Indirectlywehavehadtoconsidertheinfluenceoffeudalism，asitwastransmittedthroughtheactionofitslawyers。Butitmaybeviewedinitsdirectconsequences，whichareasmanifestastheyareimportant。InEngland，feudalisminitsdefiniteshapeisboundupwithconquest。2*anditiswellknownthat，thoughverymuchhamperedonthepoliticalsidebytheroyalpower，itwasexceptionallycompleteonthesideofprivatelawbyreasonofitssudden，artificial，andenforcedintroduction。Oneofthemostimportantresultsofconquestfromthispointofviewwascertainlythesystematicwayinwhichthesubjectionofthepeasantrywasworkedout。IfwelookforcomparisontoFranceasthenextneighbourofEnglandandacountrywhichhasinfluencedEngland，weshallfindthesameelementsatwork，buttheycombineinavarietyofmodesaccordingtoprovincialandlocalpeculiarities。AlthoughthepoliticalpoweroftheFrenchbaronissomuchgreaterthanthatofanEnglishlord，theroturieroftenkeepshisdistancefromtheserfbetterthanwasthecaseinEngland。InFranceeverythingdependsuponthechangingequilibriumoflocalforcesandcircumstances。InEnglandtheNormanConquestproducedacompactestateofaristocracyinsteadofthemagnatesofthecontinent，eachofwhomwasstrongorweakaccordingtothecircumstancesofhisownparticularcase；itproducedCommonLawandtheKing’scourtsofCommonLaw；anditreducedthepeasantrytosomethinglikeuniformconditionbysurroundingtheliberietlegaleshomineswitheverykindofprivilege。ThenationalcolouringgivenbytheDialogusdeScaccariotothesocialquestionofthetimeisnotwithoutmeaninginthislight：——thepeasantsmayberegardedastheremnantofaconqueredrace，orastheissueofrebelswhohaveforfeitedtheirrights。
ThefeudalsystemonceestablishedproducedcertaineffectsquiteapartfromtheConquest，effectswhichflowedfromitsowninherentproperties。TheConquesthadcastfreeandunfreepeasantrytogetherintotheonemouldofvillainage；feudalismpreventedvillainagefromlapsingintoslavery。Ihaveshownindetailhowthemanorgivesapeculiarturntopersonalsubjection。Itsactionisperceivableinthetreatmentoftheoriginoftheservilestatus。Thevillain，howevernearbeingachattel，cannotbedevisedbywillbecauseheisconsideredasanannextothefreetenementofthelord。Theconnexionwithamanorbecomesthechiefmeansofestablishingandprovingseisinofthevillain。Ontheotherhand，inthetrialofstatus，manorialorganisationledtothesharpdistinctionbetweenpersonsinthepowerofthelordandoutofit。Thisfacttouchestheveryessenceofthecase。Themorepowerfulthemanorbecame，thelesspossiblewasittoworkoutsubjectiononthelinesofpersonalslavery。Withoutenteringintotheeconomicpartofthequestionforthepresent，merelyfromthelegalpointofviewitwasanecessaryconsequenceoftheriseofalocalandterritorialpowerthattheworkingpeopleunder。Itsswayweresubjectedbymeansofitsterritorialorganisationandwithinitslimitedsphereoflocalaction。Ofcourse，theStateupheldsomeofthelord’srightsevenoutsidethelimitsofthemanor，butthesewereonlyapalereflectionofwhattookplacewithinthemanor，andtheyweremoredifficulttoenforceinproportionasthebarriersbetweenthemanorsrosehigher；itbecameverydifficultforonelordtoreclaimrunawayswhowerelyingwithinthemanorofanotherlord。
IfweremovethosestrataofthelawofvillainagewhichowetheirorigintotheactionofthefeudalsystemandtotheactionoftheState，whichrisesontheruinsofthefeudalsystem，wecomeuponremnantsofthepre-feudalcondition。Theyarebynomeansfeworunimportant，anditisratherawonderthatsomuchshouldbepreservednotwithstandingthesystematicworkofconquest，feudalism，andState。WhenIspeakofpre-feudalconditionIdonotmeantosay，ofcourse，thatfeudalismhadnotbeeninthecourseofformationbeforetheNormanConquest。I
merelywishtoopposeasocialordergroundedonfeudalismtoasocialorderwhichwasonlypreparingforitanddevelopingonadifferentbasis。TheConquestbroughttogetherthefreeandunfree。OursurvivalsofthestateofthingsbeforetheConquestgroupthemselvesnaturallyinonedirection，theyaremanifestationsofthefreeelementwhichwentintotheconstitutionofvillainage。Itisnotstrangethatitshouldbeso，becausetheservileelementpredominatedinthosepartsofthelawwhichhadgottheupperhandandtheofficialrecognition。AtraitwhichgoesfurtherthantheacceptedlawinthedirectionofslaveryisthedifficultieswhichareputbyGlanvilleinthewayofmanumission。Hisstatementpracticallyamountstoadenialofthepossibilityofmanumission，andsuchadenialwecannotaccept。Hiswayoftreatingthequestionmaypossiblybeexplainedbyoldnotionsastotheinabilityofamastertoputaslavebyamereactofhiswillonthesamelevelwithfreemen。
Howeverthismaybe，oursurvivalsarrangethemselveswiththissinglepossibleexceptioninthedirectionoffreedom。