§ 6. Fourth, if particular contracts and agreements are thus established between territorial lordships and their estates and subjects, and in them certain things are promised and granted to them, examples of which can be found now and then, and such promises are commonly repeated and affirmed to the subjects when homage is paid; and it therefore holds that the territorial lord cannot exercise his power over such agreements without the consent and indulgence of the territorial estates.
§ 7. If even with such authorizations and reservations on the part of the subjects, circumstances should arise that a practice is to be undertaken, in accordance with the times and events, that is different from tradition, as tends to happen frequently with taxes and imposts, it is proper that the territorial lord consult his territorial estates – to whom we have devoted Part 1 at the beginning of the work – and acts with their consent, so that, in the contrary case, they do not oppose his undertaking, and possibly fall into serious disagreements and vindications with him.
§ 8. Over and above these main points, however, there are many more in which a territorial lord will likewise ask the counsel of his territorial estates, and listen to their obedient, faithful opinion and recollections. Even if he is not directly bound by it, he will not easily depart from it, but will happily follow it, especially since it is based on good, sensible reasons: and this should happen for the most part with those things that are undertaken to maintain and preserve the territorial prince’s high standing, and its attendant regalia, against fearful, harmful encroachments, as long as these matters will otherwise be delayed and do not have to be kept in secrecy, or for good order and improvement in the land, which everyone must use, or for the particularly opportune administration of what has already been laudably ordered.
Just as such examples of consultations that territorial lords have held with their estates and subjects in this respect, in the archives and chanceries of princes and counts, appear now and again in the public records of the territorial assemblies.
§ 9. However, since such consultations tend to happen at the territorial diets [Landtage], the following should be known about their description and procedure. The territorial lord, by means of a sealed order, summons all estates of the land we have named in the first part above, for a particular day, at a convenient location in his land, where he provides them, in addition to their servants and horses, which everyone brings alone according to his estate and old custom, with feed and food, or gives them something to purchase the same.
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