselves up to trades and commerce in the towns, were the originators of the middle classes.

[Illustration:  Fig. 19.—­Serf or Vassal of Tenth Century, from Miniatures in the “Dialogues of St. Gregory,” Manuscript No. 9917 (Royal Library of Brussels).]