Hue and Cry, by Sir Thomas Smith

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THE same manner is followed if any man be slain, for straight the murderer is pursued of every man till he be taken. So soon as any is brought to the Justices of peace by this hue or cry, by the Constable or any other who doth pursue the malefactor, he doeth examine the malefactor, and writeth the examination and his confession: then he doth bind the party that is robbed or him that sueth, and the Constable, and so many as can give evidence against the malefactor to be at the next sessions of gaol delivery to give evidence for the Queen. He bindeth them in recognisance of x.l’, xx.l’, xxx.l’, xl.l’, or C.l’, according to his discretion,* and the qualities of the crime: which certified under his hand, is levied upon the recognisance* if they fail of being there.

by Sir Thomas Smith 1513-1577

abridged

From ‘De Republica Anglorum: the Manner of Government or Policy of the Realm of England’ (1583) by Sir Thomas Smith (1513-1577), (1906) edited by Leonard Alston and Frederic William Maitland. Abridged, and spelling modernised.

That is, £10, £20, £30 or £40, or £100.

An undertaking to fulfil a legal obligation. See Oxford Dictionaries: Recognisance.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Questions for Critics

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