First Decree of Symon I.
General
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The first surviving decree of Symon I. Sereuth was written on parchment, probably even by himself.
The decree was addressed to all relevant families and houses of the Mahr. It is significant that in the document Symon I. does not demand the allegiance of the old Mahrian nobility, nor any other favors, but only orders to set up preparations for a general administration.
Formula
The actual text is preceded by the phrase "Sea And Salt Resolve". This is the first documented use of this formula, which in the following was often or almost always used by the Sereuths in documents to express their will to rule.
The formula describes the issuer of the decree, as the Sereuthers as natural phenomena; a Mahrian tradition reaching up to the present, which is supposed to represent the own rule as nature-given.
Remarks
The text is relatively informal and less structured than later Sereuther testimonies. There is no Invocatio and only the incoming formula serves as Intitulatio. The Inscriptio in particular is extremely general and lacks any respectful salutation, which may have been partly due to the fact that both nobles and non-nobles were affected by the decree. A Sanctio and Narratio are missing from this document.
Symon I. would formalize later charters to a greater extent, thus aligning them.
The Text
Sea And Salt Conclude,
that each landowner must conduct a census to determine how the lands of the Mahr are faring. A distinction is made according to the following criteria: Those landowners who are free farmers, those who lease their land, those who have claims to their land older than 50 years, and those whose claims are older than 100 years. This information must be compiled and prepared so that crown officials can sift through it in a timely manner. If no evidence can be presented and the existing conditions are based on observance, this must be reported to the officials. Each category of landowner must provide the following information, each separately: The land ownership of each citizen or landowner in as external a description as possible, including the size of the land ownership, the quality of the land and the location of the land, and the vocation of each person residing on the land.
It is imperative that this census be carried out. Deprivation of this duty is against the will of the Crown. In the event that the landowners themselves are unable to perform this duty, they must assist crown officials to do it themselves. If there are conflicts between landowners, these must also be reported. All officials who collect the census are to be treated with the utmost respect and all assistance is to be given to them. The officials must not share their knowledge and must communicate it to the crown alone. In order to give firm and unshakable permanence to the authority of this conveyance of ours, we have ordered that this document, authenticated by our own hand, be read by the testimony of the entire court and then sent to all corners of the Mahr.
