[1] After he had in this sort ordeined his magistrates and ministers of the lawes, he lastlie tooke order what ordinances he would haue obserued: wherevpon a|brogating in maner all the ancient lawes vsed in times past, and instituted by the former kings for the good order and quietnes of the people, he made new, nothing so equall or easie to be kept;New lawes. which neuerthe|lesse those that came after (not without their great harme) were constreined to obserue: as though it had béene an high offense against GOD to abolish those euill lawes, which king William (a prince no|thing friendlie to the English nation) had first ordei|ned, and to bring in other more easie and tollerable. ¶ Here by the waie I giue you to note a great absur|ditie; namelie, that those lawes which touched all, and ought to be knowne of all, were notwithstan|ding written in the Norman toong,The lawes were written in the Nor|man toong. which the En|glishmen vnderstood not; so that euen at the begin|ning you should haue great numbers, partlie by the iniquitie of the lawes, and partlie by ignorance in misconstruing the same, to be wrongfullie condem|ned: some to death, and some in the forfeitures of their goods; others were so intangled in sutes and causes, that by no means they knew how to get out, but continuallie were tossed from post to piller; in such wise that in their minds they curssed the time that euer these vnequall lawes were made.