alienation of ancient demesne, to procure
justice for the rich and poor, to allow justice to be done on
themselves and their friends, to abstain from gifts and misuse of
patronage and influence, and to be faithful to the queen and to
the heir.

- The Law -

The barons forced successive Kings to sign the Magna Carta until
it became the law of the land. It became the first statute of the
official statute book. Its provisions express the principle that a
king is bound by the law and is not above it. However, there is no
redress if the king breaches the law.

The Magna Carta was issued by John in 1215. A revised version was
issued by Henry III in 1225 with the forest clauses separated out
into a forest charter. The two versions are replicated together,
with the formatting of each indicated in the titles below.

{Magna Carta - 1215}
Magna Carta - 1215 & 1225
MAGNA CARTA - 1225

{John, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke
of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou: To the Archbishops,
Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justiciaries, Foresters, Sheriffs,
Reeves, Ministers, and all Bailiffs and others, his faithful
subjects, Greeting. Know ye that in the presence of God, and for
the health of our soul, and the souls of our ancestors and heirs,
to the honor of God, and the exaltation of Holy Church, and
amendment of our realm, by the advice of our reverend Fathers,
Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, and
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church; Henry, Archbishop of Dublin;
William of London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelin of Bath and
Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of
Coventry, and Benedict of Rochester, Bishops; Master Pandulph, the
pope's subdeacon and familiar; Brother Aymeric, Master of the
Knights of the Temple in England; and the noble persons, William
Marshall, Earl of Pembroke; William, Earl of Salisbury; William,
Earl of Warren; William, Earl of Arundel; Alan de Galloway,
Constable of Scotland; Warin Fitz-Gerald, Peter Fitz-Herbert,
Hubert de Burgh, Seneshal of Poitou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew
Fitz-Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip Daubeny, Robert
de Roppelay, John Marshall, John Fitz-Hugh, and others, our
liegemen:}

HENRY BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF ENGLAND, LORD OF IRELAND, DUKE
OF NORMANDY AND GUYAN AND EARL OF ANJOU, TO ALL ARCHBISHOPS,
BISHOPS, ABBOTS, PRIORS, EARLS, BARONS, SHERI